Fast Mopar
Houston, TX
Senior Member
Joined: 05/03/2005
View Profile
|
This is a non-issue. I tow a 2003 2700 lb 12 ft Jayco Qwest 12A popup with my 98 Chevy Lumina. The Lumina is a slightly larger cousin to the Malibu. Yes, I have the 3.1 V6, but it is only rated at 160 horsepower. OK, the V6 has more torque, but not much, and the Lumina weighs a few hundred pounds more than the Malibu. The Malibu would probably make a better tow vehicle, and I hope to find out soon because my dad has a 2002 Malibu that I will probably buy soon. The independent rear suspension handles the load without a problem. The car honestly handles the trailer just fine, and it was cheap to set it up. There are better hitches around than mine (I have a class II U-Haul hitch). I also have a 7 way round light plug.
2004 Ford Freestar 4.2 liter
2003 Jayco Qwest 12A
preserve the Second Amendment
|
Road Ruler
Canada
Senior Member
Joined: 09/11/2003
View Profile
|
whaapala wrote:Oh boy now Im even more confused than ever! The problem with this is these people are my friends. They have children who will be riding in the Malibu while its towing. They dont know if its safe either which is the problem. I can tell you the car isnt a V6 its a 4cyl so it doesnt have that extra power. Does that info help any?
EDIT TO ADD: The popup weighs 1500lbs
The problem is that few RV dealers or hitch stores know much about setting up and connecting cars to trailers.
In time this may change as cars are used all over the world for towing but in North American there is a lag in the trend and time is required to get the right folks up to speed on the proper techniques.
Then again like FMopar reported the GM's seem capable and a 1,500 lb pop up is not that heavy.
|
whaapala
SE CT
New Member
Joined: 05/07/2007
View Profile
 Offline
|
Ok I called my local camper sales/repair place. They have a hitch that they say will make it so it can be done. With new brakes and the hitch installed would be about $500. My friends dont want to pay that much but atleast we now know what it would take!
Wayne & Melissa in CT
|
Caddywhompus
Southeast WI
Senior Member
Joined: 06/27/2001
View Profile
Offline
|
whaapala wrote:Oh boy now Im even more confused than ever! The problem with this is these people are my friends. They have children who will be riding in the Malibu while its towing. They dont know if its safe either which is the problem. I can tell you the car isnt a V6 its a 4cyl so it doesnt have that extra power. Does that info help any?
EDIT TO ADD: The popup weighs 1500lbs
The truth is a 1500 pound popup is towable by almost ANY vehicle that you can buy a hitch for. That is under class I towing and really light. In fact, at 1500 pounds, trailer brakes aren't even required in most states.
Yes, I would definitely say that a 4 cylinder Malibu is able to pull a 1500 pound popup safely and reliably (as reliable as a Malibu is anyway). About all that is needed for the Malibu to tow this trailer is a decent hitch (I recommend class II) and if your trailer has electric brakes then some wiring will need to be added. It really isn't that big of an issue.
You can sell you trailer without guilt.
'04 Ford Freestar (Primary tow vehicle)
'05 Subaru Forester (Backup tow vehicle)
'65 Bethany popup (best popups ever made!)
Looking for a tow vehicle
Minivan towing
|
Road Ruler
Canada
Senior Member
Joined: 09/11/2003
View Profile
|
whaapala wrote:Ok I called my local camper sales/repair place. They have a hitch that they say will make it so it can be done. With new brakes and the hitch installed would be about $500. My friends dont want to pay that much but atleast we now know what it would take!
IMHO $500. is not that bad. My sister spends that much filling up her Hummer H2 just 4 times and she doesn't even tow anything.
|
|
|
Caddywhompus
Southeast WI
Senior Member
Joined: 06/27/2001
View Profile
Offline
|
whaapala wrote:Ok I called my local camper sales/repair place. They have a hitch that they say will make it so it can be done. With new brakes and the hitch installed would be about $500. My friends dont want to pay that much but atleast we now know what it would take!
For the record, Reese sells both class I (200/2000) and II (350/3500) hitches for that vehicle. These are off-the-shelf application specific hitches designed specifically for the model in question. Depending on your local source, expect to pay around $100-200 for the hitch installed. Wiring could run $50 for a standard flat-4 plug to $200 for a 7-way RV plug with a decent electric brake controller (if your trailer has brakes).
|
the hangman
Green Bay, Wi
Senior Member
Joined: 05/09/2005
View Profile
Offline
|
whaapala wrote:. With new brakes and the hitch installed would be about $500. My friends dont want to pay that much
That just adds to the problem ... Many people who think they can "get by" with their current (undersized) tow vehicle don't want to spend a penny to possibly create a safe and reliable towing unit.
Melissa - I think you are doing these people a favor by not selling them the popup. And you know who they would blame if something happened.
Jeff
2005 Fleetwood Valor
2007 Nissan Pathfinder
|
Road Ruler
Canada
Senior Member
Joined: 09/11/2003
View Profile
|
the hangman wrote:whaapala wrote:. With new brakes and the hitch installed would be about $500. My friends don't want to pay that much
That just adds to the problem ... Many people who think they can "get by" with their current (undersized) tow vehicle don't want to spend a penny to possibly create a safe and reliable towing unit.
Melissa - I think you are doing these people a favor by not selling them the popup. And you know who they would blame if something happened.
Jeff
I don't believe it is a question of "getting by" by using a smaller TV.
In our case we researched TV for years before finding the one with acception qualities. I would suspect that the Malibu in question, set up optimally, would out perform your SUV/pop up combination in many ways including overall safety.
|
Caddywhompus
Southeast WI
Senior Member
Joined: 06/27/2001
View Profile
Offline
|
Road Ruler wrote:the hangman wrote:whaapala wrote:. With new brakes and the hitch installed would be about $500. My friends don't want to pay that much
That just adds to the problem ... Many people who think they can "get by" with their current (undersized) tow vehicle don't want to spend a penny to possibly create a safe and reliable towing unit.
Melissa - I think you are doing these people a favor by not selling them the popup. And you know who they would blame if something happened.
Jeff
I don't believe it is a question of "getting by" by using a smaller TV.
In our case we researched TV for years before finding the one with acception qualities. I would suspect that the Malibu in question, set up optimally, would out perform your SUV/pop up combination in many ways including overall safety.
That's the truth!
I too researched for countless hours before buying BOTH of my current vehicles. I too opted to buy vehicles with tow ratings less than I knew I was going to tow because the facts and technical information I amassed led me to the enlightened opinion that I could make both these vehicles work for A LOT less money and a LOT more safety.
As I said in my first reply, there is a big difference between "tow ratings" and actual "towing ability". The first is meant to sell the vehicles they want to sell you, the second you have to determine yourself with lots of research and an open mind.
|
Fast Mopar
Houston, TX
Senior Member
Joined: 05/03/2005
View Profile
|
the hangman wrote:Many people who think they can "get by" with their current (undersized) tow vehicle don't want to spend a penny to possibly create a safe and reliable towing unit.
I have a Ford Freestar van that is used for towing. My Lumina is used as well. If my Lumina/Jayco combination was unsafe and unreliable, I would quit using it. I am not just trying to "get by" and not spend a penny. I do keep it out of overdrive when towing, and I am very good about performing regular maintenance. It just works very well, handles well, gets good fuel mileage, is cheap to own and operate, but I know that many here do not like to hear that because I am exceeding the factory rating. Although, for the original poster, they were only talking about a 1500 lb trailer - that's around 1/2 the weight of mine.
|
|
|
