ISO the Ideal Tow Vehicle

[TravelGypsy]

My idea is to get out on the road for several weeks at a time, exploring the natural beauty of the western states. The NP's in UT are high on that list. I also have a daughter in AZ and contacts in TX and AL who have invited me for visits, so at some point I may plan a trip across the southern states...all depends on how I feel about the experience. I've also been giving serious thought to spending several months of the year workamping to help stretch my fixed income. I already have enough experience to know that I'm unlikely to ever pull a trailer much longer than what I have - a slide for added width may be nice - but I like compact living in general.

I'm giving this plan 2 years to determine if I want to continue the RV'ing lifestyle. Although I have camped all my life, going it solo will be a new experience and I think 2 years is a reasonable amount of time to give it a fair shake. If I'm enjoying the lifestyle and want to continue, the next decision will be if I'm happy with my rig or want to change it up with a different TV, TT or both.

With that plan in mind, I want to make only a modest investment in my initial rig. I don't think my budget can handle the cost of a vehicle much newer than 2011, so I've been looking at 2006-2011 SUV's and trucks. (Besides, I'm really not a fan of bigger is better and vehicles seem to grow larger with every passing year!)

With this added information, any more thoughts to share?

Thanks,
Terrie

[GreenImp]

I feel like a 2011 Grand Cherokee should be on your short list. That was the first year of the current generation and was nicely redesigned. It's smaller than the Nissan Armada and with the optional V8, towing capacity is 7200 (watch your paylaod!). Carmax currently has 21 V8 optioned 2011's starting around 21k.

Check the link I posted in post #5 above. From there you can click on the older model years to see all vehicles that should meet your towing needs.

PS...I have never been a fan of Jeep products (admittedly for no real reason) and have never recommended one. BUT...I recently had a Grand Cherokee for a rental and really liked it...plus it seems to closely meet your preferred criteria.