Lower Cost Tow Vehicles

[minimotos95]

Yes I know it's not about specific vehicles, but the only way to bring this up is specifically...
I was thinking about this last night and a OBD II 4.0l AMC Jeep? Overhead valve straight 6 with geared timing, known for it's reliability. But with modern OBDII diagnostics and fuel injection. Usually in something with 3 pedals and without all the foofoo gadgets like power windows or locks.
Parts aren't as cheap as some other American vehicles but every city has a Jeep "specialist"

Edit-I may be wrong about the timing being gear driven/edit

There's a few ways the system owns you just by owning a vehicle, even if you don't drive it they want you to have license/registration/insurance. No matter what, it's still sitting atop tires air filled donuts designed to wear/fail and it's petro, from the headliner down to the gear oil they are all byproducts of what destroys our public lands.
That's without even getting into to maintenance and repair parts that have next to no quality control, the taxation, overuse of roadways, limited forward  visibility in the name  of "safety""  and of course the problems that come from the idea a multi ton vehicle is personal transportation.
Okay, I may have started ranting, feel free to censor my profreedom antivehicle talk.

 

[kaBLOOnie Boonster]

Surprised that nobody has mentioned taking advantage of the next automobile recession as a good way to lower the price of a tow vehicle. There are lots of articles in the business media these days about auto sales weakening.

But what is the best way to take advantage of that? Will the price drops be really significant, say 30%, or something like 10%? Of course, if a recession makes it easier and faster to find a tow vehicle, that is also helpful.

 

[John61CT]

careful what you wish for

 

[masterplumber]

Surprised that nobody has mentioned taking advantage of the next automobile recession as a good way to lower the price of a tow vehicle. There are lots of articles in the business media these days about auto sales weakening.

But what is the best way to take advantage of that? Will the price drops be really significant, say 30%, or something like 10%? Of course, if a recession makes it easier and faster to find a tow vehicle, that is also helpful.

I suspect the MSRP won't drop at all. It just may not go up as fast. But dealers may be willing to deal on stock on hand. My last 2 work trucks I've bought new, as in my area they were cheaper than low mileage used. But I bought at the end of September both times as they had the next years models already on the lot and wanted to get rid of the previous years models. I was also looking for a work truck, not a loaded to the hilt boulevard cruiser and they have a harder time selling those in my area. So they were willing to deal. I think one I got $10,000 off of and the other I got $7500 off of. They were still way to expensive, but for work I put to many miles on and I can't afford downtime. For personal use I'm hoping to find an older truck in good shape, preferably pre computerized so I can fix it myself anytime and anywhere. They tradeoff is, I will be fixing it more often as despite our complaining how complicated vehicles are getting, they are by and large much more reliable. It used to be a vehicle was done at 100,000 miles. Now it's normal to go 250,000 and not all that uncommon to go 500,000. I even read about a diesel pickup recently with 1.4 million on the original drivetrail and still running strong pulling Hot Shot loads.

 

[AshleyBeth35]

My solution to this problem was a second generation Ford Explorer with the 5.0 V8 AWD.  Let me explain how I came to this decision.

I needed something that was at a price point below $3000.  I needed something that could tow adequately.  I needed something that was easy/inexpensive to repair.  I needed something that was reliable.  I needed something that had cargo room and that could carry at least 4 people. Oh and I wanted something that had at least minimal off road capability.  

The second generation Explorer with AWD and 5.0 V8(built from 1997 to 2001) checked all of these boxes.  I found mine for $1500.  It is rated to tow well over 6500 lbs. The 302 Windsor V8 and 4 speed automatic transmission it is paired with are fairly easy for most any mechanic to work on and parts are readily available and comparatively inexpensive.  Additionally this drivetrain has one of the most reliable engine and transmissions ever made by Ford or any other automaker.  It has a solid roof rack, and ample cargo room and will sit up to 5 people in relative comfort. The AWD isn't the perfect solution for off roading nor is the independent front suspension but for the occasional muddy trail or beach driving it will do just fine.  I'm not going to go trail running or rock climbing with it.

It took me close to 3 months to find my copy and I saw several basket cases along the way.  But I finally found one with under 130K on the odometer that had been owned by the same family for the last 18 years.  The Carfax was clean as a whistle and it came with a stack of repair invoices about an inch thick and all maintenance had been done at the same repair shop for the last 16 years.  Everything works and it is in excellent condition for it's age.  It's a 20 year old vehicle with a 40 year old engine design so that might give some people pause but to me it's a case of simpler is better.  it was harder to find a V8 in this model than a V6 but IMO the extra tow capacity and better reliability were worth it.  And fuel mileage is actually within a mile or two per gallon of the V6 also found in this vehicle.  I really don't think I could have found a better solution to my needs and I think my needs are similar to the original posters needs.

 

[AshleyBeth35]

Why would you favor a v6 over a inline 4 when mounted sideways like in the front wheel drive car platform of a CUV?
Many times when they shoehorn V6s into those little engine bay it winds up costing you an arm and leg in labor on basic maintenance like having to pull the entire motor to do a timing belt. Or when you are doing your own basic maintenance it ends in a lot of tool throwing because you can't get the spark plug, starter, alternator or whatever part out from between the engine and the firewall.
I haven't been paying attention to CUVs but I'm sure they are still available with base model non turbocharged 4 cylinder? except the Juke of course. It's not like you need a 2-300hp v6 to haul your trailer, at 2800lbs even a 100hp 125 ft-lb 4 cylinder can handle that in the mountains.

Not to mention that an I4 is a more reliable engine than a V6 nine times out of ten.

 

[PhilD1954]

wow. took 6 pages to get to the crux of the matter. I was laughing thru it all.
for me to beat the system would involve a mid 60's p/u, one ton ( 4 or 6 wheels ) with a more modern v8 engine ( up to mid 90's, pre obd ll ) and a 5 speed granny gear overdrive. I chose mid 60's to avoid smog Nazis. as said, more modern engine technology has these things going 250,000 miles with minimal effort.
I drive full size fleet vans for work and AFAIK GM still has 4.3L v6's, just not with AWD. out west with mountains and wind there is no difference in MPG between v6 and v8.
all that being said, I bought an 06 chevy 1500 WT, reg cab, long bed, 5.3L, 4x4, auto trans with only 5 options, a/c, p/s, p/b, rubber floors, crank windows, am/fm radio, not even a clicker for the doors. it had 20,636 miles 3 yrs ago when bought and paid $15k. would have preferred manual trans.
regardless of era of vehicle, some attention (maintenance) is needed. I do most things myself to beat the system, except rebuild motors and trans.