New dinghy

[jeanontheroad]

Just traded in our lovely Jetta TDI wagon in on a manual Ford Fiesta. The Fiesta will flat tow, the Jetta will not. This has got to be the least exciting car purchase, ever.

 

[Mac J]

what does flat tow mean?

 

[jeanontheroad]

Mac, flat tow means towing directly behind the RV, all 4 wheels on the road, as opposed to having to use a trailer or a dolly. Dollies squirm, especially on curvy or bumpy roads. Trailers are a pain to hook up, can be expensive and clumsy. Most flat towable cars are manual transmission (oh, joy). Some are automatics, but take extra precautions to tow safely. Good luck convincing the manufacturer you did follow all the steps properly if your automatic is damaged.

 

[blars]

I've got a Chevy Tracker 4wd -- automatic and flat towable. Made by Suzuki, also sold by them and Geo.

 

[jeanontheroad]

Hi blars. Hubby looked at several options, including a couple with automatic transmissions. He preferred to stick with a manual transmission. I'm not sure if he looked a the Tracker or not. Frankly, I wasn't paying any attention to what he was chattering about until he went to the bank, got the title to the VW and said we had an appointment with the Ford dealer. I kept thinking he would eventually stop dithering around and get a car trailer. I know he did not want a car payment, which would have put a crimp in our budget, so that meant it had to be a fairly even trade. He also wanted a good warranty, which meant a new car.