RE: For those of you who tow w/ mini-vans

Firefyter-Emt · Mar 15, 2003, 09:16 AM

OC CampersI have been looking at these, but I am not sure how the mileage would be..

http://poseur.4x4.org/dominator.jpg

Kelly · Mar 15, 2003, 01:58 PM

wynot

QuoteORIGINAL: wynot

Quite frankly, if I had a family of 6, I would be looking at Suburbans anyhow. The Astro and Safari aren t exactly roomy (we looked hard at them when we were replacing our minivan).

[font=" comic sans ms" ]Quite frankly, speaking as the head of a family of 6 (sorry, goose [

]) I wouldn t drive anything else! We bought ours used when number 4 was coming along and spent about what we would for a new minivan. We considered minivans, Suburbans, Durangos, and Expeditions when we were looking. For what we wanted (lots o room (leg room and cargo space), towing power and 4WD or AWD) ~ nothing could compare.

We can arrange kids and careseats in all sorts of ways ~ including ways so that nobody can Touch each other!! Up until a few months ago we had a double stroller in the back at all times! We ve taken 2 road trips in it and never had stuff piled so high in the back that I couldn t see. (a very big plus in my book)

The biggest downside is, of course, the gas mileage. We average around 13 mpg [: (] Upside is ~ we will probably drive it forever.

(Andrea ~ I would suggest not waiting until the end of your 7th month to be climbing in and out of potential family vehicles! It was a PITA to do it then!! [&:])[/font]

Acts 2:38 girl · Mar 15, 2003, 07:30 PM

OC CampersThanks Kelly, I WILL remember that advice!![

]

goose · Mar 17, 2003, 09:19 PM

Kelly

QuoteORIGINAL: Kelly

Quite frankly, speaking as the head of a family of 6 (sorry, goose [])

[font=" Times New Roman" ]...You want it, you got it. I ll be in the garage. [/font]

[

]

Acts 2:38 girl · Mar 18, 2003, 08:24 AM

OC Campers

Quotequote:

ORIGINAL: Kelly

Quite frankly, speaking as the head of a family of 6 (sorry, goose )

...You want it, you got it. I ll be in the garage.

Ohhh... I get it now! I didn t know you were a husband/wife couple! Makes a lot more sense now! [

] [

]

goose · Mar 20, 2003, 12:12 PM

Acts 2:38 girl

QuoteORIGINAL: Acts 2:38 girl

Ohhh... I get it now! I didn t know you were a husband/wife couple! Makes a lot more sense now!

[font=" Times New Roman" ]Yeah, Andrea.....and just imagine my[/b] surprise when I found out! [/font]

Acts 2:38 girl · Mar 20, 2003, 05:24 PM

OC Campers[

] cute! bet cha she loved that one!

Kelly · Mar 20, 2003, 05:58 PM

Acts 2:38 girl[font=" comic sans ms" ]Well, I did laugh before I smacked him upside the head for hijacking your thread!!
Oh, wait! that was me....sorry goose. [

]
C mon minivan drivers ~ help these guys out!! Us Suburban drivers are just causing trouble. [8D][&:][/font]

Miller Tyme · Mar 20, 2003, 09:14 PM

OC CampersWell, I wish I could help you out, Kelly. We ve got this Caravan, see, but Linda always wants to drive my truck. So I says, " Buy your own!" [

]
I kinda wish I could find a good, used Burb, what with 3 kids to cart around and my work tools, but finances right now say no. We don t use the Caravan much any more to tow the pop-up, because the truck carries so much more firewood, coolers, etc. [8D]

mrflinders · Mar 22, 2003, 08:25 PM

OC CampersI should chime in here as well since I tow with a 2000 Astro.

The Astro almost feels like it was designed for pop-up camping, with lots of space to spare, adequate power and strength for towing (we slow down to 55 on the really steep freeway hills), and overall comfort.

That being said, don t buy one unless you like either (A) working on cars, or (B) visiting your local dealership. Mine has been in the shop countless times (under warranty) since it was new. However, most the failures have been minor (door handles, power windows, hatch release, etc.) We did have one failure while towing where we lost both the Water Pump and The Alternator. To quote Martha Stewart, that was not such " A GOOD THING" ....

All-in-all, even though the Astro has been perfect for our needs, the obvious lack of quality and reliability would make me choose differently if I had a chance to choose the vehicle over again. If I had an opportunity to replace it I would probably move to a mid-size SUV. They offer less space, but there are more models to choose from with tow ratings over 4000 lbs. The choices in the Van department are more limited.

Also, if you do choose an Astro/Safari, you will want to make sure you get a WDH, or at least some air-bags. The stock rear suspension cannot handle more than 200 lbs of tounge weight without some help.

Just my 2 cents......

Acts 2:38 girl · Mar 25, 2003, 07:48 AM

OC CampersDoes anybody have any opinions on the Ford Windstar? I think we might just tow with my DH truck, but how about reliability? If we needed to tow with it, could we?

Miss-Teri · Mar 25, 2003, 09:33 AM

Acts 2:38 girlWe ve towed everywhere with our Windstar - even through the Rockies! Since we were passing semi s going up the mountains, I d say it did pretty well!
I always think a truck would be better, just because I think more is always better in a case of towing, but your van would do just fine as a back-up. One thing to consider is you will need a WDH or something similar to distribute the weight and keep the back of your van from sagging.

BTW, been towing for 2 1/2 years now, and still haven t had any problems with the Windstar as a tow vehicle. Never any sway or anything - it s been great. Only reason I would ever move up would be for more room for the kids and dogs - considering a full size van somewhere in the distant future! [

]

-Teri

wynot · Mar 25, 2003, 10:51 AM

Acts 2:38 girlWe towed with two Windstars, a 95 and a 2000.

It s got enough power, even for the 12ft Colemans, but you ll be on the bleeding edge of load rating, etc.

We towed with a super heavy duty tranny cooler, cut our service intervals in half, ran Airlift 1000 airbags on the rear, and ran the rear tires at 44 psi and the fronts at 40 psi.

Even with a Class III/IV hitch, you ll usually know it is back there. I suspect the load flexes the body a bit, and braking isn t as smooth as it is with the newer TV.

Acceleration in wet weather can be a bit spooky, I could light the front wheels pretty easily if I hit the gas just a little too hard. This is with good tread and otherwise great tires.

You spend a lot of time in 2d in the mountains. The Ford AXOD tranny provides little engine braking unless you downshift going down hills. It is not a pleasant sound climbing an interstate mountain grade at 60 mph in 2d turning over 4,100 rpm - it ll do it, but you can tell it doesn t like it.

In the rolling and level, it tows really pretty well.

The answer to the question is: No, I really wouldn t want to tow with it again. It did fine, but I was never truly relaxed doing it. There s a number of us on here that have towed with Windstars and I don t think any of us still are...

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