Looking for suggestions for a winter/travel/possible tow vehicle

[bbinder]

2 years ago (post retirement and pre Covid), Marcia and I drove west from our home in Massachusetts and spent February and (most of) March in the Salt Lake City area. We were able to borrow my son in law's pickup truck (2011 Nissan Titan Pro Crew Cab with a mid-sized bed). It turned out that the truck was perfect for our needs, and we are planning (pandemic allowing) to repeat this trip this winter. But alas, Josh is stationed back in the US and needs his truck. And while we have 4 vehicles (2 sports cars, 2 sedans), none of them is large to travel with all of our skis, clothes for two months, our 68 pound Golden Retriever, and our cat in a large carrier. I am anticipating that I will need to procure another vehicle to accomplish this trip. I am thinking that a large SUV may not give us as much flexibility as a pickup truck, and I am asking for the community's opinion on this. I am thinking that buying a pick up truck may be the way to go and I am looking for people's experience and recommendations. I am not buying new. In fact, my budget would probably limit me to trucks that are 4-7 years old with as many as 75,000 miles (and I am OK with that). I would like to spend less than $25-30,000. I don't need a ton of gizmos, but I do think that I will need 4 wheel drive and a crew cab; We like heated seats, cruise control, satellite radio, and similar features. I would love to have a bed long enough to lay my 180cm skis lengthwise and not at an angle. My track friends are all telling me that I will be putting my track car on a trailer and towing it sooner or later, so I may as well get something that has towing capabilities. Any thoughts/recommendation?

 

[snwbrdr]

Maybe look at a Toyota Tundra, looks like you would like a 6.5' bed to comfortably fit your skis.

 

[Ogg]

If this is an immediate need you're pretty screwed with the current used car market. All of the new(er) full sized trucks have their + and -. Tundras will likely be more reliable but the design is noticeably dated and prices are particularly high. I've been a GM owner for a long time but will admit the interiors and refinement of the Ford and Ram trucks surpass GM in the last couple generations. You will hear a lot of chiming in from fan boys of particular brands but these days it comes down to pick your poison and roll the dice, IMO.

 

[Philpug]

Used truck market is off the nut right now. It’s not what you want but what you willing to settle for. I would not dismiss a Suburban, it is like a pickup with a cap but cab and cargo area connected.

 

[martyg]

I'd personally not want a 4WD truck as a ski vehicle, but AWD SUV with snows. With a box on top, you can haul a lot of gear. IME, my 4WD vehicles never had the sure footedness of AWD, and I tend to run the same rubber on all vehicles, so it is closer to apples to apples.

Our AWD SUV with SkiGuard box (one of the few boxes that don't look like a plastic garbage can - and they can color match) is perfect for my wife and I, and 75 pound Lab in a crate. With stufded Nokiams it is a beast in travels up and down the Rockies in winter, and was one if my go to vehicles for driving up the snowiest road in the world 5 days / week.

 

[scott43]

If you're going to tow a track vehicle (which I whole heartedly encourage!!), you need a slightly more serious vehicle. 5000lb towing capacity really. I've always considered the crew cab with cap as the poor man's Suburban. I'd do an F150 with a cap or a Suburban/Yukon XL.

 

[Andy Mink]

I have, and have had, full size pick ups for the last almost 30 years. By full size, I mean 2500 or 3500 trucks. With a shell they'll fit your needs BUT if you're not going to tow really heavy (I pull a 15K 5th wheel) I think the Suburban will suit your needs. I don't know if they make a heavy duty version but I'd be looking for the one with the most pulling and weight carrying capacity. Stuff expands to fill the available space and enough stuff weighs a lot. A longer wheel base also provides a better, more stable towing platform. Yes, they can be a bit much in tight spots but there are always parking spots in the back 40 and it's good exercise! The Yukon/Suburban will be better in the snow than a P/U unless you have a literally ton in the back to hold the rear end down.

If you do take a look at a P/U, look at the Dodge/Ram Megacab version. With the back seat folded flat there is way more back there than a regular crew cab and you still get a 6' bed. I could comfortably sleep in the back of my Megacab and there is plenty of room for the pooch. Or two. Or three.

 

[ScotsSkier]

you have a large dog and cat in a carrier. In an SUV, you are going to have them sharing space with all your gear. In a crew cab pick-up with a shell, you have all your crap in the bed and the pets in the rear cab, without having to compete with all your gear or having it fall all over them. (I ran a couple of Q7s and various other SUVs before we got our Berner - It took me about a month to realize a truck worked way better. i am now on my third.) You just get more "stuff" space in a truck than even an XL suburban. Contrary to some views i have not found any of them to be less sure footed than any of our SUVs, including Q7, macan turbo, X5M etc. when they are all running snow tires. (locking center diff in 4H works better for me than 4 auto). The shell helps give weight over the back-end as well.

And most decent half ton trucks will tow 5000-10000# Your Cayman on a trailer is probably going to be ~6000 with tires, spares etc so well within the comfort zone. Plus for long distance like you plan most half tons are going to be a whole lot more comfortable than a HD 250(0) or 350(0). I have had no issues doing 800-1000 miles in a day to Montana or Colorado (mammoth to Aspen, 4 up with 30 pairs skis in 12 hours).

just some thoughts based on experience with both. I have a personal preference for Ford, just IMHO better finished and better handling but there are fan boys for all of them so a lot of it comes down to that. The tundra will also drink more gas than most. But, as Phil says, used truck prices are crazy at the moment. If you could live with something just slightly smaller, the Nissan Frontier, while a bit old-fashioned now, offers some great value new and worth a look at the specs...

 

[fatbob]

Are you thinking about this the wrong way in the short term? Rather than an expensive compromise " distress" purchase of a truck why not drive existing vehicles to SLC in convoy and work from there?

Then take the time to explore your longer term needs. I know it's not the gashead answer but....

 

[sparty]

I know you don't want to spend that much, but could you swing a new truck? Because if you can without getting into uncomfortable financial territory, IMO they offer a much better value right now than the stupid prices in the used-vehicle market; reasonably new, good-condition trucks were already silly before Covid hit, and I've seen more than one person on the truck forums mention that they've got dealers offering as much or more than they paid a couple years and thousands of miles ago if they want to sell their trucks back.

Yes, there's an extended wait time, especially right now being at a model-year switchover, but in your shoes, I'd be seriously tempted to look at ordering a 2022 Ford or GM truck (personal bias against Ram and, at least in the past, the Tundras don't seem to have the same payload). With a half-ton, you're more likely to run into payload limitations before you hit GCWR for towing, so I'd try to maximize the available payload while getting the options you really want, if you can get someone to offer an expected delivery in January. Unfortunately, some stuff that's really nice in a ski vehicle (heated seats and a heated steering wheel) has a nasty tendency to push you into more luxury options, which drive up cost and eat payload).

Also, when you get into towing the track car, are you going to want to do it with an enclosed trailer or with an open trailer? IMO, semi-regular use of an enclosed car trailer would make a decent argument for a 3/4-ton gas truck, but that's not an ideal road-trip vehicle when lightly loaded.

Oh, and as someone who drives a crew-cab pickup, I'd say that as long as you don't run out of space for human or pet passengers in the cab, they make a great vehicle for road trips. If we had a bigger dog, I'd be wanting a Suburban (and commit to skis going in a box), because two kids in car seats plus a dog in the footwell in the back would get tight. With a 20-pound pomsky, that's not as much of an issue.

 

[Andy Mink]

they've got dealers offering as much or more than they paid a couple years and thousands of miles ago if they want to sell their trucks back.

Truth. My buddy just sold his '18 F150 that he bought used a couple of years ago for $2500 more than he paid. Crazy when a vehicle is an investment plan! Not that he planned it that way.

 

[bbinder]

Thanks for the replies so far! I am not committed to any particular brand and not committed to used vs new - I am starting this search with an eye towards best value and reliability. As for a caravan with two cars: part of the fun is being on the road together - although we are not talking 100% of the time (I'd love to hear if any couples married for over 35 years do talk to each other all of the time and what they, in fact, talk about...), we enjoy road trips together.

I was initially skeptical about driving cross country in a pick up truck, but I was pleasantly surprised by the comfort and practicality of it. We have a bunch of other moving parts. We live on a smallish lot, and part of our issue is where we would part a 5th vehicle (much less a trailer...). One of our sedans is a 2008 Saab 9-3. We are Saab people from way back and this is our last one. The car runs and rides great, but I think that the writing is on the wall regarding availability of certain parts. Logic would tell us to get rid of it, but we have too much sentimental value tied up with it. Our other sedan is a 2014 BMW 335 x drive, and I frankly do not like it (for all the reasons that people don't like later model BMWs). Marcia, however, loves it and I don't think that she would trade it for a truck.

I am pretty sure that I would go for an open trailler if I was going to tow, so 5-6000lb towing capacity sounds about right. We have 4 tracks that are within a 2 hour drive from our house, so as long as the Cayman is street legal and appropriate (some potential upcoming suspension mods may change this) we can drive to these tracks. At this point, I would rather drive something other than a Cayman to Watkins Glen (6 hour drive). This year, I was able to pay somebody to trailer it, but that is not always an option. I know some people that rent an open trailer from U-haul on thse weekends that they wish to tow, so that would take care of the storage issue. Otherwise...

Finally, I know that a lot of people drive long distances with boxes on their rooftops, but I am paranoid after hearing about a couple of people having their boxes blow apart on the highway. We do have a Thule box that is 15-20 years old - if we did go that route, are there any opinions about the longevity of these things?

 

[sparty]

I bought a used Thule box in 2001 or 2002. I gave it away in 2018 or 2019 and it was still functional, albeit a little finicky to open and close. I'd assume they suffer UV degradation over time (they are plastic), but I have never personally had one fail or known anyone who did. I have seen several leave a ski-area parking lot in a less than fully closed position, which I suspect could lead to failure once the vehicle hits 60.

 

[Philpug]

We do have a Thule box that is 15-20 years old - if we did go that route, are there any opinions about the longevity of these things?

For Sale - Packasport 115-$1,200-25%

The big boy of ski boxes, the one that all others get compared against. Unfortunately, with the rail design of the 2015-20 GMC Yukon XL, a rear opening box does not work with the limited rail position. This is a $2,000 box, yes, Two Kay, so we know it's not inexpensive. This one does have some...

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@Muleski:

I have driven Boston to Panorama BC , round trip, averaging about 85mph, with a 115, loaded with about 16 pairs of race skis. And didn’t really notice it up there.

 

[Andy Mink]

do have a Thule box that is 15-20 years old

We have one that we got in '03 maybe? It's at least 15, not quite 20. I've been using it in the bed of my truck during the ski season for the last several years and @Philpug and @Tricia used it recently to go to SV and back. Of course they NEVER exceed the speed limit and it came back in one piece. They're pretty sturdy as long as you get them clamped down right.

 

[scott43]

I got someone who can make that Saab disappear if you want....

 

[sparty]

Also, I have used a UHaul car hauler once or maybe twice. They're a decent solution for that situation (occasional use) but surge brakes are annoying and I trust UHaul maintenance about as far as I can throw the trailer.

 

[scott43]

And the problem with driving to the track is, you may not be able to drive home. It's the track after all...

 

[Philpug]

And the problem with driving to the track is, you may not be able to drive home. It's the track after all...

If a part does not break at least once, it is over built. -- Colin Chapman

 

[scott43]

Or you just get over-exuberant and stuff it into the wall at a buck twenty.... Or someone stuffs YOU at a buck twenty...