I am wondering if anyone can advise on a good towing vehicle for Travel Trailers. We have a 7.5k lb trailer. I have been looking at Excursions and 2500/F250 with Turbo Diesel engines. I am wondering if there is anything else I should be looking at for that kind of weight (and a family of 5 to haul with it!)
I would look for a vehicle with a minimum 10,000 tow capacity. I would also stay with Ford/GMC/Chevy products because of available options and service. Cost and frequency of use would determine for me whether I went with a diesel. Lots of travel time would weigh heavily towards one. Diesels don’t like lots of down time…they like to be used.
I think your thoughts so far are in line.
Availability and dealership trust goes a long way for me when looking into a new car. Assuming you have confidence in the Ford dealership you’re shopping at, your choice seems good IMO. Between Excursion and F250, consider alternate uses vehicle would get when not towing and the comfort of one over the other.
Safe traveling…
You have it right, F250-F350 Diesel, crew cab…There are MANY of these on the used market, low mileage, geezer owned, at very attractive prices. I would prefer a stick shift myself…
You want to tow the BMW 330 on a trailer, correct? If you actually have an RV trailer, please leave the BMW out of the discussion; it’s confusing. In any case, check prices on used F250, Silverado 2500, and Ram 2500 with diesel and gas engines. The gas engines are likely to cost less and you may never make up the difference in fuel cost. You can get the F250 with the standard 5.4L V8, a 6.6L V10, and the 6L turbo diesel V8. The Silverado only offers a 6L V8 and a 6.6L turbo diesel. Dodge offers a 5.7L gas V8 and two turbo diesels (5.9L, 6.7L). All are rated to tow at least 12,500 pounds in any configuration.
I manage a fleet of trucks that are always towing a heavy trailer.
Our Silverado has had more time and money in repairs than 5 Ford F series/E series vehicles.
I’ve also got about two hundred thousand miles behind the wheels of various Ford E series ambulances. In all those miles, the only failure that ever left us stuck was a broken fuel gauge (ran out of fuel).
I’m not trying to sell you something. I’m not a “Ford Man” as much as I am just really sore about how GM screwed us on the silent recall for the instrument cluster defects and being on the 3rd transmission in this truck.
Just ask yourself… if there is any vehicle that is abused daily and still absolutely must run, isn’t it an ambulance?
Next time you see an ambulance, note the make and keep a tally of how many GM ambulances you see.
By that same token, I worked for a company with a fleet of Fords and GM vehicles. The highest repair costs were associated with the Fords, and the lowest were with the GMC trucks. Also my family once owned two vans, one Ford and one Chevy. The Ford gave us more problems than the Chevy.
I am sure there are anecdotes that support both sides of this debate. I am also sure GM and Ford have both had years where they exceeded each other in overall quality.
I agree, I would also add that in the business that I work part time for, I see the reliability we experience, often depends upon the parts in any one year from the companies they subcontract to. Who makes the diesel/transmission for GMC v Ford v Dodge. And with each, you may get “teething problems” when new. Thereby yielding much of the inconsistency subjective anecdotes avec brands.