is this forum for "trailers & towing" only or can we talk about tow vehicles?

A forum for discussing issues relating to trailers and towing MacGregor sailboats.
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Russ
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Re: is this forum for "trailers & towing" only or can we talk about tow vehicles?

Post by Russ »

If you want a truck, buy a truck or an SUV with a truck frame.

The Highlander is the largest SUV Toyota makes before jumping to a truck frame (eg: Sequoia/ Land Cruiser). So it drives like a car and is easy to park. My Dodge truck was...a truck. Drove like one and parked like one. Not fun to drive.
If towing and offroad is important, a proper truck like the Jeep is probably smarter. But you may compromise a smooth ride.

Since the Highlander is our primary vehicle, I didn't want to drive a truck around 99% of the time just for the 1% of the time when I'm towing. I had a truck for that and got rid of it.
That Mercedes is no doubt an excellent choice. For us, the nearest Mercedes dealer is 3 hours away. Not worth the trouble for service etc. But I'm sure it's an excellent beast.

I don't go offroad, but I do see a lot of snow. The Highlander does very well in snow and has a lot of tech onboard that is fun. I guess most cars do now. It still freaks me out when on cruise control and it hits the brakes when a car pulls in front of me. My Brother-in-law just bought a Tesla. That thing is mind blowing with tech.

4WD is nice on slippery ramps and icy hills. The trans is pretty complex also. Knows how/where to apply torque. Amazing tech stuff in cars these days.

I'm cheap, so living with the hitch sticking down doesn't bother me when I think of how much $ I saved. And I can't see it from the driver's seat.
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dlandersson
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Re: is this forum for "trailers & towing" only or can we talk about tow vehicles?

Post by dlandersson »

Yes they are. Mine is hitting 153,000 miles and I'm thinking it's time to switch to a Highlander. Scoty Kilmer says nice things about them. 8)


BOAT wrote: Wed Jan 08, 2020 6:44 am
I think the best SUV we tested all around was the Mercedes. That's what mastreb uses - but it's EXPENSIVE. We almost bought one.
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Re: is this forum for "trailers & towing" only or can we talk about tow vehicles?

Post by BOAT »

dlandersson wrote: Thu Jan 09, 2020 4:34 am Yes they are. Mine is hitting 153,000 miles and I'm thinking it's time to switch to a Highlander. Scoty Kilmer says nice things about them. 8)
BOAT wrote: Wed Jan 08, 2020 6:44 am
I think the best SUV we tested all around was the Mercedes. That's what mastreb uses - but it's EXPENSIVE. We almost bought one.
Yeah, you can't go from a Mercedes to a Jeep - your teeth will fall out and you will not like it. Once you get your butt conditioned to the Mercedes there is no way your going to be comfortable in a regular off road car. The Highlander is a better choice, but if you really want to have a party get the Lincoln Aviator. Only problem with the lincoln is that it will never get to 150,000 miles. (It probably would not make it to 80,000 miles).
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Re: is this forum for "trailers & towing" only or can we talk about tow vehicles?

Post by C Buchs »

We bought a used ML500 (5.0L V8 engine) 8 years ago when I first started thinking of getting a :macx: . I would never want to afford a new one. So we paid $23k for for a used one. It has the air suspension package that really helps with towing. Our longest trip was 700 miles and we averaged 14-15 MPG. We now have almost 200k miles on it and are starting a search for our next rig. My wife drives it most of the time and wants something bigger. I'm seriously considering a GL350 with the diesel. They get 26MPG on the highway. I'm seeing good used ones for $28-35K. I also like the Colorado/Canyon with the 2.8L Duramax, but I think that after my wife drives one, she'll want the Benz. Does anyone have either of these?

Jeff
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Re: is this forum for "trailers & towing" only or can we talk about tow vehicles?

Post by dlandersson »

I have the GL450. It's nice, but any time there's a problem, it's not cheap. In town mileage is 14 mpg with 19 on the hwy. :P

If you get one, insist on a factory installed tow system, most of the aftermarkert ones are for 3,000 lbs and do not work with the SAM. Plan B is to buy the Mercedes two package (more than the hitch) from a salvage and have them installed.
C Buchs wrote: Thu Jan 09, 2020 4:01 pm We bought a used ML500 (5.0L V8 engine) 8 years ago when I first started thinking of getting a :macx: . I would never want to afford a new one. So we paid $23k for for a used one. It has the air suspension package that really helps with towing. Our longest trip was 700 miles and we averaged 14-15 MPG. We now have almost 200k miles on it and are starting a search for our next rig. My wife drives it most of the time and wants something bigger. I'm seriously considering a GL350 with the diesel. They get 26MPG on the highway. I'm seeing good used ones for $28-35K. I also like the Colorado/Canyon with the 2.8L Duramax, but I think that after my wife drives one, she'll want the Benz. Does anyone have either of these?

Jeff
Last edited by dlandersson on Fri Jan 10, 2020 3:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: is this forum for "trailers & towing" only or can we talk about tow vehicles?

Post by Starscream »

Just sayin:

Here is the Pathfinder trip computer after towing the boat from our home north of Montreal down to Lake Champlain, and back. We were SOOOOO stuck in rush-hour traffic all the way through the city both ways, our average speed was just stupid low...
Image


Trip computer after not towing the boat, round trip from Montreal to Ottawa:
Image


Yeah, it's not a truck, you can't take it off road, and it's kinda boring, but it's comfortable, quiet, roomy, and as I said the fuel economy is just fantastic.

Converting to MPG, that's 17.7 mpg towing and 27.7 mpg not towing.
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Re: is this forum for "trailers & towing" only or can we talk about tow vehicles?

Post by BOAT »

The Japanese vehicles always get the best mileage. They are the most popular too.

I am old fashioned - I will only drive American and European cars. :( That does not leave a lot of choices.
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Re: is this forum for "trailers & towing" only or can we talk about tow vehicles?

Post by dlandersson »

I found this of interest


BOAT wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2020 6:31 am The Japanese vehicles always get the best mileage. They are the most popular too.

I am old fashioned - I will only drive American and European cars. :( That does not leave a lot of choices.
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dlandersson
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Re: is this forum for "trailers & towing" only or can we talk about tow vehicles?

Post by dlandersson »

and..


BOAT wrote: Fri Jan 10, 2020 6:31 am The Japanese vehicles always get the best mileage. They are the most popular too.

I am old fashioned - I will only drive American and European cars. :( That does not leave a lot of choices.
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Re: is this forum for "trailers & towing" only or can we talk about tow vehicles?

Post by Starscream »

If we are talking overall miles, then I think Toyotas are the ones to beat. If you live outside of the rust belt, overall cost of ownership of a toyota SUV is probably the lowest of any a tow vehicle because it lasts so long.

For us northerners, a truck can't really be expected to last much more than 10 years or so before it starts to dissolve. My Durango went 100,000 miles over the 11 years we owned it, and it was still in reasonable shape because we had it rust-proofed every year. But those treatments only delay the inevitable. By 10 years old, every bolt and strut and clamp in the vehicle is totally corroded, and the electronics start to go. That was why we sold it: every couple of months a new check-engine warning would come on for this sensor or that one, and when towing the Mac or driving in the country at -20, the last thing you want is a bad sensor shutting you down. The Durango could have gone another 5 years because of the rust treatments I did, and it will for it's new owner, but not without a steady flow of annoying problems.

Our family's '88 pathfinder did 404,000 kms. When we were done with it in 2004, there was nothing left of the frame. It looked like it had been machine gunned in a bank heist. The rear springs finally pushed up through the frame. I have some really funny photos of it, I'll try to post them for a laugh.

Toying with the idea of putting a deposit on a Cybertruck Tri-motor.
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Re: is this forum for "trailers & towing" only or can we talk about tow vehicles?

Post by kmclemore »

I have a 2004 Toyota Sienna that we’ve used for towing our boats, and it now has 230,000 miles in it. The car has been largely bulletproof. The only problem is that the trans has gone twice (basically every 100,000 miles) but then I’ve been hauling things that have put the car right at the margins of the allowable tow capacity, so I can’t complain. I did add a huge separate cooler for the trans and I think that’s definitely been a help. The motor has always seen Mobil 1 oil, I do all my own maintenance, and despite never being garaged up here in Pennsylvania (the land of salt), it has zero rust. The 3.3 V6 engine runs every bit as good as when it was new, and nothing electrical has ever failed. All I’ve ever had to replace (once) are rear shocks, the exhaust system and brake calipers. Other than that it’s just been gas, tires, oil and brakes. Basically, that car owes me nothing.

I often joke that I recently got a recall notice from Toyota - it said they’re recalling the car because you should have darn well bought something else by now!

Now that Jan and I are doing more off-road driving (we are leaders in two scout troops and we also often visit Colorado to see our son and go hiking with him), and that we still need to tow our boats, we’ve decided to buy a 2020 Highlander (now that the new model has ApplePlay). It will have a higher tow capacity than the Sienna and better off-road capability, and I expect the same reliability I’ve had with the Sienna.
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Russ
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Re: is this forum for "trailers & towing" only or can we talk about tow vehicles?

Post by Russ »

We had a 2004 Sienna 4WD. Great car. Zero repairs except for the run flats that wore out after 10,000 miles. Toyota recalled them once. New set wore out next 10k miles, so I put regular tires on the thing with 2 cans of fix a flat in the back and AAA membership.
Toyota cools the tranny with the radiator. However, I've heard oil coolers are recommended for towing. I never did it.

Traded it for a 2013 Highlander. Good car also, but the dash was quirky. Knobs were in wrong place etc. Toyota said to only use dino oil and they included oil changes so I let them.
Traded it for a 2015 Highlander. Much more cool onboard tech and airbags everywhere. Tows the Mac fine. Only synthetic oil. After free maint ran out I do it myself. The thing is great in the snow and ice. I do put real snow tires on it in winter.

So the 2020 Highlanders are out and have some nice new tech? Appleplay too huh? I might have to look at them.
I recently rented a Ford Ecosport. The apple integration is really cool. Weird car shuts itself off if idle more than 5 seconds. A little strange to get used to. Foot off brake, starts right back up.
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Re: is this forum for "trailers & towing" only or can we talk about tow vehicles?

Post by dlandersson »

I'm looking at the Highlanders, 4Runners, and Sequoias. Don't get me wrong, I like my GL450 a lot, but at 153,000 miles, I'm not sure how much I trust it. Just replaced the front airmatic shocks (can the rear be far behind? And when they go, you basically can't drive the vehicle over 25 mph). Even using a 3rd party mech and parts, it was expensive. :(
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Re: is this forum for "trailers & towing" only or can we talk about tow vehicles?

Post by Russ »

Mercedes is a double edge sword. Fantastic vehicle, super reliable, but when stuff breaks it's expensive.

Sales guy told me the Highlander is the largest model built on a "car" frame. Larger Toyota SUVs are on "truck" frame and drive like it.
I didn't test drive them.

I'd love to buy an American brand, but the Japanese/German cars have such great reliability ratings.
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Re: is this forum for "trailers & towing" only or can we talk about tow vehicles?

Post by Tomfoolery »

Russ wrote: Sat Jan 11, 2020 6:11 amSales guy told me the Highlander is the largest model built on a "car" frame. Larger Toyota SUVs are on "truck" frame and drive like it.
I didn't test drive them.
But if you did, you’d see that it’s true. I’ve had two 4Runners, one being the older, smaller style dating back to around the year 2000, and the other being the next generation when they got upsized a bit. Both rode like short trucks, i.e. nervous and twitchy, which is OK but once you drive a Highlander, especially on the highway, you (or me, at least) wouldn’t want to go back. And FWIW, I thought the Highlander towed better than the two 4Runners, with its longer wheelbase.

And having a full frame is overrated. They all have a 5000 lb tow rating, and unless things start coming apart from towing, I don’t care what’s under there. It’s like comparing welded tube motorcycle frames to Honda’s 1960’s stamped sheet metal frames. Something to debate because people, well, just like to debate. But if it’s well engineered and you can’t feel the difference, who cares? It’s not like we use these things as commercial long haul tow vehicles after all.

The Grand Cherokee supposedly has some sort of hybrid frame/unibody, and it has a 7400 lb tow rating with the hemi or the diesel (6400 with the small V6 gasser) and is about the same size as the others. But again, as long as it’s not coming apart, and drives well when towing, I judge it ‘good’. Same as the others.
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