Tow car.

[geofff]

Hi,

It's probably been done before but...any suggestions?

Must be:

Insurance friendly

£2k budget

Bit sporty - I just can't do an Espace  

Possibilities so far:

Dad is selling his Mondeo 1.6 (gutless but cheap and well looked after)

Alfa Romeo 33 - cheap as chips / used to race them so know them inside out

Alfa Romeo 155 2.0 TS wide body / sportpack- for a tin top it's beautiful    Tarquini BTCC winner but quite hard to find.

Any others?  

Thanks

Geoff  

[smithydar]

well the missus has a 155 alfa 1800. she loves the thing.but not really my cup of tea.but i must say its bl**** reliable.hasnt given any trouble at all.and today she is on her way back from plymouth after having a stainless exhaust made and fitted.

back to the point.for reliability i cant fault it.and its a really comfy ride.(the car of course)

so maybe i like it a bit more than i think.

just dont know what theyre like for towing.hers has a towbar but weve never used it.so cant really answer that.would imagine it would be fine,pretty good amount of power and actually quite well put together.

i'd definately go for the alfa if the other car on offer was a mondeo!!!(but then mondeos arent too bad either.)

this probably doesnt make much sense but hope it helps anyway.

darren

ps. she will be back soon and shes in an alfa club so if you want to know for sure about towing give us a shout back and she will put a post on that site.someone will know there.

[smithydar]

well shes put a post on there and one reply so far,it says; the early 8v engined 155 were the better than the 16vfor power. but on the whole a good towing car.

will add any more comments as and when.

darren

[SADDLEWORTH]

Subaru legacy

[PhilH]

Bond Buggie

[Keith Scarfe]

Dad is selling his Mondeo 1.6 (gutless

Not clever if you are about to ascend that hill just before the Cadwell circuit with the car and trailer on the back.

You will acquire an ever growing amount of stuff to take with you so make sure it has a big boot. When I started out I used my dad's Ford Maverick. Then I bought an old but good Diesel Transit SWB - kitted out with seats, cupboards etc. This is about Ideal. How many will there be in your team to fit in there as well. Staying overnight = bags.

Good luck.

Keith.

[geofff]

Hi All,

Thanks for the replies.

Darren your wife obviously has good taste! I shall renew my AROC membership immediately.

Subaru Legacy - yep definitely a possibility - What's the reliability / repair costs like? I here the dealers are very good but pricey parts? (I know I like alfa's    so I can't talk about pricey parts)

Transit SWB 2.0 & Merc (like the Snap On vans/ can't remember the numbers on it) - used for racing previously but I'd like to combine my normal transport and race tow vehicle - Otherwise I'm upto four cars. I'm hoping for three people spanner / supporting me but I think one of them will bring his own Granada. But yes space will be at a premium.

Decisions, decisions.  

Thanks

Geoff

[Toby Mack]

I currently have a 2L GLX mondeo. Has traction control (which is pretty crude but could be useful when towing), very cheap, appears to be reliable, handles and goes ok (for a cheap family hatchback at least) and tows very well (much better than my old Saab 9000! ). I'd recommend them but only if you don't mind Fords slightly cheap build quality and image.

Only problem is that fitting a towbar is a right pain- not difficult, just fiddly.

Toby

[geofff]

Hi Toby,

Yep - I was reading caravan weekly (or some such in the barbers the other day) and it was voted towing car of the year 20XX. If I go for a Mondeo I think I might get the 1.8 as it would be the same engine as in the Westfield. Could be helpful for a quick source of engine at a later date  

My Dad's 1.6 already has a towbar - might nick it before he sells if it doesn't go to me  

Anybody use an Mazda RX7 - A friend has an RX8 and it drinks petrol - plus I don't know what those rotary engines are like with heavy loads - anyone?

Thanks

Geoff

[Blatman]

If you want cheap towage with plenty of room, then a Mondeo diesel is fine, with the estate having *massive* load space. Mine's a hatch, and I can still carry enough gear for two drivers for a weekend, plus *lots* of tools and toys...

Mine regularly gets high 30's towing (1.8TD), and as long as it's doing that, who cares about the image?

The hill to Cadwell is still a second gear affair though, no matter how big a run up I take...

[geofff]

Hi,

I'm going to see a 155 on Sunday.  

The search may be over.

I'll find out if it's big enough.

Ta

Geoff

[S8ight]

theyre as ugly as sin but have you thought about a granada/ultima ??

have seen them go through the auctions for peanuts, even with lpg on them.

[geofff]

Hmmm Scorpio is a possibility space wise but my mates wallows like a pig round corners.

Cossie or Ultima - "bend over please sir I'll get the big stick"   - phrase used by my FRIENDLY insurance man. Otherwise I'd be going for the Sierra Saphire Cossie.

Ta

Geoff

[S8ight]

dont mean the 24v one, the one they replaced the granada with

[steve_m]

I've got a Mondeo 1.8 TD Estate, bit of a plodder but it does what it says on the tin, carries big loads, tows very well, has air con, CD player and heated front screen, cheap to maintain and insure.  It's all you could ask for of a tow car and there are a lot of them about, shoud be able to get a good one for well under £2k.