[fullerra]

Hey everyone,

I'm trying to get people's opinions on potential tow vehicles for my Z4M.

As you all know track days can be a blast, but getting to and from the track can be a PITA in the wrong vehicle. With no A/C, full aftermarket exhaust w/ straight pipes, aftermarket susp w/ 600 and 785lb spring rates and 6pt harnesses, a 6+hr drive each way (to the track) can be brutal to say the least.

That being said, I am looking for a good reasonable tow vehicle. I live in Boston so nothing too enormous, as parking can be a chore.

The only thing I can think of that fits the bill is a Tacoma. It also needs to be reliable as will likely be replacing my 12yr old GTI as a DD.

Thanks for the input!

[KingOfJericho]

I love our 2014 Grand Cherokee Overland. It can tow 6,800lbs and has every bell and whistle you can imagine.

[MisterSkiMask]

budget? new/used?

anything is going to hurt your current fuel consumption

have you towed many trailers? have you considered storage of said trailer?

[jbraslins]

Trucks aside:

Q7 TDI (6600lbs)
VW Touareg TDI (7716 lbs)

[gonzo]

http://m.trucktrend.com/features/con...overs_can_tow/

The new uni - body Durango would be a looksy for myself.
5kish discount if you look around. That's about 30 before ttl for the SXT version. Strong 6 and a good 8 speed auto.
Nicer stuff out there but for 30 it would be hard not to try one out.

Gl

[fullerra]

As far as budget goes,
~35k new or used (if used then no more than 25kmiles), as am trying to save for an investment property as well.

I thought about the Touareg TDI, but have been spooked about all the electrical gremlins my current VW has had over the past several yrs.

There is a new diesel option to the Cherokee which looks appealing, but would be above budget, and not currently available in MA for whatever reason.

As far as my towing experience goes.... I admit I'm a bit of a noob, having just rented a F150 last yr and towed the Z up to Mosport. It was a 12hr drive each way, and a bit on the stressful side, but def came in handy as I had some on-track Vanos trouble and had to retire early.

[MisterSkiMask]

Diesel suvs would be great for your dd and I towed extensively with my Cayenne S back in the day, it did well. I towed a Ski boat all over the planet and a towed a huge party boat but only for a few "country" non-highway miles. I would not have taken that thing out on the highway behind anything less then a full sized truck.

I assume you are thinking about a flat open car trailer, I would tow one of those behind a mid-sized SUV. The main problem you will have will be tongue weight behind a light SUV. Be very careful how you load and set up your trailer, I see lots of trailers with a ton of shit on the front, which is fine if your tow rig can handle it. Having not enough tow vehicle is stressful, not fun, and not safe.

For towing these days you can't do better then a fullsized crewcab short bed truck IMO. But for dd, not so much for most folks.

Good luck, if you have specific questions, I may be able to help. I have been towing stuff around my whole life.

[TSM330i]

I'm thinking about options for towing my race car to the track as well and I completely refuse to drive a pick-up truck or large SUV daily because I would be bored out of my mind and they're very expensive too!

Look at how many track days you do and how much it would cost you to actually rent a truck and trailer.
In my area, I can rent a truck from Enterprise (Dodge 1500 crew cab 4x4) and a car trailer from UHaul for under $300 for a 3-day weekend. This includes unlimited mileage.

If you figure your budget for a truck is $35K, plus about $3k for a trailer you're looking at $38K and you need to drive the pickup truck on a daily basis and it'll get crappy mileage. If you get a car that is more fun to drive and I'm sure will more than likely get better mileage, you can save in the long run and possibly do more track days.

Just an option you may not have thought of.

[TSM330i]

I'm thinking about options for towing my race car to the track as well and I completely refuse to drive a pick-up truck or large SUV daily because I would be bored out of my mind and they're very expensive too!

Look at how many track days you do and how much it would cost you to actually rent a truck and trailer.
In my area, I can rent a truck from Enterprise (Dodge 1500 crew cab 4x4) and a car trailer from UHaul for under $300 for a 3-day weekend. This includes unlimited mileage.

If you figure your budget for a truck is $35K, plus about $3k for a trailer you're looking at $38K and you need to drive the pickup truck on a daily basis and it'll get crappy mileage. If you get a car that is more fun to drive and I'm sure will more than likely get better mileage, you can save in the long run and possibly do more track days.

Just an option you may not have thought of.

[MisterSkiMask]

Originally Posted by TSM330i

I'm thinking about options for towing my race car to the track as well and I completely refuse to drive a pick-up truck or large SUV daily because I would be bored out of my mind and they're very expensive too!

Look at how many track days you do and how much it would cost you to actually rent a truck and trailer.
In my area, I can rent a truck from Enterprise (Dodge 1500 crew cab 4x4) and a car trailer from UHaul for under $300 for a 3-day weekend. This includes unlimited mileage.

If you figure your budget for a truck is $35K, plus about $3k for a trailer you're looking at $38K and you need to drive the pickup truck on a daily basis and it'll get crappy mileage. If you get a car that is more fun to drive and I'm sure will more than likely get better mileage, you can save in the long run and possibly do more track days.

Just an option you may not have thought of.

Pretty solid advice.

If you want to you can always add a trailer to your stable and still pull it with a rental truck. As long as the truck has an electric brake controller.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by MisterSkiMask

Pretty solid advice.

If you want to you can always add a trailer to your stable and still pull it with a rental truck. As long as the truck has an electric brake controller.

+1. The trailer is the critical piece to minimize hassle / pain in the ass. You can keep your car, tires, parts, tools, etc. everything you need and just rent the truck on an as-needed basis. Packing and unpacking all that crap every time will make your weekends much less enjoyable.

[fullerra]

Damn you guys for bringing up sensible options!

Just kidding, even though I had rented the truck before, I really hadn't considered it again, although realistically it may make slightly more sense.

As far as keeping the GTI, the payments have long since ended, and it would be nice having some more coin in my pocket every month once the bmw payments are complete in a month or so. The GTI is getting up there in age (12yrs, 152K mi), so my thought was naturally to get a replacement that could to double or triple duty (towing to/from track, long drives w/ the GF, bikes and hiking gear in the summer, and skis in the winter etc...) which would make the SUV more ideal.
Arguments for the compact pick-up include not worrying about gas cans, tires, dirty tools messing up the interior, and slightly decreased cost.

I wish I could just buy the trailer and keep it somewhere. I have to park the Z4M about a mile and a half in an underground garage, and unfortunately have no where to park the trailer. In the short run I am stuck renting u-haul as needed.

As a slight side note, I actually did test drive a Cherokee today, and it appears that we now do have the Diesel as an option here in Mass, although probably at 10k above my stated budget.

[MisterSkiMask]

Originally Posted by fullerra

Damn you guys for bringing up sensible options!

Just kidding, even though I had rented the truck before, I really hadn't considered it again, although realistically it may make slightly more sense.

As far as keeping the GTI, the payments have long since ended, and it would be nice having some more coin in my pocket every month once the bmw payments are complete in a month or so. The GTI is getting up there in age (12yrs, 152K mi), so my thought was naturally to get a replacement that could to double or triple duty (towing to/from track, long drives w/ the GF, bikes and hiking gear in the summer, and skis in the winter etc...) which would make the SUV more ideal.
Arguments for the compact pick-up include not worrying about gas cans, tires, dirty tools messing up the interior, and slightly decreased cost.

I wish I could just buy the trailer and keep it somewhere. I have to park the Z4M about a mile and a half in an underground garage, and unfortunately have no where to park the trailer. In the short run I am stuck renting u-haul as needed.

As a slight side note, I actually did test drive a Cherokee today, and it appears that we now do have the Diesel as an option here in Mass, although probably at 10k above my stated budget.

I was going to recommend the Diesel Jeep, except it is a budget buster.

[TSM330i]

Renting the truck and trailer would most likely make the most sense given your situation being in the city. You'll have to pay to store the trailer.

You'd be able to get a used mid-sized SUV and not have to worry about towing capacity and would more than likely hit your budget.

I too have an older VW that I'm still driving. It's a 2000 Golf GL with 224K on it.

[BEM-S4]

This might not work for you and you'd have to leave your beloved toy in someone else's hands (at least for race season) but do you have any regular track day buddies you would trust? Reason I ask is I have a friend who's a regular on the Spec Miata circuit, he lives in NYC but has a warehouse outside the city. He always races with the same folks every weekend all season long, and has off and on thrown a second car in his trailer for a friend. Not ideal but if you have someone you trust who you see every weekend anyway you could skip the hassle entirely and just show up at the track.

[fullerra]

Hello,

Its several months later since my last post on the subject, and I only thought it right to follow up on my ultimate decision.

I decided to go with the 2015 GMC Canyon. This was for several reasons. First and foremost it fit closest to my budget after my trade in (2012 VW GTI w/ 155k mi) and dealer incentives. Two, the tow capacity was a solid 7000lbs. Three, GM did a bang-up job in putting this "small" truck in front of the competitors it is almost laughable.

I ended up test driving (in addition to the GMC) Tacoma, Frontier, and Grand Cherokee. The Grand Cherokee has the nicest interior, but the GMC is actually not far behind, and has one of the nicest, most modern interiors I have seen/ridden in. So nice, in-fact that the girlfriend does not mind any any extended trips!

The rear seat is quite comfortable, I could even sit in the rear seat if I were also in the front (no small feat as I am 6'2")!. The ride is comfortable and very quiet, with the short bed, not at all much different that driving a SUV.

While the short bed version I opted for, it probably a bit too short for lumber, and other cumbersome things from Home Depot, it is plenty large for another set of wheels/tires, gas cans, jacks and other assorted tools for trackside duty.

In terms of mileage, I've gotten 20mpg combined, which is not terrible considering I've been driving at similar to car hwy speeds.

Overall I am exceedingly happy with the new purchase, and would recommend this to anyone in a similar situation, or anyone in general thinking abt the Taco or Frontier.

[quagmire]

Nice the new GM Mid Sizers are very well done. My only wish is it had the new Gen V based 4.3 liter V6 instead of the 3.6 V6, but other than that it is a solid truck.