Tow Vehicle Options For a Boat?

[efjay40]

Okay here's a scenario for a little conversation:

You're mulling a setup for wakeboarding season. Pulling a ~ 22-24ft wakeboarding boat...say 4000lbs...and looking for a tow vehicle. This is the criteria:

-you're frugal...not likely to spend 50K on a new truck/SUV...unless it could reasonably serve as your only vehicle (ie gas milage and practicality come into play then)
-considering 3 options:

a) cheap tow rig that will do the job but be used only for towing weekends (reliable warrior...fuel economy not the primary factor here)....let's say under 10K
b) good tow rig/SUV that could be a great 2nd vehicle (~20 to 30K?)
c) 1 good vehicle that would be a good tow vehicle...but also serve as a daily driver/highway driver. fuel economy comes into play here a lot and has to be an SUV type vehicle. (~20-50K)

Given the above criteria what vehicles do you search for?

[DonJuan]

May want to do this as a poll
My vote:
1 good vehicle, Diesel for towing and reasonable gas mileage, but I cant think of any new SUV's lately that are reliable and diesel powered. (Grand Cherokee eew)

How about a nice RHD Diesel Landcruiser? That should do it.

[The Cosworth]

1.) Used diesel truck (cheap older one for just weekend warrior)
2.) used envoy or 4runner (for suv second vehicle choice)
3.) new tacoma (new, maybe if you can wait, I hear that both ford and chevy are coming out with diesels for their 1/2 tons.) but I wouldn't hold my breath

[rc2002]

A vehicle had better be in good condition to tow 4000lbs, the peace of mind would be worth spending some extra coin.

I think option B would be best. Buy a reliable tow rig that's good as a second vehicle. I would not want to use a tow rig as a daily driver because anything with a big enough frame to tow a 4000lb boat isn't my choice of vehicle in the city.

[AllGoNoShow]

Having a second vehicle is best for towing man. Trucks use alot of gas and aren't very practical for inner city in my opinion. BUying a new or maybe only 2-3 year old truck is the best bet.

But also on the same note, you don't want to buy someone elses second hand pos truck they have beat the fuck out of and then carry your freinds/family and nice boat with it, just to have it break down on the side of the highway or fall apart.

[Unknown303]

You could probably get a 2003-2005 Chevrolet Silverado crew cab diesel for somewhere in the 20-30k range. If your towing you'll probably want to go diesel as you'll save a lot of money in the long run.

[hash]

latest gen used v8 4runner maybe?

[Supa Dexta]

my parents both have chev trucks now.. One for towing a travel trailer/ passenger vehicle, and one for a farm truck...They seem to be the most comfortable/ "pretty" trucks, but with the right equipment, make great haulers too.

[VWEvo]

I have a 21 foot boat that with trailer is about 4000 lbs. I was towing it this summer with my 2007 Nissan Pathfinder (v6 engine). Great engine, and the vehicle is rated to tow 6000 lbs. That being said, I would definately recommend you buy a truck/suv with good a v8 that can tow. I found pulling a 4000 lb boat super hard on my engine and it had terrible acceleration on the highway. Most would say that the vehicle is adequate, but it really depends on what you want. Personally I felt so much better pulling the boat with a vehicle that is designed to tow. I now pull my boat around with my 2007 Toyota Tundra. Its got a 380 hp 5.7 L V8. Rated at 10 000 lbs of towing.

That's my 0.02 cents, I hope that helps

[Phuqu]

1998 Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited. 345ft/lbs. Reasonable price.

Don't buy a RHD Landcruiser. They are horrible for towing. You will also spend the whole day washing diesel soot off your boat.

[Mazstyle]

If your towing you want a longer wheelbase then a land cruiser or any of those japanese 4wd diesels.

Just buy a 97-03 gen Supercab Ford F150 with the 5.4l v8. They can handle upwards of 8000 lbs seat 6 people and you can fill the box full of shit too. You can pick up one of these for $5-12k easily.

[ashee]

My boyfriend tows his boat with his F150, seems to work well.

[VWEvo]

Originally posted by Mazstyle
If your towing you want a longer wheelbase then a land cruiser or any of those japanese 4wd diesels.

Just buy a 97-03 gen Supercab Ford F150 with the 5.4l v8. They can handle upwards of 8000 lbs seat 6 people and you can fill the box full of shit too. You can pick up one of these for $5-12k easily.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Great idea for relatively inexpensive truck!!!