Shopping for a new-to-me tow vehicle. Am I missing anything?

I've towed with a 2005 Toyota 4runner Sport V8 since the end of the 2013 season. It worked great aside from truly abyssmal fuel mileage. last week the dash lit up with every status light associated with the stability control and AWD system which has happened in the past, but it also began doing the 2-1 downshift as one coasts down to a stop, *really* hard. like violently. I took it to my good, reliable honest indy shop to have a look.

The report was not good; trans pan is full of metal, every solenoid is shot. Rebuild is an option, for about $5700 including R&Rof trans. Installing a used trans is about a grand less, but there's no warranty on a used trans. Toyota sells a factory remanufactured trans for about $2900 and R&R is 10 hours labor.

What I'd like is a c. 2014 Land Cruiser. but with retirement looming in about 3 years, I'm uninclined to retire while holding a $500/mo + car note. there are some more affordable ones assuming they're around 300k miles. (Toyota built the LC for a 25 year useful life in Africa or the Middle East.

They sold the 03-09 4runner with the 2UZFE 4.7L V8 all years, thought they're very scarce in 08 and 09.

A BMW X5D Is fairly coommon to find in the $12,000 range, and once fitted with a kit that deletes the diesel particle filter, they make a lot of TQ and HP. I own a bunch of older BMWs so I understand how to own one and not go broke keeping it running. The Maryland Vehicle Emission Inspection Program does not concern itself with diesel vehicles. so no penalty for that DPF kit. they get 20 mpg towing and make like 600 Ft/lb TQ. uphil to Mid-O is easy.

What else should I consider? for a P2 racer I'm pretty cheap. I'd prefer a cash sale under $15k.

With a 3 year outlook - RENT a truck.

Unless you race 2x per month, every month....

Our here a F250/Ram2500 is $600 a week from Enterprise with 1000 miles.
In both I've averaged 12mpg towing over mountains with my foot in it.

What are you towing?

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Originally Posted by BeerBudgetRacing

Our here a F250/Ram2500 is $600 a week from Enterprise with 1000 miles.
In both I've averaged 12mpg towing over mountains with my foot in it.

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That does require a business account, but a given local franchise may not be too difficult about it.

I've been driving a 2003 Tundra 2wd with the 4.7L V8. 5000# trailer, 750lbs tongue weight, but use spring bars to level the truck and trailer. I service the trans every 45K with fresh synthetic fluid. Now truck is at 225K miles. Find one far away from the rust belt. Most 2004 - 2006 are less than $12K.

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Originally Posted by TimH

That does require a business account, but a given local franchise may not be too difficult about it.

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It doesn't here is California. You can select Personal or Business.

I always select Personal because I want coverage from my personal auto carrier.

F150 crew cab dude, used. New are $ stupid

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Originally Posted by motomoron

I've towed with a 2005 Toyota 4runner Sport V8 since the end of the 2013 season. It worked great aside from truly abyssmal fuel mileage. last week the dash lit up with every status light associated with the stability control and AWD system which has happened in the past, but it also began doing the 2-1 downshift as one coasts down to a stop, *really* hard. like violently. I took it to my good, reliable honest indy shop to have a look.

The report was not good; trans pan is full of metal, every solenoid is shot. Rebuild is an option, for about $5700 including R&Rof trans. Installing a used trans is about a grand less, but there's no warranty on a used trans. Toyota sells a factory remanufactured trans for about $2900 and R&R is 10 hours labor.

What I'd like is a c. 2014 Land Cruiser. but with retirement looming in about 3 years, I'm uninclined to retire while holding a $500/mo + car note. there are some more affordable ones assuming they're around 300k miles. (Toyota built the LC for a 25 year useful life in Africa or the Middle East.

They sold the 03-09 4runner with the 2UZFE 4.7L V8 all years, thought they're very scarce in 08 and 09.

A BMW X5D Is fairly coommon to find in the $12,000 range, and once fitted with a kit that deletes the diesel particle filter, they make a lot of TQ and HP. I own a bunch of older BMWs so I understand how to own one and not go broke keeping it running. The Maryland Vehicle Emission Inspection Program does not concern itself with diesel vehicles. so no penalty for that DPF kit. they get 20 mpg towing and make like 600 Ft/lb TQ. uphil to Mid-O is easy.

What else should I consider? for a P2 racer I'm pretty cheap. I'd prefer a cash sale under $15k.

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2 questions: How many miles on your disabled 4 runner? On what do you tow the P2? An open single axle trailer?
Also consider $3900 to install the Toyota rebuilt transmission option.

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Originally Posted by motomoron

I own a bunch of older BMWs so I understand how to own one and not go broke keeping it running.

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Off topic, but PLEASE share your secret. I have a very small stable of older Bimmers and do most all the maintenance myself but can't stop the woosh sound of them Hoovering money out of my wallet. Still love them all. E39 M5 is the worst (and best).

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Originally Posted by cory mcleod

Off topic, but PLEASE share your secret. I have a very small stable of older Bimmers and do most all the maintenance myself but can't stop the woosh sound of them Hoovering money out of my wallet. Still love them all. E39 M5 is the worst (and best).

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I want an e39 M5 badly but the notion of doing timing chain guides and rod bearings fills me with dread.

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Originally Posted by motomoron

I want an e39 M5 badly but the notion of doing timing chain guides and rod bearings fills me with dread.

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Doing timing chain guides on an Audi S4 is what made me sell it and buy a racecar. Popping 4 dzus fasteners and having everything accessible is a lot more enjoyable than...well...anything on a road car.

In these situations I find it necessary to lay out ALL the requirements and dig deep to find them. Most often I find myself trying to fulfill too many of them.

The latest? Replacing our ancient 250,000 mi Honda CRV that met it's fate at the hands of a semi turning right while I was doing the same thing - on the inside of him.... Purchased in 2007 with the intent of being an affordable commuter for my wife's 50mi round-trip every day, our move to the mountains now require another 4WD vehicle. It needs to be something my wife will not resist driving, so she can stop putting so many miles on her relatively new Lexus - and since we live in the middle of BF nowhere, our vehicles get a lot of extra miles just going to doctor's appointments. This also means it needs to be comfortable at desert highway speeds, if a truck it needs at least an extended cab for the dog to have a place, AND it needs to be a TOAD for the RV. This rules out virtually all Toyotas (except the incredibly rare manual transmission FJs and Tacos), and every Ford without a manual transmission. We've found standard TJ jeeps too small and the LJ too expensive. CRVs and Elements are still in play, but I worry about them not being rugged enough for desired off-road adventures. Subarus - not impressed with head problems and CVTs. All of this is pushing me toward mid to late 90s Pathfinders, Troopers, the occasional Canyon/Colorado, and Cherokees - although not the surprisingly much cheaper and more well appointed Grand Cherokees which seem to suffer badly from death wobble when towed. The budget is $14K max, but I'd prefer $10K or less.

Now I digress here, but the point is, when you've destroyed the trans on a vehicle that is usually bulletproof (an indication that even on relatively flat ground, you are expecting too much) and looking at a vehicle with a similar drivetrain (the LC) or a BMW with shockingly more maintenance expense and even less potential for long term towing, are you really looking hard at your requirements? I once considered a Toyota T1000 as a replacement for my 2001 K2500 HD 8.1 until I hooked it up to my half-full 18' box trailer and found it took over a mile to hit 55 on flat ground. The easy button to almost any towing situation is a 6L standard 3/4T American truck, unless you have other specific requirements it has to fill.

One of my friends found a Colorado with the 4cyl diesel - evidently nobody is buying them so he got it at a fire sale price, and even out here in the mountainous west it pulls his V-nose with a FF just fine, and delivers great MPG for a daily driver as well.

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Originally Posted by motomoron

I want an e39 M5 badly but the notion of doing timing chain guides and rod bearings fills me with dread.

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Rod bearings on the S62 are not nearly the issue they are on the S54 and the other BMW V8s that get all the (deserved) bad press. I bought my M5 in 2020 with 117,000 miles and no service records. I did a lot of research on the engine and do everything I can to take care of it. The enginet now has 143,000 miles and I've sent a sample to Blackstone at every oil change. No indication of rod bearing wear. That being said, I need to decide soon whether to keep the car for the long term and have them done preventively or sell it and let the next owner decide the right time. My understanding is the rod bearing job costs less than the timing chains/VANOS (see below).

I had the timing chains and VANOS done a few months after I bought the car (beyond what I'm comfortable DIYing). The original quote from a reputable BMW shop was $5k. Once I agreed to proceed and they actually priced out all the parts, the cost went up to $7,500. They said they hadn't done the job in a few years and the parts cost went up. I verified every part and price and concluded the price was legit. Lord knows what those parts would cost in 2024.

The M5board forum is a great source of info and you don't have to deal with the jack***es that populate most FB groups that have killed good web forums.

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Originally Posted by cory mcleod

Rod bearings on the S62 are not nearly the issue they are on the S54 and the other BMW V8s that get all the (deserved) bad press. I bought my M5 in 2020 with 117,000 miles and no service records. I did a lot of research on the engine and do everything I can to take care of it. The enginet now has 143,000 miles and I've sent a sample to Blackstone at every oil change. No indication of rod bearing wear. That being said, I need to decide soon whether to keep the car for the long term and have them done preventively or sell it and let the next owner decide the right time. My understanding is the rod bearing job costs less than the timing chains/VANOS (see below).

I had the timing chains and VANOS done a few months after I bought the car (beyond what I'm comfortable DIYing). The original quote from a reputable BMW shop was $5k. Once I agreed to proceed and they actually priced out all the parts, the cost went up to $7,500. They said they hadn't done the job in a few years and the parts cost went up. I verified every part and price and concluded the price was legit. Lord knows what those parts would cost in 2024.

The M5board forum is a great source of info and you don't have to deal with the jack***es that populate most FB groups that have killed good web forums.

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It's OK, BMW made up for it with the S65 and S85.

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Originally Posted by jcolley

It's OK, BMW made up for it with the S65 and S85.

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It takes a masochist or someone with money to burn to own any of the newer BMW V8s past about 80k miles!

Don't even get me started on the maintenance needs of my wife's basic F30 at 60k miles... Definitely the last new Bimmer we will buy.

Last BMW I had was a 2006 BMW X5 4.4L V8.... after owning BMW's since the 1970's I can tell you it was the biggest piece of crap I've ever owned - but it did last to 200K miles when I traded it in on a 2012 MB ML 350. ML was OK, but last year I bought a 2019 GLE 400 - twin turbo V6 with full torque at 1,600 RPM, gets about 11 mpg at 70 mph, as high as 13 mpg if on farm roads at 45~55 mph. Towing a 7'x16' V-nose enclosed trailer (around 4,000 lb) it's a dream - also a great daily driver. But not inexpensive...