Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Topic: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY??? (Read 3628 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #75 – June 20, 2013, 08:15:49 pm

2010 Cadillac SRX AWD. Absolutely the easiest toad to prepare to tow I have ever owned.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #76 – June 24, 2013, 09:45:45 am

2005 Honda Element. Has been perfect. Also looking to add another as we are wanting to have something powerful enough to tow a trailer with. Jeep Commander is at top of our list.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #77 – June 29, 2013, 11:07:56 am

We bought the 1996 Saturn 4-dr from the party we got our FT from. We just wanted a nice rig & tow car that we could use for a memorable retirement trip and later use, and we could not have been happier with either unit.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #78 – June 29, 2013, 12:00:28 pm

Quote from: dwest – June 24, 2013, 09:45:45 am

2005 Honda Element. Has been perfect. Also looking to add another as we are wanting to have something powerful enough to tow a trailer with. Jeep Commander is at top of our list.

David,
Great minds think alike...

. We have the 2004 Element and just love it. Rugged interior for camping use, easy to tow...overall great. We opted for the Jeep Wrangler as we don't need to tow heavy trailers, but in stock version will tow 2,000 lbs. It will also do the trails Brad M. likes to go on

. Don't forget the Jeep Grand Cherokee as well. Properly equiped it too will tow anything the Commander will.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #79 – June 29, 2013, 09:50:29 pm

We have been very happy with our 2003 Honda CRV. Although it's not the greatest for gas mileage, it's a good size for commuting the 200-300 miles to and from the coach with a big dog and suitcases. That vintage (2003-2006) CRV had pretty good reviews and seems to hold it's value.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #80 – June 30, 2013, 07:46:14 am

Well, i do not know if they will get it or not, but i bought my wrangler at the end of 2000 for 21k. It was a wrangler sport. I drove it 43000 miles and pulle it 300k miles. It had 5 sets of tires and one mouse to remove. Still had the original soft top too. The dealer just upped it a coupe thousand and put it on his lot for 15000. It cosr e less than a 1000 dollares a year to own plus gas and tires and a few oil changes. That really tells the story about a wrangler. Igot a grand cherokee now and i hoe it serves me as well. I bought it used and only oe year old for about 50 percent off the new price for an Overland GC. They are very easy to pull but this one ha a few more bells and whistles. It is also quieter inside and will go anywhere i point it. The wrangler was more capable but with my back and now my current situation I chose comfort. I do miss my wrangler and if all works out a 2015 Rubicon with a diesel might be behind the coach next.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #81 – June 30, 2013, 09:13:31 am

We have a 2007 Ford Escape, 5spd manual, 4 wheel drive. It has been flawless. Our current 2000 F150 4x4 off road is not flat tow able.
Now with that said, we are looking to upgrade to a 2013 F150 4x4 SuperCrew. The 2012/2013s can be flat towed. And it will have a truck cap.
The biggest reason is that we added more toys to the toy box. We now carry 2 10' kayaks and 2 Prodeco folding electric bikes, plus what ever else the wife "needs". They fit in the Escape, but the bikes take a bit of time getting them tied down and the back seats must be folded down .

As far a mpg, the Escape gets 25 mpg regularly and the new F150 is rated at 22 mpg. So not much difference there.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #82 – June 30, 2013, 09:28:44 am

My first tow was a chev HHR and it was great and lite tow. The only issue was the lack of power and the brakes were awful in the mountains. We now tow a 2013 GMC Terrain with 6 cyl. Good gas mileage so far 5000 miles. This car has the GMC intell computer in it and the dash Bluetooth and gps with onstar is amazing. The only issue has been a little noise in the steering when you make the first turn of the steering wheel, after that it is ok. Dealership put new brackets for one of the belts and it just about cured the problem. Lots of room for storage in rear of car. The six cyl allows me to pull my boat to the water after I sold the pickup to cut down on number of vehicles. In Texas registration and insurance has gone up and just having the pickup to tow the boat a few times a year made no since. So I would look at a multifunction vehicle. Dan

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #83 – June 30, 2013, 09:57:34 am

Quote from: Grant L – June 29, 2013, 09:50:29 pm

We have been very happy with our 2003 Honda CRV. Although it's not the greatest for gas mileage, it's a good size for commuting the 200-300 miles to and from the coach with a big dog and suitcases. That vintage (2003-2006) CRV had pretty good reviews and seems to hold it's value.

Hey Grant! Now that you had Xtreme customize that CRV to match the Xtreme paint job on your coach, you'll have to keep it for a lifetime...

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #84 – June 30, 2013, 12:18:10 pm

We now have a 2013 Subaru Outback with 6 speed stick shift. Tows great, runs great, all wheel drive that averages 30 mpg. For us as fulltimers, it is great since it holds a lot, has high ground clearance, and the all wheel drive for the mud hole and gravel roads etc.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #85 – June 30, 2013, 12:43:30 pm

Hi Peter. Right on! It's one of the reasons I had the CRV repaired.

On my way home from Xtreme, in the rain just north of the Cda/US border, a herd of deer decided to insist on the right of way. Even though I just about missed them, the lead buck hit the car (and visa versa) hard enough to have it classified as "totaled" (the deer ran away). We like the CRV and hope to keep it for many years (and that deer has given me wide berth on my subsequent trips through there.)

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #86 – June 30, 2013, 12:49:42 pm

Towed a Suburban for many years then wanted something a little more fun and in 2011 bought a Wrangler. Both tow great and are easy to prepare to tow. Found a plug-in light connector for the Jeep and didn't even have to cut into the wiring. I never could tell either of them are back there even with our old ORED Grandvilla pulling the Suburban. No battery disconnect is necessary on the late model Wrangler.

After many years of Oldsmobiles, Cadillacs and Suburbans the Wrangler is by far the noisiest worst-riding car we have ever owned. We LOVE it. Wouldn't go back.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #87 – June 30, 2013, 12:58:18 pm

Back in 2011 after looking at everything in the FMCA Dingy guide we decided on the 2011 Xterra Pro 4X. We wanted a heavy duty vehicle with off-road capability. The jeep was very attractive with the convertible top but the Pro 4X, the top of the line Xterra was $10,000 cheaper than the jeep. The list price was close to $35k but we drove off in one for $25k. The draw back to the Xterra is you can only tow the 6 speed manual transmission. My dad says that's OK a manual transmission becomes automatic after about 6 weeks.

The Xterra serves us well. It's been easy to tow although a little heavier than the jeep at 4000 pounds. We have done lots of 4 wheeling and love it. Just stay away from trails that are rated body damage likely!

I still lust after a jeep mostly because of all the after-market equipment available to customize a jeep. Humm... it's probably a good thing. All I need right now is more stuff that I can throw money at!

see ya
ken

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #88 – June 30, 2013, 01:23:38 pm

Quote from: kenhat – June 30, 2013, 12:58:18 pm

I still lust after a jeep mostly because of all the after-market equipment available to customize a jeep. Humm... it's probably a good thing. All I need right now is more stuff that I can throw money at!

We're nowhere near rich enough to afford a brand new Jeep (or Xterra Pro, for that matter). I just watched Craigslist for six months to get an idea of pricing for second-hand Wranglers and decide what I wanted (I'm too big for a CJ5, for instance). Sue wanted airbags for both passenger and driver. I wanted something that I could weld on and drive without worrying about body damage. One day, last September, I saw a 1999 Wrangler for $4k and called the guy. He said someone was on their way to look at it and I figured that he'd buy it at that price. But, nope. The first guy thought it was "too rough". I found it just right. Custom roll cage, rock sliders, and front bumper ready for a winch, 4" lift and 33" tires. Just a 4-cylinder engine and barely able to do 65mph but for $4k seemed right. I didn't even argue him down.

WA state tried to tax me for $7k when I registered it the next week. Luckily I found some data to back up my pricing.

We are really more rough-and-tumble folks. We built our 32' cruising sailboat from a hull-and-deck, the two airplanes I've owned and flown had to be started by hand (Taylorcraft BC12D and Luscomb 8A). Sometimes it takes a while to get things the way we want them but we do it ourselves 9 times out of 10. Although I must admit that, at 70, my body refuses to do some of the stuff I used to do.

Used Jeeps are everywhere and they are so simple to work on (heck, you can even see the spark plugs!!) and parts are so easy to find (and cheap) that second hand models make perfect sense.

Craig

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #89 – June 30, 2013, 01:36:07 pm

If we bought what we could afford We would be in a pop up camper.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #90 – February 01, 2015, 02:21:46 pm

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but this seemed to be the right place to ask if it is possible to flat tow a 2009 Subaru Forester with an automatic transmission. There seems to be a lot of conflicting information about it out there. Thanks all.

Jeff

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #91 – February 01, 2015, 02:25:05 pm

Quote from: jy001 – February 01, 2015, 02:21:46 pm

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but this seemed to be the right place to ask if it is possible to flat tow a 2009 Subaru Forester with an automatic transmission. There seems to be a lot of conflicting information about it out there. Thanks all.

Jeff

Automatic, NO. Manual, YES.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #92 – February 01, 2015, 03:02:58 pm

Quote from: wolfe10 – February 01, 2015, 02:25:05 pm

Automatic, NO. Manual, YES.

That's what I thought, thanks.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #93 – February 01, 2015, 03:24:29 pm

As long as this thread has been revived, I can add a little to my response. I mentioned earlier that we bought a 1999 Jeep TJ 2-door soft top 4-cylinder for $4,000. We're now in the third year of ownership and have towed that toad about 4,000 miles (over 2,000 just last month).

In order to get it ready for towing 4-down I bought a Harbor Freight $79 tow bar. The Wrangler already came with a custom built very-heavy-duty front bumper (the previous owner was a professional welder), rock sliders, extra roll bar cage, and rear bumper along with a 4" lift and 4 33" wide tires capable of being deflated to 15psi for rock climbing and stuff. (Did that once.)

With the way the bumper is fitted to the frame there was little reason to get a base plate so I had a local welding ship weld AND bolt the HF receivers to that bumper.

The first trip with the Wrangler gave me about 9mpg which was disappointing but I thought that perhaps the tires were at fault. Luckily lots of Jeep owners are moving from small tires to big tires; I was thinking big tires to small tires. This worked in my favor and I bought 5 nice road tires on super cool rims for $200 and put them on the Jeep in place of the 33s. Mileage up to over 10mpg now!

Bought a BrakeBuddy off Craigslist for $300.

LED lights from HF for $30.

On our last trip we put about 300 miles on the Jeep between shopping trips, casino trips, one trip through Yosemite NP, several exploration trips, and one off-road adventure to an old historic mine (Sweetwater).

I think between taxes, registration, Brake Buddy, tow bar, welding, winch (also HF) and the LED tail lights we're into that little Jeep for less than $5,500!!!

Can't think of a better all-around toad good for excitement, adventure or grocery shopping. Or all in one trip!

WDR

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #94 – February 01, 2015, 03:43:16 pm

Great info I am looking at 2003 to 2006 Jeep Wrangler Rubicons myself.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #95 – February 01, 2015, 05:07:51 pm

Our toad is a 2005 Toyota RAV4 AWD 5 speed manual. Last year for the manual transmission in the U.S. (2 diesels and 6 speed manual trans everywhere else). Unrivaled Toyota reliability with no timing belt, etc. Just under 3000 lbs so don't use aux braking. Excellent ground clearance for off road in sand, dirt, mud plus super snow traction. Choice of tires make a big difference in ride. 170K now with only one set of plugs, front pads, 3 sets of tires, and a battery. About 27 mpg highway, 24 city. 2WD models are geared for little lower highway RPM so get about 2 mpg better.

Absolutely love this vehicle.

Pierce

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #96 – February 01, 2015, 05:11:35 pm

Any Jeep TJ, very simple to tow. I agree with the "old school" harbor freight tow bar set up. We have towed out TJ several thousand miles with zero issues. About 2 minutes to hook up and be gone.

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #97 – February 01, 2015, 08:00:35 pm

3 weeks ago we picked up our 2015 Jeep Wrangler Sport ( Auto ) for towing and running around locally. When we purchased our GV from Ed & Evelyn it came with a tow bar called TOW ME 7500 TOW BAR, I have not found a link to be able to buy the Baseplate for this unit so I was thinking I would make my own. With this new thread opening I read that a few of the Forum members are happy to tow using the Harbor Freight tow bar..... Pros and cons please?
Geoffh

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #98 – February 01, 2015, 08:09:28 pm

....well it sorta chose me, my sister got me a Honda Fit (like hers) when we went to Hawaii for a year, then when I moved back to the Mainland the Fit came along & the Explorer got to go back home to Montana....so I actually had the Fit before I even got the coach, it's a great 4 down toad, holds a ton of stuff & is fuel efficient.....oh and I finally got her set up & am learning to hook up & tow this week

so watch out!

Re: Which Toad Did You Chose for All 4 Wheels Down, AND WHY???

Reply #99 – February 01, 2015, 08:26:44 pm

We chose our 2012 Jeep Liberty because we needed true 4WD and something that could be towed 4-down. It looks like the need for 4WD is going away, so the next toad will be something with better fuel economy.

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