Need a towing car. - Toyota Yaris Forums

Black_griffin6 · 02-02-2011, 10:09 PM

Hey forum.
My dad has recently bought a camper he's restoring, it's an older camper so it's probably not going to be made out of the lightweight stuff the newer ones are, and that means his current car (a 2006 Honda Element) is unable to tow it.
So he needs something with a bit more grunt to haul around his new(ish) camper. Something withing the price range of 15 grand, preferably Japanese, preferably with a manual gearbox, and preferably with a diesel engine.

So, any suggestions? XD

severous01 · 02-02-2011, 10:24 PM

get a used f250, chevy 2500, dodge 2500???

as for diesel, unless you get new like bmw x5 or the new grand cherokee 3.0td you wont really find anything diesel. us doesnt have much for 'normal' diesel engines. they're all heavy duty.

you can buy a junker chevy/dodge/whatever (dakota is probably best) and put in a 4cyl cummins turbo diesel engine. it's called a 4bt cummins. check out 4btswaps.com. they're awesome going from anything from cherokee/wranglers into ranger, dakota, s10, suburban, ramcharger, anything. engines can be had in running condition from about 80kmi (it's a baby and barely broken in at this mileage) for about 5 grand. some fab work, some research and it's a done deal.

it's be much cheaper and easier to get a good full size truck or a bigger half size truck.

to get a good idea of how much truck you need, we need the trailers weight and tongue weight.

nemelek · 02-02-2011, 10:31 PM

If the trailer weighs 5,000 pounds, the hitch weight would be 10% or 500 pounds. That probably would require a class IV hitch. A car is out of the question and Japanese don't have diesel PU or SUV's in the US. Therefore an American SUV or truck would meet his needs. Depending on where he lives and the hills might make the difference between gas and diesel. Get a truck. They are good for hauling fire wood, bikes, a boat or other crap you take on trips. I had an 02 Dodge diesel and now have an 04 Dodge diesel. Both would be good choices. The Ford would work also. Stay away from the Chevy for those years. The best milage pulling our trailer was 15 the worse was 9.5mpg. At 65 mph I will get about 12.5 mpg. A Hemi would only get 9 mph.

Wait till gas prices hit 4/gallon and diesel is $5/gallon. Trucks will be real cheap.

Black_griffin6 · 02-03-2011, 04:15 AM

I was thinking a used F250 personally.

I did some research and I found the camper he's got.
http://www.scottytrailers.com/sportsman.php

That's the exact one.
I found that the 2006 and newer Subaru Forester's have a 3k towing capacity, that would be perfect...except all the ones within the price range have well over 100k miles.
Same story with the F250, they all have well over 100k.

Thanks for the suggestions guys, we'll keep searching. Bear in mind, it doesn't have to be a truck, a diesel, or even a manual, but if they were that would be great.

That's a good idea though, waiting for gas to go up. Won't really be a problem for me though, 40 MPG Yaris FTW.

silver_echo · 02-03-2011, 04:15 PM

just get a gas tundra... problem solved, because the last toyota with a diesel that was us released to my knowledge was like 1985

then again, with those foresters, with the proper maintenance, they can last many many miles... just make sure that the timing belts were done at 120k(ish), and then i would recommend having someone check it again at around 180

severous01 · 02-03-2011, 09:34 PM

a 100kmi diesel is a baby if properly maintained.

but, you said that the trailer weighs 5klbs and you're trying to pull with a forester that has a max weight of 3k. the page says 3500, is that loaded with pots/pans and clothes and all sorts of other crap?

for long runs you seriously want a vehicle that can handle much more weight that what it actually is. this will prolong not only the vehicle's life, but yours...mainly because you're not maxing out braking abilities, transmission handling, and the actual structure of the vehicle. the forester is a uni-body chassis...and i definitely wouldnt put more weight on it that what's recommended.

02-02-2011, 10:09 PM	#1
Black_griffin6 View User's Garage Drives: 09 Meteoric Metallic 3 door HB Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Atlanta Georgia Posts: 419	Need a towing car. Hey forum. My dad has recently bought a camper he's restoring, it's an older camper so it's probably not going to be made out of the lightweight stuff the newer ones are, and that means his current car (a 2006 Honda Element) is unable to tow it. So he needs something with a bit more grunt to haul around his new(ish) camper. Something withing the price range of 15 grand, preferably Japanese, preferably with a manual gearbox, and preferably with a diesel engine. So, any suggestions? XD

02-02-2011, 10:31 PM	#3
nemelek DWEED Drives: 3DR 2008 Metorite Metalic Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Arizona Posts: 1,161	If the trailer weighs 5,000 pounds, the hitch weight would be 10% or 500 pounds. That probably would require a class IV hitch. A car is out of the question and Japanese don't have diesel PU or SUV's in the US. Therefore an American SUV or truck would meet his needs. Depending on where he lives and the hills might make the difference between gas and diesel. Get a truck. They are good for hauling fire wood, bikes, a boat or other crap you take on trips. I had an 02 Dodge diesel and now have an 04 Dodge diesel. Both would be good choices. The Ford would work also. Stay away from the Chevy for those years. The best milage pulling our trailer was 15 the worse was 9.5mpg. At 65 mph I will get about 12.5 mpg. A Hemi would only get 9 mph. Wait till gas prices hit 4/gallon and diesel is $5/gallon. Trucks will be real cheap. __________________ Making a decision without following it with an action is still a fantasy.

02-03-2011, 04:15 PM	#5
silver_echo ekodrvr View User's Garage Drives: 2002 white subaru impreza wrx Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 776	just get a gas tundra... problem solved, because the last toyota with a diesel that was us released to my knowledge was like 1985 then again, with those foresters, with the proper maintenance, they can last many many miles... just make sure that the timing belts were done at 120k(ish), and then i would recommend having someone check it again at around 180 __________________ if you want to see my plans for this car, check out here... http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3154316 i like this smiley...

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02-02-2011, 10:24 PM	#2
severous01 Drives: 2008 yaris, stripped, red Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: SE Texas Posts: 977	get a used f250, chevy 2500, dodge 2500??? as for diesel, unless you get new like bmw x5 or the new grand cherokee 3.0td you wont really find anything diesel. us doesnt have much for 'normal' diesel engines. they're all heavy duty. you can buy a junker chevy/dodge/whatever (dakota is probably best) and put in a 4cyl cummins turbo diesel engine. it's called a 4bt cummins. check out 4btswaps.com. they're awesome going from anything from cherokee/wranglers into ranger, dakota, s10, suburban, ramcharger, anything. engines can be had in running condition from about 80kmi (it's a baby and barely broken in at this mileage) for about 5 grand. some fab work, some research and it's a done deal. it's be much cheaper and easier to get a good full size truck or a bigger half size truck. to get a good idea of how much truck you need, we need the trailers weight and tongue weight.

02-03-2011, 04:15 AM	#4
Black_griffin6 View User's Garage Drives: 09 Meteoric Metallic 3 door HB Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Atlanta Georgia Posts: 419	I was thinking a used F250 personally. I did some research and I found the camper he's got. http://www.scottytrailers.com/sportsman.php That's the exact one. I found that the 2006 and newer Subaru Forester's have a 3k towing capacity, that would be perfect...except all the ones within the price range have well over 100k miles. Same story with the F250, they all have well over 100k. Thanks for the suggestions guys, we'll keep searching. Bear in mind, it doesn't have to be a truck, a diesel, or even a manual, but if they were that would be great. That's a good idea though, waiting for gas to go up. Won't really be a problem for me though, 40 MPG Yaris FTW.

02-03-2011, 09:34 PM	#6
severous01 Drives: 2008 yaris, stripped, red Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: SE Texas Posts: 977	a 100kmi diesel is a baby if properly maintained. but, you said that the trailer weighs 5klbs and you're trying to pull with a forester that has a max weight of 3k. the page says 3500, is that loaded with pots/pans and clothes and all sorts of other crap? for long runs you seriously want a vehicle that can handle much more weight that what it actually is. this will prolong not only the vehicle's life, but yours...mainly because you're not maxing out braking abilities, transmission handling, and the actual structure of the vehicle. the forester is a uni-body chassis...and i definitely wouldnt put more weight on it that what's recommended.