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Buying a second hand car with tow bar fitted - nlpnlp

I am just about to look for a second hand car 3 to 5 years old - probably a Toyota Avensis Estate 2.0D4D diesel. Would buying a car with a tow bar already fitted be a no-no for people, or just another variable to take into account? My concern would be that towing does put some extra stress on the engine/clutch and good maintenance and sensible driving are important.

Would people be happy if the service history was all up to date and there was no signs of any damage round the back end? Buying second hand always carries the risk of how good the previous driver(s) was (unless you are buying from the local vicar). I do want to have a tow bar, so buying a car with one already fitted will save money, but for the sake of £500 or so, I do wonder if this is a "risk" worth taking.

Buying a second hand car with tow bar fitted - RT

If you want a tow-bar, don't be put off by it's presence.

There is natural reluctance among non-tuggers but no-one knows what this Avensis has been towing or for what proportion of its mileage.

In 35 years of caravanning, none of my cars have had a fault attributable to towing - that covers Ford, Vauxhall, Subaru, Hundai and Volkswagen brands.

Buying a second hand car with tow bar fitted - Andrew-T

If you want a tow-bar, don't be put off by it's presence. There is natural reluctance among non-tuggers but no-one knows what this Avensis has been towing or for what proportion of its mileage.

Except perhaps on a low-powered car, tho a 2-litre diesel shouldn't be a problem. Even on a small car a towbar may have towed nothing bigger than a small trailer.

Buying a second hand car with tow bar fitted - gordonbennet

Depends on how many owners and how complete the paperwork is, the towbar on my current 4x4 was fitted at scandalous cost by about Toyota 2 years before i bought it, and i bought it from a motorhome sales centre where it been traded for a new MH, so everything pointed to caravan towing only, i wouldn't have wanted a similar vehicle likely to have been towing plant/diggers around from day one.

As for the Avensis, well towing was hopefully a caravan or camping trailer on longer journeys so letting the engine run nice and hot hopefully leading to a healthy DPF, arguably better use for the car than pottering about on short journeys with probably worse clutch use and numerous failed regens, also it's not a vehicle likely to be bought by the more unsocial elements, so with the obvious careful examination of any car and as much as you can find out about its previous history it wouldn't put me off.

I'd be looking underneath for any tell tale signs of rear end corrosion of exhaust etc just in case it was used for salt water boat launching, though this is most unlikely.

The other sort of towing i would avoid is a car transporter trailer by car trader @ some 2+ tons gross trailer weight, cars used like this are rare but i do see them towing such weights more often than one might expect, hopefully its mileage previous ownership and service history will provide clues as to what it was used for.

Edited by gordonbennet on 21/11/2018 at 14:55

Buying a second hand car with tow bar fitted - SLO76
Wouldn’t phase me. Condition and history are all important but do spend a bit more time checking the clutch and listen for signs the flywheel is breaking up. Towing does put more stress on components but driven gently this can be minor.
Buying a second hand car with tow bar fitted - Ian_SW

I know of a few people who have just fitted a tow bar so they can fit a bike carrier, so it may have never towed anything! If the ball looks almost brand new with no grease on it, that would be someone with a bike carrier.

Even if it has towed anything, it's more likely to be a small trailer to take garden waste to the tip, or carry camping gear than towing anything huge. Even if it has towed a caravan, that could be a good thing, most caravanners I've met drive pretty gently and are very keen on doing maintenance above the minimum manufacturers spec.

Buying a second hand car with tow bar fitted - NARU

I know of a few people who have just fitted a tow bar so they can fit a bike carrier, so it may have never towed anything! If the ball looks almost brand new with no grease on it, that would be someone with a bike carrier.


Modern caravans have stabilsing hitches which need a clean towball. The giveaway would be the black paint having been removed on the ball itself.

www.al-ko.com/shop/uk_vt/products/caravan-accessor...l

Buying a second hand car with tow bar fitted - nlpnlp

Thanks for the responses - all helpful and eminently sensisble. Interesting point about the possibility of salt damage from boat launching - one I hadn't considered. A benefit of choosing a 'boring' Avensis diesel estate is that I shouldn't have to worry too much about the previous owner being a boy racer.

I currently have a 2005 diesel Avensis and the only issue in 10 years of ownership has been the clutch which has generally been horrible from day 1 and was extremely expensive to replace.

Buying a second hand car with tow bar fitted - corax

My car came with a towbar, it was no issue for me as the car test drove well. I've never used it but I consider it a boon if that changes, as the cost of fitting one isn't cheap.

Was your clutch heavy? The clutches on the 1.8 petrol version feel nice and light, but I didn't like the drive take up on mine, the engine needing a few too many revs to avoid stalling for me.

I think most clutch replacements are expensive now with DMF's on diesels needing replacing. I read in car mechanics magazine that a DMF is supposed to last the life of the car according to a LUK rep, a lot could be blamed on driver abuse, but I would think that it depends on the kind of use as well.

Buying a second hand car with tow bar fitted - The Heg
I once bought an XJ-S with a fitted tow bar. Not sure what it had towed...
Buying a second hand car with tow bar fitted - veloceman
In my experience of towing most caravaners have twin electrics - one for the lights and one for the fridge.
If it has twin electric I would assume it’s towed a caravan.
Buying a second hand car with tow bar fitted - RT
In my experience of towing most caravaners have twin electrics - one for the lights and one for the fridge. If it has twin electric I would assume it’s towed a caravan.

For about the last 10 years, caravans have been fitted with a single 13-pin plug instead of two 7-pin plugs, making your assumption somewhat out of date.

Buying a second hand car with tow bar fitted - veloceman
Prob about 10 yrs since I had one! :-)
Fair enough.
Buying a second hand car with tow bar fitted - Glaikit Wee Scunner {P}

My last two cars have had tow balls for mounting cycle racks only. I was cajoled to pull a light trailer once for our landscape gardener. No reversing necessary.

Buying a second hand car with tow bar fitted - Avant

You have my great admiration, GWS. I'm only half-Scots and would have chosen the feeble option and used my car to pull the trailer. :)