Which luxury SUV for towing 5000 LBS for $5000 dollars?

I wish the LX470 was that cheap when I was looking. Great places to be, really capable, too.

Lx450 will fit the bill.

Escalade diff can be rebuilt for about 200 bucks. Get the right torque wrench to do it. Then you are good. Just ask my buddy that did it twice because of that.

450 has the 6. A reliable engine but no power and horrible fuel economy.

Isuzu Troopers are rated for 5k.

Tom Suddard wrote: Isuzu Troopers are rated for 5k.

Wasn't there an Acura version of it too?

I know there was a Honda version of the Isuzu Rodeo called the passport

BOF, V8, luxury, not too big?

Lincoln Aviator.

wonder if those mirrors would work on Curtis' truck?

OK, looks the Lincoln, the Explorer, and the Q ship are the most likely choices. Looks like we didn't get the big Lexus/Cruiser up here as I don't see them on Kijiji.

Next question; how bad are these going to suck at the pump? Remember I'm in the land of $1.10/L. Can a get away with the 6 in the Ford twins?

Ford is probably marginally better. But it is likely a wash. Are you sure about the infinity? Only a dodge makes a Nissan look reliable. And, for peace of mind, research that ford motor. Many of them have never had plug changes due to fear of plug breaking or thread failure. And other problems. It is a love or hate motor.

Jeff wrote: OK, looks the Lincoln, the Explorer, and the Q ship are the most likely choices. Looks like we didn't get the big Lexus/Cruiser up here as I don't see them on Kijiji. Next question; how bad are these going to suck at the pump? Remember I'm in the land of $1.10/L. Can a get away with the 6 in the Ford twins?

If you are look at $5K and a Ford you are looking at the 02-10 Explorer (or one of it's cousins). Trust me get the V8:

• These trucks have a reputation of having somewhat fragile transmissions.
• The 6 will overwork the trans while towing
• Add an aftermarket trans cooler
• The V6 is 4.0L and the V8 is 4.6L - it won't make a huge difference in fuel
• It is rare to find a V6 with a Class 3 hitch (believe me I looked). About 95% of them came with factory Class 2 hitches

I think you will be much happier with the V8.

Most of the Lincolns are on the Expedition chassis and will have the 5.4L. The Aviator pictured, is based off the Explorer, but I don't know how common they are up here. If you do buy a Lincoln with the V8, get an 04-up. It was updated and I understand it is a better engine. They sieze the plugs as opposed to spitting them out! There are hundreds of thousands of these motors running around and Ford is still the best selling truck.

NGTD wrote:

Jeff wrote: OK, looks the Lincoln, the Explorer, and the Q ship are the most likely choices. Looks like we didn't get the big Lexus/Cruiser up here as I don't see them on Kijiji. Next question; how bad are these going to suck at the pump? Remember I'm in the land of $1.10/L. Can a get away with the 6 in the Ford twins?

If you are look at $5K and a Ford you are looking at the 02-10 Explorer (or one of it's cousins). Trust me get the V8: - These trucks have a reputation of having somewhat fragile transmissions. - The 6 will overwork the trans while towing - Add an aftermarket trans cooler - The V6 is 4.2L and the V8 is 4.6L - it won't make a huge difference in fuel - It is rare to find a V6 with a Class 3 hitch (believe me I looked). About 95% of them came with factory Class 2 hitches I think you will be much happier with the V8. The Lincoln is on the Expedition chassis and will have the 5.4L. If you do that get an 04-up. It was updated and I understand it is a better engine. They sieze the plugs as opposed to spitting them out! There are hundreds of thousands of these motors running around and Ford is still the best selling truck.

Couple of points. The V6 in the Exploders is actually a 4.0L, and they are also known for timing chain tensioner issues. Also, the Lincoln Aviator that I posted above is on the Exploder chassis. The Navigator is the one on the Expedition chassis. Also, the Aviator got the 4V version of the 4.6, similar to the early 2000s Mach 1 Mustang engine.

I'm surprised not so much mention of the earlier 2d gen Expedition, especially the King Ranch for Luxe purposes.

Tom_Spangler wrote:

NGTD wrote:

Jeff wrote: OK, looks the Lincoln, the Explorer, and the Q ship are the most likely choices. Looks like we didn't get the big Lexus/Cruiser up here as I don't see them on Kijiji. Next question; how bad are these going to suck at the pump? Remember I'm in the land of $1.10/L. Can a get away with the 6 in the Ford twins?

If you are look at $5K and a Ford you are looking at the 02-10 Explorer (or one of it's cousins). Trust me get the V8: - These trucks have a reputation of having somewhat fragile transmissions. - The 6 will overwork the trans while towing - Add an aftermarket trans cooler - The V6 is 4.2L and the V8 is 4.6L - it won't make a huge difference in fuel - It is rare to find a V6 with a Class 3 hitch (believe me I looked). About 95% of them came with factory Class 2 hitches I think you will be much happier with the V8. The Lincoln is on the Expedition chassis and will have the 5.4L. If you do that get an 04-up. It was updated and I understand it is a better engine. They sieze the plugs as opposed to spitting them out! There are hundreds of thousands of these motors running around and Ford is still the best selling truck.

Couple of points. The V6 in the Exploders is actually a 4.0L, and they are also known for timing chain tensioner issues. Also, the Lincoln Aviator that I posted above is on the Exploder chassis. The Navigator is the one on the Expedition chassis. Also, the Aviator got the 4V version of the 4.6, similar to the early 2000s Mach 1 Mustang engine.

Thanks for the corrections. I wasn't sure when Ford went from the 4.0L to the 4.2L. I thought it was in that gen, but I was incorrect.

The Aviator was pretty damn rare up here, in the frozen north (which is where the OP is).

Lot's of nice conversion vans out there that will be inexpensive to maintain and tow 5000 pounds easily.

Probably could find a loaded Tahoe in that price range.

You got the 100 series LC/LX470 up there, but it was a pretty low volume vehicle so finding one might be hard. And I wouldn't really suggest buying a super high mileage $5,000 UZJ100/LX470 unless you're getting a deal from the owner. The market is really strong and cheap ones are cheap reasons.

At $5K, you'll be in for some combo of tires, timing belt, cooling system refresh, suspension work, considerable rust remediation in the north, probably issues with the hydraulic suspension on an LX470, probably front axle service, maybe power steering rack (they go bad sometimes) etc. It'll need investment before you lean on it hard by towing or off-roading, and parts are relatively expensive since it doesn't share much with other toyotas beyond the engine/trans.

I recently sold an '01 LX470 w/ 99K on it with a patched up 2 foot rust hole in the frame and tons of maintenance needed for $10.5K with full disclosure of its flaws. Replaced it with a minty flawless properly maintained one '02 LC for closer to $14K and it felt like a solid buy. $10K-$15K with 100-150K miles is the sweet spot for the good pre-2003 (4 speed) trucks, IMO. Much less than that is a steal.

The fuel economy suuuuucks, but not so bad as to detract from the experience. It doesn't really have any equals. Totally unflappable god-like vehicle that makes a W126 feel kinda flimsy.