(This is not an invitation to enter into the question as to whether you think that the resulting car might or might not be roadworthy! Though I've no doubt it will soon feature...)
Suggestions for a car, for a £99 budget, that will do a few heavy tows in the short term. I dare say that it will have to come from eBay. It needs a life expectancy of not very long; it needs to pull like a train & it needs, of course, to be roadworthy.
|
Surely an old Volvo estate. Solid, good towing capacity and good, cheap specialists if it turns out to be a keeper.
Alternatively and in the same mould - Granada/Scorpio, Carlton, although Volvo probably remain in best supply and for parts as well. Didn't the old 240 carry on until the middle 1990s as an estate.
--
Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
|
|
An old Sierra should do the trick, or theres loads of 2 litre cavaliers on ebay, they will make a good tow car, and you will get one for your budget!
|
|
Cav won't be heavy enough (sadly - that'd be easy!). 2.0 won't cope with the heavy tow either. Just to keep those suggestions flowing! Thanks!
|
|
Why not do what Jeremy Clarkson did a while ago and call round the car dealers to see who has any cheap trade in's they are trying to get rid off, would save them paying to have them scrapped so you might get one for a couple of quid.
|
|
|
Cav won't be heavy enough (sadly - that'd be easy!). 2.0 won't cope with the heavy tow either.
Just what the hell are you towing?
|
|
A brute of a trailer. Ugly horsebox type - not with a horse in it. With the aerodynamic profile of a brick. 2.5 Subaru AWD doesn't reach 5th gear very happily when towing this.
|
|
Do you not know of someone with a big 4x4 you could borrow?
|
|
|
|
|
Heres one example, biddind finishes soon, plus its taxed and tested:
cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=...1
|
>>Twin 31/2 round black diamond exhaust, sounds superb
Snorts! That's just me!
Needs a towbar, I'm afraid, else the budget is suddenly more than doubled...
|
|
cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=...1 Points??? Does this really have points? (Eyes cloud over in nostalgic fashion.)
|
Points - eerrr no - see the letters EFI on the cam cover?
Looks like the right car for you though. Just like I recommended
--
Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
|
I have no idea how I managed to post four/five? posts in one push.
--
Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
|
I have no idea how I managed to post four/five? posts in one push.
It's happened to me before - one of the lovely mods while be along shortly and prune a few! {Done. DD}
As for the car it does look as if it fits the bill - the engine is a good one, a mate of mine used to have one fitted into his landie and that pulled like a train. For the money i don't think you'll do much better.
|
The only thing with the granny is its not taxed, other wise would be perfect for M/M!
Just been looking if theres any Senators on ebay within budget. Theres a few, but either theres no tax, mot or tow bar, but a 3 litre one of these is a brute...all them police forces cant be wrong!
|
|
Granny could be ideal. I've seen people asking five times that for what was not much better than scrap. As for tax, if it's got six months on it and costs £100, then all it's going for is the value of the metal and the disc - the rest of the car is free - so the tax is a huge chunk of the budget.
|
|
Tax is not so much of an issue - OK it will cost £100 on top of the budget but if he only uses the car for 2 months he can claim the unused 4 months back. He can then also whack the car back on ebay 99p start with no reserve and will make enough from the car to cover the cost of the tax he used.
|
Just wondering whether £99 tow car is for towing WITH or just for towing! If you just want to tow it, there must be plenty of suitable cars for well under £99!!!!
Sorry!!!
Sofa Spud
|
|
|
|
|
An old Land Rover would be ideal - worth a few hundred more if you could see some use for it in the medium term, or some fun to be had off-road.
|
If you do choose an old Land Rover, check the rear chassis crossmember doesn't consist of disguised rust - if it does it could de-construct itself while you're towing. Though strong enough when in good shape, it is notoriously rust-prune.
Cheers, SS
|
Assuming that £155 has bought the Scorpio for Mapmaker then afterwards it'll probably end up on the banger racing track.
Have you still got the Audi? Because you might end up preferring the cossetting leather interior of the Scorpio...
|
>banger racing
Not me!
>preferring to burn petrol in a 2.9
Not likely! The Audi is currently at the other end of the country, not in my hands, as I wasn't anticipating an urgent need for something that will tow (I currently am in charge of a Vectra that manages 44mpg which makes up for its being a Vectra!). I'd want a nice Diesel Bravo or something to go with the Scorpio in the long term. If I'd needed thiscar last week, I'd have been after
cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=...1
Surprised nobody suggested one of those Audi 100s, with Saloons coming up on eBay regularly well within the sub-100 bracket.
What is the motor factor for Ford? I've only ever used GSF.
|
|
|
|
"....it is notoriously rust-prune"
Beware of the Notorious Rust Prune. It reduces your insides to oxide, never mind what it does to old Land Rovers.
I haven't eaten prunes since 1961, and I'm proud of it.
|
Beware of the Notorious Rust Prune. It reduces your insides to oxide, never mind what it does to old Land Rovers. I haven't eaten prunes since 1961, and I'm proud of it.
So hows your member, and is it still cross? :-D
WTM
|
|
|
|
|
|
It's great fun finding a tow car! Every 'hay making' down on our farm I need an extra tow vehicle to get the hay in (two trailers and only one land rover!)
So its off to the auctions. Last years was a 2l Granada Ghia on C reg with 220k miles (FSH!!!) and 6 weeks MOT for £30 (got run up on the bidding!)
It managed to tow a flat bed trailer with 140 (small) bales of hay on it. (note all on private fields!).
Make sure its rear-wheel drive (there's no traction with front wheel drive cars when nose off ground.)
Also must have a really good clutch, as you'll need to slip it to get the thing moving when load gets to about 2.5 tonnes or more.
Whats more there is so much metal in a Granada/Carlton that the scrappy will probably give you £50 for it afterwards.
On a serious note if you're taking it on the road check the gross train weights, to ensure you're not exceeding the towing weights. Plod is getting very strict on these over the last few months.
|
I'm sorted now, £50 got an L reg Granny Ghia with 11 months MOT everything working and a nice set of alloys!
Haymaking in style
James
|
I'm sorted now, £50 got an L reg Granny Ghia with 11 months MOT everything working and a nice set of alloys!
Run it for 3 months haymaking, whack it on Ebay with 8 months MOT left and you should make a tidy profit!
|
|
|
|
