Not sure super baby friendly but we had a 93 Tahoe that was passed around family for 10 years. Ive hauled plenty of projects and my brother used to to haul his dirt track car with. Very minor maintanence other then basics, was finally sold with around 400k on original motor
Apexcarver said:Patrick said:I would not feel comfortable with a tahoe or any of the half ton gmt800 trucks with an enclosed trailer if you plan to hit any of the mountains between your current location and your family compound.
Family compound isnt around anymore, sold off and moved mom out to Columbus to be near my brother. I live south of DC now and likely tow targets are Summit Point, Dominion, and maybe VIR. (fairly flat, nothing like Sidling Hill on 68, done that in a F150 pulling Pauls camaro on an open and in a few loaded moving trucks) Also, cars to be stuffed in the trailer are miata or lighter. Any change in thought at that?
Will keep an eye for a heavier suburban though.
If you are south of DC you really have to make it to VIR but once you do beware other tracks will pale in comparison :P
When you decide what you want, PM me and I'll find it through the wholesale auctions.
Toureg. 5.0 V10. Tdi + tune. That there will out pull a diesel dually.
In reply to A 401 CJ :
Would they be as stable and brake as well as a diesel dually while towing? I just don't see a toureg being a good bet on towing a 20+ ft enclosed. It has the power yes, and will drive better around town unloaded. But, 3/4 ton trucks and SUV's do way better with larger trailers. Towing a 16ft car trailer with a miata behind it then yeah that v10 diesel toured would be awesome.
I knew a guy who had a TDI Touareg when it was newish. His aftermarket warranty ended up paying out $27k during his ownership. Maybe that same truck has now been perfectly reliable ever since, though!
I also know a guy who loves his early Tundra so much that he spent ~$3k upgrading the brakes because yes, they really did suck. I encouraged him in that direction because for the money he could get out of selling it there was nothing else available that was all-around as good even if it did have better brakes.
yupididit said:In reply to A 401 CJ :
Would they be as stable and brake as well as a diesel dually while towing? I just don't see a toureg being a good bet on towing a 20+ ft enclosed. It has the power yes, and will drive better around town unloaded. But, 3/4 ton trucks and SUV's do way better with larger trailers. Towing a 16ft car trailer with a miata behind it then yeah that v10 diesel toured would be awesome.
Ummm....no. But braking and handling and all that are just lame excuses for those who lack the POWAH! :-)
Vigo said:I knew a guy who had a TDI Touareg when it was newish. His aftermarket warranty ended up paying out $27k during his ownership. Maybe that same truck has now been perfectly reliable ever since, though!
This is why I am not going that route. every modern VW i have been involved with seems to fail expensively and take a blood toll to get running again. They might be great vehicles, but I am looking for the car that I dont have to worry about and when I do I can fix with a screwdriver and a hammer. I want to spend my limited wrench time on the toys, not the DD/hauler. Add to that, I cant find a TDI for sale in my region and even if I found one, I highly doubt it would be in my pricerange.
still primarily shopping Tahoe and Suburban, been talking with Gimpy who thinks the 'Burb is the better choice (longer wheelbase tows better), though I seem to like the tahoe a smidge better (do I really need the full land yacht that the 'Burb is?)
I have pretty much decided that I wont be going for a 2500/3500 and sticking to the 1500. The areas I am towing, the frequency I will be towing (not more than 1-2x a month for usually short distances), and what I'll be towing usually (1300lb bugeye sprite, or 1400lb spitfire) pretty much makes it not worth the DD mpg hit for the bigblock. I may regret this if I tow in the mountains, but its a tradeoff.
I am loosely considering the Sequoia, need to learn more about their parts/maintenance situation.
For the most part, 5.3's are dirt simple and the recurring big issue with the chevys is rusted brake lines, which I can replace pretty easily (4 post lift rated for 7000lbs)
Now to find time between Work, PT, caring for pregnant wife, and necessary house work to prep for baby to actually go out and look at some more cars.
I was only half kidding suggesting the Toureg. Yeah, be prepared for a deep dive like Mazduece's UOMD.
But seriously, how about a van? I always thought Econolines drove beautifully and especially in half ton guise. My experience is primarily the E350 dually box truck but I find it very comfortable, well mannered, but a bit spartan. I'd bet an E150 would be everything you'd want.
I have thought about vans quite seriously. It may well be a better bet than the SUVs, but the missus says "no free candy"
I had a 5.3 2wd 1500 Suburban that towed my Mustang on an open trailer like a champ, never gave me any problems other than the A/C compressor blew three times. That being said, I got rid of it and got a 4WD gas V10 F250 crew cab which pulled WAAAAY better, but rode like a buckboard empty. I picked up the Suburban for $3800, and the F250 was out the door for $4200. The body was pretty hammered, but it only had 120k on it, and that thing was a beast up until I got rid of it last summer.
Personally, after having the extended cab 6' bed and the extended cab 8' bed (that I have now), I do NOT recommend them as daily drivers - the ride isn't so hot unless you get a much newer truck $$$$$$$$$$$$. That being said, a longer wheelbase is better for towing than short, ergo Suburban > Tahoe. Also, the firmer suspension would be better; 2500 > 1500. I also recommend 4wd, as I had an embarrassing moment getting my Suburban stuck in wet grass in the pits at NOLA MSP...
Also, I have only seen the EJECTO-SPARK-PLUGO-CUZ problem on the Ford 3V motors - the 2V motors (like mine) don't have the same issue.
I thought the 2V motors spit out the plugs while the 3 valve refused to let them go. I know I had plugs stuck in a 3v 4.6L. Oh, and the 2v had the cam phaser issues.
I do already have the best Ford Mod Motor, the aluminum 4.6 4v!
If a motor has to be poked into, the chevy is cheaper/easier to work on.
Spitballing here...
What about the GMC Envoy/Chevy Trailblazer?
Jalopnik says they have one of the best and last inline 6 motors. Let's be real here. Economic towing begins and ends with inline 6's. 
.
The upsides are low cost, dependable if maintained, and low cost. It's a very accomplished family SUV. It's modern so has latch for kid seats as well as modern construction with all that safety it implies.
The downside I see are that it's a GM product. I like Ford's, Nissan's, and Mazda's. The other downside is that it's tow rating is 6300lbs with a 4.10 gear. It goes as low as 5200lbs with a 3.42 gear. Trailer Towing Capacity of 2006 GMC Envoy with Inline 6-Cylinder Engine
DC Craig's is stuffed with them all from $1200 - $8000.
To go full circle, bought a vehicle last night.
Winner is, 2007 Ford Expedition.
All the chevys I found were either too expensive, too many miles (>200k), or beat to hell. This one was clean, had all the service, and ran right. I also kinda like the way it drives better than the chevys.
nice. I really like the '07 style front end on those pigs.
Nice those are good looking trucks and have nice interior vs their competitors.
And they have IRS, unlike the GMs, which means not only do they ride and handle better, you get a lower cargo floor in the back, and all the seats fold flat. Ours is newer and has the Ecoboost, but it's a great hauler and family vehicle.
2WD, no 3rd row (neither one is a bad thing by me, I get nifty hidden storage compartments instead of the 3rd row!) Carfax says it spent the first half of its life in Florida and the second half in Maryland south of DC. Biggest thing on there was a windshield replacement, which is no big deal. ~140k miles
I do like the ride MUCH better than the GMs I drove. The steering also feels MUCH more precise.
So, the watch list is Spark plugs, cam phasers, and exhaust manifold leaks? Anything else?
Have had an 99 burb for 10 years, it's been nearly bulletproof. HOWEVER, gas mileage sucks as a DD, it's never seen 15 mpg. Brakes are kind of iffy with a loaded trailer. coming back through the mountains with a somewhat overloaded box trailer contributed to my gray hair but no issues with a lighter load. incidently I've got a 16' box trailer that needs to go away, message me if interested.
In reply to Apexcarver :
If it's the Eddie Bauer version the air ride suspension gets a bit leaky after a while. Otherwise they are good trucks. Nice choice!
Nissan Armada
The obvious choice for people who really want a Sequoia but refuse to pay the Toyota tax and want a 9k tow rating.
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