Posted 2 November 2023

New family car recommendations for towing

Hi all, Im at my wits end with my car. I have spent in excess of £8000 over the last 2 years on my bmw x3 and i now think its going to be a write off. its a 2011 and has 130,000 miles on it. it has recently broke down when i was towing my caravan, shortly after having 2 turbo replacements and a timing chain replacement. the RAC mechanic has put down that its possible engine failure again.

I have decided enough is enough and i want to buy a new car. I have always bought second hand in the past. The last time i purchased a car, i got a personal loan and bought something outright. When i got a personal loan for the BMW X3 around 7 years ago, the interest rate was something like 2.5% for me.

I have just been having a look at the starting prices of some of the family sized SUV's and im still in a state of shock. its looks like i would need to take a personal loan out of at least £40'000, which is not really ideal. any opinions on decent cars or companies to deal with?
Community Updates
New Comment

25 Comments

sorted by
's avatar
  1. Roger_Irrelevant's avatar
    As Dyslexic Dog said above, the Toyota Land Cruiser is legendary. If you get a 150 (I think) series "Prado" they're decent value for money compared to the more upmarket Amazon (UN) type ones.

    The one I have used to tow a vintage tractor to country shows.
    Dyslexic_Dog's avatar
    I've had both a diesel Amazon and a petrol Colorado, both brilliant at towing (and everything else), both done well over 150000 miles in my owners hip and never missed a beat.
    I reckon if we wanted to rejoin the EU we could tow the UK to mainland Europe using a Land cruiser! (edited)
  2. Dyslexic_Dog's avatar
    Try looking for a used land cruiser, I've no idea of current prices, but it's the best tow car I've ever had. (edited)
    Willy_Wonka's avatar
    Or a double cab vauxhall (with an Izuzu engine) or an L200 or Mitsubishi Shogun/Pajero.

    Yes, most have rubbish MPG but they do the job which is why people buy them. Should be a few decent ones about since the fuel prices went up. (edited)
  3. Deedie's avatar
    Skoda superb combi
  4. TristanDeCoonha's avatar
    Second hand.
    Volvo V70 - Old, but built like a tank.
    Skoda Octavia - Recent, and does the job well.
    Or a Transit van. After all, there are many of the caravan dwelling community who have no difficulty with this combination.
    john_n3MU's avatar
    Or a Transit van .........and the Police will not bother you.........
  5. MonkeyMan90's avatar
    Skoda karoq can be had for around 26k brand new and also won towcar of the year 2023
    mart321's avatar
    Author
    Thanks, I've just tried it on a couple of lease sites and Skoda's own website. It seems to be coming back around 40k though. The only extra I have added is the towbar preparation.
  6. Toon_army's avatar
    If they write it off you should get a nice little figure.
    Have you a budget on another car? Guessing diesel as they're best for towing stuff. Few nice recommendations above Volvo are solid and Skoda really good as well, guess it depends if you want a big saloon, estate or something bigger like a 4x4
    JimboParrot's avatar
    How will OP get a nice little figure? He owns the car so who is going to write it off?
  7. john184's avatar
    Hybrids typically don't make good tow cars. Volvo V70 and XC90 (if you want 4wd) is a good shout but high mileage automatics give their own problems. I bought a low mileage cx5 but given the current market I should have probably bought a new Tuscon or Sportage.
    mart321's avatar
    Author
    It's an absolute minefield to me but I will never buy BMW again and the prices new are eyewatering anyway. The cx5 looks nice. I would pick one over a Tucson or Sportage, looks wise
's avatar