Nah.. I just want to be efficent.. Less Vehicles..

Pfft, you own a BOAT. You're already well beyond efficiency worries...

I don't like 30% unused vehicles lying around.. I want to get rid of my
Silverado that I just use for towing.

Like has been suggested, get a beater pickup truck and use it only for the
boat or other hauling needs.

Dave Hall wrote:
On 21 Aug 2006 13:05:21 -0700, "Jeffrae" wrote:


Don White wrote:

Del Cecchi wrote:

Jeffrae wrote:


RWD With reinforced frame and tow package..
I was always able to tow my Bass Boat in the 80's with a car..
Now with these FWD unibody Crap, Forget it!

Trucks Guzzle too much gas for daily driving and I am not getting a
vehicle just to use when towing.

Jeff


Then sell the boat or find a place to leave it in the water/dry storage.
Can't tow a boat with a prius or a smartcar.


With the low lease rated Ford was offering for it's Ranger trucks
(2500-3500lb towing capacity) you should be able to afford one.
I did!

It is not a matter of affording.. I just don't want to be wasting money
on gas when the truck is just getting me to work.. I don't care if the
mpg goes to hell when towing. It is the commuting..


Buy an old beater truck to tow with and a small ricer to commute with.
It should be OK if the boat goes into water close to home. If not,
make the truck a little less of a beater. The cost of the two combined
would be less than any framed car that was ever able to tow a boat
and the combined MPG should be much better than any car with an engine
large enough to need a frame for boat towing. I don't know of any car
ever built with a frame and an engine large enough to tow a boat
(assuming a boat large enough to need a framed car to tow it) that got
anywhere near 30 MPG.

Crown Victoria / Grand Marquis will approach 30 MPG with a 5000 lb. tow
rating.

The problem is, the last year it had a published 5000 lb. tow rating was
1995, even though the car is significantly improved & on a stronger
frame now, with rack & pinion steering & rear air suspension "to boot".

A retired(or new, even, if you know the "trick") Police Interceptor
would be a good starting point for a very capable tow vehicle.

As for GM, the 2006/2007 FWD Police Impala will deliver 18 cty/27 hwy
MPG with the 5.3L 303 HP V-8, and may have a reinforced chassis & unit
body to assist w/ towing duties.

I currently tow with a Taurus, and the road manners are very nice, as
well as the FWD grip at ramps, but it is underpowered. It gets about
twice the economy of a 4.2L Trailblazer/Envoy in all conditions, though.

Rob


I don't think that the framed SUVs get any worse
gas mileage than framed cars with comparable tow ratings. Methinks you
just want to rant against SUVs or sumthin' ;-)