i own a fold down camping trailer,it weighs about 2200lbs.i presently use an olds.bravada to tow it with.unfortunatly,it(the bravada)looks like it’s on it’s way to the great parking lot in the sky.what would be a more economic vehicle i could use to tow it with?sorry about the spelling.
You should look for a vehicle with a minimum of 3,000 towing capacity. There are a lot of vehicles that can tow 3,000. I’d suggest you avoid front wheel drive vehicles if you do a lot of towing, or when you do tow go a lot of miles and encounter a lot of hills. FWD cars and minivans pack all the transmission and drive parts into the front of the car. Space is tight and these the transmissions and differential units in the front wheel drive cars don’t hold up too well when used for towing. The mfg rates them as safe to pull the load but don’t say the transmission will last forever if you tow with it.
I’d suggest a truck based SUV or small pickup. A Ford Ranger could to it and be fairly economical. Perhaps the Ford Escape Hybrid would work. Towing and economic are not easy to achieve in one single vehicle. When you have the trailer hooked up forget about getting anything like decent mpg from any vehicle.
If you are getting tired of SUV’s and trucks, a Crown Vic will be happy to tow your camper…
It all depends on how often and how far you tow this thing. 3 times a year for 30 minutes or from Maine to California? If you only tow a couple times a year for fairly short distances a minivan or beefy car will be fine. If you travel more than 2 hours frequently with it, get a more real tow vehicle, a small V6 truck like a Ranger or Tacoma.
i hope to go to oklahoma(from new york)every summer.there sre some pretty impressive hills on the way where we usually go camping.
Try and get one that was sold with the towing package, the easiest way to tell is to check for an added on auto trans cooler.
Try to get WHAT with a towing package?
Is that 2200 with the trailer fully loaded? Will the vehicle also be heavily loaded?
I would check out used police cruisers and minivans like the Odyssey and the Sienna. I think the police cruiser might be able to handle it, but you should investigate to be sure. However, I am sure that the Odyssey and the Sienna have 3,500 pounds of towing capacity, especially if you can get one with an included towing package.
Question-- is the fold-down camper really worth hauling all the way to Oklahoma? I mean just the cost of extra gas alone, let alone having to either buy a second car or drive something much less efficient for the rest of the year. With the money you save on gas driving around a car that gets better mileage, you could probably just rent an RV for your trip.
I do not like towing with a FWD vehicle. Especially if you plan on towing a lot. FWD vehicles the drive is in the front…when you add a trailer you’re pull weight off the front wheels. You also have little control of the back of a car that is FWD. With a RWD vehicle you have a lot more control of the back-end…much safer for towing.
From what you say your needs are (driving form NY to OK)…you’re going to need something that is pretty durable. I suggest a full-size car or a mid-size SUV or larger. To keep cost down you can get away without the 4wd option.
If you find a minivan equipped with a tow package, then likely it was used to tow something by the previous owner. Owners who tow should follow the “severe” service schedule and very few do. Even less likely is that the transmission was serviced properly. Therefore a used minivan that towed something is likely to have transmission issues, very expensive issues. Honda Oydssey’s have shakey transmissions without towing, so not a good choice for you.
You are going a good distance, up and down some significant hills, on the yearly family vacation trip. Therefore the trailer and tow vehicle will be loaded with people and gear. You need an updated vehicle similar to the Bravada, a mid size to full size SUV. A Honda CRV, or Toyota Rav 4 won’t do it for you. A Highlander, Blazer, Trail Blazer, Pilot, Escape, Explorer, Crown Vic, or Town Car are all up to the task.