Downsizing tow vehicle

jwagner said:

Interesting ideas.  I never would have thought Range Rover or Touareg due to reliability concerns.  Also need to look at the Escalade too.  The less I stick into pulling the track car around, the more I can stick into the toy car.  Ridgelines and Toys generally have really good (bad for me) resale values.  Was wondering about Nissan Frontiers which seem to be universally panned (maybe there's a reason for that) which makes them relatively cheaper.

The reason Sequoia get suggested a lot (and why I have one) is that they're the one Toyota that (unlike the 4Runner/Taco/Tundra) actually DOESN'T hold its resale value (because it's perceived as just an old "luxury soccer mom SUV" and not "cool" like the others). Look around at 05-07 models (more power and stronger transmission than the 02-04) and see what I mean - they're usually like 1/2 the price of a same year/same miles 4Runner, even though they essentially ARE a 4Runner in most respects (suspension, drivetrain, etc) just with an extra 1000lbs of heft. 

Anyhow, don't write them off, they're suprisingly affordable (and bulletproof). Browse around CL or FB marketplace. Literlaly the only issue to look out for is frame rust on northern ones. 

bmw88rider said:

Wasn't there a RWD 4Runner V8 about to go on sale by a board member? Seems to me to be the easy button and should be under 10K 

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/cars-sale/need-pricing-guidance-2006-toyota-4runner/159721/page1/

No Time said:

Here you go:

7716 lbs towing capacity for less than $1/lb

What's it like to own and maintain one of these?

Floating Doc said:

No Time said:

Here you go:

7716 lbs towing capacity for less than $1/lb

What's it like to own and maintain one of these?

Similar to a British SUV with a Jaguar V8.

Olemiss540 said:

Floating Doc said:

No Time said:

Here you go:

7716 lbs towing capacity for less than $1/lb

What's it like to own and maintain one of these?

Similar to a British SUV with a Jaguar V8.

Lmao I don't know why but that cracked me up

I was looking for the same,with a much less budget and ended up with a 97 Explorer 4wd

107kmiles,1000 bucks, an engine and drivetrain I've ran for 15 years and hundreds of thousands of miles and will tow 5600 pounds. It'll tow rarely so the last bit was the least important

Olemiss540 said:

Floating Doc said:

No Time said:

Here you go:

7716 lbs towing capacity for less than $1/lb

 

What's it like to own and maintain one of these?

Similar to a British SUV with a Jaguar V8.

I'm not sure about that. Mine has 160k and i haven't had to replace a single plastic timing chain guide that threatened to lunch the motor! It does use more or less the same 6spd trans that you'll often find behind Jaguar V8s.

Mine has been pretty good. I installed a hitch but haven't towed with it yet. The only thing on mine that has surprised me on cost was the alternator, which i think is fair to go bad at 160k. Other than that the issues I've had over 1.5yr and 18k miles have been pretty normal and reasonably easy. The valve cover gaskets are fairly involved, but we got through em. 

I need to wire a brake controller to mine before i really exercise its tow capabilities. 

As far as Sequioas go, I have a friend with a same-era Tundra that tows cars frequently and he was bothered enough by the brakes that he spent 4 digits of money doing a Stoptech upgrade on the front. But, people don't say the best things about the Armada brakes i recommended, so meh.  A Cayenne definitely has NO brake issues, i can tell you that! 

In reply to Floating Doc :

Hopefully Vigo will chime in with his experience:

Cayenne article link from 2018

Docwyte also has one:

Couple things to look out for...

on edit: looks like Vigo posted while I was writing.

Vigo said:

Olemiss540 said:at tows cars frequently and he was bothered enough by the brakes that he spent 4 digits of money doing a Stoptech upgrade on the front. But, people don't say the best things about the Armada brakes i recommended, so meh.  A Cayenne definitely has NO brake issues, i can tell you that! 

The 1st gen Sequoia brakes are the same as the non-Sport 4Runner, which are pretty good on the 4Runner, but not great on the heavier Sequioa. They have pretty lousy fee, for sure. 

That said, good pads make a difference. I actually run Hawk HPS on mine, believe it or not, and while still not awesome, they are at least decent. We to alot in mountains and while I'm somewhat careful in long downhills, I haven't had any real issues brake-wise. 

I plan to upgrade to the 4Runner Sport Edition brakes at some point, since those were really, really good on my old 4Runner. 

If looking at the toureg don't forget the Audi Q7 TDI.  Cheap and plenty of tow capacity and third row allows for seating of 7.

yupididit said:

Olemiss540 said:

Floating Doc said:

No Time said:

Here you go:

7716 lbs towing capacity for less than $1/lb

What's it like to own and maintain one of these?

Similar to a British SUV with a Jaguar V8.

Lmao I don't know why but that cracked me up

Yeah, as soon as I posted that I thought, "that thing is a badge engineered Volkswagen, what the hell was I thinking?"

z31maniac said:

You have this post just sitting in a Word file don't you? 

LOL, I can regurgitate it pretty easily. My Range Rover was one of the best cars I've owned, truly. I get mild chest pain when I see another L322 in good shape driving around. If you buy the right years from the right prior owner, they can treat you well enough and be very nice, very quiet, and go like reasonable stink when prodded.

I chose the L322 Range Rover over a first-gen Cayenne GTS and Touareg as I thought the RR drove better. Some say the VAG twins tow better which makes sense. RR has a softer suspension meant for off-roading over towing stability, but with an open trailer it's very good.

To the point of them being big dumb BMW and Ford mashups with a British logo stamped everywhere... when you plug in your Tekonsha brake controller under the dash, you use a Ford wiring adapter. Really. The buttons inside are lifted from an E38 7-series. Coolant hoses are stamped FoMoCo. The transmission is a ZF 6HP that BMW and everyone else used back then. They are not that scary.

 "that thing is a badge engineered Volkswagen, what the hell was I thinking?"

I frequently say that mine is the nicest VW i've ever been in. I give Porsche a lot of credit regardless, but owning this one has made me consider other high-end older VWs. Like Bentleys?! 

Vigo said:

 "that thing is a badge engineered Volkswagen, what the hell was I thinking?"

I frequently say that mine is the nicest VW i've ever been in. I give Porsche a lot of credit regardless, but owning this one has made me consider other high-end older VWs. Like Bentleys?! 

Bentley Turbo R

The van is gone (sigh) and I have deferred the tow vehicle decision by buying a beater 3.  (you can't see the rear wheel well rust in the picture)

If I do sell the Exocet, I can probably rely on AAA for most of my towing needs if my plans to drive to and from the track don't quite work out.     Thanks for all the thoughts on what to buy next - the Cayenne keeps coming back into my thoughts and I'm doing my best to suppress it.  Never understood a Porsche SUV, always mocked them, now I'm looking at them on the internets.

Never understood a Porsche SUV, always mocked them, now I'm looking at them on the internets.

I still had reservations even until AFTER i bought this one. It was for my SO, and she used to drive aggressively enough that I was honestly worried about buying a Turbo, so we only looked at S's. I liked it right away, but it wasn't until after i spent real time with it that I decided that the way it turns and stops is good enough that it could use the extra 100+ hp and I sort of wished we had looked at Turbos.  

But then i went and drove some Turbos and decided that it wasn't enough better to justify the hassle of selling our known quantity good car and going on the hunt again, because after all it's not that easy to find a nice 15 y/o car. Plus i LOVE the steel spring suspension and don't want the air suspension and would almost pay money to NOT have it just so i never have to worry about it. So i kinda boxed myself in.  But the car itself is great and I plan to buy more Cayennes in the future. I even stopped caring about Panameras once I figured out how good Cayennes were for less money. 

I also had a Mazda3 like the one you just bought and i loved that car too. IMO Mazda and Porsche are the most driver-centric manufacturers out there and I love them both even if not every product is a slam dunk. 

Reviving the old tow vehicle thread since we're looking again.  Friend of a friend has a 2008 V8 Pathfinder with the tow package that spent most of it's life not in Wisconsin.  80K miles, wants $12K for it which seems pretty high.  Any thoughts/experiences on these?  I'm guessing this would work pretty well for a medium size camping trailer and a Miata on a trailer.

In reply to jwagner (Forum Supporter) :

Dooo it. 

Pathfinder V8's are rare, and that engine is a beast.  there's a forum member that has one and has done writeups on it here.....can't remember which one though. 

I've got an Armada, which has the same engine/trans and love it. underappreciated trucks. No Toyota tax.  

Headers will crack and I think (you'll need to verify) this is in the year range for the pink milkshake of death for the trans.  Look into a new radiator to avoid that.

Otherwise......pretty damn solid.  Rear seats are small and door openings are as well. Consider test fitting baby seat if you're in that age group. rear facing baby seat will force front seat WAY forward.  I couldn't make it work and bought the Armada for the extra rear seat space as a result. 

Fueled by Caffeine said:

Ridgeline. 

Came here to say this. I think it meets most of your criteria. I have been towing my 4500 lb camper with my wife's 2019 and it has handled it like a champ. Managed almost 13 mpg towing on our last camping trip. I've seen as high as 24 mpg when cruising at 70 mph on the highway. My garage has clearance issues (6'2") and the Ridgeline fits perfect. I really wanted my wife to get a Ranger but she picked the Ridgeline. I'm happy she did.

Edit: Just saw that this is a revived thread....nevermind. I am always quick to try and sell people on the Ridgeline haha.

Saw the car tonight.  It is very clean.   Bose stereo, sunroof, leather, etc..  We know the owner and trust that he's kept it up properly.  The radiator was replaced a couple of years ago, which I hope would fix the "pink milkshake' problem but need to confirm.  Aftermarket wheels and tires, but he still has the OEM wheels.  Recently detailed.  Doesn't seem to need anything.

I'm having a hard time with the $12.5K price which seems to be overmarket, but maybe knowing the history of the car makes it worthwhile.  And it is cheaper than most of the daily driver capable tow rigs that we've been looking at.

In reply to jwagner :

Toyota Sequoias are surprisingly inexpensive. I'd go with that. 

It's a done deal.  The seller was willing to negotiate down a bit and we agreed to pick it up tomorrow.  Tow problem solved.