Cheap 4x4 tow vehicles, educate me?

Well, after the flop that was my CJ7, I need to get a tow vehicle for several reasons and I don't want a pickup truck, so I'm keeping an eye out for SUVs. Budget is about 3500, which doesn't buy a lot out here.

First choice - Grand Cherokee - only appears to have a 2000lbs towing limit, that's a little too low. I would think I need at least 5000lbs...

Local CL barfs up a few Suburbans (I guess the 3/4 ton with a 454 would make a good tow vehicle while rapidly depleting world oil reserves at the same time) and a couple of other "potentials" I have no experience with, namely:

• Late 90s Explorers and the occasional Mountaineer
• Very, very few Ford Expeditions
• The odd Durango, but there seem to be conflicting reports as to what the towing limit is even on the 5.9L Magnum (which is supposed to have the highest towing capacity).

If I had more cash I'd probably go look for either a Diesel Suburban or with a lot more money, a Diesel Expedition, but both are outside of my budget.

Comments, suggestions, what am I overlooking?

I think the Suburban is about the strongest choice in that price range. The 454 will certainly deplete the oil reserves and haul a lot - but the LS motors (5.7, 6.0... whatever) do a good job too and are probably far more plentiful on CL.

Full size vans will be right up your price alley but most will be 2wd (noting the jeep and the SUV choices must have been for a reason?)

Miata or P71 or E36M3......

Runs and hides..................

For durability and cheap repairs I think the gm trucks are going to be the best choice. Make sure you include any gmc variants in your searches and try to get a 4L80E. The interiors are E36 M3ty, but the important stuff holds up well.

I can't really get the later (2000-on MY) Suburbans within my budget, so I'm stuck with either the regular SBC or Vortec ones if I get lucky.

The reason for the 4x4 requirement is that it would have to double as a commuter during the times when we get Donner Party-like snow storms when they have problems keeping the passes open. Basically my current plan is to use whatever I get as the DD (with track duty) vehicle during regular winter times and the tow vehicle as a backup for bad weather. 4x4 vans are pretty much impossible or impossibly expensive to find out here unless they're really, really old and clapped out.

Another Cherokee or Grand Cherokee would be fine but that's not going to haul a CJ7 on a trailer or a Celica on a trailer, both of which I'll probably have to drag around in the next month.

monark192 wrote: Miata or P71 or E36M3...... Runs and hides..................

No, that was for the other "what to buy for a DD with light track duty" thread. All I need to do is find a decent one.

Old Chevy C/K Dooley.

Grand Wagoneer. 360 V8, seats 5, legendary 4x4, you can add a 3rd row, and they tow like monsters. Plus, they can be found in your price range in good shape. As a bonus they might even get double-digit MPG's, something a 454 Suburban can't do.

Old diesel Ford truck.

The Explorer is basically a Ranger wagon with a 5.0, but IIRC they have around a 5000 lb towing capability. One of my co-workers has a 2WD version. He's towed a Miata with it before and it did OK.

I've got a 2WD 3/4 ton Suburban with a 454. It's great for hauling and towing, not so great to deal with 10 miles to the gallon. It's a pretty scary thing to drive on icy roads, although part of that is the questionable tires.

Depends on what kind of towing you're doing.

If you're doing long hauls, I'd want something with a longer wheelbase, like a suburban, as that will give you more stability at speed.

However, if it's a lot of around town stuff, the added agility of a short-wheelbase truck, like a full-size Bronco, will make it a lot of easier to maneuver a trailer around.

Broncos are also fantastic fun to hoon around in when the snow flies, and you can pop the top when things warm up.

Question... is this a flatbed with a miata, or a travel trailer? For a 5000 lb travel trailer you'll need more "truck" than just a generic flatbed would need.

For a 5000-lb flatbed, any V6 SUV will probably do the trick. If its a travel trailer, I would step up to something like I have: F150 ext cab shortbed, 4.6L 4x4 to prevent the tail wagging the dog. When towing a billboard, you should think about longer wheelbases on the truck. They can be had dirt cheap and the 4.6L won't win any races its adequate. They are also rock solid reliable. Mine has 157k and literally hasn't needed a thing except a set of plugs at 90k. It is due for plugs and wires and the alternator is starting to whine a bit, but I beat it daily and it takes it like a champ.

Vortec chevys (96-99) can be had pretty cheap. Lots of useable power and torque, and very reliable. the ones I've owned haven't been quite as reliable as my F150, but 10% less reliability and 20% cheaper parts cost is a good trade off if you're handy with a wrench.

We're talking flatbed with whatever piece of E36 M3 car I've either just bought or am trying to get rid of, not travel trailer. It's definitely not going to be towing in town, I would think we're talking 50-60 miles minimum and in and probably the occasional tow to/from NorCal, which involves going over a couple of passes that are about 7000'-7500' high. The passes are basically the reason for the preference for "engine as big as possible" because pretty much the only way to avoid going over high mountains to get to California would be a "small detour" via Vegas...

I really don't want a truck again, they just don't work that well for us.

Astro/Safari AWD?

Ah, I should have pointed out that my generally very patient wife considers the purchase of a minivan a sufficient reason for filing for divorce .

E250/E350 vans can be had with 7.3 diesels and the gas V8s. If you're lucky you can find a E-series with 4 wheel drive.

Suburban. I've said that from the beginning of this saga through the truck and Jeep. The heaviest I towed with my 91 4x4 1/2 ton suburban was a 72 Firebird (455/4speed) on a 16ft dual axle trailer. It did fine. Not as well as my cummins dually, but still decent. It has the factory tow package.

It puked a head gasket at 303k miles, so I took the opportunity to built a fresh shortblock with a mild cam, vortec heads, and vette exhaust manifolds (basically shorties). That engine goes in this weekend. Just fyi the stock TBI 350 got me 14-14.5 MPG even with all those miles. A 454 3/4 ton would make a better tow rig, but the 1/2 will handle it too. Plus you can take the rear seats out and fit an air mattress back there for camping.

Pic of mine in this thread: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/sprockets/cheap-dirtbike-carrier-review/26800/page1/

RossD wrote: E250/E350 vans can be had with 7.3 diesels and the gas V8s. If you're lucky you can find a E-series with 4 wheel drive.

Where are you finding 4x4 7.3L diesel E-series for the OP's budget?

Cotton wrote: Suburban. I've said that from the beginning of this saga through the truck and Jeep.

Yeah, and I think you were right.

BTW, does anybody know what the deal is with the "single headlight" ones like this one:

http://goldcountry.craigslist.org/cto/2315464214.html

those are usually the worker type models. Lower trim , few options, all the heavy duty bits though. That usually seems to be the model the Goverment departments order.

If the miles are right on that one in the CL ad I think that would be a great one to pick up.

I suspected that as I have seen a few ex-government ones like that, but I wasn't sure if that was the case.

All the heavy duty bits sounds good and if it's still available it might be worth the trip as I probably want to look at a Datsun 510 in Grass Valley anyway...

great for the act of towing but i'm not sure i could stomach the thirst of the 454, though i havent done any towing with one (does it perhaps get the same mpg regardless of tow?). I'd look for a Vortec 5.7L Tahoe/Suburban that isnt rotten.

Astro van. Not 4x4, but available AWD.

In reply to huge-O-chavez:

See my response to failboat. Not gonna happen.

Any comments on this one?

http://reno.craigslist.org/cto/2289799666.html