I am in the market for another car, something to tow my miata to and from the track 10-12 times a year. I make alot of trips to lake Tahoe which is a 4 hour drive each way and many trips to chico on the weekends, also 3 hours away.

I was thinking a diesel truck. Ford 7.3L, dodge cummins something of that nature.

Now i am thinking something like a 4 runner, ford explorer something more of a "sport" suv.

My budget is about 5k ish. If i can keep it around 5k then i can also afford a flatbed.

I do not plan on towing anything other than a flatbed trailer with my miata on it so the towing capacity could be about 5k lbs. Doesn't need to be a dully.

What are you guys thoughts? I want something reliable that i can drive and put gas into it.

 

Your not going to get much of a vehicle at that price and any diesel you get is going to be high mileage.

I love my Silverado Diesel, way more than you need but the point is that I have had it 50k towing a 32' trailer and about the only issue it has had was the steering column recall.

 

My father has a 96 dodge ram turbodiesel with 150k miles on it. Bought it for 6k which is a decent deal from what I hear, and its ALL completely scratched/beat up. I really don't see you picking up a decent diesel truck for 5k.

 

If you were closer you could buy my 00 F150 for $3800. It can tow the Miata all day long.
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The way I see it you want a beater truck that can tow. The best value is gonna be a diesel. It will tow the most, drive the easiest (especially on any kind of hill) and get the best mileage.

It's too bad you have to buy the biggest trucks to get diesel.

Chris

 

the diesel gets better mpg mixed than just about any SUV on the market...and gets incredible mpg on the pull. You can also ****-stomp gays and miatas in the big truck.

 

Why does everybody think you need a diesel to tow an itty bitty car? You don't. You end up hauling around thousands of pounds of dead weight daily for the occasional LIGHT DUTY towing job. When it will spend 95% of its miles carrying you and <50lbs of "riding around" gear and 5% of its time towing 4500lbs of car and trailer you should choose accordingly. No need for a 6300lb diesel truck with a 12,500lb towing capacity when a 3700lb truck with a 5200lb towing capacity will do just fine. Fuel is still priced high enough to say that just doesn't make sense.

7100lb towing capacity:
2000 Tundra SR5 EXTENDED CAB
2000 TOYOTA TUNDRA SR5 Access Cab 4D V8
00 Toyota Tundra
2000 Toyota Tundra Access Cab
******2002 Toyota Tundra***Single Cab******

5000lb. towing capacity:
1998 Toyota 4Runner, White
2001 TOYOTA 4RUNNER

5200lb. towing capacity:
1996 Toyota T100 4x4

Sell the 20" rims to a gangsta to put on his chevy and pocket the extra cash(std 6 lug pattern):

1996 toyota T100 runs smooth

These should be very reliable choices for the long run if they've been maintained.

 

The diesel makes sense because it gets better MPG on your daily commute, gets exponentially better MPG on the pull, and when you pull its the **** and you get tons of bitches.

Get a ******* Yugo and a rope to pull your shitbox around, I don't give a ****. However, judging from your lack of test-production and inability to secure a respectable mate, you probably need a 1-ton dually to pull your pig-girlfriend around.

 

I have an F350 diesel and it does tow like a dream, but i don't know how much I would want to buy a $5,000 diesel truck. I think you will get a very high mileage one and even though it is a diesel, you will have issues with it. They are very expensive to fix and an engine alone for one cost about $3500 used in decent condition.

I love mine to death for towing, but if all I had to pull was a miata, I would be in a tundra tomorrow. I would be getting a 4X4 tundra for when you go to Tahoe and would be more than capable of pulling the miata. Plus it will be a reliable toyota and a gas engine, so it will be somewhat familiar to work on if needed. Try to get one with the larger 4.7L engine though.

 

i don't think you could do wrong with an older tahoe or suburban if you want an suv in the 5k range(5.7l). deisels are usually expensive and if you find one that cheap it will probably be pretty beat