Most suited tow vehicle / car trailer combo
Discussion
Chaps,
Have been sat debating a change in direction of late and one option is to build upon my current employment and contacts and look at going it alone moving vehicles around the country. First up, this idea is in its infancy and yes I know there's countless lads with Transit beaver tails knocking around for £40 a lift and shift, but I'd be looking to offer something a bit more plus have a step up as I'm 'trade' as it were and could create opportunities.
So, cutting to the chase... yes I would need to get the appropriate license (currently don't hold BE) but that's a given but what I've been debating of late is what would be a good choice of vehicle to tow with. I've done some thinking myself and in my head, a van would be the most logical option for various reasons however the most prolific being it can also be used to move motorcycles, components, spares, wheels and such like thus opens up new opportunities and the ability to multi-task, which financially would make sense.
So, in short I'd be looking at a Vivaro / Transit / Transporter sort of thing... but in terms of what makes for a good tow vehicle, I'm simply not sure but as far as towing goes it would be a twin axle car trailer, with a view to taking anything up to an SUV so appreciate that could be a potential minefield and that's where I hoped somebody may be able to offer some thoughts or personal experiences on the matter.
Initial set up budget, I have a figure of £10k for a suitable van plus trailer... be it new or very good order second hand thus as a rough fag packet calculation, up to £3k for the trailer, straps and such like, £500 for license thus leaving £5 to £6k for a vehicle which puts me in to 2.5TDI Transporter or 2.5L Vivaro territory, ideally LWB. But really, the finer details are something I need to explore further.
Apologies if it all seems a bit fantasy / vague, but we all have to start somewhere!
Thanks
Have been sat debating a change in direction of late and one option is to build upon my current employment and contacts and look at going it alone moving vehicles around the country. First up, this idea is in its infancy and yes I know there's countless lads with Transit beaver tails knocking around for £40 a lift and shift, but I'd be looking to offer something a bit more plus have a step up as I'm 'trade' as it were and could create opportunities.
So, cutting to the chase... yes I would need to get the appropriate license (currently don't hold BE) but that's a given but what I've been debating of late is what would be a good choice of vehicle to tow with. I've done some thinking myself and in my head, a van would be the most logical option for various reasons however the most prolific being it can also be used to move motorcycles, components, spares, wheels and such like thus opens up new opportunities and the ability to multi-task, which financially would make sense.
So, in short I'd be looking at a Vivaro / Transit / Transporter sort of thing... but in terms of what makes for a good tow vehicle, I'm simply not sure but as far as towing goes it would be a twin axle car trailer, with a view to taking anything up to an SUV so appreciate that could be a potential minefield and that's where I hoped somebody may be able to offer some thoughts or personal experiences on the matter.
Initial set up budget, I have a figure of £10k for a suitable van plus trailer... be it new or very good order second hand thus as a rough fag packet calculation, up to £3k for the trailer, straps and such like, £500 for license thus leaving £5 to £6k for a vehicle which puts me in to 2.5TDI Transporter or 2.5L Vivaro territory, ideally LWB. But really, the finer details are something I need to explore further.
Apologies if it all seems a bit fantasy / vague, but we all have to start somewhere!
Thanks
Cheers, one factor I guess would be running costs.
This was prompted by a run home last night in a friends 2014 Vivaro 1.9 which is seemingly averaging 40mpg... which I deemed as being rather good for what it is, however then prompted to me think that over XXXX miles, towing a laden car trailer would more capacity + more power = better economy.
Then there's the question of reliability, towing will unquestionably put excess strain on the tow car which is why a mate tows with a new Ranger which he deemed far more up to the task than his previous 4 year old Transit (unsure on exact spec) and a nicer place to be to do miles.
Downside is he's lost the van aspect and thus lost a lot of load carrying ability, which has limited his ability to cover lots of bases.
I guess the question is, what is the most robust, comfortable, multi-purpose tow vehicle that offers maximum value for money.
I did debate a D40 Navara..?
This was prompted by a run home last night in a friends 2014 Vivaro 1.9 which is seemingly averaging 40mpg... which I deemed as being rather good for what it is, however then prompted to me think that over XXXX miles, towing a laden car trailer would more capacity + more power = better economy.
Then there's the question of reliability, towing will unquestionably put excess strain on the tow car which is why a mate tows with a new Ranger which he deemed far more up to the task than his previous 4 year old Transit (unsure on exact spec) and a nicer place to be to do miles.
Downside is he's lost the van aspect and thus lost a lot of load carrying ability, which has limited his ability to cover lots of bases.
I guess the question is, what is the most robust, comfortable, multi-purpose tow vehicle that offers maximum value for money.
I did debate a D40 Navara..?
Thanks gents, felt I was only polite to touch back in here... granted this idea may not take flight, lots going on just now but looking towards the later part of the year and it's probably fueled by a few factors, including the desire to go it alone and escape the rat race as it were (join the queue!) however the van logic was on the table as I felt it'd offer the most versatile solution... something Vivaro esque could be used as a daily driver, could be fitted out to provide basic camper van / weekends away roles and the other benefit is the ability to carry many things, not just drag trailers which opens up the options.
A Discovery does seem to be default choice for a tow vehicle but their complexity and potential costs would be quite daunting, plus it's not as versatile as a van thus more limited in what it can and cannot do which is why I also debated a D40 Navara, though the latter is perhaps a bit more suited for multi-purpose and a 4x4 would be a welcome tool at times but may just be too limiting for what I had hoped to achieve.
The competition seems to be the biggest issue and yes, more so up here when supply can outweigh demand hence why a multi-purpose tool would perhaps open up more options - ie bike transport and such like but there's much to investigate and some avenues to explore, but appreciate that this could prove to be too high risk in a market that is already very busy with others offering similar services thus to arrive as a complete novice, perhaps it's just not going to be a viable option after all.
Very much appreciate the input, some good advice and valid points raised which has been most helpful, so thanks to all for that.
Cheers
A Discovery does seem to be default choice for a tow vehicle but their complexity and potential costs would be quite daunting, plus it's not as versatile as a van thus more limited in what it can and cannot do which is why I also debated a D40 Navara, though the latter is perhaps a bit more suited for multi-purpose and a 4x4 would be a welcome tool at times but may just be too limiting for what I had hoped to achieve.
The competition seems to be the biggest issue and yes, more so up here when supply can outweigh demand hence why a multi-purpose tool would perhaps open up more options - ie bike transport and such like but there's much to investigate and some avenues to explore, but appreciate that this could prove to be too high risk in a market that is already very busy with others offering similar services thus to arrive as a complete novice, perhaps it's just not going to be a viable option after all.
Very much appreciate the input, some good advice and valid points raised which has been most helpful, so thanks to all for that.
Cheers
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