just been looking at the fact the old falcon might not be the best tow vehicle about for a few reasons ( mainly age , getting close to 10 yrs old )
have been looking at a few second hand ford rangers autos / diesel mainly hi riders ( not 4 wd ) but am wondering how good they are believe the 4 wd version can tow 3000kg but the 2 wd can tow 2500 kg just cant really see myself ever using the 4 wd so dont see the sense too pay for something i wouldnt use anyone with one what should i look out for ( as the ones i am looking at are all high mileage ) all i can afford
have also looked at a couple of 6 cylinder toyota utes (petrol ) as well ( 2 wd ) but they are manual and after 20 yrs of auto driving think the switch back might be hard
all about 4yrs old
like auto towing as if need fast change down you just move the lever or push the accelerator
also what sort of real fuel consumption would i be looking at ? ( never believe what the supposed fuel usage is from the car company's )
My thoughts exactly! And of course 4WDs cost more to service. All the manufacturers claims for fuel consumption are quite correct - in their labs. We of course don't drive our cars in labs we drive them on the road. That said, I've never found the manufacturers figures to be too far out, a couple I've found actually erred on the heavy side. I bought a brand new courier diesel in 2006, fuel consumption was quoted as 10.1 litres per 100, as it happened we always got 10.1 litres per hundred - suburban or highway. Towing a 16' Coromal didn't affect the consumption figure much at all, from memory I think it went up to around 12 litres per 100.
I've towed caravans of varying size for a lot of yrs. Only once (for one trip Darwin and back to Adel)Used a car.
Falcon....with gas. Changed transm oil 3 times on lap.
A 4wd incorporates. extra traction. better grip on road. far more stability with van on. Similar economy as a car of same engine size with same load on back Often better. Higher off ground. (better all round vision) The list goes on.
Servicing. you get used to it. do most yourself. insurance. My Patrol GQ was cheaper than my Fairlane They can "normally" tow larger loads much more safely.
In the 50 odd yrs I've towed with my 4wd's I've used IN 4WD probably a doz times when I went somewhere I shouldn't. And the 4WD got me out. Car.... I'd still be there. Dirt roads. we have a lot of them if you want to see Australia. No comparison for everything.
second hand utes. Selected with caution. will do best job under 2.5 ton max. Over that. I won't
A good Earlier Patrol will tow 98% of what you'd buy.
Toyota's I wouldn't touch. too expensive for what they are. and they Do cost in maint./replacement parts.
My 2010 D.Max dual cab Hi riser. with 67000 on clock. Indroopily Council. 3 months out of warranty (Paid $23k) Veh truly "AS NEW".. Only thing worn on it was a set of tyres, I fitted new set first week.
Gives me 8.2 to 8.7km per ltr driving around. and around 6.5/7 kmpl with 18ft Coromal full van at road speeds.
OH. The only Major thing you neeed to know. NOT being a 4wdriver.
DON'T EVER FIT TYRES APART FROM A FULL SET AT A TIME.........NEVER fit a pr, then a pr later. You'll wind out your diff's in no time. read up on it.
They normally take 8 to 9 ltrs per oil change (every 10k fine unless you go bush bashing) Buy in 10 or 20 ltr drums. MUCH cheaper.
AND DON'T buy any vehicle without FULL log books. They are around and worth the extra dollars Every car I ever owned was sold with full. every $$ spent on it from day I bought it, records. Apart from that. Personally I'll never own a car again. LateGQ or early (with engine change GU's willg o for around 7 to 9 grand.
Disco's Ser 3 3 ltr or 5 cyl can be picked up around 6 to 9 grand.
Dual cabs normally a bit dearer. Mine was a good buy.
Have fun..
-- Edited by macka17 on Tuesday 21st of June 2016 12:34:03 PM
David, before I trot out any biased comment/advice on what vehicle I would buy or recommend, I would ask the following questions -
How will you use the vehicle predominantly?
What size/weight caravan do you expect to be towing?
Is this van being towed by the Falcon at the moment?
What sort of condition is the Falcon in?
What is your budget?
I tow with a vehicle that is now 10 years old and I doubt I would change it. It has been an excellent vehicle, reliable and economical so I would rather the devil I know than trade to a devil I don't know.
Just because a vehicle has 'a few K's" on it, doesn't mean it is finished - a bit like us as we get a few years on us.
If the Falcon is still OK, it will, quite probably, be a lot cheaper to keep that on the road than trade to something that just may cost more - change-over price, fixing unknown problems, setting it up to how you like it etc etc etc.
I would never tell someone a particular model/make of vehicle to buy - they are all much of a muchness. They are all good but one example may not be so good - all are reliable but one example may not be so reliable. Every make/model is a good vehicle - but there is always one or more of any particular make/model that is a problem vehicle - the "Friday model".
Your purchase will be driven by YOUR choice - dependent on budget, how you want to use it, and how it "feels" when you drive it. We usually all begin by using our head to determine the vehicle we will buy ... but the ultimate decision becomes an 'emotional' one.
People will (usually) only recommend the vehicle they bought because it is the one they have. That is either because they know, and trust, it ... they won't ever admit they bought one that didn't suit them etc etc etc.
Cheers - John
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2006 Discovery 3 TDV6 SE Auto - 2008 23ft Golden Eagle Hunter Some people feel the rain - the others just get wet - Bob Dylan
