Good Tow Cars?

[No Crust Racing]

Jake: From that list you would be mad to go past a Falcon. The wagon's have a better rear end and don't suffer the same camber issues as commos and the boxes don't suffer from the same heat issues as commos (but they do have issues - read on) A cheap trans cooler is still a good thing as BA/BFs are still known to have issues with coolant and trans fluid mixing and ruining the box A trans cooler allows you to bypass the problem area like I did (PWR kit was 165). In the BA this is because the trans cooler piping runs through the radiator and in the BF they moved that out to a heat exchanger on the side of the block but it still has the potential to leak and mix the fluids. If you wound up with a 6spd BF you would have a hefty repair bill, the rule of thumb seems to be to treat the heat exchanger like a service item and replace it at set intervals, they're only 120 or so.

Fords will be cheaper per year model so you will get a newer Falcon vs Commos for the same dollar value, they make a great daily and drive comfortably with plenty of space (I had a BA 4spd, towed the Sil with it, and now have a BF 6spd, yet to tow but much nicer box). Both cars can get good fuel consumption if driven respectfully and the Falcon makes more torque lower in the rev range which is ideal for towing. If you do a lot of towing you might also want to consider better pads as the BA/BFs can be hard on pads rotors (I have not had this issue as I drive like a Nanna but I've heard about it plenty).

I was a Holden man, and still am for V8s, but when it comes to 6cyl cars I am thoroughly converted to Falcons for daily/tow duties.

[nismoman]

^^ + 1 for the Ford Falcon Wagon. I went for dedicated LPG as well cause I'm cheap!!

So economical it's not funny (even when towing)

[No Crust Racing]

I found that mine used quite a bit of fuel when towing if I followed the handbook and towed in 3rd, with a trans cooler you can comfortably tow in 4th at 110 and the fuel econ was heaps better then, around 12L/100 on the hume which is nice and flat mostly. (Silvia plus tools, fuel).

[MBS206]

You guys are expecting to pickup decent BAs for 5K... Like... Seriously?

Plus, if you want to tow, spend the extra coin in the BA/BF range and get the turbo model. Shit loads more torque and they're effortless to drive.

I'm yet to throw a trailer on the back of my FG XR6T, but it will happen very soon.

Around town it's great too... Plenty of poke for some mild fun on daily trips, and purely in the city on stop start, I've so far seen the worst of 14L/100KM, on the hume with no trailer on it's in the single digits.

I did Wollongong to Goulburn to Wollongong, and then 200odd KM of city driving in stop start and primarily on the cold fuel map, and it still averaged 10L/100KM...

Did I mention mid 13second quarters out of the box?

[No Crust Racing]

This took 45 seconds to find. I imagine eBay and Gumtree would have better deals?

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/ford-falcon-2003-11879821?cr=2&eapi=2&Range=Price:Min,5000~1|Mileage:Min,200000|Year:2002,Max|Seats:Min,Max|EngineSize:Min,Max&silo=Stock&sort=~Price&VNAV=A&__N=1216%201246%201247%201252%201282%204294966463%204294966285%204294966274&vertical=Car&distance=25

Might seem like high ks but I would hazard a guess and say you would not get an early VY/late model VX (same year model as the falcon) with under 200ks for 4k... and that's before bargaining.

XR6T has sheeeet loads of torque but you will be paying more than a few grand extra to get it, plus it needs premium fuel, higher service costs etc. Not necessarily what you want in a daily when you already have a turbo car to play with.

If 5K is the absolute limit you wont get an xr6t, and if you can stretch another K or so then you will get a much better NA BA and you'd stll be a couple k away from even the oldest clapped out xr6t's.

Edited January 4, 2012 by ActionDan

[?UESTLOVE]

Well I ended buying a 08 model turbo diesel duel cab 4x2 hilux sr. haven't used out for towing yet but it send to have mountains of torque. Down the track ill prob get a chip for it then exhaust for a little extra poke again

Have towed an R34 GTR to Wakefield with one of these, and it tows it really well. Turbo Diesel all the way. I use an 80 series, but its petrol chews fuel but tows fine, but surprisingly the Hilux 2wd TD tows the car with less effort, but the cruiser is more stable being heavier.

[PIG747]

How would a stagea go at towing an r33?

The boot space would be very helpfull

[evil_weevil]

work mate bought an 03 BA XT for 6k

118k with 6 months rego

LPG will be worth more than petrol though

[evil_weevil]

oh, yes trans cooler is a must for commodores.

mine was 300 fitted and seems to work well

again Im only towing a car thats just under 1 tonne? trailer is 3-400kgs

[JAKKE]

You guys are expecting to pickup decent BAs for 5K... Like... Seriously?

Plus, if you want to tow, spend the extra coin in the BA/BF range and get the turbo model. Shit loads more torque and they're effortless to drive.

there are a couple under the $5k mark yes

and no im not as rich as some people so i cant afford a xr6t

[No Crust Racing]

For the price and ease of installation trans cooler is a good thing, Jake you're handy with a spanner so you would have no trouble installing one, I did my PWR kit (165 eBay) by myself no hassles and I'm an IT Bum.

Edited January 4, 2012 by ActionDan

[JAKKE]

yeah they're easy enough to install and being a mechanic im pretty sure i can swing it

[CameronBNR32]

I didn't really like the idea of towing with a XR6 turbo so thats why I went with the V8, I would think the turbo would be under a fair bit of load and spooling all the time while towing...

[JAKKE]

I didn't really like the idea of towing with a XR6 turbo so thats why I went with the V8, I would think the turbo would be under a fair bit of load and spooling all the time while towing...

yeah ive heard from a few people that the xr6t's sit on boost most of the time while towing heavy loads

but thats what ive heard anyways

[Simon-S14]

Have towed an R34 GTR to Wakefield with one of these, and it tows it really well. Turbo Diesel all the way. I use an 80 series, but its petrol chews fuel but tows fine, but surprisingly the Hilux 2wd TD tows the car with less effort, but the cruiser is more stable being heavier.

thats good to know. yeah a heavier base car would make for a more stable arrangement.. i plan on using stabiliers bars etc and my trailer is pretty decked out so hoping it will be ok.

how was the turbi diesel on fuel for towing may i ask?

[?UESTLOVE]

TD Hilux was awesome on fuel, probably 14l/100 towing. My Landcruiser does 17 NOT towing haha...towing it does about 23.

[MBS206]

This took 45 seconds to find. I imagine eBay and Gumtree would have better deals?

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/ford-falcon-2003-11879821?cr=2&eapi=2&Range=Price:Min,5000~1|Mileage:Min,200000|Year:2002,Max|Seats:Min,Max|EngineSize:Min,Max&silo=Stock&sort=~Price&VNAV=A&__N=1216%201246%201247%201252%201282%204294966463%204294966285%204294966274&vertical=Car&distance=25

Might seem like high ks but I would hazard a guess and say you would not get an early VY/late model VX (same year model as the falcon) with under 200ks for 4k... and that's before bargaining.

XR6T has sheeeet loads of torque but you will be paying more than a few grand extra to get it, plus it needs premium fuel, higher service costs etc. Not necessarily what you want in a daily when you already have a turbo car to play with.

If 5K is the absolute limit you wont get an xr6t, and if you can stretch another K or so then you will get a much better NA BA and you'd stll be a couple k away from even the oldest clapped out xr6t's.

For some reason my mind was just sitting there going "NO WAY! You won't get a BA for that cash..." But it had the XR6 filter turned on... LOL

My Bad.

[No Crust Racing]

lol no worries, let's not forget. They make a great base for a taxi so you get what you pay for and that's coming from a a two time owner lol

[hrd-hr30]

I didn't really like the idea of towing with a XR6 turbo so thats why I went with the V8, I would think the turbo would be under a fair bit of load and spooling all the time while towing...

shouldn't be a problem for the turbo. turbo diesels sit on boost constantly on the highway even when not towing. turbos last alright there... Mine sits on a constant 4psi at 100-110kph just cruising by itself. And did 4500km over 2 weeks earlier in the year towing the camper trailer and all loaded up sitting on a constant 10psi @ 110kph for most of that. And modern turbo diesels run alot more boost than that. I wouldn't worry about the turbo.

But I'll never be a fan of towing with passenger vehicles. Monocoque construction is crap to tow with compared to a ladder chassis 4WD. You can feel the trailer pulling the car around all over the place, whereas you don't feel a thing with 4WDs. Its about the mass of the vehicle and the strength of the chassis. So while falcon may pull it OK, I always think a 4WD is always going to be the better tow vehicle.

[No Crust Racing]

I'd agree with that, 4wd ladder chassis will retain more of its original driving characteristics when towing, But a Falcon is heavy enough to withstand the movements of a reasonable load, they are over 1700kg after all, and will be a much nicer daily which is what it will be doing 95% of the time in Jake's case and in Kieran's (OP).

I'd hazard a 5K BA would also be a much nicer car to live with than a 5K GQ (can't imagine anyone finding a GU for that money?).

Edited January 5, 2012 by ActionDan