There's also the CRD Liberty

there is also the Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9..... with 345ft lb of tq.....and a 2.5ton towing capacity.

dodge reliability.

There's plenty of "grunt" trucks out there....this was prior tow rig.





I'm happy with the Toyota. ;)

He He....you're Crunk! Get back to booking tickets to Le Mans. :fawk:

fixed, and IMHO that would get old quick.

Seriously though, dulley dodge ram 1500 hemi. I've towed extensively with that setup, with 2 cars in an enclosed trailer. 100K miles in a year, once had an alternator issue, and that's about it.

Which is to say? I know Jeeps aren't great, but everyone I know with a Ram loves it. The 5.9 would probably net me about 8mpg, but they did do a 4.7 v8 in the 2000-2003 Dakota that would be perfect. 230hp, 290tq. One of the Cali track guys tows with a 5.2 Ram and says he gets 14mpg towing at 55mph, and the 4.7 replaced the 5.2, so a newer motor in a smaller truck should be perfect.

I test drove two Tacomas today, a 3.4 auto and a 3.4 5speed. They rode like trucks (bad), and the power was decent, but not great. Never even considered a Dakota, though...

I bought a 94 Jeep Grand Cherokee before leaving California mainly for this purpose. Well, and to have a cheep beater vehicle for Nebraska winters. Fixed some long overdue maintenance items and haven't looked back. It wasn't happy about pulling the Miata through the CO mountains, but at 10k+ altitude, there wasn't much air for power. I have about $1600 total in the Jeep right now.

Actually, this is some of the better advise I've heard here. Anything in the Caprice / Crown Vic / Town Car / Grand Marquis would fit the bill for me.

* They're cheap to buy. Decent ones of mid-late 90s vintage sell for $2,000 - $3,000.
* They're cheap to own. Several trillion made, lots of parts available. And if you can get a Police model, you know it's been maintained.
* They all produce Torque in the mid to high 2xx range.
* They get reasonable mileage and are easy(ish) to handle around town.
* They're not trucks.

I'm completely serious. I'd buy one, spend a few hundred on tires and basic maintenance, and then take the rest of the money you saved and bring the car to Earl Schieb / Maaco and have it re-painted in a gruesomely hideous color (for a sedan) like Lotus orange or bright lime green.


There is one other possibility that Spookyfish sorta turned me onto, that's actually somewhat easy to find in the US. The early '90s Jaguar XJ series. The inline 6 version makes 278 ft/lbs, and it's available as a sedan or a ragtop.

The 5.9's aren't that bad. I have a 94 4x4 with 176K that still gets 17 on the highway. My 05 Hemi 4x4 4dr gets 15 interstate, 17 highway. I have always had Ford or Chevy, but my last two trucks have been these Dodges. They have both been trouble free. Cheap to buy as well. 05 has 74K now, the 94 I bought for a beater with 126K so I put 50K on it. The only problem with them is the EGR. The 05 has been repaired and ECU reflashed for it and the 94 gets funked up every year or so. It just won't idle well cold. As it is just a beater I quit fixing it and just deal with it. Idles fine warm.

:perez:

I use to pull my s13 with a 2001 Dodge Ram1500 5.9L 4x4. It did an alright job at around 60-65 mph, but anything over that it didn't really like. Of course being straight axle in the front it didn't ride the best, but never left me stranded. Replace tranny cooler if it hasn't.

I currently pull with a 95 f-350 duallie, I love the power and ability of a diesel and have been researching running it on veggie. Not a practical get around truck but if you got a single of just single cab 3/4 ton diesel you have the rebiability of a diesel great towing capabilities, and I have a friend that just bought an Ext Cab -2 Duramax, he gets 20+ mpg around town.

Ok, I know Alfa's weren't known for their reliability, but you cannot compare this 2007 model to a shitty early 90's Jag...

how about a sil-camino?
Attachment 206562

^- That's hilarious, kind of reminds me of a 914. :facepalm: