The TOAD

[kentdavido]

So when you're looking for a toad, is mileage an issue for any of you? We have enough cars and want to look for something small and lightweight to pull behind our 364. So does mileage matter when looking for something used? Most of the time you're just pulling it around? What are your thoughts.

[wrapperman]

We purchased a 2008 Honda CRV in 2013 when we bought the 378XL. The Honda had 88,000 miles and the 378XL was new.
Now they are both used so it doesn't make any difference to us.
Not an issue for us. It does not register mileage when towing.

[waiter21]

Reliability - I must have total confidence that the car will not break down while on the road, 2500 miles from home.

With that said, I do all my own maintenance and I won't tow a car unless I have confidence in it, When I say that, I mean I'd be willing to jump in the car and drive it cross country, and not worry about it.

I have several cars I can tow

2001 Honda Civic (220,000 miles) 4 down tow, Currently the grandson is driving it)

2003 Saturn Vue (120000 miles) 4 down tow, engine tranny swap, was an auto, its now a manual) We bought this a year ago as a toad. The previous owner couldn't get it running after they did the engine swap. We picked it up for nothing and got it running. Its in imaculate condition.

2006 Camry (235,000 miles) Dolly tow, Excellent condition.

[360true]

Mileage for us was an issue. We winter in Florida about 15 miles from the grand kids. We see them virtually every day. So we bought a Prius (55-60 mpg). We already had an auto dolly to tow. Only issue it is very low ground clearance for dolly loading and unloading.

[kentdavido]

When I'm talking about mileage I should actually reference purchasing a used vehicle. Do the amount of miles really a effect a used vehicle when you're mostly towing it. We've never purchased a used vehicle but do not have the appropriate one to pull behind our rig.

[CSMRetired]

Originally Posted by kentdavido

When I'm talking about mileage I should actually reference purchasing a used vehicle. Do the amount of miles really a effect a used vehicle when you're mostly towing it. We've never purchased a used vehicle but do not have the appropriate one to pull behind our rig.

I hope I am answering your question

The only thing that will be affected on a properly towed vehicle is tire wear and the normal day to day rocks , bugs and so on. The mileage will not / should not register on your toad.

[wrapperman]

We use to buy new vehicles every 2 years until 5 years ago. Now we buy only used cars, 1 or 2 years old. Cars now a days don't change much from year to year.
After you drive them off the dealer lot they are all used cars
As for our separate tow we purchased a 5 year old car because we only tow it and not drive it around town. We put 7,000 to 9,000 miles a year so it then become a low mileage older car after a few years.
Now if money was not an issue we would be buying a Provost and pulling a Tesla but now I am just dreaming.
We do love our Georgetown.

[kentdavido]

I'd be buying a Newell and the new Bentley Bentayga SUV.... Just dreaming big.

[waiter21]

Regardless if you buy new or used, there will be wear and tear on the Toad.

If you tow 4 down, you'll accumulate wear on tires, wheel bearings, suspension components, shocks, rod arms, control arms, bushings, CV joints, brakes, etc, etc, etc.... About the only thing that won't be wearing will be engine and the drivers seat.

The miles don't show up on the odometer, but we put 10,000 miles a year on our toad while its being pulled behind the MH. These are our daily drivers, so we put about 20,000 on the odometer.

[thomanddebbie]

We tow a 1992 Mazda Miata-covertable, 100,000 plus miles, purrs like a kitten. We bought a dual axle custom trailer with only ramps for the 4 tires so it is lighter and I can move it by hand with little effort. Love feeling the wind blowing across my bald head. thomanddebbie

[kentdavido]

Maybe we should consider the same for our BMW Z4. We love cruising through the mountains with the top down. I never thought about the other wear and tear on the other components besides tires. We've been thinking of getting a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, soft soft because it would be fun.

[thomanddebbie]

At this point in life, it should be a lot about the fun. There is always "UBER" for a breakdown or another wonderful RVr willing to help out. Of course it is just the two of us most of the time. When the kids join us we just leave the Mazda at home and rent a van or whatever. thomanddebbie

[kentdavido]

We've rented from Enterprise and used Uber also. We just picked up our new Georgetown in June and are working through these additional transportation issues.

[Billr]

Kent
Don't forget the cost of the base plate and size of the tow bar. Some cars base plates are a lot more expensive then others. You ever get your RV back from service.


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[kentdavido]

Hey Bill, we're just doing the research on this and I appreciate your insight. We got the rig back Saturday. The refrigerator ice is still screwed up but Daves tried hard and purchased us portable ice machine until they can get this fixed. So we are going to do a couple of the steering and suspension modifications this week and next. So, I'm
pretty jazzed about that. We want to have those complete before we head out before Labor Day. Hope you're having a great summer and everything is working fine on your rig. You take care look forward to connecting up.

[Kevin M.]

Bought a 03 Honda Pilot with 190K miles for $5k, my wife likes driving this more then her Porsche Cayenne Turbo! We needed 3 rows of seats so this is perfect.

[kentdavido]

For us the TOAD wouldn't be driven daily once we were back in town and that is why we started looking at recommended tow vehicles with a little and age and typically higher mileage. That's why we wondered if the mileage mattered as much but now I understand that just because it is not running there are other components that are wearing on the vehicle besides the tires. Thank you for your insight and expertise.