audipwr1

Budget: $25k

Comfortably seats 4

Ideally able to tow 26ft enclosed, but min able to tow car, open trailer with tool bin and spare wheels etc

Reliability a plus

Thoughts?

NorthVan

Used 1 ton diesel pick up

nabenson

You can get a used Tahoe/Yukon or Suburban for that price but it will be at least three or four years old. We got a 37k mile 2012 Yukon Denali used and that is what I use.

25k is probably going to push you back to 2010 in a domestic vehicle.

mooty

25 is tough. spend a bit more get a used duramax of gas yukon

audipwr1

Yukons only tow like 8500 lbs right? Might as well get cayenne or x5 then?

Which year duramaxs are reliable?

Igooz

Get a 2008 F250 or F350 powerstroke with the 6.4L, and not the earlier 6.0L powerstroke.
2008 is by far their highest production volume year. Pretty bullet proof truck/engine.
Lots of options to have been had on these trucks so take your time.

tcsracing1

Play it safe and find a 2010-2012 Dodge Cummins Diesel. Without 4x4 you should beable to find one in your price point. (2007-2009 will also suffice)

No DEF fluid and will run for many many miles trouble free.

Ford diesel trucks can be good and can be bad.... no rhyme or reason.
Duramax is a powerful diesel but can be pricey to work on if the day ever comes.

mooty

all reliable early one had injector issues but should b fixed by now
I would not tow anything enclosed with SUV

etchhead

OP- I just went through this and have a few mountain passes to cross. I was looking at SUVs, but was worried about safety so opted for the truck route. The problem I saw with used (diesel) trucks is the high mileage most had and the lack of any sort of warranty. So in the end I opted for a 2014 F350. Probably too much truck, but feel it will be very safe to pull and stop especially with the exhaust-brake system. This thing is a beast!

montoya

^Damn- now you ask! You are two weeks late, just traded in my 2008 F350 DRW with only 40K miles for less than your budget. For reference I paid 27K two years ago for it with only 25K on the clock.

I suggest you look for another just like mine, but if you need a crew cab it will be tough to stay under your budget but if you are OK with slightly higher mileage it is doable. Generally speaking the F350 2008 to 2010 can be found in 2wd for your price and I would try to find a dually for the added stability and safety with your 26ft trailer. These are solid trucks, can tow anything, comfortable- the only downside is the fuel mileage. If you are the modifying type, you can do a DPF delete and mileage and power will improve significantly. I did it on my old one, mileage increased 2 mpg around town and highwy unloaded, and about 1 mpg towing. Now my new one is about the same as my DPF deleted truck with more power- but that is over your budget however if you think of depreciation, the right new truck with the right deal will depreciate less than an old one- just tying up more money is all.

montoya

The number one rule of towing: You can never have too much truck or trailer.

You won't regret your decision, going up and over Grants pass you need everything you can get. My old F350 was near the limit with a loaded 10K lbs 26ft trailer, but still able to maintain 65 mph up the grade (I never tried it with the DPF deleted). However I had the pleasure of renting a 2013 F250 and the improved HP and torque with the same load was a very nice improvement- less downshifting and drama to maintain 65.


Now for the thoughts of an SUV with a 26ft trailer? No way would I ever consider it.

audipwr1

Thanks

On hunt for f250 or 350 2008 then

Carrera GT

I think this is about the gist of it -- Chev or Fud or Dodge/RAM but definitely a later model diesel (no huge advances in these trucks in the heavy duty 250/2500 class four door pickups since about 2008/2010) and one that's sold privately by the first owner with a complete service history.

ngng

You can pick up a 7.3L F250/F350, chip it, add all the coolers and gauges you'd need, and get a dually easily, under $25k. One of the most reliable tow rigs out there. My buddy tows a 35' gooseneck and both our Miatas. Not a ton of power at max load, but stable. Since you live in CA, I would suggest avoiding the the diesel Ford 6.0 and 6.4 which are the most unreliable trucks ever (unless you do some emissions mods like the EGR delete). I don't know much about Dodge reliability, but from my research they had more power for loads. If you spend closer to your upper limit, I would suggest finding a new Ford 250/350 with a 6.7; that engine is a monumental improvement over the previous generations. I tow a 40' 5th wheel with my car in it and it has power to spare.

Carrera GT

That's all quite true, but a 7.3 well under the $25K budget, and it is a rough ride, no creature comforts and one man's reliable is another man's "constant maintenance headache."
As for the 6.0 reputation, you need to talk to independent service shops. Once you do minor preventative work (intake, turbo and exhaust emissions plumbing) the engine is solid unless asked to deliver more than stock hp and torque.
I've towed most of 100K on a 6.0 Excursion which has never let me down even once and returns 17 mpg all day or 12-14 towing. But just try to find one for $20K even though it's an '05, unless it's a basket case, and the "problem" 6.0's tend to have been abused, so I agree to generally stay away and look to an '08 or '10 and find the budget or reconsider the criteria and budget.
For the $25K budget, I don't have a good example in a four door heavy duty pickup. A gas-guzzler V8 will drink a lot of extra fuel, but a cheaper Suburban or F150 might be logical compromise.
The budget might be reconstructed as a cash flow, or as a total cost of ownership. After all, in any given five year stretch, the total cost of owning a $25K used pickup can be about the same as owning a $45K pickup from purchase to sale including depreciation.
Otherwise, consider a newer model incentive purchase or lease. A new F150 or Dodge RAM. Both are very impressively advanced in their new models and could replace an existing family SUV instead of add a tow vehicle to the stuff parked outside.
That's at least my rationalization and the cash flow on a new F150 (or Chev/GM or RAM to a fair extent) including its retained value and near fungible resale value and usefulness as a family vehicle and utility for DIY pastimes, etc.
The F250 and all the heavy duty vehicles are too big to park, too big to drive in the city, and generally don't earn their pay except when used in those few miles when an F150 would be struggling. If you're towing a 15K trailer or goose/5th every month and long haul 500 miles to the track, the HD pickups pay their way.