Reliable 4x4 to tow 3.5t for around £6k

[andye30m3]

Been looking at changing my 7.5t race truck for a trailer and tow vehicle.

I'd probably look at race shuttles so need a tow capacity of 3.5t, I'd have to use the tow car everyday so would rather avoid vans although in many ways the' work better for race weekends

So next stop was to start looking at 4x4 but concerns over reliability are probably the one thing that slightly puts me off, obviously there's going to be running cost which can be (using man maths) offset against the additional insurance, tax and plating of the truck.

Mpg isn't a huge issue as I'll only be doing around £10k miles, something which could do around 20-25mpg on a run would be good.

Obvious options are touaregs, discovery, Range Rover. Also tempted by a petrol cayenne, these appeal a bit to avoid the issues with dpf's and other potential bills with diesel.

What would people recommend with a £6k budget, can reliablity be achieved, more fussed about it keep going and not leaving me stranded rather than worrying about small issues you can live with

[schmalex]

Of those, I would be looking at a Touareg / Cayenne / Q7.

A Range Rover at that age could well need a fair bit of cash spending on it, with common weak points being gearbox, air suspension, electrics.

How about something a little more utilitarian like a Shogun / (older) Landcruiser?

[LP670]

Id be looking at an 80 series Landcruiser or a Nissan Patrol.

[smifffymoto]

Nissan Pathfinder.Mine has been faultless in the 185000 km it has done.
Only down side is a 3000kg limit.

[RATROD3]

Mitsubishi l200 turbo crew cab either barbarian or warrior would tick all your boxes.

[loggo]

I have had a selection of Shoguns over the years and always found them well up to the job with no major bills.

Edited by loggo on Tuesday 13th February 08:56

[kiethton]

Jeep Grand Cherokee?

3.5T Towing capacity - easily available under budget too (Example would likely be achievable on budget)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jeep-Grand-Cherokee-3-0...

[ZX10R NIN]

5.7 Grand Cherokee

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

ML55 AMG

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

RR

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Leftfield:

Ford Explorer

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

It's hard to look past the Grand Cherokee with it's N/A engine.

[ST565NP]

Would go with a van ! Some sort of Transit with rear power. Lots about, simple, nothing to break apart.

[ST565NP]

Something like this :
https://www.gumtree.com/p/vans/2007-ford-transit-l...

Or if you need 4x4 then :
https://www.gumtree.com/p/vans/ford-transit-four-w...

[GreatGranny]

kiethton said:

Jeep Grand Cherokee?

3.5T Towing capacity - easily available under budget too (Example would likely be achievable on budget)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jeep-Grand-Cherokee-3-0...

These seem to be GVFM to me.

Refined enough for daily use yet can do the hard work when required.

IMO Cayenne/Q7/Disco would scare me with potential big bills.

They would be 10+ years old for your budget as well.

[ST565NP]

GreatGranny said:

IMO Cayenne/Q7/Disco would scare me with potential big bills.

They would be 10+ years old for your budget as well.

Know of a 2004 V10 TDI Tuareg that had all sorts of problems with the drivetrain after a 70mph hit to a medium pothole : difs, gearbox, shafts - spent 6K Gbp without sorting it out. Ok, it had almost 200K miles but most motorway ones, not used to tow anything.
So yes, would stay clear of these.

Better to take a simpler one like Jeeps, Patrol, Landcruiser, Shogun and Disco.

[ST565NP]

And would be certainly looking at cars with low/high transmission, it can be very useful when towing.

[andye30m3]

Cheers for the replies, give me a few more things to look at. I hadn't really looked into the jap stuff but will have a look.

Van would ideal in many ways but not sure it would go down very well at home if it was my daily driver, hence 4x4's seam to be a bit of a compromise.

Was tempted to look at a cheap 4.5 cayenne on eBay, had a couple of the big issues sorted and almost cheap enough to throw away if a major fault occurred.

[Escy]

I'm asking myself the same question currently. What did you end up going with?

I'm leaning towards the V10 Touareg, think it's the best option for towing.

[mOrtt]

I went with an E53 X5 4.8 V8 when I needed a daily/tow car. I only do 6000 miles a year and half of that is towing 1600-2300kg.

I found a lot of SUVs can tow 3500kg but they weigh 2000kg or less which I wasn't comfortable with when towing 2300kg.

[mbwoy84]

Escy said:

I'm asking myself the same question currently. What did you end up going with?

I'm leaning towards the V10 Touareg, think it's the best option for towing.

What are you towing exactly? I mean, what trailer exactly and what will be on it at its heaviest?

[V8RX7]

Escy said:

I'm leaning towards the V10 Touareg, think it's the best option for towing.

It's quite possibly the most powerful option

It's running costs can be hideous though

The 3.0 Jeep is the best value option IMO

[rich12]

I know this isn't the same but we have a 2017 GC as our tow car and it is by far the best tow car we've ever had. Done circa 40k miles, most towing up and down the country and apart from 2 services and a set of front brakes, it is absolutely golden.

If the older ones are anything like this then that's where my money would go.
Forget anything from land rover, Porsche as at that money, they'll be money pits.

[Escy]

mbwoy84 said:

What are you towing exactly? I mean, what trailer exactly and what will be on it at its heaviest?

Not bought a trailer yet but it'll be a big one, need to be able to get a Range Rover on it so i'll be around the 3500kg towing limit.

V8RX7 said:

It's quite possibly the most powerful option

It's running costs can be hideous though

The 3.0 Jeep is the best value option IMO

I'm not too concerned about the maintenance as i've got a load of spares for a Touareg/Cayenne and can do my own work. I am aware they are a bit of a nightmare, especially the early Touaregs.

The Jeep is good value for money compared to the others, the interior looks pretty horrid. They are 215bhp, the Land Rover Discovery 2.7 TDV6 is 190bhp, Touareg 3.0 is 220bhp. How do cars with this sort of power feel with 3500kg on the back? Is it a chore to drive or not an issue? What sort of MPG will you get towing? I believe V10 Touareg does low 20's normally so towing is likely to be in the teens