Cheap tax, big towing capacity?

[OldGermanHeaps]

Me and the mrs recently went from 2 cars a van and a bike to dropping my car, reason being i hardly ever used it, and it was in a very high road tax band. It was fun having a convertible, but for the most part i used the van and bike so it was an expensive ornament most of the time.
Since we got rid of it though in the last 6 months there have been a few occasions where a spare car would come in handy, 2x breakdowns and a couple of times when the mrs was at work and i needed to carry 3 passengers.
Really considering selling the mrs car for a tesla model s though, but what might be a problem is we enjoy our 1700kg caravan, and the tesla cant tow at all. Most caravan sites wont allow you to take a van.
Thinking get myself a cheap car that can tow, something with dirt cheap road tax though as it will be driven maybe 20 times a year.
That means we have a spare sitting ready, we can still go caravanning, and it give me time to sell her car and hold off for a decent MS, and going to try a few days a week using a tesla for work instead of the van. It will be handy as my vans engine needs a rebuild sooner rather than later so having a second car will be a godsend for a couple of weeks

So, what can tow 1700kg, is available cheap, dont mind a project or a non runner, and is under 20 quid a month road tax, so I think thats below 150g/km
Dgaf about ulez.
Comfort and load space would be nice.
Is there a table somewhere?
At the moment looking up reg numbers on the check if its taxed page to find the co2 values.

[Deerfoot]

1700kg caravan?

XC70 D5. Not sure about the RFL but it'll do the job in spades. Ask me how I know..

[RGG]

If it's mostly used for caravanning an option if you have off-road parking would be to SORN it through the winter - half the tax and widen your towing vehicle choice?

[OldGermanHeaps]

It will be used once or twice a month at least for tip runs, possibly more if using the mrs tesla works for me going to work and saving diesel, as she would then take my car to work.
Think the v70 d5 is in quite a high tax bracket although spotted the 2.0d which is 23 quid a month
If i was buying a volvo though would i always regret not getting a 5 cylinder ?

[paul_c123]

I don't think there's anything that can do £20 tax and tow 1700kg. The nearest I could find was a Skoda Superb 2.0TDI which could be £265 tax and tows 2000kg. Some Octavias can tow 1800kg but I think most are 1600kg. After Apr 2017, all cars are £195 tax anyway. You'll have to get one over 5 yrs old if it was >£40k when new, to avoid the 'luxury' supplement, payable for the first 5 years.

[Nickp82]

Not sure how cheap you want but my 2015 A6 Allroad 3.0 V6 TDi costs £18.81 a month to tax, it tows a 4.5m trailer and normal size car no issues whatsoever

[OldGermanHeaps]

Looking at £2k max plus a wee bit for repairs.
Have access to ramps, trade priced parts and no repair is too big for for me to diy.
Volvo s80 can tow 1800kg and is 35 quid a year road tax, there is a faulty one near me in budget.

[OldGermanHeaps]

Nickp82 said:

Not sure how cheap you want but my 2015 A6 Allroad 3.0 V6 TDi costs £18.81 a month to tax, it tows a 4.5m trailer and normal size car no issues whatsoever

Loved my old 2007 3.0 allroad, has been my favourite car of all time. That was high tax though, £735 a year the new owner is paying. He occasionally sends me photos of it in interesting places, he drives it between the midlands and eastern europe every month.
Dont like the newer engine, my mrs currently has a 2015 q5 3.0 and the engine and gearbox are such a disappointment , both driveability and reliability wise compared to the previous generation.
Audi a6 2.0tdi avant is 23 quid a month road tax and 1800kg towing capacity so another contender

Edited by OldGermanHeaps on Saturday 7th February 21:37

[OutInTheShed]

'Historic' is one answer?

But really, it costs money to run any car, a decent diesel that's good on fuel will probably not cost much more overall per year than something that's chosen for cheap tax. Petrols can use a lot of fuel towing.
Towing heavy things with small cars can be fraught.
I know several people who tow small boats with hybrids and PHEVs, not sure if that works for caravans?

[paul_c123]

OldGermanHeaps said:

is under 20 quid a month road tax, so I think thats below 150g/km

£20/month or £20/year?

[OldGermanHeaps]

20 a month. Going to set band G as my target upper limit
Realistically looking at 2 litre diesels
Insurance is dirt cheap as i am a boring old in a safe postcode and i dont get caught and i dont crash into things.

[OldGermanHeaps]

Qashqai has a wide range of towing capacities, is there a website where i can pump in a reg and get the exact plated towing capacity.
I miss the 90s, you could tow a twin axle with a 1.3 corolla and no one would complain , except your clutch.

[paul_c123]

Finding a car that fits into the towing capacity and tax criteria will be the easy bit. The hard bit will be finding one under £2000. That kind of car is both "highly practical" and "efficient" too, which are both traits which buyers find attractive, thus push prices up (for working cars).

For example, this Merc C-Class W204 C220 CDI is broken: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202601269...

[Davie]

I've had a V50 2.0D and an XC70 2.4 D5 simultaneously and used both to tow an empty plant trailer. The V50 was pretty horrible... the XC70 had no issues. I'd spend more / scrap the urge to keep the tax under £20 a month and just buy something that can do the task with nearing it's limits.

[RustyNissanPrairie]

Porsche Cayenne 955, mine cost £500, will tow 3.5t , lower tax ie not £700+

Also early 958 diesels are coming down in value (but still more than £2k) and will pull a house down. I have one of them as well.

Both reliable and importantly not Landrover. I have an XC90 as well, it’s good but the Cayennes outgun it in many levels apart from interior space.

Our T@B is lightweight and I don’t know it’s there!

[OldGermanHeaps]

RustyNissanPrairie said:

Porsche Cayenne 955, mine cost £500, will tow 3.5t , lower tax ie not £700+

Also early 958 diesels are coming down in value (but still more than £2k) and will pull a house down. I have one of them as well.

Both reliable and importantly not Landrover. I have an XC90 as well, it s good but the Cayennes outgun it in many levels apart from interior space.

Our T@B is lightweight and I don t know it s there!

Had a cayenne hybrid,zero road tax and towed well. Dont fancy another just yet though. Mrs thinks they are too big. After having a 958.2 dont think I would fancy the prefacelift. 955 is thirsty and high tax for what i am after. Sensible second car. Our last cayenne was tuned to the moon, it just ruins you for normal power levels afterward, everything else feels like its in limp mode with the handbrake stuck on.
Got the bikes for dopamine.

Edited by OldGermanHeaps on Saturday 7th February 23:32

[PushedDover]

We’ve a Tesla Y.
Tow bar, and tow 1,600kg, 2 - 3 times a week.

Put the shed on a diet ?

[OldGermanHeaps]

Really dont fancy a Y, the S is the one for us.

Caravan is plated for 1700kg, even if it was stripped out completely and actually weighed 800kg with the way the rules work you still need a car that is plated to tow the caravans plated mtplm.

[PushedDover]

RustyNissanPrairie said:

Porsche Cayenne 955, mine cost £500, will tow 3.5t , lower tax ie not £700+

Also early 958 diesels are coming down in value (but still more than £2k) and will pull a house down. I have one of them as well.

Both reliable and importantly not Landrover. I have an XC90 as well, it s good but the Cayennes outgun it in many levels apart from interior space.

Our T@B is lightweight and I don t know it s there!

£500 Cayenne - brave pill / kudos / balls

I wish I could play that game.

[DirtyHands]

I run a 2010 Passat estate 2.0tdi for commuting and caravan dragging purposes. Daily average of 55ish mpg on my 50 mile round trip commute, can tow 1800kg and costs £35 a year to tax. Insurance is peanuts too