Buying a tow vehicle

[garman1]

Why is it so hard to chose a tow vehicle.................... I thought I had made up my mind but I am still not sure what to buy.

It has been a hard road to get my licence back due to health reasons and to get the cash together to get a tow vehicle, I need to get it right the first time, know what I mean!

When I had to stop driving I gave my car away to a mate who needed a cheap form of transport to see his kids, as he was spending 100 bucks a week in fuel to see em....... so now I am searching again for a vehicle.

I have a 4.3 mtr quintrex, I don't travel for hours to get to a boat ramp and will use it every day to get to work etc so I don't want a toyota landcruiser. I like the look of a a Mitsubishi Triton tray back ute. I wonder if anyone has had experience with them as a tow vehicle?

My budget is around 5 k. I thought that buying from a car auction may be a good way of getting more ute for the money I have??

Looking for suggestions and ideas.... maybe a vehicle.....

[Local_Guy]

look for a VT commodore. should be plenty around your area. i was looking for one of them before i picked up my VX for a great price.

there is a small car yard about 300m citybound from the petrie bridge where i bought my car from. very nice people to deal with and i was cautious buying from a used car yard.

if you want the name of the dealer let me know and i'll see if i can find it.

[Chamelion]

I'm not a big fan of using fairly low powered tray back utes as tow vehicles, so I'll offer some alternative suggestions for you. :)

For 5k you can get a decent 2000~ AU Series 2 Ford falcon (the less ugly model). Spend $500 (after $2000 rebate) to put it on LPG and you have a large car with 157kw power, 357nm of torque and able to tow a couple of tonnes without issue. She'll also be good on fuel, my 2002 AU3 wagon on LPG is more economical than my old toyota camry 4cyl.

Due to my Falcon being a wagon, which is arguably better for towing due to having leaf springs on the rear, the conversion cost me $1300 out of pocket for the conversion as wagons can benefit from a tank that sits up underneath the car so it doesn't take space from the cargo area. I'd had it since Feburary and I'm estimating that my outlay will be recovered just in time for christmas, so everything from then on is pure saving.

I don't mean to bash Local_Guy's suggestion, but VT commodores, especially earlier ones, are notorious for poor suspension design and can tend to scrub out tires at alarming rates. Even moreso when towing. By all means, they're not a bad car, but research this issue before committing to one.
They also seem to go for a higher price than the falcons and magnas (no it's not because they're better), so you're likely to have to settle for a lesser condition for your money compared to the others.

You could also consider mid 90's Nissan Maximas. They're front wheel drive, they've got a motor that won awards for many years running, They're extremely reliable and are only just short of a ford falcon in the power and torque departments. You should be able to pick up a base model for your money. A bit older than my other suggestions, but they have a better engine.

The black sheep that many don't consider is the Mitsubishi magna. People seem to be stuck with the notion that they're a poor car due to the reputation created by the old ones with 4cyl astron II's in them, or even the less than ideal 3.0L V6.
Look for a 2000+ model with the 3.5L V6 and less than 170,000km and you should be able to pick up something around the 5k mark no problem.

Hope that is of some help for you, or someone else down the track.

Matt.

[garman1]

Thanks for the info Matt, am now heading via an auction to obtain an au........will add gas as well............. many thanks

[Chamelion]

Too easy. If you have any questions feel free to leave a message here. (better than a PM because everyone benefits :))

If you do end up with one, be sure to visit http://www.aufalcon.com There is a wealth of information there especially in the forums.

Matt.

[garman1]

Hi Matt

Just a follow up on the purchase of a tow vehicle.... I ended up with a ford 2001 au falcon sedan, sr pack.... for 4,500.

Thanks Matt for the info

Cheers Garry

[Chamelion]

Excellent mate, she should serve you well. I hope you're happy with it! I've had my AU wagon over a year now and I still smile when I drive it.

Matt.