What tow vehicle would you buy for 13K or less?

[campingeyedoc]

I sold the Astro, we bought a leather Rendezvous ( not a TV) and come spring I'll need a new Tow vehicle ( the Cavalier goes to my 16 yr old, the Rendevous has the big payment, and I'm left with a 9-12 or 13K budget.) I want an SUV, preferably 3rd row of seats. I'm thinking trailblazer ext (too big?), or explorer, or Durango; maybe Tahoe or Expedition, but hard to get one in that price range without 100000 miles or more on it. I also prefer reasonable gas mileage. Any thoughts or experiences? And what about the reliability of a good vehicle with 80K+ on it?

[AustinBoston]

One thing a lot of people don't consider is renting.  But it might be cheaper to rent a tow vehicle if you don't go out camping too often.   If you make 2-3 week-long trips a year it might make sense to get a small, economy car and rent a tow vehicle for trips.  If you're out every weekend, it probably doesn't.

[edwardr132]

One thing a lot of people don't consider is renting.  But it might be cheaper to rent a tow vehicle if you don't go out camping too often.   If you make 2-3 week-long trips a year it might make sense to get a small, economy car and rent a tow vehicle for trips.  If you're out every weekend, it probably doesn't.

I looked into that before, but there is no place to rent a TV in the Chicagoland area.  All the car-rental places rent cars with no hitches to prevent towing and explicitly restrict to no towing.  Therefore, the 4 way plug wiring is not to be found even if you do find one with the 2" receiver.

I was thinking about doing that by testing out the mountains with my popup and an SUV first before deciding whether or not towing with the Honda Odyssey in the mountains would be ok or not.

[edwardr132]

To answer the original person's question about what TV for around 13.5K with lower miles, decent tow capacity and not too bad of a gas guzzler?

I think you should look at full size passenger conversion vans.  Check out CarMax.  You will see quite a few that fit the bill, both in tow capacity and mileage.  If you get leather seats, you would really be living the life of luxury with an incredible amount of storage and much better than Suburban gas mileage.  Who can say that they have too much storage space while camping?
It could also be the ideal vehicle when looking at upgrading Campers in the future.

[Old Goat]

Today auto dealers are loaded up to their eyeballs with pre owned [used] vehicles especially SUVs and pickups. You should have no problem finding the vehicle you want at the price you want to pay...
I have always prefered an extended cab pickup with a six foot bed because it can be used for other work chores besides towing .
We sometimes buy antique furniture and hardwood lumber in our camping travels and it is easy to haul with the pickup while towing the popup. Most vehicles today will have no problems with the 100.000 mile mark other than normal wear and tear if they are properly maintained.

[DoubleD]

I have always had real good luck in the private seller market.  Find an original owner who is obsessive about maintaining his vehicle.  You will spot him a mile away.  He is the one who will prouldy produce a 1" thick file of every receipt from the day he bought the vehicle, bonus points if he is the type that has most work done at the dealer.  Thank God for that man, because he has just absorbed most of the depreciation and at 60,000-80,000 miles, has just broken the vehicle in.  He changes his oil religiously, washes it weekly whether it needs it or not, generally stores it in the garage, and changes vehicles every 4-6 years.
A dealer will either sell this type of car to an employee or tack on an extra 25% because of its condition.  Most newspapers now have on line car ads, and it may take some patience, but they definitely are out there.  Suddenly, you are shopping owners, and not so much makes or models.

[beacher]

When I decided to get a new PU in 2004, I purchased a used 1999 4x4 5.9L V8 SLT Dodge Durango as my TV for $8000, with 40,000 original miles on it.

Thanks to incredible depreciation, you can get a wonderful tow vehicle relatively inexpensively.  If properly configured, it can tow 7000 pounds with ease.

The Dodge Durango does comes with some quirks.  Low gas mileage, approximately 18mpg hwy - (downhill with a strong backwind)/15mpg street/12-10 mpg towing.  You need to replace the top ball joints, originals - without zerk fittings) in the front suspension, ($200 parts and labor with new Moog brand balljoints with zerk fittings), due to a pesky factory recall where the wheels can come off the truck.  The power windows may get stuck with the original window regulators, the improved factory replacement regulators corrected this.  The truck-based suspension and chassis is stiff and bouncy, easily fixed with Edelbrock Performer IAS shocks, ($400 parts and labor).  Besides that, the vehicle really appreciates regularly scheduled oil and transmission fluid changes.

Other than the mentioned replacement parts and regular maintenance, it's been completly trouble free and a nice TV.  I have put over 40,000 miles on it without a hickup.

[wynot]

I sold the Astro, we bought a leather Rendezvous ( not a TV) and come spring I'll need a new Tow vehicle ( the Cavalier goes to my 16 yr old, the Rendevous has the big payment, and I'm left with a 9-12 or 13K budget.) I want an SUV, preferably 3rd row of seats. I'm thinking trailblazer ext (too big?), or explorer, or Durango; maybe Tahoe or Expedition, but hard to get one in that price range without 100000 miles or more on it. I also prefer reasonable gas mileage. Any thoughts or experiences? And what about the reliability of a good vehicle with 80K+ on it?

I don't think you would find a Trailblazer XL at that price mark. But you will find a Tahoe/Yukon. A TB XL is longer than a Tahoe, but narrower, and gets about the same gas mileage. GET the Tahoe, it's quieter and roomier. I've never heard of anyone getting great gas mileage out of a Durango or Expedition (I'm sure that someone does, but I don't know them, and I know a fair number of people who drive them). The older (pre 2000) Tahoes weren't particularily good with gas mileage, the post 2000 do pretty well (we have a 2000, 5.3 V.. My co-worker's 2004 Expedition with a 5.4 gets between 10-12 mpg, 8 towing. He also had a Durango which gets about the same. He's trading in on the new Tahoe. I can't comment on the Explorer/Mercury twin, the only one I know towing with one is TLHDOC, and I've never asked her about it.
 
Regarding the 3rd row, if you absolutely need them for people and have cargo, get a Suburban or Excursion. If you have the seats set up (on a Tahoe), you might get two golf bags on top of each other behind them. But if you use them occasionally, they're OK.
 
When we bought the Tahoe, we looked long and hard at the TrailBlazer (not the extended one). Thank goodness, I left the dealership without buying. About 5 miles from the dealer, I realized we couldn't fit 3 of us, two dogs (one crate), and our cargo in it for camping, without packing to the roof.
 
Failure/Weak points. Tahoes have a rep for early failure on the fuel pumps, and some known failure on the AutoTrac controls (the auto 4WD controller). Earlier Tahoes (pre 2000) have a non-failing but annoying slip yoke slap on the drivetrain, and my model has a known intermediate shaft (steering column) annoyance (non-failure) when the grease dries out over the years. I've had neither, but I am aware of it from others. My friend has had constant electrical problems on the Expedition - but I don't know if that is him or the vehicle (he likes to have aftermarket electrical stuff put in it.)
 
Can't comment on the Dodge products - other than the previous model Durangos weren't full size compared to the Tahoe/Expedition models.

[ForestCreature]

Being partial to vans, I agree with the full sized van, but not a conversion van. We had a conversion before getting the Club Wagon, big difference in packing ability and cargo space between the 2. you can remove the 3rd row or 2nd row seating if you choose.
The gas mileage is probably better than you got with the Astro. We have the 5.8 litre and get a pretty consistant 18 MPG towing or not.

[Done Working]

Do you plan to off road with your TV?   The reason why I ask is if you don

[wynot]

I believe ( I may be wrong) that 4 wheel drive vehicles have less towing capacity then their rear wheel drive counterparts.

Usually the towing capacity is reduced by the added weight of the front drivetrain and transfer case.  I think it changes our Tahoe's capacity by about 300-400 lbs.
 
That said, 4WD has been very useful in more than a few campgrounds where there has been mud, wet leaves, and softly packed gravel on uphill campsites.

[Monterey]

When I decided to get a new PU in 2004, I purchased a used 1999 4x4 5.9L V8 SLT Dodge Durango as my TV for $8000, with 40,000 original miles on it.

When we started looking at PUPs we also needed a new TV.  My choice was a 2000 4x4 5.9L V8 SLT Plus Dodge Durango.

• Ball Joints - Replaced under the recall Cost $0.00
• Window Regulator Replaced myself Cost $85.00 in parts, 1 hour of my time

I drive 110 miles round trip for my work commute and the truck has not given me any problems.  I'd recommed an older, higher mileage Durango as a TV.  Plus it can tow up to 5600 lbs with the 3.55 gears giving you a TV for your 4th trailer.  

[ilovecamping]

We purchased a 2000 Suburban last spring for about $14,000.  It had decent milage and was in great condition.  We looked a long time before finding one in that condition and for the price we wanted to pay.  If you start looking now you should find one by spring.  Good luck with your search.  We are south of you by about 5 hrs, but if you decide what you want we will keep our eyes open around here for you.  That is if you don't mind driving this far.  You can email me if you're interested.