No extra car

[sltrawick]

We just upgraded to a Class C Fleetwood Jamboree. We do not have a tow dolly and I'm just wondering about those who do. Do you bring an extra vehicle with you when you camp? Or if you don't, How hard is it getting around without one or do I really need to think about getting the tow dolly? Can't flat tow as our car won't allow it, but not ready to make the purchase of a tow dolly yet

[sltrawick]

Well guess what? After we bought the tow dolly, we came across a Jeep Wrangler to flat tow. Sooooo, I sold the tow dolly we just bought and bought the jeep. ????????

[sltrawick]

Thank you for all the replies. We went ahead and bought a tow dolly. And then guess what? We found a used Jeep Wrangler to flat tow that someone else use to pull behind their motorhome. Sooooooo, we have a tow dolly to sell that we only up had for 6 days.

[Snowman9000]

35 days rental in Tucso AZ in high season.

With taxes and fees, no insurance, CDW, etc:
Enterprise economy Rio $720
Avis Ford economy Fiesta $703
Budget economy Fiesta $648

So Budget is $18.50 a day. Is it going to be driven every day? Every other day means $37 per use, plus gas. Every third day, $56 per use. Taxi, Uber, Lyft, don't look so bad now. Neither does just driving our MH. Re-thinking....

[Snowman9000]

For 4.5 weeks in Tucson starting next week:
Intermediate $555
Compact $555 coupon does not apply
Economy $525 coupon does not apply

I'm considering it. Thanks again.

edit: taxes and fees not included. See below.

[Snowman9000]

Gene, when I have priced long rentals, it has been at least $600/mo. I will go try that Avis deal and see what it would cost for the next month.

There is also a new place where you can rent private cars. Turo.com.

[Gene_in_NE]

Snowman9000 wrote:
We are on a two months trip to Arizona, with no toad. I think we have thrown in the towel, and will have a toad next time. The more we stay in one place, the better the toad idea looks.

On the other hand, you could pay for the extra gas towing your toad, buy a base plate for your car, buy the tow bar, and buy a supplemental braking system. Lastly, you could worry about breaking something on the toad or on the RV with the extra weight.

Have you considered a 2 month lease on a rental car? Something like this http://www.avis.com/car-rental/content/display.ac?navId=T4M28S06.

We frequently pull a small enclosed fiberglas trailer with a motorcycle inside. The trailer would haul an ATV 4-wheeler or a 3 wheel motorcycle. We have never wished for an enclosed toad. Sight seeing just is not the same in the rain or snow.

[Snowman9000]

We are on a two months trip to Arizona, with no toad. I think we have thrown in the towel, and will have a toad next time. The more we stay in one place, the better the toad idea looks.

[LI-Camper]

We have owned three different Class C's and have yet to tow. We have rented cars, used city busses, shuttles, taxis, friend's cars, walked, bicycles and even a tour bus that picked us up at a campground. I would rather not hassel with towing a car while stopping for gas, at a restaurant or any other place along the way. The suggestion to try at first without a toad sounds good. Some RVer's don't mind towing a car so you can decide for yourself if you need to or not.

[LI-Camper]

We have

[toedtoes]

I agree it's how you camp, as well as how big your C is. For me, my C is 21ft. When I go camping, it's to a location and for the most part I stay in the campground or hike around the area. I've rarely ever needed to go into town (the purpose is to get away from town), and when I have had to go into town, I just drive the RV. It works well for me.

But, there will come a time when I may do more sightseeing/traveling. At that time, I will rethink my setup.

[4x4van]

Yup, all depends on how "you" camp. I have never had the need or desire for a toad, but I am typically a weekend warrior out in the desert playing with motorcycles/ATVs or at the river playing with Jet Skiis. Fully self contained for the 3-4 days I'm there, no need to go elsewhere.

[NWnative]

We have a 32ft Class C and don't currently tow a car. I have a Fusion which I can tow with a tow dolly but.....based on how we use it, have not spent the money yet. We are weekend warriors and spend about 6-10 weekends a year at local campgrounds (usually less than 100 miles away). We do tend to take 1 'longer' week long trip each summer as well. Although a little inconvenient, my wife usually just follows in the car. We also have a 4Runner that we typically like to have when camping and it is NOT tow-able 4 down. I figured the cost of a 2000-3000 tow dolly (I would get a Demco if I were to make a purchase) pays for a lot of gas for the few times my wife follows along. For trips where we know we will not need a car, we all have bikes that we take with us for getting around the campground. As other's have said, really depends on how you will use the rig and how often. When our son graduates in about 5 years, we plan to get a Class A and spend a lot more time on the road.....at that time, we will consider something to tow 4 down or on a dolly. For us though, the short weekends trips just don't justify the cost and trying to find a place to store the dolly when not in use.

[PghBob]

Haven't needed a toad yet, with a couple transcontinental trips and an Alaskan adventure under our belt. Our rig is a 27 foot Class C. We've taken it to restaurants, shops, museums, the Santa Monica pier, and many national parks in the US and Canada without once wishing we had a toad. But that's us. Everyone has different ways of traveling and seeing what they want/need. We have rented a car twice while away, once for $40, and another for $60. I would suggest taking at least one trip away from home without the toad, then deciding if you feel a toad is necessary. Equipping for a toad isn't inexpensive, so you want to make sure that you feel it is right for you. Good luck with your decision.

[jjrbus]

Interesting topic, I used to live in a 35 foot diesel pusher and tow a Ford Windstar van. NIce setup but gets stressful to drive!

In the spring I will be going on a 2 month trip with a Toyota RV and no toad, could not pull a toad if I wanted to!

The Toy gets 12-15 mpg so will use it for running around. Don't plan to stay in one place more than a couple days. Jim