jbuote
Lieutenant Junior Grade
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2016
- Messages
- 1,001
A little background.
I have a new to me 1967 Cruisers Inc 1532 Camero Tri-hull (15' 1" LOA) with a 71' Johnson 50 HP on it.
I bought the boat in August last year. It was a good choice for me as a first time boat owner to get to know boating and the maintenance and care needed. And it was cheap enough.. Under $500.00 US for boat, engine and trailer.
My 2002 Chevy Blazer doesn't have a tow package on it, but the boat needed some work and a family member has a truck that can tow it, so they offered to do the towing while I worked on it in my yard and finally got to splash it (and fish a little) 15 days ago. All went pretty well!
With the splash going well, it was time to put a tow package on my Blazer.
Dropped it off last week for the check over and have it set up..
There's where the bad news came.. Body mounts are rusted, there's an oil leak in the pan/lower of the engine, Well, a laundry list of things that would need to be fixed.
Mechanic won't put a tow package on my truck. Says it would be a waste of money. Said it would be about 5K just to fix the obvious, then we'd see what else was needed..
Pretty refreshing as most mechanics would just do the work and so what if it failed later.. LOL
Ok. Now to today...
I'm looking at used trucks, SUV's Vans etc..
Been looking at Chevy Tahoe and Dodge Durango, and even Nissan Titan.. (SUV is a bit better for me as daily driver too..)
The problem I'm having is that for my budget, (9-12K) It's hard to find a good towing truck with lower miles. Most I've found are 2000 - 2008 and have anywhere from 130 - 240K miles on them... They still want 12 - 18K for the trucks!
The idea is that yes! I can easily find a truck, SUV, or even some minivans that would tow what I have, but I'm thinking of the future too.
I'm thinking in a few years, I'll probably upgrade (or add another) boat to a larger boat. Maybe 21' or so.
Would like to get a truck now that could tow what I have, and what I might have in a few years. Would hate to have to buy yet another tow vehicle when I upgrade the boat...
Any thoughts from you experienced folks on Tahoe, Titan, Durango, or any other vehicle with high miles?
I MIGHT be able to push about 15-16K at max for the new tow vehicle, but my budget can't go over that...
Any and ALL suggestions, help, experience, advice etc... Is very welcome!
(My boat upgrade budget just became my tow vehicle budget.. Time to start saving for that upgrade again! LOL)
I have a new to me 1967 Cruisers Inc 1532 Camero Tri-hull (15' 1" LOA) with a 71' Johnson 50 HP on it.
I bought the boat in August last year. It was a good choice for me as a first time boat owner to get to know boating and the maintenance and care needed. And it was cheap enough.. Under $500.00 US for boat, engine and trailer.
My 2002 Chevy Blazer doesn't have a tow package on it, but the boat needed some work and a family member has a truck that can tow it, so they offered to do the towing while I worked on it in my yard and finally got to splash it (and fish a little) 15 days ago. All went pretty well!
With the splash going well, it was time to put a tow package on my Blazer.
Dropped it off last week for the check over and have it set up..
There's where the bad news came.. Body mounts are rusted, there's an oil leak in the pan/lower of the engine, Well, a laundry list of things that would need to be fixed.
Mechanic won't put a tow package on my truck. Says it would be a waste of money. Said it would be about 5K just to fix the obvious, then we'd see what else was needed..
Pretty refreshing as most mechanics would just do the work and so what if it failed later.. LOL
Ok. Now to today...
I'm looking at used trucks, SUV's Vans etc..
Been looking at Chevy Tahoe and Dodge Durango, and even Nissan Titan.. (SUV is a bit better for me as daily driver too..)
The problem I'm having is that for my budget, (9-12K) It's hard to find a good towing truck with lower miles. Most I've found are 2000 - 2008 and have anywhere from 130 - 240K miles on them... They still want 12 - 18K for the trucks!
The idea is that yes! I can easily find a truck, SUV, or even some minivans that would tow what I have, but I'm thinking of the future too.
I'm thinking in a few years, I'll probably upgrade (or add another) boat to a larger boat. Maybe 21' or so.
Would like to get a truck now that could tow what I have, and what I might have in a few years. Would hate to have to buy yet another tow vehicle when I upgrade the boat...
Any thoughts from you experienced folks on Tahoe, Titan, Durango, or any other vehicle with high miles?
I MIGHT be able to push about 15-16K at max for the new tow vehicle, but my budget can't go over that...
Any and ALL suggestions, help, experience, advice etc... Is very welcome!
(My boat upgrade budget just became my tow vehicle budget.. Time to start saving for that upgrade again! LOL)
Last edited: