Topic: 'Camping Truck'

[JimF]

Hi Folks. Have been enjoying these forums for years but finally had a question worth registering for. I'm realizing that loading a couple of kids (with their bikes and all other stuff), tents, a canoe, ect in a Mazda 5 is putting us far over the limit of that otherwise awesome little van. So shopping around for something bigger and with the ability to tow a small RV. Since its basically a recreational vehicle that will probably only see 8000 km a year I'm trying to keep the price down in the 12-15,000 range. That seems to mean either something like a 2014 Caravan with 80-100km on it or a 2008 or so crew cab half ton with over 200,000km.  Truck is obviously going to be better at towing but that much mileage has me pretty leary. At what point is something just miled out? Am I just being too cheap here? Thanks!

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Been there, done that. 

We had a 2012 Grand Caravan with which we pulled our 10' Pop-Up camper.
 


The camper weighs about 2000lbs loaded, which was well within the 3500lb tow capacity of these vans.  I like the Grand Caravans with the 3.6L Pentastar, because it's a powerful motor and pretty reliable.  I think it's the best engine Chrysler makes.  The 6-speed automatic transmission comes with a factory oil cooler, so that's something that is already taken care of. 

One thing I would recommend is beefing up the rear suspension to handle the increased tongue weight of a trailer and all the stuff you'll put in the back.  If you can find a van with the factory tow package, this should already be taken care of with the fancy NIVOMAT rear shocks.  Otherwise, you'll need to look into installing either airbags or Timbrens.  I installed Airbags, and didn't like them, as they constantly leaked.  They were great at first to reduce sag and level the van, but then started to leak progressively faster and faster until they were next to useless.  If I were to do it again, I would install the Timbrens, which replace the factory bump stops.  https://www.etrailer.com/Best/Dodge/Grand_Caravan/Vehicle_Suspension/Rear_Axle_Suspension

Anyways, with a van, the size of the trailer plays a huge part in how happy you'll be.  Our 2000lb trailer was about as large as I'd want to pull with the van.  We pulled ours on a mega two week trip from Manitoba into the Rocky Mountains, doing about 3000kms over the course of the trip, and up some pretty steep grades, too.  The van never struggled like it might have with a heavier trailer.  You have to keep in mind that when you're packing a for a camping weekend, or two weeks, or whatever, you're going to be filling the back of the van with a LOT of stuff.  Coolers, clothes, other accessories, all of which add weight, and strain to the engine/transmission.  So even though the van CAN pull 3500lbs, if you're going to loading up your entire family and a bunch of gear, I wouldn't.  Keep the size of the trailer to a 10' or 12' pop-up, and you'll be just fine. 

As far as reliability, we had our van from about 70 000kms up to 105 000kms, and never once did we have a problem with it.  Fuel Economy was decent, but not great.  These are heavy vans, powered by V6's, after all.  Average city economy was about 14L/100kms, and I would see high 8's low 9's when driving on the highway at normal speeds.  When towing on the highway, I'd get anywhere from 11L/100km to 13L/100kms, depending on the wind, and whether I had bikes on the roof of the van, or the canoe on the trailer. 

Anyways, if you're planning on towing a smaller trailer, 2000 - 2500lbs, then you can do a LOT worse than a minivan.  Whether it's a Grand Caravan, a Toyota Sienna, or a Honda Oddysey, they all do the job just fine.  You WILL get more for your money (newer van, fewer kms) by going with a Grand Caravan, but a similarly priced Toyota Sienna will still likely be more reliable over the long term, and have a better overall feel of quality (the Grand Caravans are cheap, and feel cheap). 

[dkaz]

I don’t know about Grand Caravan but Siennas don’t have a whole lot of pay load, 1200 lb. But I’ve routinely loaded up 7-8 people in both without considering it back in the days.

If you’re hauling people, watercraft, and a small trailer, you’re looking at an SUV mostly for the higher payload (1400+ lb). Or something like an Astro or Sprinter van which has a low towing capacity but heaps of payload capacity.

[Fobroader]

I will always recommend a 1/2 ton truck if you are going to tow something. Besides the obvious capability of the truck, its nice to have a box for hauling various camping accouterments. The best GM/Chev or Tundra you can find will easily pull a small trailer and you won't have to worry about liquefying the transaxle on a minivan.

[bridgecity]

I’ve got 200k on my Tundra and still tow regularly with it. If it’s been taken care of the right unit should have some miles left in it after 200k within your price range.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

I will always recommend a 1/2 ton truck if you are going to tow something. Besides the obvious capability of the truck, its nice to have a box for hauling various camping accouterments. The best GM/Chev or Tundra you can find will easily pull a small trailer and you won't have to worry about liquefying the transaxle on a minivan.

My experience says otherwise.  As long as you keep the trailer small, a minivan will do just fine.  Ours did.  I just ended up getting a Tundra because I really wanted one, more than anything. 

But as far as price is concerned, nothing beats a Grand Caravan for value.  You can get a lot of minivan for $12-$15k. 

[HeliDriver]

I was curious, so took a quick look. Seems like a Grand Caravan has a payload just over 1500 lb.

For a pop-up trailer and a small (light) family, that seems doable.

[JimF]

Super helpful to have a better idea what a minivan package looks like! And a better guess guess on mileage too. Now for some shopping.

[2JDM]

Minivan should be fine, but how about a mid-size truck?

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Minivan should be fine, but how about a mid-size truck?

Midsize truck is a great option, like a Frontier or a Tacoma.  Couple of caveats, though.  If your kids are older/larger they may find the back seats cramped, even if it's a crew cab.  There will be a fuel economy penalty compared to a minivan when daily driving.

[dkaz]

I was curious, so took a quick look. Seems like a Grand Caravan has a payload just over 1500 lb.

For a pop-up trailer and a small (light) family, that seems doable.

That’s really good. I’d opt for a Town & Country to get more creature comforts, although a Grand Caravan Crew and up would also have decent amenities.

[JimF]

Had a 4 door Frontier as a work rental for a bit. Nice little truck but, unless you put a cap on it, no way there's enough room for a family's worth of stuff. Think the Tacoma and Canyon are in the same spot.  Ridgeline work -- bed seems wider -- pretty well and I've my eye out for one at the right price. But if the various constituencies are happy with a light tent trailer there's alot to be said for a minivan.

[Firm]

Very detailed answer from GBA, and generally, I agree, if what you're looking to do can be handled by a minivan comfortably it's a great value. Plus, on a trip, I suspect passengers would be more comfortable than in the back of crew-cab pickup which tend to have fairly upright rear seat backs and short seat bottoms.

I also don't love pickups for big trips because the bed, unless there's a full height cap on it, is somewhat limited in terms of what you can pack into it under say a tonneau cover...and once it's packed, it's difficult to access. Used to do beach trips all the time with the Sonoma...inevitably Mrs.Firm would need whatever item was at the front of the bed, burried under other stuff and I'd be crawling in under the fiberglass tonneau to get it.

What about a big SUV? Seems like a Tahoe/Yukon would bit the bill nicely; but in this budget you would be looking at something 10+ years old with 200K+ on it. Still it's what I'd (did) do...plenty of room for everything and everybody in comfort, plus tons of towing capacity should you need/want it. 

[HeliDriver]

I took a quick look for fun: seems like $12-15k will get you a 2012-ish Tahoe with around 200k km. Lots of ex-cop vehicles too for that price, but you get RWD and lower kilometers.

I agree that would be a solid choice, and gives you the option of towing a smaller travel trailer instead of just a tent trailer.

Our 2011 Yukon has around 220k km on it, and I consider it barely broken in: I fully expect to keep it for another ten years and put another couple hundred thousand km on it. But I guess it helps my confidence that I've owned it a while and am familiar with it. Agree it's more of a gamble to buy something unknown with that kind of mileage.

[JimF]

Don't have a pic w/o a kids in the foreground, but a few months of hunting around and I've gone for a 2011 F150 Crew Cab with the 5.0 and 200k on it for 13000. It was a 'grandpa truck', seems super clean and well maintained, and gives us more room on the 'what are we going to tow' front than we otherwise would. And the cab is huge! Had a near miss with a late model Pacifica (very nice van that) and a couple of GMs with the 5.3. First new style camping trip planned for next weekend Word in Saskatchewan is that any decent used truck or SUV is headed south pretty much as soon it hits the dealer because of the US dollar really made finding something good hard.

[HeliDriver]

^^ Sounds like a smart choice over the minivan. Thanks for the update.

[Fobroader]

That should serve you very well. Its nice being able to pick out a trailer that you want instead of being highly limited by a weak sauce tow vehicle.

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

[dkaz]

I've rented F150s with the 5.0 V8 half a dozen times this year to tow my trailer and I'm pretty impressed with the mileage these things get towing. On a recent camping trip about 550km total, I averaged about 22 L/100km, and on the empty highway doing about 90 km/h I do about 10 L/100km. The city fuel consumption will make you cry but as a tow and highway vehicle, it's excellent.

[Blueprint]

OP, if you're used to a Mazda5 then a minivan remains the best all-around option, depending on where / when you're driving without actually towing. A GC with Stow N' Go offers you the practicality of a full-size truck with an 8' bed with camper cap in 60 seconds - drywall slides right in. Or you can config 4 seats with 16 sq. ft. of cargo area in the back - highly flexible. Bikes fit upright inside without removing any wheels.

I'm in my 3rd minivan and they are incredibly flexible family vehicles. After our initial 2003 Odyssey, we added a 2004 Mazda MPV as a 2nd car (3 child seats...) and now we're still with our 2012 Odyssey.

I never towed with any of them, but current Ody does 8.5 l/100 km highway, 14-16 in the city with really short local streets commutes & errands. Beast in the snow.