Early to mid 90's Ford F150 with Inline 6
 

Another consideration is an early to mid 90s F150 with the inline 6. The inline 6 (a tractor motor derivative, like my Triumph TR6) generates a great amount of torque, and the engines are easy to maintain (actually, everything on that truck is easy to maintain). They came in sticks, and while they don't have huge hp the torque allows them to haul a good amount. This also give you a bed to haul things (either related to the car or you never know when you need to get lumber, a washing machine, or help your buddy move all his crap). Add in a shell and then you have a place to crash at the track. Lastly, due to their age and limited appeal you won't pay much for one in decent shape, so the money you save buys quite a bit of gas. Insurance will be dirt cheap vs. a newer vehicle, too. Gas milage empty will be around 18 mpg.

Get a length of straw for your teeth, worn Budweiser cap, and a gun rack, then you can feel like Farmer John :-)

I'm actually leaning towards the auto tow and manual DD at this rate.....the compromises are just too much for a manual DD tow.

i have a f350 dually with a 6.9 diesel and banks turbo. it should get 22 unloaded and mid 10s pulling up a hill. get a cummins with manual if you want good ful mileage

What's the wheelbase there - like 80"

No thanks.

dave

My nephew has a 93 Dodge PU with Cummins diesel.

He gets 27 MPG empty, 20 MPG with the bed full of firewood, and towing a trailer also loaded with firewood.

man i hate the FJ cruiser, due to many blind spots when inside the car, but they are capable of towing decent weight.. a 4runner would be a wiser choice and they do come 4x4 on some older models not sure on the new ones ill double check at work..

Towing on a dolly in many states is illegal if the car is not registered. The law basically is that if the vehicle's tires touch the road, it must be registered.

So if you have an unregistered race car, dollies or flat-towing aren't options.

4 wheel dollies get around that, no?

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/n...603134245.html

Five grand, potentially negotiable.

'Nuff Said.

I used my 04 Frontier v6 4x4 and it tows really well with the add a leaf. Not the best gas mileage. My jeep cherokee did well for gas mileage but the wheel base is too short and no rear sway bar so it had a tendancy to wonder which would piss me off.

I have a wrangler now which will handle very light towing, but it's generally very very unsafe to tow with a wrangler.

The best thing you could really do right now is a Jeep Liberty with the CRD diesel motor in it. 400 ftlbs of torque EXCELLENT gas mileage and it's still a smaller SUV. Get some airbags on the back or an add a leaf (I think they were leaf spring rear, correct me if I'm wrong). You'll still have to deal with a relatively short whell

for a daily driver/weekend tow car I'll still sear by the ford crown victoria. Their heaveyer than midsized SUV's and get upper 20's on the highway. They are all auto tranny though, but for a daily thats kinda nice.

Automatic tranny is real nice when backing a trailer. With the lockup torque converters on heavy duty automatic transmissions, the fuel mileage is about the same as a manual trans. I dislike auto trans that are programmed to unlock the torque converter too soon when pulling a trailer. When pulling a trailer, I would rather run a locked converter with the throttle open than have it unlock. When unlocked, you generate lots of heat in the torque converter. Waste heat = wasted Fuel

i got 2 friends with early 90's dodge cummins, and both of them get like 24 mpg and can tow a crapload

Thats the dumbest shit i've ever heard. I've dollied cars through virginia, ohio, PA, deleware, MD, New Jersey DC, WV, TN, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. I've *NEVER* heard that law or been cited for it.

Just because it's not being enforced or because you've never been caught, doesn't make it legal.

I was sitting at a light the other day as an old Porsche 911 rolled/slid off of a 2 wheel dolly and ghost rode into a light post across the street. Sad....

It's only a problem if you get caught.

I know it's illegal in California. Not sure about other states.

I am having a hard time believing this. I have a 2002 Xterra which has the same 3.3 liter that the older pathfinders had. I get horrible fuel mileage daily driving and even worse towing. I would say I average 10-11 MPG towing my RX7 with an 1800lb trailer. On the Xterra Owner Club forum, the biggest complaints about those engines is the fuel mileage and lack of power.

I don't know about all those other states, but sure as shit its illegal in MA.

For a tow vehicle, I'd suggest a Tundra or Sequoia. Some of those guys get 16-18mpg while towing. But you might be better off with a cheap fuel efficient daily driver and renting a truck and trailer. Two of my friends go to nearly every event together. So one bought a Ram 3500 and the other bought a dual car trailer. I don't know how they split the cost, but consider just buying a dual trailer and splitting gas with a friend that goes to the same events.

I own my trailer and borrow my fathers 2500 Chevy Express van. All I have to do is give him my daily driver when I'm gone.

I've towed my 1st gen race car on a full trailer behind a late 90's Toyota 4Runner and a 2003 Montero Sport. Both mid-size SUV. The 4Runner has a 3.4L and the Montero has a 3.5L. No issues with either. Just make sure the trailer has trailer brakes in case of an emergency. These were borrowed and now that I have to get my own, I'll more than likely get a late 90's 4Runner to tow with.