Tow Vehicle

[andreus009]

Well, I love my Pathy but the reliability of it for long trips has come into question, so I'm looking to trade-in my four banging Focus for a vehicle capable to tow the Pathy to where I want to wheel. I've kind of narrowed my list to the 4 choices above, and just like to get some opinions on which one peoples around here would pick. My year range is 2007-2009.

 

Ford, Dodge, and Toyotas are out. Why, hate Ford (inherited the Focus), think I hate Dodge more, and just don't see myself towing a Nissan with a Toyota.

 

Anyway, any comments welcome.

Edited December 2, 2010 by andreus009

[5523Pathfinder]

Ok, I voted for the Nissan, Duh! The reason is the others you listed are basicly the same vehicle. All of the choices listed has issues. My brother had a GMC Sierra 2500. Man, that thing had problems. Electrical issues all over the place. Had front bearing and brake issues as well. The Armada has a bit less towing capacity than the others. Of course, they have thier issues as well. Brake, P/S, squeaks/rattles, some electrical(mostly components). There are several recalls and Tsbs to help with most problems though. The powertrain has held up very well IMHO. I see very few problems with engine(except manifolds, no kiddin!), trans or rear diff issues. I have seen a few front diffs eat themselves, but several of those were due to lack of maintenence/outside interferance. Plus, a nissan towing a nissan is cool.

Edited December 2, 2010 by 5523Pathfinder

[Soccerstudd5]

Nissan towing a Nissan would be cool, but I'd go with the 2500 Chevy. (Gas or Diesel) My dad has a 2003 diesel 2500 and I've used it to tow some pathy's and it rode like a cadillac. Plus with a truck like that, you can literally do anything with it. I take my dad's snowboarding, used it to pull trees, haul stuff to the dump, and if it were mine I'm sure I would find more uses for it. I think I still drive it more than him

[nismothunder]

Voted for the big chev also.Same basic idea you need a tow truck,you dont need a suv with a hitch on it.Go diesel other wise whats the point.There good for around 350k before you start having some issues with the duramax,mainly head gaskets and injectors getting the idea to burn a hole through a piston.You'd probly find a 6.5 for a lot cheaper,though there not a hot rod like the duramax.

[GrimGreg]

Why no Titan on the list? It can probably tow more that the Armada.

[Precise1]

I don't really know those vehicles well so I am no help there, but one thing I think you should decide first is if you are better served with a full sized SUV or Pickup. The over all usage of each is actually considerably different...

 

B

[nismothunder]

Topper+crew cab pick me up= suv

[nismothunder]

Why no Titan on the list? It can probably tow more that the Armada.

I'm going to get hate mail for it but Titans are junk,they are not that great of a pick up.Sure they sound good on paper but they are not as solid a towing plate form as a same price ford,chevy or dodge pick up.

 

Plus they have a harsh ride(really,I rode in a stock one and it felt worse then my hd 89 f150)A huge turning ratio,gas milage when towing is singal digets.But there tranny is better then any other currently produced,nice sharp shifts and such.

Edited December 2, 2010 by nismothunder

[5523Pathfinder]

Why are they not a "solid towing plate"? Ladder frame, dana rear axle(im not that fond of), V8 and yes a great transmission. Ride rough? I always thought they were soft, myself. Ive only been in several hundred of them.

 

I will say this. There is no clear cut winner on a decent full size pickup. All of them have some issues, unless you pay the big bucks for the higher end units.

[Kingman]

I went with the 2500HD, they're definitely the working-class Cadillac of the truck world (AKA the city slicker wiener trucks). Although for reliability a comparable Ford truck would be a lot better.

 

I don't like Titans much either. They look nice but have a lot of problems, and my grandpa's goes in to the shop about once a month. To this day he says he regrets buying it and wants his old 1999 GMC Sierra back, that truck didn't give him a single issue in the 120K miles he owned it.

[5523Pathfinder]

Yeah its interesting what some customers had to say. Some hated 'um, some loved 'um. Pretty much like any other rig out there.

 

I cant wait to see the new Titan. We have heard some interesting things from up the corperate ladder. Lets just say Nissan is going head first at making a better, more comparable truck.

[Kingman]

Isn't the new Titan supposed to be a re-badged Ram?

[Der_Vier]

although I haven't personally driven one, id say the silverado/sierra 2500 hd. Personally like the looks of them and alot of people like em a good deal.

[5523Pathfinder]

Isn't the new Titan supposed to be a re-badged Ram?

Nope. That deal was scrapped when Chrysler had its financial issues. Its going to be built in-house. Last time I heard, they wanted to release it in 2012-2013.

[Precise1]

Topper+crew cab pick me up= suv huge, high centering rig that can't be parked anywhere short of a stadium lot...

Accurized...

 

B

[skulptr]

wow i'm the only loser here to own BOTH an 06 chevy 2500hd duramax crew, AND an 07 avalanche 1.5 ton. the 2500 has had tooo many issues to count, almost all electrical. the avalanche on the other hand, has a few bonuses. a solid body (no cab/bed seperation), bed liner from the factory (rubber), 5 bed mounted tool boxes factory, the folding toneau cover. i've towed 4 ton trailers with both trucks across 3 states, and the avalanche was way better in every apect...

 

 

 

and there's only a 2 mpg difference... 2500 19 diesel, avalanche 17 gas.

[pmccallister]

First you need to decide if you want a truck or an SUV. If you decide on an SUV the Toyota Sequoia is the best on the road. Tows 2000 less than that 2500! You say you dont want to tow a nissan with a toyota? Why not? Both Nissan and Toyota make good vehicles. Seems to me it would be more ridiculous to tow a well built foreign nissan with a crappy american truck. Just my opinion.

[Kingman]

Sequoias aren't that reliable either... a lot of common brake, ball joint, and HVAC control problems. However they are veeerry comfortable, my uncle's is an '05 SR5 Limited and I do enjoy going on road trips in it. However the list of problems with it in 60K miles is astounding. Maybe it was a Friday car? The first generation Tundras were the biggest joke of a "full size" truck on the market. They fail hard in every way. Weenie ass C-channel frame that's smaller than a Pathfinder's (thinner material and not boxed anywhere), terrible payload ratings, weak motor, serious brake issues due to them being undersized, seriously weak upper and lower control arm construction, etc. Compare it to any of the Domestic trucks, part for part, and it's a total joke. It was the same story when Toyota tried to enter the full size market in the early 90s with the T-100.

 

My best friend's parents bought a 2002 Avalanche brand new for a pilot vehicle, it has 240,000 miles on it now and hasn't had any real problems so to speak of. It's really run down now due to neglect/low maintenance and needs some front end work, but overall it's a pretty damn reliable truck. It drives really smooth and nice with plenty of power. Interior quality is no worse at all than the new line of Toyota trucks but the drive train in it is rock solid. They may look a little goofy but they're a nice truck. Their other pilot truck, an '01 Dodge Ram 5.9L Cummins is nearing 450K miles, but because it's a Dodge automatic it's been replaced twice, and I just put a new AC pump on it about a month ago. Those are the only problems ever had with it.

 

I would go out and drive every one of the rigs you're interested in and see which one you like best. Then weigh the pros/cons of each rig and decide which one fits your need the best and will be the one you'll really enjoy for as long as you own it.

[nismothunder]

 

 

I will say this. There is no clear cut winner on a decent full size pickup. All of them have some issues, unless you pay the big bucks for the higher end units.

I'm not responding to the other comment since this is the only one that didnt have the whole I am God,I know every thing,going on.

 

 

You have a valid point there.

Edited December 3, 2010 by nismothunder

[5523Pathfinder]

Thats called experience. 20 years of working on cars for a living will give that to you.

 

 

 

Anyway, I was more curious about what you stated. I was not arguing.

[adamzan]

My friend has always bought Gmc/chevy trucks because he uses them for work and for the towing power. But even he admits they are money pits. When bearings, calipers (seized), and steering intermediate shafts fail before 100k KM I would not buy one.

 

I don't know anything about the armada though.

[andreus009]

Hey thanks everyone for their input. Its good to get some people's opinions and hear the stories of who's owned what and what success they had with it. I dismissed the Titan, because from some reviews I read the American vehicles had them beat from a truck stand point. The other reason Toyota is out is because I have usually found them to be a bit pricey, thus the reason I'm a Pathy owner instead of 4Runner.

 

I definitely plan to test drive at least one of each one and look around for a good deal. I'm not in big hurry since I don't need till next year in the spring. I'll start test driving in January. The dealers are gonna love me ;-) The only thing I'm gonna miss with the Focus is.........ok..the gas mileage. 30-->15

[GrimGreg]

Actually the best time to buy is between Christmas and New Years, the lots don't have to count it for taxes if they sell it, so they are more willing to get them sold.

Edited December 3, 2010 by GrimGreg

[nismothunder]

Thats called experience. 20 years of working on cars for a living will give that to you.

 

 

 

Anyway, I was more curious about what you stated. I was not arguing.

It sounded like you wanted to start something, if not then I apologise.

 

Ok, this is a classic point of asking a 1/2 truck too do what a 3/4ton or larger truck is ment to do.

 

Lets use a 2010 model to talk about.

 

This truck,a 4x4 by the way is rated at 312 hp and 385 lbs of torqe,plenty to pull a car trailer, infact 15 years ago big blocks didnt make this power.

 

But theres a few draw backs.

 

The truck has a 2.94 final drive ratio

 

The fully boxed frame is not truely a fully boxed frame, its two pieces of c-channel welded togeather,which isnt that big of a deal,just wanted to point it out.

 

Now with the 2.94 gear ratio it is rated at 7400lbs tow capability. Not bad for a half ton truck, but wait, a 2002 chevy Avalance 1500 with a 5.3 v8 rated at 325lbs of torqe is rated at 7900 with a 3.73 gear ratio. It would be higher but the axles arent strong enough.

 

Kinda goes to show you that power isnt everything right there.

 

Now, I'm not going to go into detail about diesels, since I hope we all know that there rated well into the tens of tousands for trailer towing.

 

Ok,now onto the part that is a big deal. What this guy is towing and what he really needs to know.

 

Ok, a car trailer,duel axle is usally around 2,ooo pounds,subtract that from the titans rating, down to 5400 lbs.

 

Now the pathfinder, lets say its 4400 lbs since its lifted,has big tires and a full tank. Thats leaves 1,000 pounds, now what about all the stuff thats he's bringing along,spair parts, camping stuff, how many people are in the cab. Yes, even the passagers are deducted from the towing capabilty. More then a 1000 pounds is easily gain with this.

 

So you have a truck thats really sweeting towing all this stuff, so the milage goes from 12 city and 17 high way to maybe 5 city and 10 highway.

 

Now you can do things to raise the tow rating to this truck,add heavy duty cooling. have the tranny rebuilt with a programmer and tourqe converter, re-gear or heck even put a larger rear axle under the back that will add a little more tongue waeight and gvwr(by the way this last one also adds to your GCW)

Now to me it sounds like a lot of money to do all this to a brand new truck when a 3/4 ton will do this stock. But hey, it isnt my truck.

 

I'm not saying that the truck wont pull it, it probly will,I've towed 10,000 in a singal wheel trailer with my f150. I probly wont do it again but it did it, pretty good too. But I wouldnt want to risk it every time I wanted to go four wheeling.

 

This wasnt a Nissan bashing thing ether,it was about towing with a 1/2.

Oh, you might want to get some D rated tires for it other wise you might end up swaying at speed.

[ahardb0dy]

Isn't the Armada basically an SUV body on the Titan frame? Same engine and all, if You don't like the Titan for towing is the Armada any better?