Basic info on a tow vehicle? For a pop up

[Gillian]

Hello all you camping experts!

We just got back from a tent camping trip in PA. We had a great time, but we have really bad pop up envy So we know a pop up is in our future for sure, but we'll need a new car too. I'm shopping for both at the same time, which is fun, but very confusing.

I'm trying to figure out what our next car will be (2003?), but I'm not sure we can get everything I'm looking for & still keep it under 30k (or 25??). What I'd like is:
-seating for more than 5
-ability to tow a medium sized pop up
-25-30 thousand (we don't need anything fancy)
-and of course, reliability & decent gas mileage (when not towing) would be helpful!

Any suggestions on where to look to find out about tow vehicles? Pop up times is not really for beginners like me!

I'm not sure how to find info on towing capabilities. Do you have to go around to all the dealers or is it on the internet somewhere? Are salespeople usually knowledgable? How do I know if I can trust their info? Too many time I find car salespeople don't know the most basic stuff about their cars, so why would they understand towing??!!

TIA for your help

 

[Disney Campers]

I would suggest that you find a pop up that fits your liking, get the weight information on the trailer, then begin your search for a tow vehicle, you should keep a good safety margin on what the trailers weighs and the towing capacity of the vehicle, you will be surprised at how much weight you add to the trailer and tow vehicle - it adds up quick, i suggest a rear wheel drive vehicle, a light duty truck crew cab, or a mini van such as the Astro, another forum you may want to visit is www.irv2.com good luck on your purchase

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

I agree on the Astro, If you are a General motors customer I think it has the best overall value. Make sure you get the towing package and a limited slip rearend.
All sales people are not created equal. My experience has been that about 1/3 actually have any in depth knowledge of the vehicle. ( I have bought 13 new GM vehicles) I suggest asking your friends and family for names of people that they have dealt with and had positive experiences.
General motors has towing capacity listed in all of their brochures with breakdowns for different engine,transmission and rear gear ratios.
We towed a pop up with our Astro and it handled it quite well. I did install an aftermarket rear anti sway bar that seemed to help, The Astro tends to be a little mushy in cornering, I tweaked it a little and got really good results.

Good Luck

 

[tiggereyore]

Like others have said DON'T trust the sales people. The idea of finding a popup you like first is right on the money.(although I had a big enough vehicle i did it the other way. We after 1 yr with my Sequoia and a 24' are looking again for tow and trailer) Look long and hard at what you get in a popup and what you get in a trailer. I wanted a popup with shower till I tried standing in the shower LOL(!!!) then tried sitting one of the boys (2&4) in it. Needless to say that changed my mind in a hurry. We ended up buying an older camper spending $150 in fabric and recovering (i hate brown). Figured after two years we'd up grade. Pop ups are great less to store and maintain but...... We found lots of down sides (setting up in the rain was the biggest). As far as the tow vehicle goes we were told by many people and dealers to get a vehicle that will haul at least 500lbs over your loaded weight. Our camper is 4800 empty I don't haul with water other than about 10 gal for bathroom breaks, My Sequoia is a 6200 lb rate. (you won't stay under budget with this vehicle but I can't say enough about it. We consistantly haul through the white mountians in new hampshire and there is more than enough power and i tend to over pack) Do your research and take your time.

 

[Gillian]

The next car we buy will be our primary vehicle. We'd also like it to tow, but (I think) the most important thing is going to be people & stuff carrying for everyday. I don't think a rear wheel drive truck will really work for this. I guess we're going to have to make compromises for towing, but that's better than compromising on day to day driving. It's so complicated to try to find something that will work for both!

I know they're expensive, but how are some of the SUVs with
seating for 7? Can I make my mother sit in the way back?

The Astro is what I keep hearing for vans, but how is the reliability? I think I've been spoiled by Honda!

 

[tiggereyore]

Gillian
As I said in my post the Sequoia is great. They are expensive but its toyota quality. I'm on my 3rd now before you say 3 and quality let me explain. My 1st 4runner I bought was a '91 I bought in '96 with 88,000 miles 2yrs later my DH rolled it (ins fixed my dad still has it 125,000 going strong. 2nd was a '98 New 4 runner after 2 boys and always having mom or mom in law with us I got sick of being squished in the back between 2 car seats. Thus in the hunt for something bigger and better. I would have gone with the expedition by Ford except at the time the third seat was a poor design (they are much better now) This lead me to the sequoia. We Did tent camp with it for a month After rain and beach sand thats when I decided the tent had seen it's last days with us. As for your mom in the third seat well My mom and I are small 5'2" and 150 and 180 lbs we can fit on the 3rd seat with a car seat but the leg room isn't a lot. I'd take the vehicle for a ride and put everyone you can in the back to test the ride.If I could have waited to today I think my 1st choice would be the ford The new design looks great. The gas milage should be about 250-300 miles to a tank. (26 gal i think) Good luck. Feel free to email me or pm me if i can help.

 

[choppercam]

We were in the same boat that you will soon be in. The Pontiac Montana 1SE was our ultimate choice and we are glad it was.
The vehicle has a towing package and is rated to pull 3,500lbs.
The Astro has also been favorable with many campers. We had bad luck with our previous Caravan, they simply aren't designed to pull. Your request is a popular theme at www.popuptimes.com
Give that site a try

 

[Gillian]

I saw a Sequia today. What a beautiful car! I know my son the truck freak would love it. his favorite words are "big truck"

The Montana is a van, right? I'm dragging DH to the car dealers this weekend!

 

[choppercam]

Yes, the Montana is a van. If it will save you some time or a stop at a dealership, here is what the 1SE model comes with.
seating for 8 (comfortable)
am/fm/cd stereo
MontanaVision, a dvd player with overhead screen and separate headphones
rear air and heat
OnStar, for lack of a better term, a GPS type thing with emergency services, cell phone, directions aid, etc.
load leveling
air compressor
a backing-up warning system, beeps as you near objects.
The list goes on and on.
We did our homework this time around. A SUV was not reasonable for our family of 5, especially when you consider loading luggage etc for a trip.
We had a Caravan the trans was not up to pulling our Westlake. Maybe it would have done well with staying on flat land, but it failed on hilly land.
The Ford Windstar has a model rated at 3500lbs. And as I said before, the Astro gets decent reviews.
Good luck and let me know if I can be of any help.
Oh yes, shop by the internet. You can research and compare all models that you think you'd like. You get no pushy salesmen and often the website price was lower than the dealership floor price was.

 

[Gillian]

Thanks for the info! I'll see what I can find on the internet. I have to admit, I haven't been in a GM dealership, ever! I like to shop for cars, but I haven't looked at anything American, until now.

What engine did your Chrysler have?

 

[choppercam]

I had the 3.3 motor in our Dodge. I don't mean to sound so negative about the Dodge, they make a fine around town soccer mom type vehicle. But our experience, and that of a cousin, was it wasn't up to towing the wieght of our camper (2100lbs). Our travels took us from Florida to New England via various routes.
Looking over some of the replies you have received has impressed me, the folks are talking from experience. I agree when it's mentioned to know the wieght of your camper and shop from that point forward.
Did you take a look at www.popuptimes.com? The message board there will haelp you a lot.

 

[Lisa P.]

We have a '96 GMC Safari van (similar to the Astro). With it, we tow a Coleman Chesapeake (mid-sized, 10+ foot box, sleeps 6-7) pop-up. You hardly know it's back there, since we can tow up to 5,000 lbs. and the pop-up is only about 2,000 fully loaded. It's a rear wheel drive and very stable.

When not towing, this van seats 8 and gets about 18 miles per gal. It's larger than a minivan and normally has regular bench seats in the 2nd & 3rd rows, seating 3 in each. Ours has the optional benches that offer dual reclining seats with a center seat that can be folded down for a snack table. Our family of 5 usually brings a friend along and everyone gets a reclining seat, a cupholder, a small overhead maplight for reading and some kind of storage area for their walkman tape player. When we drive at night, it's VERY comfortable. We're pleased with this vehicle, which we bought in '99 having under 40K mileage. No major maint or repairs so far, at 88K.