$7000 to spend on tow vehicle, suggestions?

Congrats on the tow vehicle....sounds like you did well....higher mileage is not bad if the rest of the vehicle has been taken care, the engine probably has too...

If I recall correctly, the 1500hd is built on the 3/4 ton frame with lighter suspension, which should work ok as long as you are not pulling a 5th wheel, which you are not. So, you get a smoother ride with the towing capability you need....good choice.

We had a 1/2 ton to tow our 5000# trailer and it was fine.....went to a 7500# trailer and pulled it ONE TIME about 60 miles....now I have a 3/4 HD. The extra stability is great....good luck!

reezer wrote:
Thanks everyone for all the suggestions.
I ended up getting a 2003 sierra 1500HD. It has a mint interior and very minor surface rust on the rockers, which is rare in this part of Canada. Usually they are rotted out. The truck has 290,000 kms but runs well and doesn''t leak anything. The back seat is huge which is great for the kids, plus it had a factory dvd system.
Now the bad part. I got it for $5000 because I didn't get it saftied. The owner said it only needed a cv boot cover which he had included. I looked for bent frames, rot holes, general bad stuff but it seemed pretty good. I brought it to my mechanic after I bought it and I have to replace 3/4 ball joints which are just starting to go, pitman arm and idler am, rear brake pads rotors, calipers, parking brake and I put new calipers on the front just in case. Oh and all new brake lines. Brake lines in Canada don't much make it past 10yrs unless you rustproof your car every year.

I've been doing all the work myself, so I've just had to pay for parts. The only thing I don't know if I can do is the lower ball joints because you need a torsion bar unloading tool which I can't find for rent anywhere. I think I've probably spent about $1500 in parts. So I'm still under my $7000 budget and I shouldn't have to do any suspension or brake work for the rest of the life of the truck(knock on wood).

What engine? Guess I'm lucky being in AZ. Rust? whats Rust?

My 83 Dodge D50 was safetied in 2007 in Quebec. It was a piece of cake to get it approved.

The repair you are mentioning sound like regular maintainance. When I went that route I spoke to a garage and the guy told me which place to go to. The technician at Canadian Tire gave me minimum hastle, whereas some certified garages will make you go through hoops, either because they have something against older vehicles not sold by them, or because they hope you'll get the repairs done in their shop. Once you're committed to one, I don't know if you can switch and start anew. Buyer beware.

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions.
I ended up getting a 2003 sierra 1500HD. It has a mint interior and very minor surface rust on the rockers, which is rare in this part of Canada. Usually they are rotted out. The truck has 290,000 kms but runs well and doesn''t leak anything. The back seat is huge which is great for the kids, plus it had a factory dvd system.
Now the bad part. I got it for $5000 because I didn't get it saftied. The owner said it only needed a cv boot cover which he had included. I looked for bent frames, rot holes, general bad stuff but it seemed pretty good. I brought it to my mechanic after I bought it and I have to replace 3/4 ball joints which are just starting to go, pitman arm and idler am, rear brake pads rotors, calipers, parking brake and I put new calipers on the front just in case. Oh and all new brake lines. Brake lines in Canada don't much make it past 10yrs unless you rustproof your car every year.

I've been doing all the work myself, so I've just had to pay for parts. The only thing I don't know if I can do is the lower ball joints because you need a torsion bar unloading tool which I can't find for rent anywhere. I think I've probably spent about $1500 in parts. So I'm still under my $7000 budget and I shouldn't have to do any suspension or brake work for the rest of the life of the truck(knock on wood).

Taco wrote:
The cool kids aren't driving them but for a tow vehicle on a budget a 3/4 or 1 ton passenger van is hard to beat.

X 2

A man I know sold his 97 RAM CTD for $5000 two years ago. That truck was in mint condition, no rust, 200 000 km, which is just broken in for a diesel, and his only condition to the buyer was that the injection pump not be tampered with, as he never opened it even though he pulled a 5th wheel every year to Florida (in other words he did not want to see it go to a young punk that would trash it). I have a 97 like that (see profile) but it's not for sale yet ;-)

So, they are certainly out there and they will still give you 10 years or more of good service. Don't be discouraged by naysayers.

Crew cab Silverado gasser, or suburban. I love my 2000 2 wheel drive burb with 200,000 miles that I bought 1 year ago for 4500 bucks and it looks and runs perfect!

In this part of the U.S., where almost half the cars are trucks and the HD trucks get used in agriculture and construction, $5000-7000 will get you a 3/4 ton crew cab work truck about 8-12 years old, with 150,000 to 250,000 miles. If you want 4x4 or diesel, you will pay more or buy older at the higher end of that mileage range. These trucks come on the market when the accountant says they are "used up."

Family trucks, those with fancier trim and more accessories, don't drop to that price level until nearly 10 years old, and have been through several hands.

I am seeing the same age and mileage range, at those prices, for E-350 wagons (Express 3500 is relatively rare, and few 3/4 ton wagons are sold because the difference in price is so small). In the E-350, you might want the V-10 because you will be near the towing limits of the 5.4 V-8, and the V-10 is pretty hard to find in a used wagon.

For cargo vans, I see mostly lower prices, but not less mileage, and an old cargo van is not of much use as a family hauler unless you do the conversion van thing.

We owned a 2007 Avalanche (4wd with tow package). We loved our Avalanche and had it set up for the kayaks and mountain bikes. The back seat was spacious and accomodated our 2 large German Shepherds with room to spare. Love that the rear window could be removed and the seats could fold down with access to the cargo area.

We have a 27RBSS Viewfinder and it towed our TT beautifully locally in GA and into FL without issue...until we got into anything with more than a 3% grade and it struggled. This was our 2nd Avalanche and it had 180k miles on it when we traded it in on our new TV. It's a much nicer towing experience with our new TV andnot having to worry about being underpowered.

$7k is pretty much the cheapest 3/4 ton you can get in my area. You are not going to be able to be too picky. 2000+ f250 or GM 2500 would be best. They are going to be stripped out or 200k+ miles on them though.

Van may be the way to go.