Big diesel towcar?

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Wed 17 Jul 2002 12:48
Big diesel towcar? - Phil G
My uncle's Senator CD 24V is having major autobox troubles and is generally been dying a death. It has been a great towcar for his huge double axle caravan with that torquey 204bhp straight 6.

However, the fuel economy was pretty dire and the towing took major strain on the tired mechanical components of the car. So now we are on the lookout for a big diesel that will tow a large caravan and still be relatively economical for day to day use. The budget is as cheap as possible. Under £4k. I have suggested Audi 100 2.5TDI and Volvo 850 TDI. Any other suggestions?
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Wed 17 Jul 2002 23:42
Big diesel towcar? - twinturbo
i usedto have a Citreon CX diesel absolutely perfect for towing as the Citreons hydraulic suspesion & brakes are the best!
So i will echoe the Xm Td Diesel as the others , failing that a TD Volvo six cylinder woulld be good, one point about the 4x4's. I usedto have a few Box trailers before i changed to vans andi used to have two Range rover TD's for this, the problem was that the suspension is far too soft unless you spend out on a towing spring kit which is not cheap! Another thing about the Volvo's are they have an extremely good turning circle for such a large car, which is very useful if you have to reverse a Trailer/caravan into a tight space!

Good luck

TT
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Sun 21 Jul 2002 23:29
Big diesel towcar? - Cyd
Rover 825 TD. I know several people who've used various flavours of 800s to tow with (I've used a 827 to tow a car on a trailer). They're very stable and decent load luggers in there own right. For 4 grand you could get a spanking good one. Ok, a bit low on kudos, but a late (95 to 99) model would do you right.
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Mon 22 Jul 2002 22:39
Big diesel towcar? - Phil G
Well, to follow up the story, I have seen the Senator replacement today. It is a 1992 J Audi 100 2.8 V6 Quattro. It was purchased from a guy who was clearly and enthusiast of the marque, having owned it for 9 years had a vast collection of bills and history for the car. It appears very sound with very good paintwork and clean interior.

My uncle beat this guy down from his asking price of £2100 to a bargain £1850. The economy may not be there but at that sort of price who can complain?

Anyone interested in a good condition J plate Senator 24v with a broken autobox? :)
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Tue 23 Jul 2002 20:46
Big diesel towcar? - Cyd
sounds like a great buy. Bet this puts a smile on your face fit to cut your head off!!
Let us know how you get on with it.
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Mon 22 Jul 2002 23:52
Big diesel towcar? - robert
On the basis that you don't tow all the time - how about a 3.0 Omega. Excellent for towing an good on fuel/performance for the remaining 99% of the time.
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