Need TOAD advice ........................

[Richard_999]

I am looking for a FLAT TOW car , but it seems that almost EVERY one I consider , has really rotten ratings and histories on Car Complaints website.
I prefer something between 2005 and 2012 , for price reasons.
Jeeps ... ALL , seem to be a garbage car..
Saturns ... seem to drop transmissions often...
Equinox ... appears to have LOTS of complaints, except for '09 and '14 and newer...
Malibus ... Perhaps the worst transmissions & steering columns ever made...
Pickups ... just too heavy ...
I have had 5 in the past , and minimal issues , but those were older , and as such, made better than the non-American versions of newer ones.

I would GREATLY enjoy any input from actual owners on this topic.

Thank You

[MetalGator]

Not sure why Jeeps get such bad reviews. We currently have two Wranglers and used to have a Jeep Cherokee. All 3 have been great vehicles. I have two friends that have Jeeps and they haven't had any issues. I have both Wranglers (2 door and 4 door) setup for flat towing behind our Motorhome. They are really easy to setup and tow. I often wonder if the bad reviews are because many people abuse Jeeps by rock crawling and other off road activities. Both our Jeep Wranglers are daily drivers and neither of them have had any issues (except for airbag recalls).

Burch

[Jayco-noslide]

My go-to source for estimating the quality of a vehicle is the Consumer Reports annual issue which lays out years of repair rating history for individual models. Not so much for a new model. For example it will show years of poor ratings for many Jeeps, Chrysler cars and others. I can's say I've never owned and liked some "bad" models.

[timmac]

Richard_999 wrote:
I am looking for a FLAT TOW car , but it seems that almost EVERY one I consider , has really rotten ratings and histories on Car Complaints website.
I prefer something between 2005 and 2012 , for price reasons.
Jeeps ... ALL , seem to be a garbage car..
Saturns ... seem to drop transmissions often...
Equinox ... appears to have LOTS of complaints, except for '09 and '14 and newer...
Malibus ... Perhaps the worst transmissions & steering columns ever made...
Pickups ... just too heavy ...
I have had 5 in the past , and minimal issues , but those were older , and as such, made better than the non-American versions of newer ones.

I would GREATLY enjoy any input from actual owners on this topic.

Thank You

I have a 2018 Toyota Tacoma, Ext Cab, 4 cly, 2WD, automatic, only weights 4000 pounds and very reliable.

4 door short bed version weights about the same but cost more.

Great on gas.

You will need a driveline disconnect for the auto trans.

You can look for a used 2012 or older but why when the new base models don't cost that much.

[K_Charles]

Richard_999 wrote:
K Charles.... According to Matorhome Dinghy Guide... NONE of the HYUNDAIs are flat towable.
Are you FLAT TOWING yours ?

It's a standard shift and yes we tow it 4 down. Hyundai says to turn off the radio and heater so you don't run the battery down and there is no speed limit for towing.

[Jack_Spratt]

Flat towing our Jeep Liberty
110,000 on the clock with only brakes and calipers.
Our third Jeep is on order now.

[mowermech]

I, too, am in "The Jeep Wrangler isn't all that bad!" camp. Mine has nearly 200K miles, and has been fairly trouble free.
Yes, J-E-E-P DOES stand for "Just Empty Every Pocket", but that is because of all the aftermarket accessories that are available to put on a Wrangler. I know of people who bought new Wrangler Rubicons and wound up with over $50,000 in accessories on them!
However, since the OP is not at all interested in any Jeep, and wants a toad that will have few problems (there is NO vehicle that never has a problem), I can only recommend what used to be considered the ultimate towed vehicle: A Volkswagen Beetle, the original. A towbar designed specifically for the car is readily available, for less than $200. The car is light, with no towing restrictions. There are various iterations that can be found, with a little searching: The standard Beetle, the Super Beetle, a 2 seat Manx or similar vehicle, a 4 seat Manx or similar, the Thing (expensive), the Karmann Ghia (hardtop or roadster), etc.
Any of the above can be found fully restored to better than factory new condition, with a little searching.
Good luck.

[Richard_999]

Scottiemom .... Thank you for the response.
The FLEX is on my list of possibilities , and I like the looks of it.

[Scottiemom]

When we replaced our 2003 Ford Sport Trac a few years ago, the hunt was on. The ST served us well, but she had 167,000 miles on her and another 100,000 towed and our mechanic told us the timing chains were starting to rattle, so we retired the old gal in 2016. We opted for a 2014 Ford Flex. It's all wheel drive but is flat towable. We needed room for a spare tire for the Phaeton. . . needed 39 inches in the back end. It was about the only car that qualified and the trucks are all being built so big and heavy. The Flex has third row seating so when we arrive at the grandkids, we can haul everyone.

We've towed the Flex 10,000 miles a year behind the Phaeton since then and nary a problem. Tows well, drive like a dream and while I have heard them called "toasters on wheels" I nicked named ours the Oster Toaster.

Dale

[Richard_999]

I thank ALL who are responding , but Please realize that I am not here to pick fights about YOUR personal choice of car.
I read & absorb EVERY comment , and value each one.... however , as with all things in life, seemingly equal experiences have WIDE variations of results.
Car Complaints website does show TRENDS of cars and their typical flaws.
SOME... like Explorers & Jeeps ... are off the charts / BAD , and others have mixed reviews.
While SOME may not live DOWN to expectations or trends , It pays to avoid them.

[STBRetired]

We towed a 2001 Malibu, which had engine issues galore. We now tow a Ford Edge Sport which has been a wonderful car. Have friends who tow Wranglers. They are not garbage.

[dodge_guy]

We tow my wifes 2013 Ford Explorer. does just fine.

As far as Jeeps, well the Wranglers and Grand Cherokee`s are good vehicles. the Cherokee, Compass and Renegade are Fiat based cars and I wouldn't wish that ownership on my worst enemy.....well maybe I would. my next vehicle will be a 4 door wrangler.

[Richard_999]

K Charles.... According to Matorhome Dinghy Guide... NONE of the HYUNDAIs are flat towable.
Are you FLAT TOWING yours ?

[camperdave]

carringb wrote:
The Ford Hybrids (Fusion & C-Max) are very reliable, and popular for flat towing. Both are available as plug-in hybrids, which doesn't add any price premium used, but does eat up cargo space. I think a plug-in would be nice as a toad, since you can quietly glide through campgrounds on all-electric.

at 88k miles, our 2014 Fusion Energi (plug in) is going in for it's third transmission (never used as a toad, it's my wife's commuter car). Other than the trans, it's been a great car! :B

All under warranty, but still. As a toad though, I'd have concern about the weight, the clearance (it is a low sitting car), and the complete lack of trunk space.

If I were buying a toad, it'd be an 07-11 CRV.

[carringb]

The Ford Hybrids (Fusion & C-Max) are very reliable, and popular for flat towing. Both are available as plug-in hybrids, which doesn't add any price premium used, but does eat up cargo space. I think a plug-in would be nice as a toad, since you can quietly glide through campgrounds on all-electric.

[K_Charles]

We flat tow two (one at a time). We've towed our '13 elantra 2 door about 25,000 miles s far with no trouble and I just set up our '10 ranger about 3 months ago. It doesn't weight very much and was trouble free for three short trips so far.