Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp

[Rocket88]

I need to find [and quick] a large lump of reasonably priced shite with a towbar. Must be very comfy, and capable of towing large single axle caravan. In exchange, I have my '94 BMW 525 Touring tdsi auto. Only reason I need to get rid is that I'm due to have a back op shortly, and the driving position in the Beemer is crippling me. [Why do the Krauts always seem to think that a park bench is appropriate seating in a bloody car] Beemer is mot'd ''till next April, tax until Sept 96k service history, and a lovely car, unless your orthopedically challenged. Anyone anything that would fit the bill?

[garethj]

You wouldn't want to swap with my motorbike, but it might be worth hunting out a Saab 9000 for your towing duties? Seats are very comfortable!

[pogweasel]

I suppose our focus is a bit too 'piddly'. Nicely comfy, though.

[mk2_craig]

Have been meaning to give you a call to see if you still had the 205...

[Rocket88]

Mr P Weasel....possibly not, driven a Focus before, and was impressed, can you pm me your number, or bell me on 07797 730957Craig; 205 sold, but do have some other old tat to get rid of..............

[Milford Cubicle]

Buy my Scorpio! It is about 700 miles away from you and in fairly scabby condition but it does have 230lb/ft of torque (gr8 4 towin etc), runs on anything you care to put in the fuel tank and is supremely comfy.

[mk2_craig]

Tell me more about the BM. Anything stopping it from passing a DVS inspection? I'll be looking to shift my Mondeo but it can't change hands any earlier than next Thursday or I'll get hit for VRD to the tune of £380!

[pompei]

Dunno whether anyone here has one spare, but a big Citroen is probably your best bet for comfy and tow-car

[Rocket88]

Craig; BM should breeze DVS, by the way, did you know that VRD and VED have both been scrapped?The venerable Mr P Weazel are I are entering negotiations ref Focus/BMW deal, but I have to check if the Focus is legal weightwise to tow my caravan.Big Citroen sounds good, as do Saab 9000 and Volvo 850.

[Twiggy]

Volvo 2/7/940 ? Serious shite, surely ? Big, comfy, and ugly. Towing shite you can be proud of

[mk2_craig]

did you know that VRD and VED have both been scrapped?

I did. I re-registered the Mondeo 30/7/07 and should have paid the £380 on that date but managed to get the duty exempted by saying yes to the following:Had owned car for >6 monthsWas relocating (back) to Jersey permanentlyIntended to keep car for at least one yearSoon as a change of ownership is recorded on the DVS system, a link to the Customs computer performs a check whether it's been in my name for over 12 months. If not then I automatically get invoiced for the full amount.Towbar's been the main reason I was hanging on to the Mondeo really - and I've only actually used it once to lug a boat up a slipway! I'd rather replace it with a 125cc scooter of some sort, or maybe an XR2, but let me know if the Pogmobile isn't man enough (wouldn't have thought it'd be any less capable than the Mondeo though).

[Rocket88]

It's not so much the power of the car, it's the kerb weight. I've towed with some hilariously unsuitable vehicles ['54 Ford Pop with a 455 Buick lump springs to mind.......] and it can get a bit scary. It's one of the reasons I bought the Beemer, as they weigh a lot!

[Richard]

For a caravanner with back problems the SAAB 9000 is an excellent choice. A bit thirsty though, and there's no diesel option. A decent Citroen Xantia would be a good choice. 1500kg towing limit on the 110 HDi, 50mpg solo and the suspension leaves the seats with much less work to do. The only downside is that the seats can be poor on the later versions. You probably know this already but towing anything more than 85% of the towcar's weight is generally not recommended but legally you can tow up to the weight given in the car's handbook, which can be well over 100%.

[Rocket88]

I think I've narrowed it down to the following;Saab 9000Volvo 850 [plus other large Volvo types]Citroen XM [risky.......]Granada/Scorpio All very comfy, I would pref Estate and auto variant, not bothered wether dizzler or petrol, must have towbar. Would be prepared to put a bit of cash with Beemer to get something nice, so all of you car trading blokes, please scour your usual sources! If asked the venerable Mr Weasel to post some pics of the Beemer that I've sent him.

[Volksy]

I've had a couple of 9000's and an 850 Estate, all were great cars.The Saabs are roomy, very comfortable, however front drive and no Diesel option. Loads of toys, most of which still worked and a massive boot. The gearboxes seem weak (manuals), was the death of both of mine, and seemed to go without any warning. 850 was an awesome mile muncher, it was the 2.0 20v 5 pot, glorious noise, great performance, and very few faults despite its mileage (was closing on 200k before i sold it on), the boot trim and loadcover/dog net fell to bits, and the Valves stems even on low mileage ones have a tendency to varnish up and stick, but regular treatment with an anti varnish fuel additive soon stopped that. However can be heavy on front tyres, and although you can get a dizzler and 4wd, you still pay a premium for them.I'd go for the Volvo myself.

[pogweasel]

BEHOLD! Pics of ColC's BMW:

 

 

 

 

 

LOVELY.

[mk2_craig]

Ooh very nice. ^^^ Venue = Jersey Airport :)Dad bought a year-old 855AWD in 1997 and still has it, car's on about 60k now so barely run-in for a Volvo! Eats knackered old Cosworths for breakfast and crosses fields faster than a tractor. I considered having it off him before getting the Mondeo but I think there might be an issue with attaching a towbar to it, I'm sure someone told me that the back end underside is well different from a standard 850 estate therefore if a towbar can actually physically be accommodated it will no doubt have to be a bespoke and very rare Volvo item rather than the less expensive third party items from Witter etc.

[Richard]

I found one at Towequipe. A bit dearer than the average aftermarket towbar but it could be worse.

[Gompo]

Not to put too much of a downer on Saab 9000's - but although I like them a lot I sometimes suffer from back problems and have found the seats to be a bit uncomfortable. Might be because I am 6'3/6'4 tall but I fiddled with the seat a fair amount and although I had the right amount of room it just didnt seem to get on with my back....This was on a 100k mile example with leather seats, maybe they'd moulded to the previous owners body or something.Cheers, Greg.

[Rocket88]

Offered massive Merc 560, got all excited, then found out you can't fit a towbar because it buggers up the self levelling suspension [which seems to a contradiction in terms, !] Still looking, Money plus beemer for the right car!