Tow vehicle/DD?

Starting to look for a tow vehicle/daily driver. Wanting something that is comfotable and get decent mpg (above or around 15 in town) and can tow my race car which I figure is right around 5000 including the trailer and spares. what should I be looking for? Was considering older japanese full size trucks but im not sure if that is the right direction.

I've been daily driving my '04 Nissan Titan for the last year. It's great at soaking up the miles, it's big and comfortable. The 10 year old factory stereo still sounds great. It's much more fun to drive than a 5000+ lb vehicle has the right to. It tows like a champ. But I don't think it would ever get close to 15mpg in town. I average 15, with a good mix of freeway and in town. In town only is more like 12.

Just a Truck or will an suv work? How much do you want to spend?

Suv or truck is fine. Would like to keep it around 4500-5000$.

Ford Explorer - save some cash for a trans rebuild though. Make sure you put a cooler on it.

suburban

/thread

Check with ddavidv, he just picked up a first gen Ford Lightning. 351 with GT40 heads and intake, E4OD, revised suspension, and a 5K towing capacity.

V8 4Runner - previous generation up to 2009 (IIRC) with the 4.7 (same engine the Sequoia/Tundra had). Will get 15-17 around town, can tow 5k easily, handles nice, reliable, etc. Not a huge truck for regular daily driving - can fit in "car" parking spots, and sufficient to tow 5k when you need to (we towed our chumpcar+trailer - about 5k lbs - to Pittsburgh through the mountains last year with my V6 2008 4Runner, and other than a few slowish long uphills it towed just fine). The V6 one will get mid-20s on the highway, to boot.

Find a SportEdition for bonus points - the XREAS suspension is not a gimmick, it really makes the truck handle much better than any other body-on-frame 4x4, period.

I am in a similar position, and am considering a 2000-2006 suburban. A 4Runner would be nice but a 2003 and up will be hard to find for 5k. How about a Sequioa they seem to be more readily available for that price?

Suburban. Once you get one you'll wonder what you ever did without one.

irish44j wrote: V8 4Runner - previous generation up to 2009 (IIRC) with the 4.7 (same engine the Sequoia/Tundra had). Will get 15-17 around town

BullE36 M3. Those things wont get that kind of mpg even on the highway.

The answer (as it always is) is a GM pickup. They are the only ones that will get anywhere close to your desired city mpg.

I bought an LLY duramax. Overkill, but it hasn't depreciated in the last year. Got sick of munching driveline parts in 1500 series platforms. Maybe I just had bad luck?

Buy the Suburban and a rolled duramax and have the best of both worlds?

If I can make myself drive at ~68, I get 20mpg. With all that torque, it's hard not to hoon.

Ultimately, daily driving a truck gets old. I don't care what it is.

pimpm3 wrote: I am in a similar position, and am considering a 2000-2006 suburban. A 4Runner would be nice but a 2003 and up will be hard to find for 5k. How about a Sequioa they seem to be more readily available for that price?

The only Sequoias at that price are high-miles early models. If you're getting a Sequoia, go with 2004+ model with the better transmission and without the chassis rust issues.

But the Sequoia will just barely get 15mpg city driving, if that. And it's big and cumbersome for a DD. I would never want to DD our Sequoia personally. I would have had no problem DDing our 4Runner though.

HiTempguy wrote:

irish44j wrote: V8 4Runner - previous generation up to 2009 (IIRC) with the 4.7 (same engine the Sequoia/Tundra had). Will get 15-17 around town

BullE36 M3. Those things wont get that kind of mpg even on the highway. The answer (as it always is) is a GM pickup. They are the only ones that will get anywhere close to your desired city mpg.

EDIT: just went and looked at my wife's gas logs for the 4Runner. Looks like on her daily stuff (few-mile trips in heavy traffic city) she was getting between 13 and 15mpg in the 4Runner. The year she was commuting in faster traffic (still city/suburbs) mostly around 16-17. For several long trips logged (down the east coast, all highway at 75mph), typical tank looks to be 19mpg, with a couple 20-21 here and there. We didn't own a V8 but there are two on my cul-de-sac, and both owners report theirs as about 2mpg less than what we got with the V6.

My memories may be rosier since mostly when I drive the trucks I'm either towing or highway family trips. Looking at the city numbers when my wife drives, yeah not quite as good as I had thought oh well.

Arguing about fuel economy for any of these gas pigs is academic though. They all suck for daily driving, Sequoia, 4Runner, or any other SUV with a V8. If you want fuel economy, go get a diesel.

It really depends on what daily driving is to you. If it's a long commute, that can add up to some big gas bills. If it's running around town and a few miles a day, it's not really that important. The difference between the most economical truck and the least is not all that much $$$ wise at 10 miles a day. In that case, I'd put mileage much farther down the list.

4.0 Grand Cherokee (with tow pack and 3.73 gears) is rated at 5k IIRC, I think the V8 is higher.

irish44j wrote: EDIT: just went and looked at my wife's gas logs for the 4Runner.

Wife...gas logs....DOES NOT COMPUTE.

Tyler H wrote:

irish44j wrote: EDIT: just went and looked at my wife's gas logs for the 4Runner.

Wife...gas logs....DOES NOT COMPUTE.

amazingly, this logbook not only has the Sequoia and 4Runner, but also her Mazda3 (worst tank 21.1mpg, best tank 32.8mpg) as well.....

She will actually get mad at me if I fill up the truck and don't write down the information in there, lol.

The daily driving this would see would only be during the colder months when I cant/wont drive my Z so mpg is not as important as towing ability.

I daily/tow/work out of an '03 V8 4runner,I find it very comfortable and smooth to drive empty or with the 250'ish lbs I carry most days.The V8's come prewired for brake controllers and a weight distributing hitch and beefier cooling including trans cooler.

I added air bags for towing the enclosed trailer with a Miata stuffed in it,I have a shelf built above the hood of the car to hold the usual crap for race days including rains hung from it and drys mounted on the wall in the V nose.I'd be right around 5000 to 5500lbs,tows it pretty well but the short'ish wheelbase I'd get some wagging going on but I think a good part of that was the Pmetric Michelins it came with.I just installed new C load all terrain tires and haven't towed with it yet but its MUCH more stable in normal driving than it was.

I'd like the additional power that comes with the '05 + but I jumped on this one for the price and low miles.I like it for overall use compared to a pickup,the truck would be better for the towing bit no doubt but I'm fine with the compromise.