Ok, backing up a step.. Looking for advice part 2

[Gsragtop]

I posted the other day about buying a 19 foot TT and towing with my Kia Sedona. Even though the dry weight was 700lbs under the max tow weight of the van, I was advised by many it was too much trailer for the van.. Honestly my wife and I gave up in the camping idea because we have what we have and our family is the size it is..

This weekend talking with friends it got revisited, we want to camp.. So While I still am not sure I agree, about the van being over loaded we are backing up a step.. We need a third vehicle in our family mostly because I'm in sales and make a living in my car and I can't afford to be without a car.. Currently our 3rd car is a 04 Saab convertible, but we are now considering selling that and getting a Truck capable of towing.

A side benefit of this idea is we can get a slightly larger, slightly cheaper used trailer if we follow thrugh with this idea.. We were looking at new because we needed small and light, and it seemed new was the way to go.,

Long story shirt we will have about $10000 to play with after selling the car and a few other things. I'm figuring half on the truck and half on the trailer.. Need some advise on what to look for. Due to driveway size constraints as much as I would like a crew cab, I don't think its in the cards.. An older Tahoe or Trailblazer (v8 would be nice, but at my price point 6cyl has a higher possibility) is far more Likley. What weight trailer would you think is max safe for these two trucks ?? How about an explorer sport track?? What other trucks would be on the list, Durangos I don't feel are reliable, explorers always feel underpowered (at least the 6cyl)..

Thanks again for the advice.

[AlbertaNewbie]

$10k is doable, however don't forget about the $1-2k of stuff you'll want to put in the trailer. All of the stuff really addsbup, plus with a truck in the $5k range and a trailer in the $5k range you'll be looking at frequent repairs that cost $$, especially if you need tomhave the trailer towed after a breakdown.

[Speedogomer]

Have you looked at the trailmanor model line? They have very light, hard sided, folding units. They're very interesting, I really like them.

[oughtsix]

Suburbans have been around for what?... 80 years now!?!?!? Even GM can figure out how to make a decent vehicle after they have been practicing on it for 80 years!

I vote for a Suburban 2500. Tons of them around. Tons of parts availability. Cheap. Reliable. Very well known with lots of internet support. Tons of room... you won't find anything roomier without going to a full sized van. Pretty hard to go wrong with a Suburban! You could probably go to any junk yard in America and assemble a dozen functioning Suburbans out of spare parts.

[boosTT]

$10k is not going to get you much. You need to keep this in mind or look at campers that are not travel trailers. Maybe an Hi-Lo would work? Pop-up would really be ideal for you. Maybe a seasonal campsite, where you don't need to tow?

Look at autotrader for 1/2 ton trucks (F150, Sliverado 1500, Ram 1500) and see if you are willing to accept what you'll get for $4k-5k. And then, its going to be difficult to find a TT for $5k.

[jerem0621]

10k got me a 99 V10 F350 crew cab Dually and a 31 ft 1995 travel trailer. 10k is fine as long as you have realistic expectations. My truck was a stripper with AC and the trailer was old but in good shape.

I still ended up putting a few grand in repairs and updates over a few years into the trailer.

The minivan would actually surprise you if you hitched it properly. It has as much or more payload than many 45k$ modern half tons.

My 4 cyl Sorento Routinely pulls 2000 plus lbs around "like it's not even back there"

More to towing than just some weights. Much much much more

I'd rather have the Expedition or Tahoe if you are going to a half ton level truck. Doesn't mean your tow will be fantastic though. Lots and lots of variables YOU need to work out. Weights and ratings are a fractions of those variables.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[PAThwacker]

we have 3 vehicles.
2004 passat wagon/primary commuter 1.8t: in pinch can carry family of 4, dog, and portage a canoe easily.

2008 trailblazer V8/ wife part time commute/full time mom of 2 kids aged 5 and 2.: in a pinch can do all of the above plus tow camper if needed.

2004 K2500 Suburban 4 seater beast. Dedicated tow vehicle, can do all of the above, plus haul wood, extra kids, mother in law, and gobs of camper toys.

[chracatoa]

* wrong thread *

[Community Alumni]

I'd look into a E-Series or Chevy Express passenger van. You can get some pretty good deals on them, they can carry a lot of weight, and you'll probably have more room than your current van. You could easily get one for less than $5000 with less than 100,000 miles on it.

[Speedogomer]

Well first things first... Regardless of the cost of your investment, the memories you and you family will make are priceless.

I grew up camping in tents and pop-ups. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Honestly some of my best memories are in tents. Even though our campers are mansions compared to what we grew up with, our fun is just the same.

If I were you, I'd revisit the pop up idea... They're better than you think. You won't have to change vehicles around, and can get your foot in the door to the camping environment. Pop ups are a great value, and a ton of fun. Just find campgrounds with clean bathrooms and shower facilities, and a pop up is amazing fun.

If you can't justify sleeping under canvas, $10k isn't a huge budget, but you should be able to find something reasonable. But it may not be ideal.

However another idea is to forgo buying a tow vehicle and TT, and buy a used motor home. $10k would buy a very reasonable unit. Just in my area alone there are several nice units under $10k. It's an option worth exploring. Even if you find an older unit, set aside some money to reupholster the fabrics, put in new curtains and replace the bedding. It'll look like a new camper.

Welcome to the world of camping! I have family in Beaufort SC, we're planning on camping near there at some point. If I see you, a cold beer is waiting for you.

[Gdetrailer]

Caveman Charlie wrote:
My only comment here is why do the 2 of you need 3 vehicles?? I understand you are in sales and you want a car for good gas mileage and such. Why can't your wife drive the tow vehicle when you are away on a sales trip? Or, maybe better yet, if you must have 2 cars and a truck why can't your wife have a older preowned car for her primary vehicle and then if it were to fail use the tow vehicle as a back up?

I just don't understand why you can't get this down to either 2 vehicles or, 2 primary vehicles and a used cheaper car.

Is there a REAL "reason" to only own two vehicles for two people?

If you can swing multiple vehicles then what is the problem..

I myself do not have a problem with three vehicles, in fact we have THREE F250 PICKUP TRUCKS. We use them as daily drivers to boot, in fact my drive to work round trip is 100 miles per day..

Several of the reasons we have three daily drivers for two people is one, the oldest truck is a 2003 and has 200,000 miles, would not have gotten much out of it for trade or even outright sale. So we kept it.

The third vehicle HAS come in handy this winter when one of our NEWER trucks ended up in and out of the shop four plus times this winter..

So far it was cheaper to keep a third vehicle than what it would cost for a rental...

In a couple of years our Daughter will be getting a license... Yep, she will be learning to drive in an old well worn pickup truck..

There is no shame on owning an extra vehicle as long as you can afford to do so COMFORTABLY.

[Caveman_Charlie]

My only comment here is why do the 2 of you need 3 vehicles?? I understand you are in sales and you want a car for good gas mileage and such. Why can't your wife drive the tow vehicle when you are away on a sales trip? Or, maybe better yet, if you must have 2 cars and a truck why can't your wife have a older preowned car for her primary vehicle and then if it were to fail use the tow vehicle as a back up?

I just don't understand why you can't get this down to either 2 vehicles or, 2 primary vehicles and a used cheaper car.

[packpe89]

Agree on choosing trailer first. Then choose a tower with room to spare. I have a 6000# 28' bunkhouse, great for a family. Just purchased a 2002, chevy 2500HD to pull it with. My sons half ton does ok, but in the mountains and on long trips, the 3/4 just pulls and handles much better.

BTW, My total investment is around $15,000, not much more than you are looking at.

[JiminDenver]

I can tell you that with a Expedition with a tow package and WDH that you can tow 5500 lb dry. Except for the really steep grades I barely know our 4200 lb dry trailer is back there.

That's the issue you may run into. I haven't seen too many used ads that list the tow specs for a truck. A F 150 is a F 150 right, except mine has a 1000 lb payload and 3200 lb tow rating. Nothing like a newer one with Eco boost will do.

Some older Suburbans are beast, newer ones not so much.

So you will need to find not only a truck you like but will need to look up the tow and payload rating for each one you look at. Once you find one you will know what IT will handle and you can get a trailer to match up.

[intheburbs]

Gsragtop wrote:
Suburban was on the list but too long

I suggest you at least consider a Suburban. It is much better suited to towing than the Tahoe or Trailblazer.

You might also want to rethink your budget. Towing puts a lot of stress on a vehicle, and if you're only spending $4-$5k on a tow vehicle, it's going to be older with a lot of miles. You're going to have to be patient and lucky to get a decent, reliable tow vehicle at that price. I just recently sold my '01 Burb to a friend for $4k. Has 188k miles, but I wouldn't hesitate to hook it up and drag the TT across the country with no worries.