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Tow Vehicle


Rover1

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Lent out our tow vehicle to some great friends and they totaled the Land Rover. Everyone is fine and we are looking for a new tow vehicle. I am smitten with the Mercedes Benz GLK350 towing capacity is 3500#s, we have a 09 VLX and only tow about 5 miles to the lake...2 times a month max. Would anyone risk this? I have seen minivans tow malibu boats before. We are looking at the Q7 by Audi and the XC90 by Volvo as well, but I like the Benz much more and the price point is lower. Would love to get your take...thanks.

How about a full-sized truck or suv BUILT IN AMERICA? Ford, Dodge, Chevrolet? Ever heard of those? :usa::chevy::ford::vomit: on foreign cars...

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Hahaha! I love these threads. Yes! Buy an F450 dually and then install load leveling airbags and a boost controller to tow your runabout 10 miles a month! Then when you get to the lake, make sure you overload your boat with ballast and people, because only towing is dangerous.

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I would recommend you take a look at the comparisons of reliability in Consumer Reports. If you don't take it you can go to the library. April is the Auto report issue and each month they have a list in back that tells when the variuous cars were tested.

We have a 2007 E 350 sport sedan 4 matic we ordered new. It is my wifes driver and she refused to pay the gas guzzler tax for the E 550. I am glad she held her guns and have discovered the 268 hp was plenty enough in the mid size sedan. It has plenty enough passing power on the 2 lane highways in the Oregon Cascade mountain range. Not Porsche speed but then nothing is. We are exceptionally happy with this E 350 Benz. Perfect balance of QUIET, Handling, AWD, Braking, Comfort. A much more comfortable car than the BMW or the Audi.

In 2007 an E 350 4Matic V6 sedan was the same price new as an ML 550 4Matic V8 SUV. Five years later they want the same for a Nissan Armada as an ML 550 was then.

If you desire handling you have to consider the German SUV's first. Maybe a slightly used ML 500 / 550, V8 Toureg, Audi Q7. One overlooked vehicle is the Late model Acura MDX. One of my Porsche buddies has one and loves it

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I would recommend you take a look at the comparisons of reliability in Consumer Reports. If you don't take it you can go to the library. April is the Auto report issue and each month they have a list in back that tells when the variuous cars were tested.

We have a 2007 E 350 sport sedan 4 matic we ordered new. It is my wifes driver and she refused to pay the gas guzzler tax for the E 550. I am glad she held her guns and have discovered the 268 hp was plenty enough in the mid size sedan. It has plenty enough passing power on the 2 lane highways in the Oregon Cascade mountain range. Not Porsche speed but then nothing is. We are exceptionally happy with this E 350 Benz. Perfect balance of QUIET, Handling, AWD, Braking, Comfort. A much more comfortable car than the BMW or the Audi.

In 2007 an E 350 4Matic V6 sedan was the same price new as an ML 550 4Matic V8 SUV. Five years later they want the same for a Nissan Armada as an ML 550 was then.

If you desire handling you have to consider the German SUV's first. Maybe a slightly used ML 500 / 550, V8 Toureg, Audi Q7. One overlooked vehicle is the Late model Acura MDX. One of my Porsche buddies has one and loves it

I love European vehicle styling, but CR lists them usually as the most unreliable vehicles you can own. What has your experience been?

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One overlooked vehicle is the Late model Acura MDX. One of my Porsche buddies has one and loves it

We have a Honda Pilot Touring, same powertrain as the MDX with eight passengers and our RLX behind it. It's at it's max if not over the GCWR, with the tow rating at 4500lbs. Granted we only tow like this once or twice a year for a 2 mile trip to the lake. Most of the time it's the five of us several times a week.

So I wouldn't recommend the MDX or H Pilot for towing a WVLX.

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How about a full-sized truck or suv BUILT IN AMERICA? Ford, Dodge, Chevrolet? Ever heard of those? :usa::chevy::ford::vomit: on foreign cars...

Pretty sure as I read your post I heard dueling banjos playing.

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Pretty sure as I read your post I heard dueling banjos playing.

Supporting American products… and you hear…... banjos? Nope, you hear me waving my AMERICAN FLAG as high as I can hold it because I love our country and encourage those that live here to support it financially. (Keep buying foreign and you'll keep that puzzled look on your face because your 401k is in the tank, you might figure it out someday.) :crazy::salute:

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Supporting American products… and you hear…... banjos? Nope, you hear me waving my AMERICAN FLAG as high as I can hold it because I love our country and encourage those that live here to support it financially. (Keep buying foreign and you'll keep that puzzled look on your face because your 401k is in the tank, you might figure it out someday.) :crazy::salute:

Dead On! No kraut burner or rice burners for me.

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The diesel Audi Q7 with tow package I believe is rated around 7,500 lbs. It would be a great daily driver as the mileage is pretty good. I was considering this earlier this year but needed more room than it had. No way I would tow with a vehicle rated for 2,000 pounds less than the load.

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Here is an American Made in extra large built on a Freightliner chassis

From what I see, Conquest is a Canadian company. Is the Knight built in the US? Either way, I want one. Anyone got $630,000 I can have?

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Supporting American products… and you hear…... banjos? Nope, you hear me waving my AMERICAN FLAG as high as I can hold it because I love our country and encourage those that live here to support it financially. (Keep buying foreign and you'll keep that puzzled look on your face because your 401k is in the tank, you might figure it out someday.) :crazy::salute:

:plus1:

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Supporting American products… and you hear…... banjos? Nope, you hear me waving my AMERICAN FLAG as high as I can hold it because I love our country and encourage those that live here to support it financially. (Keep buying foreign and you'll keep that puzzled look on your face because your 401k is in the tank, you might figure it out someday.) :crazy::salute:

:usa:

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Supporting American products… and you hear…... banjos? Nope, you hear me waving my AMERICAN FLAG as high as I can hold it because I love our country and encourage those that live here to support it financially. (Keep buying foreign and you'll keep that puzzled look on your face because your 401k is in the tank, you might figure it out someday.) :crazy::salute:

Ridiculous. I support plenty of American companies with my business and am happy to do so, but the auto industry doesn't get a free pass. Some of us don't like rewarding the UAW for putting out a sub-par product when we can get higher quality for our money. As for supporting American auto industries, you should do a bit of research. The #1 and #2 most American made vehicles in the country are a Toyota and a Honda.

http://www.cars.com/go/advice/Story.jsp?section=top&subject=ami&story=amMade0611

The Ford and GM pickups aren't even in the top 10 anymore.

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Supporting American products… and you hear…... banjos? Nope, you hear me waving my AMERICAN FLAG as high as I can hold it because I love our country and encourage those that live here to support it financially. (Keep buying foreign and you'll keep that puzzled look on your face because your 401k is in the tank, you might figure it out someday.) :crazy::salute:

Dead On! No kraut burner or rice burners for me.

:plus1:

Do you guys understand that a lot of foreign owned car manufactures make more of their cars and components here in the US then the Big 3? My 'foreign' Tundra is assembled in Texas and more then 80% of it's parts are made here in the US as well. Can't say the same for any Dodge or GM truck 1/2 ton. Just because a company is American owned doesn't mean that the product they are selling was made here or that the product creates jobs here.

I'm not going to change anyone's mind on this issue so this is the last I'll say about it. Hi-jack over

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Keep in mind it's not all about where the vehicle is built. It takes an awful lot of time and people to engineer a vehicle. All these arguments always focus on where it is built and I think the engineering gets forgotten.

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I love European vehicle styling, but CR lists them usually as the most unreliable vehicles you can own. What has your experience been?

We have had no trouble at all with the 2007 E 350 4 matic.

I was warned when we bought it that we would have problems once it was out of warranty. So far that was wrong.

We had zero issues with the 1999 Avalon. In the year 2000 we drove it across the USA and put lots of miles on it. An economical highway cruiser with lots of room.

We had zero issues with the 2001 Avalon which replaced the 1999 Avalon. It was an improved car and we kept the 2001 until we ordered the 2007 E 350 4matic. Avalons are among the most reliable cars available. Very roomy, 31 highway mpg, quiet enough.

I had zero issues with my 1997 and 1999 Lexus LS 400 sedans. In the early 2000's we put lots of miles on the 1999 LS 400. We drove all over the West Coast, Arizona to British Columbia. Gotta be the absolute best freeway car for covering long distance in. Very quiet, lots of power, killer music box, and smooth ride. Trouble Free and we thought nothing of jumping in and cruising to Southern California for a concert , or whatever. The LS 400's are just plain a pleasure to take a trip in.

The E 350 4 matic handles better than the LS 400, has about the same power and gas mileage, but is a little more firm in its ride. The E 350 is also Lexus quiet, except for the high performance tires on the Benz. All of my cars have been running on high line Michelins since 1999. The Lexus tires are softer.

The 2006 Carrera is trouble free. The 1999 Carrera had several issues being the first year for watercooled Porsches. The issues with the 1999 model year Porsches are well known and it each case I just replaced the 1999 part with the later model year part which fixed the problem.

I have only driven domestic pickups since 1987. Two Fords, two GM's. I had some exhaust manifold issues with both Fords and my 1997 Chevy 454. When I tow I was hauling _ _ S ! My 2002 Duramax appears that it will outlast me. It is Rough Riding, leaves some smell in the garage are the negatives. The original 245/75 R 16 tires are inadequate. I like most folks have gone to the 265/75 R 16 Load Range E Michelin highway tires.

Edited by DONTW8
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Im with the idea of buying your MB for your everyday driver. Pick up a used crew cab truck or suburban or expedition, whatever, to tow with. I drive a half ton silverado and am seriously considering buying a 3/4 ton for my next truck. Sure, the 1/2 pulls the boat fine, but there is NO comparison to how a 3/4 ton tows. Starting, stoping, every aspect of towing is more solid. I would never consider towing with a vehicle that is rated under the weight of my boat.

In the past two years, I have had too many "that will never happen to me" events happen. And when they do, they are non-reversable.

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