Advice needed please - which car would you recommend?

[Tayla]

Hi Everybody,
We currently have a commodore and have bought a 16.49-4OB so that we are below the tow limit.
BUT, we will be wanting to upgrade the car when our current lease runs out in just over a year and would also then probably change to a larger van (I still love the 18' expandas). I used to own a Landcruiser years ago and loved it but other than that I have no idea on which cars I should be looking at. Would appreciate any advice you can give on good tow vehicles!

We will need at least 6 seats. Can be manual or auto. Doesn't need to be good for 4WD, will be for towing van. Money will be a factor of course!!

I'm sure my husband has ideas of his own but I wanted to have a look around myself first

 

[Pace]

Tayla, you have really opened a can of worms here and I personally think you'll be inundated with replies, so i'll start off. Why not go with what you know, back to the trusty LandCruiser. Now having a common rail diesel turbo myself, i cant see me going towards anything else since coming from petrol fuel injection. Manual is more economical, for sure in my view and the driver is the driver. As for 4WD, we use it to park the van as 4LO really helps due to reduction gearing and doesn't strain the clutch. The Pathfinder is suited to our needs and is a great vehicle, there my $2 worth.

Cheers Pace.

 

[Burnsy]

I've got to say I love our 3.2 TD Pajero (auto) it tows our 18 with ease any my wife loves it also. Like pace said....can of worms! Good luck with your decision!

Cheers.

 

[Holden_man]

Ahhh Tayla, like Pace said can of worms, let the flood gates open. Prado, go a Prado, I love em.... and yes the other half will have ideas but we all know how it works....we don't make the decisions you guys do HM

 

[greynt]

Hi Tayla,

Have to agree with the others about the can of worms.
Agree with Burnsy about the Pajero, great all round car, bit biased as we have one as well...
All i can suggest is to look for a vehicle that will do now and into the future if you are looking at upgrading the van.
Cruisers are great tow vehicles as well and from memory they have the split fold rear seat so you can still have luggage in the back.
Friends of ours have a 100 series and they are happy with it and it tows their 25 foot Sterling well.
Petrol/Diesel, manual/auto is another can o' worms.
All i keep thinking about is happy wife, happy life...
Keep trolling the forum and look up other forums eg - patrol/landcruiser etc.
Cheers
greynt

 

[Brad]

We have a pathfinder and it towed the old 16 expanda we had extremely well.
We now have an 18 and you definitely notice the van behind.
But the pathie will stay because we need a 7 seater.

My father has a v6 diesel Jeep Grand Cherokee. If I didn't need the seats I would be swapping for one of those. He has a much bigger van than I have (a 22 foot cruisader) and still pulls away going up hills.

 

[Tayla]

I suppose it was opening a can of worms with a question like mine but I just don't even know where to start when it comes to looking for cars so I really appreciate all your comments. I found caravan shopping quite easy in comparison as my family has always had a van and I had pretty firm ideas of what I wanted. With cars I just find there are so many options!!

I guess the one thing that will cut down our options is the number of seats, we have 3 kids in car seats and my 16yr old step daughter who is very tall!

 

[Capt. Gadget]

Hi Tayla I have a friend who tows with a Ford Territory it's a 7 seater diesel AWD (so you can do a gravel road or two with your OB) and quite a comfortable and economical vehicle only problem is you will have to jump the fence from Holden to Ford! but that would be a plus hey Holden_man (ooohh can of Worms lid just ripped clean off) :rockon:

 

[Tayla]

Lol, funny I have always had a holden and my husband has always had a ford but the leases changed at his work recently and he had to switch to holden

 

[Xpandafan]

Can't argue with the "can of worms" responses. Love my Pathfinder. I'd go diesel and auto. I've had five 4x4's and prefer for towing. Look for good 400nm+ and 3000kg rating for towing. Then see what options left. For an 18 I'd also have a look at LC's and LR Discovery, etc., and start to make a list of likes and dislikes with your passenger needs in mind. The list will quickly reduce itself.

 

[crackacoldie]

Tayla, there is certainly plenty out there to look at and this where your balancing act will come into play. Some things to think about:
Petrol v Diesel - diesel is more economical, petrol has more grunt and has a cheaper purchase price.
4wd v Awd - an Awd will be cheaper to buy but not have the offroad ability, how important is that to you. A 4wd will have greater resale - more important if leasing.
Auto v Manual - modern vehicles make this a personal choice.

if you are looking at brand new the choice is endless:

Landcruiser, plenty of power and tow capability with good room, great if you have a lazy $95k as a minimum for an 8 seater.


Prado, nice car, again expensive.

Patrol, currently the zd30 motor is a ticking time bomb that has a very big repair cost if and when it fails.

Pathfinder, new motor is unproven, is not as good off road as any listed above, very car like to drive, smaller in cab space.

Pajero, solid motor choice, nice auto gearbox, not great in hardcore offroad, but are you going to do any, smaller in cab space.

Teritory, small in cab space, awkward to access third row seating. Essentially a car to drive. Low resale value compared to those above.

In my opinion, reading into your initial post, I would be looking Pathfinder or Pajero, both are more than capable and have reasonable space and comfort for passengers and we know when travelling with children, the "are we there yet" factor is a large one to think about.

Hope this helps And that my views have been objective. Enjoy taking a few for a drive!


the list above is written thinking of brand new.



Cheers. Cracka

 

[straydingo]

Hi Tayla
As per everyone's comments (except they all forgot a LR Discovery as best!!)

Really there are plenty of vehicles available which are more than capable. None of us will agree on what is best (Discovery) - we've all had our own experiences, problems and hallelujah moments.

Most four wheel drives will have a high towing capacity. The higher capacity will mean it will struggle less, particularly on hills, have the power and torque to go where you want. You'll have less limitations if you find in a couple of years that you decide you do want to go off the beaten track that bit further etc. (future proofing, unlike Abbotts NBN :deadhorse: ). However, on the flip, the costs can be higher - maintenance, tyres, purchase price are typically all that bi more.

Of the non-four wheel drives, commonly the towing capacities are less, which may mean higher fuel costs, limitations on how big you can go with he van etc.

Considering the 18' versions as noted in your post, that is 2000kg empty. Add another few hundred for the load, and you'd need a towing capacity of at least 2500kg.

Having a flick through the Towing Mass Guide, it seems anything above 2500kg, is 4wd. The non-4wd I could find were (with no consideration of the 6 seats needed):
Audi Q7,
BMW *Try posting a bit more so your post isn't boring* (just),
Ford Explorer (pre 2006, again just),
Ford Territory (AWD only),
Kia Sorrento (2007 model),
Mahindra Pikup (but really....why?),
M Benz ML55,
Mitsubishi Challenger,
Porchse Cayenne AWD,
Tata Xenon (just),
VW Towrag

Keeping a smaller van opens the opportunities further....

Otherwise, there is no best and worst - just what suits you and your family and your needs. You've got plenty of time to start doing the rounds and test test test.

No rocket science answers from me




....other than Discovery is best......

 

[Brad]

Our 18 borders on 3000kg.
If you want a 4wd capable of towing an 18 and not be restricted by what weighty extras you add to the van then you really need something rated for 3000kg or 3500kg towing capacity.

 

[Tayla]

Wow, thanks for the detailed responses! Just what I need to help narrow the choices down

Our plan at the moment (which may change once we have used the 16' a bit) is to get a bigger van a few years down the track so I really want to keep this option open when we get the next car. Good to know the weight of your van Brad, I was wondering how much they weigh in real life, not just the figure in the brochure.

lucky we have plenty of time, it is going to take a while to find time to test drive these with 3 kids! i'll see if I can sneak out and leave the kids with hubby

 

[Xpandafan]

Hi Tayla
As per everyone's comments (except they all forgot a LR Discovery as best!!)



No rocket science answers from me ....other than Discovery is best......

Hey, SD, I remembered to put the LR Disco in there. Just didn't want to do it in bold and get you over excited. :barbershop_quartet_member:
If truth be known, if I could afford one I'd have one as well. Goes, tows and has the room for long legs.
And I've got a LandRover tech in the extended family (to keep it going).

 

[Tayla]

OMG, just had a look at the prices for the LR Discovery i knew landcruisers were out of our price range, guess these are too.

interesting comments about the Pajero crackacoldie. i'm happy to drive a 4wd and can't imagine us ever doing real offroad driving so sounds like it would suit us. I think I will go check one out and drag my step daughter along to see if there is room for her long legs!!

 

[The Alberto]

......coughPradocough......

 

[Tayla]

Lol, i can take a hint, just looking at the Prado now. There seems to be so many options with a huge price range. I'm gathering the ones in the lower price bracket may not have the towing capacity needed for the 18' vans?

 

[cruza driver]

My wife loves driving our Pajero and so do I

Nice and easy to drive and plenty of safety features which was also imortant to us when choosing it

 

[Antman]

Hey cruza driver , how does the Pajero pull your 16.49-3? These are a little cheaper than the prado on the second hand market and could be closer to my price bracket if i do have to re-purchase. Sorry Tayla to steal a bit of your thread.
Cheers
Ants