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what non 4x4 towcar would you go for if you only had a budget of £3000?

i am probably looking at a diesel engined car, make and model not too important, however reliability and fuel economy is!!

would be looking to tow about 1400kg max. and would also be used as my everyday car.

what would you choose?

simon.

is there much difference towing wise between the 115 and 130 versions of the mondeo?

simon.

for £3k your looking at tdci`s in the age  range that had the injector problems.bit of a gamble & i dont think id risk any tdci older than 05 regd. spend £2k max and get a tddi 115bhp but then your at 2002 at the latest and looking at mega milers....

my 2002 VW passat tdi 130  is great with or without the van. Not all 2002 cars have done mega miles. Mine has not turned 60k yet.

No doubt someone will come along in a minute that says theirs isn't any good.

Quote: Originally posted by scarr1 on 19/10/2009

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is there much difference towing wise between the 115 and 130 versions of the mondeo?

simon.

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I have no idea, I asked the question when I bought mine and was told that the 115 would do the job very well. I have run it for 3 years now and I can safely say that whilst towing a 1450kg caravan I have never come across a situation where I need more power or torque. I travel at 55mph on the motorway in 5th gear ( top ) with the cruise set and never have to touch it unless traffic conditions change or I need to slow down for intersections. I average 35mpg whilst towing and 49mpg when not towing. The best towing figure I have had was 39mpg and the worst was 31mpg, the best not towing was 62mpg and the worst was 46mpg. The 115 is i the £125 tax bracket so overall I am pleased with it.

People will tell that they are not reliable, and yes there are issues with Dual mass Flywheels, and injectors but the same can be said of all the other manufacturers small diesel enginesd cars. I have had no problems and I no of a lot of other people who have hadno problems, in fact nobody that I know personally has had any of these problems with their Mondeo. However My son has had two Skoda Octavias and both had DMF issues, my brothers A4 had injector issues that nobody seemed able to cure, and the Octavia he has now is starting to show DMF issues.

When we had a blow out on our single axle caravan this year at 55ish mph on a motorway I was thankful to own a 4x4, it probably saved a seroius accident or worse and proved its worth, £2000 Range Rover, with your budget you should be able to find something decent.

Just a thought for today, good luck with your search.

A Volvo V70 TDI diesel estate with the Volkswagen engine in it, ours has now covered 185,000 miles and is still on the original engine, gear box etc.  It averages 45 mpg for normal driving, 25 mpg when towing.  Pulls like a train as lots of torque low down.  Very reliable and solid built cars and will last a lifetime if looked after. Insurance group 12, max towing weight of 1600kg and ours has lots of toys, heated seats etc.

Good luck in your search. 

I like the Octavias but am wondering if they're just a little on the light side for a 1400kg van.

Quote: Originally posted by TammyCampers on 23/10/2009

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love the way the people suggesting the Mondeos are following it up with "dont listen to the scaremongers"..lol.  and I'm not sure a 2 grand Range Rover will be very economical?.. hmmm ...I'd go with a well looked after diesel V70,  of possibly an older 5 series touring?...

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We now have a Passat 1.9TDCi estate. We have an auto as hubby has had two knee ops.  We have also towed with a Mondeo 03 reg,  a Kia Sedona and a Pajero.

Loved the towing abilities of the Sedona and Pajero but couldn't justify the diesel consumption on everyday small journeys, and sorry to say didn't listen to the scaremongers on the Mondeo and hit the usual injector problems (not DMF as it was an auto).  Repairs on these DO cost a lot of money.

The Passat is great.  Copes with 2 adults, 3 teenagers, 65 kg of dogs, loaded caravan and bikes for a fortnight holiday and just keeps going. Ours has high mileage but doesn't feel like it, and still gets very acceptable mpg on my daily commute.

We knew nothing about these cars, never owned German before, but we are more than happy.