Advice on tow cars under $15K

[Bare.Foot]

Have a look at the turbo diesel Hyundai Terracan or Kia Sorrento. Should get for that money.

[302 XC]

Originally Posted by HULK_BA

Im asking the question that I dont know the answer for.

Sure the 4X4 has the traction advantage but do they have any torque? I have not driven one but do they barely pull themselves out of a ditch?

Originally Posted by Mayzie

Turbo Diesels yes
petrols no different to a holden 6

A 4x4 in stock guise is really a 2wd, power to 1 rear wheel ,and power to 1 front wheel,the myth that they are a constant power to 4 wheels , is that a myth
Its only when constant power to 4 wheels that they should be referred as a 4 wheel drive
Some go to lockers in rear , power then to 2 rear wheels ,and 1 front, or go to a front and rear locker and then its power to all 4
My patrol has a rear locker , and with all hubs locked we still had major traction problems when the floods hit brissie last year

Turbo diesels have the low down torque which is whats required for low speed towing, rock climbing, off road whatever
But dont ever underestimated the power of a big engined petrol 4x4
2 patrols (for example) 1 turbo diesel,1 petrol, both same wieght at rear , siting at the bottom of a hill,the petrol will get to the top first
Hence why i have a petrol 4x4 , im not starting a new career trying to get loads up hills

Petrol 4x4s no different than a holden 6
Again a myth ,or a tall story
A holden 6 wont,or never will have the towing capacity of a petrol 4x4
And they will never get up a hill as easy ,or as quick with large trailers on the rear
Ive a turbo diesel 4x4 here 10 psi , 4.88 diffs,it gets nailed anytime by the 4.2 petrol,standing start, from 60,from 100,towing loads

[Mayzie]

I had the V6 petrol Pajero and other than the gear ratios it drove no different to a standard 6 cyl sedan, only had 270 odd NM of torque, the holden V6 is about 280 odd NM! in 4X4 it was a great rig and very under rated for what it could do it had LSD and front factory diff locker too the Paj was an animal off road dont get me wrong but normal day to day driving just sucked and with the caravan on the back I had to ring the guts out of her, where as my mates TD would drive just as if it had no load..... Towing capacity yes the pajero could tow 2500kg but I wouldnt have done it with the petrol but definitely the TD even tho it is a 4cyl

[2.8L Hilux]

How about something like this? Or even a V8 variant...

http://www.carsales.com.au/dealer/de...neSize:Min,Max

[BPXR6T]

I picked up a 2002 D22 STR Navara for $12,000 about a year ago. I have since seen DX's for around $10,000. I don't know that the STR has much over the DX aside from carpet and white faced gauges. Mine is a V6 and I would prefer the diesel but the deal was too good to refuse. So far its proven bullet proof. I even used it to haul my tractor out of a bog twice. Fuel economy has been excellent. I think the V6 is listed as 11-12L/100 but I've been doing under 10L/100km easy, which is even better than my falcon. I've done heaps of long trips now up over the Vic high country and its done well. Tows great too. So good that I've given it to my parents for 6 months to tow there caravan around. I towed a full furniture van with it recently and didn't even know it was there. Power was never a problem, stability towing was excellent, and the brakes always felt strong. Ground clearance is pretty good. I haven't touched the suspension and have only managed to beach it once so far. I bought it for the ground clearance. So I could get around in the floods and get down in my paddocks.

Maintenance is cheap too. For a reco gearbox its about $950 c/o. I can get a replacement engine from a number of wreckers for under $1000. The V6 is the same VG30E from the 300ZX etc so parts are easy to come by. If you are interested in the V6 you might want to look at pathfinders also as they are CHEAP and share pretty much the same running gear, interior etc and there are heaps of autos around if that's what you want. You can get a good one on gas for $8000, I've been looking at them for my parents.

[Polyal]

What about those good old Ford Raiders that sold so well? Being half serious too.

[LethalLeigh]

Lot of good suggestions, guys. I thank you all for your input. I'd backed myself into a corner initially on what to get based because the missus harps on about fuel costs quite a bit but I think we have a few leads off of here to investigate.

Cheers!