quote:

Originally posted by Richard_Muise:
My Tacoma is a 4wd standard

What does Toyota say about towing it 4 down? Motor Home Magazine has an annual towing guide that is quite informative. I believe most of their information is from manufacturers.

We had a Jeep Wrangler that was destined to be the toad behind the Barth, but we got rid of it when it was anemic towing the 17' boat here in Florida.

Since we sold the house up north I find myself with a lot of vehicles, but only the Avalanche is an easy toad and it's kind of overkill. That was enough of an excuse to trade the BMW convertible for this new toad.

Jeeps have come a long way. The interior is as nice as any new car and much more power and drivability. This should look good behind the BB.

quote:

Originally posted by Moonbeam-Express:

Jeeps have come a long way. The interior is as nice as any new car and much more power and drivability.

We are presently driving a rented 2011 Jeep Liberty while our 86 4Runner is in the body shop. Some fool backed into it.

If I were given a choice between a magic wand to make our '86 brand new or keeping the Liberty, we would both do the wand thing on the Toyota. The Liberty rides rougher on all but the smoothest roads, has no steering feedback from the road at all, brakes too touchy, etc. We both feel somewhat isolated from the road, at least, when the road is smooth. On a less than perfect road, we could use a little of that isolation. It will practically shake the fillings out of our teeth on a washboard. MWrench knows the road I'm talking about.

And the trans is always shifting up and down, each with a jerk.

And, I bump my head getting in. The only hat I can wear is my beanie, if I take the propeller off first.

The Jeep does win in the power and luxury department, though. Although the back seat holds only two people, as the center of the floor is taken up by a stupid cup holder-console-grenade rack or whatever it is.

Being a four door, access to the back seat is better, but that gives it a longer wheelbase, which makes it more prone to high-centering. I have two friends with Pinzgauers, so guess who gets hung up.

Maybe we just like nifty old stuff.

In NH there are no 86 Toyotas or Nissans, they've all been reclaimed by Mother Earth (rust).

I haven't ridden in any new Toyota trucks, but I'm sure they all have their pros and cons. I have rented Toyota cars and find them on par with Kias in the style and quality department. In rental cars, Ford has always been the most impressive....and I rent a lot of cars.

This new Jeep Wrangler rides like a sports car, firm and responsive. It is much more quiet than our old 2003 Jeep, but that was a soft top. This one comes with both hard and soft top, but I've only used the hard top. I'm very happy with it in all regards so far. Never cared for the Liberty at all, just the Wrangler for me.

quote:

Originally posted by Moonbeam-Express:
Never cared for the Liberty at all, just the Wrangler for me.

OK, that's good info. I will not judge all new Jeeps by the Liberty. It seems more of a style statement than a Jeep.

Yeah, like a Land Rover is not the Country Squire Family Truckster thing that never sees as much as a class 6 road.

I wish Jeep made a diesel Wrangler. Does Toyota do a diesel in the FJ yet? I would have considered that.

quote:

Originally posted by bill h:

What does Toyota say about towing it 4 down? Motor Home Magazine has an annual towing guide that is quite informative. I believe most of their information is from manufacturers.

Bill, I have been in the market for a smaller truck for some time now. I currently have a Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD that gets about 13MPG, of course that's downhill, with a tailwind, not pulling anything, etc., etc. Both Toyota and Nissan dealers told be that neither manufacturer APPROVES of towing their vehicles 4 down.

Nick

quote:

Never cared for the Liberty

A friend with a Vette that he hyped up to 600 hp bought a Liberty for travel and found he got less mpg at legal speeds. Just couldn't do 145 across the Alley, but you can't really do that any more anyway.

My most economical car in the last ten years was my 2003 Corvette. 26 MPG

It wouldn't have been much of a toad, it couldn't pull a boat, its off road capability was entirely related to how fast you went into the sand/mud/trees

I'd recommend www.remcotowing.com for any questions about what can and can't be towed.

First Jeep does make a diesel powered Wrangler. Export only. Diesel Jeep Liberty produced in 05/06. 2.8L Motori engine.

Many automatic equiped cars are now towable. This includes most Ford products and many GM products. On GM check under the hood. If you can NOT find the transmission dip stick it can probably be towed.

http://www.fmca.com/motorhome/towing/204-towing-index

quote:

Originally posted by Gary Carter:
Export only. Diesel Jeep Liberty produced in 05/06. 2.8L Motori engine.

Here is an Ebay listing for one in Texas.

2006 Jeep Liberty TURBOCHARGED Diesel

There are a few more in Ebay

quote:

My most economical car in the last ten years was my 2003 Corvette. 26 MPG

I can relate to that....In 2003, I needed an economy car for interstate road travel. Looked at Hondas and Toyotas...and did some research on safety etc...ended up buying a Lincoln Town Car. I consistently got 25.7 mpg at 70 mph...got 28 at 60-65 on nice backroads....Put 150,000 miles on it with $200 of repairs...sold it for $7000 less than I paid....Most dependable, overall economical car I've ever owned (owned about 65 cars total)....

The only problem I had was I always had to add air to the right front tire...even when I rotated the tires with different wheels...always had to watch the air in the right front tire...

My most economical car is a Jag with a Vette drivetrain. I don't have the numbers, but if I am light-footed, it is way over 20 mpg.

I just looked up the 2011 Jeep Liberty with a V6 210HP diesel and it only gets 16 city 22 Highway. That's about the same as my gas Wrangler. Guess I'll be happy with gas in this case.