maurici Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 well. About this time last year, I started a topic about a tow-car. Finally I bought a Terrano, that has been brilliant, sold the Z4, bought an MX5... all sort of things. Back on that time I was limited with budget. Now, I'm really tired on having two road cars, have to bodge them every time I go to the MOT... and so one, so I have decieded to bite the bullet and engage the quest of buying One decent car for all. Budget, the tricky bit. Lets say wide ish... We'll be looking to the £20k ish range. Requierements: Rear wheel drive, **** loads of torque, power about 300hp more or less. Bigh ish. Ideally it would be a cool Estate, but I can do with a well sized saloon. Modern-ish. (2013 onwards). Reliable. (that may be a hot topic. I know as much people extremely happy with BMW than people that would burn them in the drive if they could afford it). MPG is irelevant. NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO TOW, I.E. Needs to have towing type approval. I say that because most of the cool stuff around can't tow. (Any AMG, most of the BMW M's and so, won't have type approval). NO SUV, All terrains or Vans/People carriers. Ideally have to be available with sunroof. the bigger the better. Contenders so far: BMW535I, saloon or estate. F10/11 Audi S4-S6. Saloon or estate. B8/C7 Ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenD Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 im currently in the same boat looking again but not quite with the same budget but im currently searching for a nice audi a6 estate all road 3.0 v6 diesel the newer models appear to have a 2500kg towing limit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup) Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 I have a F11 525 that I have had from new. I have never towed with it but it has been so reliable. It does everything it should and it has now done nearly 107000 miles. The only repair bill has been a passenger side rear airbag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve (sdh2903) Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 Petrol or diesel preference? Big petrol estates are thin on the ground I found when looking. Bmw 535d or merc e class 350d. Both have good torque and remappable for even more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maurici Posted October 9, 2019 Author Share Posted October 9, 2019 10 minutes ago, Steve (sdh2903) said: Petrol or diesel preference? Big petrol estates are thin on the ground I found when looking. Bmw 535d or merc e class 350d. Both have good torque and remappable for even more. Oh, yes, sorry. Petrol... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Algar - Competition Secretary Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 Are you sure your not looking at SUV as how about Porsche Cayenne 🤣 big old thing, tow all day, early ones were petrol and now in your budget. Even goes round corners Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevanP Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 I've towed caravans and trailers for years , it all depends on what weight your planning to want to tow and if its braked or unbraked. Why go for a big juicy 3ltr petrol when a more economical 2ltr diesel will pull the same assuming you have the tow capacity? Diesels you'll get a load of torque too. I've had Toyota RAV's, which lack BHP in the diesel form, but still towed ok & were super reliable. The best tow car I've ever had was a BMW X3 2ltr diesel it pulled 1400kg without any problem and go around 25-30mpg towing. I've now got a BMW 420 diesel, an odd tow car I know, but I don't tow caravans anymore and wanted a saloon, but it has towed my old caravan without any problems whatsoever - TBH has good as the X3. The BMW 5 series saloon or estates have always been excellent tow cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAFKARM Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 27 minutes ago, Kevan Purton said: I've towed caravans and trailers for years , it all depends on what weight your planning to want to tow and if its braked or unbraked. Why go for a big juicy 3ltr petrol when a more economical 2ltr diesel will pull the same assuming you have the tow capacity? Diesels you'll get a load of torque too. Because he says in the OP he wants one car to do everything (including presumable be fun), and he's said he doesn't care about economy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Colonial Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 How about a HUGE estate car, 4l engine, 51k miles, great spec, good hauler, lots of toys, £18k? As a bonus, you could set up a business on the side. Click Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Waterfall Syman84 Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 And you can get a tow bar for these Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tolf Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 3 hours ago, maurici said: well. About this time last year, I started a topic about a tow-car. Finally I bought a Terrano, that has been brilliant, sold the Z4, bought an MX5... all sort of things. Back on that time I was limited with budget. Now, I'm really tired on having two road cars, have to bodge them every time I go to the MOT... and so one, so I have decieded to bite the bullet and engage the quest of buying One decent car for all. Budget, the tricky bit. Lets say wide ish... We'll be looking to the £20k ish range. Requierements: Rear wheel drive, **** loads of torque, power about 300hp more or less. Bigh ish. Ideally it would be a cool Estate, but I can do with a well sized saloon. Modern-ish. (2013 onwards). Reliable. (that may be a hot topic. I know as much people extremely happy with BMW than people that would burn them in the drive if they could afford it). MPG is irelevant. NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO TOW, I.E. Needs to have towing type approval. I say that because most of the cool stuff around can't tow. (Any AMG, most of the BMW M's and so, won't have type approval). NO SUV, All terrains or Vans/People carriers. Ideally have to be available with sunroof. the bigger the better. Contenders so far: BMW535I, saloon or estate. F10/11 Audi S4-S6. Saloon or estate. B8/C7 Ideas? I use a VW R Line Estate, but the 4 motion model. Has 4wd when needed, towa like a dream and without a trailer attached, its as fast as f@@k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maurici Posted October 9, 2019 Author Share Posted October 9, 2019 33 minutes ago, syman84 said: And you can get a tow bar for these Unfortunately, you can't. I've already checked that, and was in my list. Not type approval for towing. 1 hour ago, Kevan Purton said: I've towed caravans and trailers for years , it all depends on what weight your planning to want to tow and if its braked or unbraked. Why go for a big juicy 3ltr petrol when a more economical 2ltr diesel will pull the same assuming you have the tow capacity? Diesels you'll get a load of torque too. I've had Toyota RAV's, which lack BHP in the diesel form, but still towed ok & were super reliable. The best tow car I've ever had was a BMW X3 2ltr diesel it pulled 1400kg without any problem and go around 25-30mpg towing. I've now got a BMW 420 diesel, an odd tow car I know, but I don't tow caravans anymore and wanted a saloon, but it has towed my old caravan without any problems whatsoever - TBH has good as the X3. The BMW 5 series saloon or estates have always been excellent tow cars. I do have a terrano now to tow and an MX5 for fun. I don't really need to cars... for ocasional fun I do have the westy, so I'm trying to cut in expenses and worries... and buy something modern That I LIKE... I'm only towing a 900Kg setup, including car and trailer, and because I don't want a diesel anymore. I've driven diesel enough, and they are utter excrement. Sountrack is terrible, they run out of fun really early... I've owned a 240hp diesel in the past, and... no thanks. Everyone is free to choose, but not my cup of tea. I do 10k miles a year, so fuel economy is not a factor. My towing rig is very very very light. I only tow 6/7 times a year. so... the car needs to be capable of towing, but not specifically a tow truck. 1 hour ago, Nick - Joint North East AO said: Are you sure your not looking at SUV as how about Porsche Cayenne 🤣 big old thing, tow all day, early ones were petrol and now in your budget. Even goes round corners It can't be a car that i could hate anymore than this one unfortunately ... 34 minutes ago, Captain Colonial said: How about a HUGE estate car, 4l engine, 51k miles, great spec, good hauler, lots of toys, £18k? As a bonus, you could set up a business on the side. Click Seriously mate? 🤣🤣 @Ian Tolfree (tolf) - WSCC AO Rep you mean a passat? yea, I would go for an Octavia state in that case, but I don't particularly love them... 9 minutes ago, Ian Tolfree (tolf) - WSCC AO Rep said: I use a VW R Line Estate, but the 4 motion model. Has 4wd when needed, towa like a dream and without a trailer attached, its as fast as f@@k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim RS Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 I've been towing for more years than I like to remember with anything up to and including the maximum 3500kg. I have tried saloons,estates, pick-ups, vans but in the end always came back to big 4x4 because of the legal requirement and they are more stable at the rear end( I have had many excursions into verges with basic cars). Best one ever was an Isuzu swb that could just handle any load virtually anywhere. Obviously these are now relegated to classics but swb makes the driving/parking much easier and diesels will make point to point driving more relaxed and probably quicker. VW have a 4.8litre V8 which will show it's heals to a lot of cars even with a well loaded trailer. A point to remember also is that if the trailer exceeds the unladen weight of the car the whole unit is restricted to 40mph max unless proper brakes(not just over run) are fitted and that costs, must admit though most police won't know this and it takes VOSA teams to prosecute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maurici Posted October 9, 2019 Author Share Posted October 9, 2019 I'm only going to tow a 900Kg setup... Even a Polo can tow 900Kg... 🤣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephenh Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 Are you definitely not considering a turbo diesel? Shame, otherwise a Skoda Octavia vrs would fit the bill. And they are mega reliable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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