Nice suv/truck recommendations under 10k that can tow

[asp integra]

Looking for recommendations for nice suv/truck under $10k that can tow.

Let me know what you have had experience with and what you like. Would be my daily driver throughout the year and would pull a boat around in the summer.

[never]

How heavy is the boat/trailer/any other gear that'll go with it?

[SkiBum5.0]

2006-2013 GMC/Chev half ton, or Tahoe/Yukon would be the first place I'd look. Find one with as few owners as possible, in the best condition possible.

[NissanFanBoy]

Pathfinders and Xterras... Great value in the used market. Just as good reliability as Toyotas and Hondas without being as lame :thumbsup: ...05-'12ish, look underneath to make sure tranny fluid is rerouted OUT of the radiator, and check radiator fluid for mixing with tranny fluid. Other than thar no major issues, bulletproof engines.

[ExtraSlow]

For towing, if at all possible you want to be new enough to get the 6 speed transmissions in both the GMC/Chev and the Ford brands. But then again, that's going to be hard to do for ten grand. You'll end up with beat-to-shit trucks like I roll in. How heavy is your boat?

[bjstare]

Pathfinders and Xterras... Great value in the used market. Just as good reliability as Toyotas and Hondas without being as lame :thumbsup: ...05-'12ish, look underneath to make sure tranny fluid is rerouted OUT of the radiator, and check radiator fluid for mixing with tranny fluid. Other than thar no major issues, bulletproof engines.

Just as reliable as Toyotas? Lol. Why are they so cheap on the used market then?

Your username is certainly accurate haha.

[NissanFanBoy]

They're cheaper because of the perception that 4runners are the epitome of reliability...I've owned 2 1998 Pathfinders with around 250,000 km before selling and an 06 with 280,000 before selling... Both were still running like new and as a basic wrencher I only had to fix a couple very minor things on them, the most expensive was probably the $250 radiator which was the original one on the '06!!!! And it took me maybe two hours top to change it out having never done it before. It was on the second tranny though but other than that, nothing other than wear items like brake pads.

With a 10g budget, the OP would have to choose between a 4runner with 300,000+ km versus a Pathfinder with half that. 4runners obviously are superior but people ask ridiculous prices for them, not worth it.

[asp integra]

The boat and trailer combined weight would be around 4,000 lbs.

[ZeroGravity]

Was going to say V6 Rav4 which was rated for up to 3500 lbs... since you're looking at 4000 lbs, probably not a good idea. And not exactly a real SUV.

[spike98]

The boat and trailer combined weight would be around 4,000 lbs.

If thats all you need to tow, your options just got a lot better.

I'd look for a 2008-2010 Touraeg TDI.

[Tik-Tok]

I've got a 2009 4Runner with the 4.7 V8. It's capable of towing 7000 lbs, and my trailer loaded up is around 5600lbs.

It does great around Alberta, no problems at all, the only time I've felt it lacking is between Kamloops and Hope (aka the Coquihalla). It definitely needs some better brakes for next time as the previous owner put on cheap shitty Rockauto brakes. The fade was pretty bad on the way down, even with downshifting the transmission. On the way back wasn't bad, but I also kept my speed low at 90-100km/h and stuck with the right lane, and couldn't really get into 4th gear without bogging it down. It needs at least 30 more HP (which I'm planning on doing before next summer).

[SKR]

For towing, if at all possible you want to be new enough to get the 6 speed transmissions in both the GMC/Chev and the Ford brands. But then again, that's going to be hard to do for ten grand. You'll end up with beat-to-shit trucks like I roll in. How heavy is your boat?

Have I not trained you at all in the last 2 years? This is the only answer:

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSwrhO1Q04owGeRr9VzDXHmuhTMEEUedzwLpE6PO6qzQl6gtqxwig

[SKR]

Or this

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/edmonton/1979-chevrolet-c10-silverado-pickup-truck/1284606944?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MzJYMzI=/z/FoMAAOSwkuRZeRej/$_27.JPG

[NissanFanBoy]

Or this

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/edmonton/1979-chevrolet-c10-silverado-pickup-truck/1284606944?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MzJYMzI=/z/FoMAAOSwkuRZeRej/$_27.JPG

That's a pretty cool looking truck...just out of curiousity though because I don't know much about old trucks, why would be appraised at 15 and he is only asking less than half that?

[SKR]

I think appraisals are mostly BS. Every morning I look at all classic car ads on Kijiji in Alberta and Saskatchewan, and there's all kinds of examples where there's some outrageous appraisal, and an asking price way lower. I don't know if they set it high for insurance purposes, or if just nobody knows what they're doing. But in my experience it's pretty rare for the appraised value and asking price to be anywhere near the same.

For this truck, I think it's been for sale for a few weeks now. I don't know if he's dropped his price or not though. It's kind of a neat truck. Big 10s aren't that common (emissions equipment was only required below a certain GVW, and the Big 10 package increased the GVW beyond that limit). I don't know if it's a stock 454, but it could be. Should be a Turbo 400 transmission and 14 bolt rear end I believe. But it's a longbox, which isn't terribly desirable. It's not a smoking deal at $7000, but it's not bad. If it was a GMC Heavy Half (GMC's equivalent to the Big 10) it would be in my driveway right now. It would never sell at $15000, I don't know where they get that appraisal from.

I would daily drive it, and it'll pull a 4000lb trailer easily. But I doubt very much it's what the OP had in mind when he started this thread.

[never]

Probably insurance appraisal. $15,000 could be the cost to duplicate the build so needed for insurance purposes but it'll never sell for that. The car I just finished is in the same boat. Need to get it appraised for insurance to cover it. But I likely wouldn't ever be able to sell it for anywhere near the appraised value.

[zieg]

Pathfinders and Xterras... Great value in the used market. Just as good reliability as Toyotas and Hondas without being as lame :thumbsup: ...05-'12ish, look underneath to make sure tranny fluid is rerouted OUT of the radiator, and check radiator fluid for mixing with tranny fluid. Other than thar no major issues, bulletproof engines.

Rocking an 05 xterra here. Checked for the SMOD before buying and then replaced the rad with new OEM right after buying. Bypassing the rad trans cooler is a bad idea in this climate because the rad heats the trans in the winter. But yeah, plus one for 05+ xterras/pathfinders. They can tow 5000/6000 lb respectively (or 7000 on the v8 pathy) and are decent vehicles. Very happy with mine.

[SkiBum5.0]

That's a pretty cool looking truck...just out of curiousity though because I don't know much about old trucks, why would be appraised at 15 and he is only asking less than half that?

Appraisals are required for classic car insurance. You want the insurable amount to be replacement value -ie what you spent on building the vehicle. That is rarely what the vehicle is worth - usually about half as in this case. It's not that the appraisal is BS, it's just what the owner wants from insurance.

[Diocletian]

One really needs to take classic car/truck appraisals will a grain of salt. I don't think they ever write one for less than 10,000 on a vehicle even if it's a rotten out pile of junk that has no collectable value what-so-ever. It works out well for those who have insurance and have a loss but I certainly wouldn't pay any attention to it in regards to buying a vehicle.

In regards to the rear end of the truck, it'll likely be the truck 12 bolt, although it could be the semi floating 14 bolt. Definitely not the big dog 14 bolt full floater Looks like it's somewhere in the 78-80 with the headlights so it could be the 454.

[SKR]

One really needs to take classic car/truck appraisals will a grain of salt. I don't think they ever write one for less than 10,000 on a vehicle even if it's a rotten out pile of junk that has no collectable value what-so-ever. It works out well for those who have insurance and have a loss but I certainly wouldn't pay any attention to it in regards to buying a vehicle.

In regards to the rear end of the truck, it'll likely be the truck 12 bolt, although it could be the semi floating 14 bolt. Definitely not the big dog 14 bolt full floater Looks like it's somewhere in the 78-80 with the headlights so it could be the 454.

You're right, Big 10s came with 12 bolt rearends, not the 14 bolt like I thought. I had a 78 GMC Heavy Half that I sold to a neighbor, and I thought part of the appeal was the 14 bolt rear end. Based on that 20 year old memory, I've always thought that they came with 14 bolts. But nothing I can see from GM says that it would have one. So I don't know what he wanted it for.

This is an old thread, but that really bugged me so I had to do some research to find out.

[R-Audi]

Throw this back out there... you can find decent Lexus GX470s in that range.. basically a nicer 4runner and generally better taken care of.