Tow Vehicle size and power.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Kountrykamper

LOL

This thread is like asking which tires are best.

I love my Tundra!

I want one !Pat

[gbaglo]

Just to shift gears here, interesting story on CBC TV news tonight.
Used and even new car dealers in Canada are shipping vehicles to the U.S. for sale, for a better price than they can get in Canada.
So, potentially, you could buy a new Escape and a new vehicle to tow it with. Fly up to Vancouver, pick up your new car and tow the rig home.
Flies in the ointment include manufacturers threatening Canadian dealers that they will revoke their franchise if they sell new cars to U.S. customers. They used to make the same threat to U.S. dealers selling to Canadians when the dollar was at par.
And, of course you have to order your Escape and hope the dollar stays where it is when you buy the vehicle.
If I see the piece posted on CBC website, I'll post it.

[Jim Bennett]

The guy I sold my Pilot to was from Spokane, Washington, and was buying 12 used vehicles to take back to sell. I was a bit hesitant meeting him at his bank here in Calgary, and he really did not even want to take the time to test drive it, but I got a bank draft drawn right there for near what I had asked. Easy Peasy.

When I bought the Pilot in 2008, it was the opposite. I did look into buying from the US, and even had negotiated with a guy who dealt them to Canada, and would deliver to the border, or right to my house. In the end I would have saved about $4, but hear a lot of stories of how servicing would be an issue, and just bough locally. Plus, my speedometer would have been in American instead of Metric.

Back in 2002, I sold a used Ford F-250 diesel to a broker who was then importing trucks into the NW USA, as there was a shortage, and I guess he was making money at it.

[hughharden]

Me too. GM- loser. Jeep - loser. (personal experience) Drove a Toyota 120K in the desert in middle east no problems at all. have 220K on my FJ Cruiser, will drive until it dies, maybe 400K. Towed the 17B like it wasn't there, I'm expecting it will handle the 19 pretty well.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by hughharden

Me too. GM- loser. Jeep - loser. (personal experience) Drove a Toyota 120K in the desert in middle east no problems at all. have 220K on my FJ Cruiser, will drive until it dies, maybe 400K. Towed the 17B like it wasn't there, I'm expecting it will handle the 19 pretty well.

Bought my Toyota new in 1994 , had for 12 years , just brakes , oil changes , batteries , belts , two sets of new valve cover gaskets after valve adjustments sold it with 187,000 mi . Pat

[steve dunham]

I will never buy or own any vehicle whose name starts with T and ends with A but to each their own.

[thoer]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

I will never buy or own any vehicle whose name starts with T and ends with A but to each their own.

Yah I'm skeptical of those Tata's ability to tow.

[Jubal]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

I will never buy or own any vehicle whose name starts with T and ends with A but to each their own.

How about a vehicle whose name starts with an F and ends in a T ?

[Bobbito]

Originally Posted by thoer

Yah I'm skeptical of those Tata's ability to tow.

Regarding ability to tow...we were camping/fishing in a ranch country region near Anaheim Lake, B.C. in 2004 when I noticed a great number of Tundra trucks in the area, mostly driven by locals. I asked one very articulate rancher collecting his mail in town how he liked his Tundra and he swore he would never buy another North American truck if he could help it. He declared that “80% of us ranchers drive them and use them to pull live loads. They go 500,000 km without a major service.” I heard this last line from a Jeep enthusiast friend as well, who had multiple models on his farm and was always tinkering with them. He and his brother both switched to Tundras for use on the farm, around town and for hunting You pay a premium for this reliability, but they hold their value. Based on my experiences and those of others I know, the brand in general is exceptionally reliable. I’ve seen several Corolla’s go 400,000 miles (before we went to metric) with only minor service. And I owned a couple T…A’s that probably would have gone the distance if not involved in accidents and written off. Phil Edmonston’s vehicle buying guide has indicated this as well. I can tell you a lot of sad stories about North American trucks from friends and family (including my own F150), but not one about a Toyota car or truck. I know they exist for all vehicles, but in my circle of friends and family not any with the Toyotas. When we switched from our 1996 F150 to the smaller Tundra we found that not only was it more powerful, but the brakes and suspension were far better. Our small V8 easily pulls our Escape 21, though it needs the revs for maximum HP up the steeper hills. I might get the larger V8 if I replaced it now. Our standard CGVWR on our fishing trips is nearly 12,000 lbs. Go T..A!

[thoer]

Professional mechanic friend with his own business once told me in his decades of working on vehicles (he most likes to work on Hondas and Toyotas, but works on anything except VWs) he said he has never seen a single engine failure in a Toyota that was not owner caused - (i.e. never doing ANY maintenance). He buys old Camrys for his wife and kids and drives a Tundra.

[Rossue]

Originally Posted by hughharden

Me too. GM- loser. Jeep - loser. (personal experience) Drove a Toyota 120K in the desert in middle east no problems at all. have 220K on my FJ Cruiser, will drive until it dies, maybe 400K. Towed the 17B like it wasn't there, I'm expecting it will handle the 19 pretty well.

Well Trash My Ride Don't need a P/U, and the Sequoia is overkill for a 21, IMO. Test drove one having had a Gen 1 and didn't care for it. My buddy tows a 26' Evolution with his.

I agree with Catchlight that a lease return is probably a safe bet when looking at used as there are pretty good penalties for high miles and abuse. Previous daily rentals are a different story. We were fortunate to find a two year old Yukon with good options & 19K miles that was a trade in from a local original owner who bought it from same dealership. We have 46K on it now 16 months later with no problems. For us it is the perfect tow vehicle- lot of room in the back, very quiet/comfortable- heated seats/ steering wheel...."it eats UP the road". GM has built some crap in the past- no doubt, and the Japanese forced US automakers to build better cars- which they are doing.


Now would probably be a good time to buy VW stock given people's short memory over the gas pedal sticking issue seems to have been completely forgotten. My '13 Highlander I traded for the Yukon didn't have floor mats so I didn't have to worry It does have electric steering though and was constantly worried about getting hacked into a semi


Have a friend with a 5 year old Toyota Sienna who just shelled out $1,000 for a new rack & pinion. My son's 2004 Highlander's steering felt a little "clickish" too at low speed. Our '01 Avalon still rides great- see no reason to trade it anytime soon.

Bottom line- you can go to a website like this one: CarComplaints.com | Car Problems, Car Complaints, & Repair/Recall Information and look up trash on any make & model. Interestingly the '13 Yukon had zero complaints.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by thoer

Professional mechanic friend with his own business once told me in his decades of working on vehicles (he most likes to work on Hondas and Toyotas, but works on anything except VWs) he said he has never seen a single engine failure in a Toyota that was not owner caused - (i.e. never doing ANY maintenance). He buys old Camrys for his wife and kids and drives a Tundra.

My son in law's well maintained Toyota had the engine sieze up at 45,000 miles.
What does that prove ? , absolutely nothing !. All vehicle brands suffer failures.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

I will never buy or own any vehicle whose name starts with T and ends with A but to each their own.

Actually forgot I also had to buy a couple sets of tires too on the Toyota .I would love a new Ford ,Chevy even like the looks of Ram . I just keep watching reports on the vehicles . I want reliability. If I am going to spend that kind of money , I shouldn't have to make repairs for a long time , just maintence. .Last trip going up North was amazed on how many still good looking Fords on the road in my range 1989-1996 . Must have been good years . So for now still keeping mine . Pat

[thoer]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

.... All vehicle brands suffer failures.

Yep, its all just playing the odds... then you either beat them or they beat you.

[AK snowbiker]

Originally Posted by thoer

Yep, its all just playing the odds... then you either beat them or they beat you.

My only lemon was a 1969 MG MGC, it had electrical demons. Scott

Scott and Lori

[thoer]

Originally Posted by AKsnowbiker

My only lemon was a 1969 MG MGC, it had electrical demons. Scott

Scott and Lori

Lucas Electronics Jokes

A few examples: The Lucas motto: "Get home before dark."

Lucas--inventor of the first intermittent wiper.

Lucas--inventor of the self-dimming headlamp.

[dfandrews]

Originally Posted by AKsnowbiker

My only lemon was a 1969 MG MGC, it had electrical demons. Scott

Scott and Lori

Scott,
The other name for 'demons" is "Lucas Electrical System".

My first car was an Austin. I rewired/replaced virtually all things electrical before I finally got rid of it, and bought an old VW, with a nice, functional Bosch electrical system.

[AK snowbiker]

Originally Posted by dfandrews

Scott,
The other name for 'demons" is "Lucas Electrical System".

My first car was an Austin. I rewired/replaced virtually all things electrical before I finally got rid of it, and bought an old VW, with a nice, functional Bosch electrical system.

Would just go back into the bar for another beer and a game of darts and the car would usually start. Scott

Scott & Lori

[hughharden]

"prince of darkness"

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by thoer

Lucas--inventor of the self-dimming headlamp.

True, once when I turned a corner they did dim, when the headlight switch shorted out and before the glowing wires started smoldering. Lucky I called the fire dept. because then insurance called it a fire and paid to rewire the whole car.

Ron