my brother is interested in a unit to tow behind a V6 Windstar to sleep a family of 5. The hybrids seem like a good option, but I have no idea on the cost. We bought our first pop up new 5 years ago with
AC, shower, bathroom etc for about 12k.
Can my brother find a used (no more than 5yrs old) hybrid for under 5k, if so where?
If not how much is the normal range for new or used?
isnt going to happen. He doesnt have the tow power. I believe 03' was the last year Windstars were made and they can tow 2000# maybe 3500#'s if he has a very specific setup.
Maybe you can squeeze it but with a family of 5, that will be impossible.
Sorry
Jamie(the Funkster), Amanda, DD, and Mojo the camp' hound.
Amen on the popup. We had both - PUP first, then hybrid (HTT) and found the HTT was even a bit too much for our V6 SUV, rated to tow 5000#. Granted, we had a large HTT, but we don't have 3 kids either. They'll get much more space & bang for the buck with a PUP, and still be able to tow it with a minivan - and get decent gas mileage to boot. Once you start towing a full-height trailer (such as a hybrid), gas mileage plummets. Tough at $3/gal., harder still at $5/gal. Not to mention increased wear & tear on a vehicle not equipped to tow a hybrid in the first place.
Our dealer is selling our 3-year-old HTT for over $12K. Par for the course.
* This post was
edited 05/15/08 04:56pm by kknowlton *
I agree, he will be limited to a pop-up. Something like our old 99 Santa Fe would fit the bill if he has that 3500# threshold because you can't forget the weight of the campers and all of the gear for them!
Windstar V6 is rated at a maximum of 3500 pounds with the factory towing package (which is just wiring, a larger battery, and full size spare) so he's good to go for that weight with any model. Note that's a maximum towing capacity, not a planning number. It has to be reduced pound for pound with everything in the van other than a 150 pound driver. Driver weighs 200? Max towing capacity is 3450 pounds. You get the idea.
Easy rule of thumb is to have at least 1000 pounds more max towing capacity than the trailer actually weighs. This limits this vehicle to a 10' popup in the 2500 pound range.
We bought our 5500 pound rated Explorer specifically to tow a 3450 pound popup. 3500 pound capacity wasn't gonna cut it.
-- Chuck
'06 Roo 23SS behind '07 Expedition out of Cleveland Our Photo pages
No matter what the Windstar manual says, don't do it. I made the mistake of towing our new 5000#+ HTT (the + is for all our stuff) with my 98 Expedition that had a 4.6L V-8. It was rated at 6500 lbs. tow capacity. But let me tell you, it was horrible... especially going even slightly up hill. It was constantly downshifting. I got rid of the '98 and bought an '05 with the 300 H.P. Triton V-8 with gobs more torque and it now tows easily. Torque is the key factor.
As mentioned, the V-6 Windstar (we had one) can pull a light PUP, but not much more. As we all discover, owning a TT is more than the cost of the TT itself. :-(
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Not to mention increased wear & tear on a vehicle not equipped to tow a hybrid in the first place.
, Shawn- Musician/Entrepreneur
, Zoe- Faithful Golden Retriever
, 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche LS, 2007 Rockwood Roo 23SS w/Equalizer and Prodigy, and 5 Mtn. bikes and 2 Road bikes
