help did all my sums kerb weight 1505kg max train weight 3100kg did my 85% worked out at 1275 rang vauxhall for maximum tow weight couldnt tell me some idiot on the phone probably a spotty teenager with no clue why he was awake told they would ring back didnt i forgot all about it "thought my sums were right" saw a lovely caravan 1 owner immaculate in my budget and what i thought was in my weight range 1070kg un laiden bought it using the money i had saved for the summer holiday "money well spent i thought" new towbar fitted, 2 days finding a place too go in pembrokeshire that had room THEN spotty teenager wakes up a week later and remembers to ring me ooooooooo maximum tow weight for my zafira 1000kg ************************** new i should have book Ibiza for 2 weeks . rant over now i feel better

anyone got a spare car

Depends if he looked up the right model;

http://www.uktow.com/towing%20capacity.asp#tab1

I think you have a 2.0dti and that can be 1050kg, close enough to try it and see how it goes.

Mutley

We started caravanning with a 1.8 petrol Zafira Design. Bertha (our van) is a 5 berth Abbey MTPLM 1245. It towed fine but didn't like hills much. We didn't have any problems until we slid about in the snow - then we swopped it for Tessie the Two Ton Terracan.

It could be that the difference between the 1.6 and the 1.8 are what is scuppering you. It could be the fab new car is much lighter to save on your fuel - great for fuel economy, crap for towing. I can't advise you really - you could do what we did (swap an 07 Zafira with 20k on the clock for a 53 Terracan with 60k on the clock - pretty much a straight swap with no cash to add) , but you would lose a great deal of money on your Zafira. You could buy a cheap car as you suggested. You could store the van for a year, then sell the car? You could get someone else to tow it for you?

I'd love to be able to wave a magic wand for you!

Best of luck.

Quote: Originally posted by mutley1969 on 12/6/2010

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The car is a zafira 1.6 design 2010 petrol the caravan is an abbey the unladen weight is 1075 The MLTPM is 1293.

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Ahh no, thats the sort of thing that happens to us :(

I doubt you'd find it hard to sell a Zafira as they are popular cars.  I'd recommend Autotrader as a good place to sell a car.  A couple of month's ago we bought a Ford Galalxy that was advertised as having a higher psi than it did so had to resell it but by then we'd stuck DVD players in the headrests so we sold it with the proper psi rating for more than we paid for it and bought another one with the correct psi rating and we know that we could easily sell it for a profit again but dh likes the car.

The DVD headrests are the selling point :)

hth and you end up with a great towing car

Zafiras have always had a low tow limit, also I wouldn't like to tow a 1290kg van with a 1.6 petrol, it would do it but it will be hard work.

I would flog the car and buy a diesel people carrier, maybe a Seat Alhambra diesel? or Galaxy? then maybe get it chipped up if its an older version that has no warranty, a friend has an old Alhambra chipped and really likes it.

Quote: Originally posted by mutley1969 on 12/6/2010

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the thought crossed my mind about selling the zafira but would loose too much money as its only 10 week old and its the wifes so i will either have to buy a cheap estate diesel to get me on holiday with or try n swap my 57 clio for a bigger car that will tow it , picking the caravan up sunday in the zafira so it will be unladen at 1070 see how it goes , i can always load the stuff in the car and leave the caravan empty managed to fit everything in the old zafira when we used to go camping ile just have to weight and see

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that is probably the best idea yet and 1 i hadnt thought of

thanks