New tow Vehicle
 

Well, it was time to get the right vehicle for my Sceptre.
I used auto tempest and cars.com to find traded in vehicles that were not yet advertised. I got this in Miami after driving all over the state.

In the past, I've towed my 23' Sceptre with my friend's Nissan Armada...it towed it GREAT!, just as good as another friend of mine's Chevy Sururban...

Actually, I think I prefered the Armada.

Thanks for the feedback! The wife totaled our Yukon XL in 08 and the Odyssey has towed like a champ for the 18SF. Nissan is now quoting 8200 lbs for this 2.94 rear end. It is still 9100 with 3.36 rear end.

I don't know about the specs on the Armada, but I CAN tell you that the motor has plenty of guts and the chassis handles the load nicely. I've towed my Scepter with a variety of vehicles in the 35 years our family has owned it. Here is a list of our/the tow vehicles in order of how I liked them (Best to worst):

1) 2005 Chevy Suburban 2500 series with 6.0L V8 (VERY powerful engine!!)
2) 2008ish Nissan Armada (nice engine and excellent stablity)
3) 1978 Chevy Suburban with big block 454 ci w/ 4 bbl - and trailer package
4) 2010 Chevy Suburban with 5.3L V8
5) 1976 Crysler Town & County Station wagon with 400ci big 4 bbl V8 - massive vehicle
6) 2011 Ford F150 Standard Cab Longbed with 5.0L Eco boost V8
7) 2008 Chevy 1/2 ton Silverado with 4.8L V8
8) 1991 Jeep full size Grand Wagoneer Limited with 5.9L V8 (too short of a wheelbase)
9) 1984 Jeep Wagoneer with 5.9L V8

Good job Danny!!! Now the fun starts.....watching the fuel mileage when towing the boat!! It will hurt! :)

I used a Jeep Cherokee with a Chevy V6 about 114 HP

Nice rig. Aren't some Nissan trucks GM products, like the Titan?

Cool list of vehicles! Great to hear the feedback. I used to have a 1985 Grand Wagoneer with that 360 Chrysler V8 when I lived in Golden, CO. It was a beast in the snowy Rockies!

Don-Yea, I haven't had a good vehicle to tow for 4 yrs. I am thinking that towing accross to be in Jupiter may be a good option #2 after the Keys. The gas would be less to Jupiter.

Dixon-That's impressive! With your old 23 Sceptre?

I didn't think so, but I dont know. They are made in MS.

Yeah Danny, towing to your mansion on the East coast sure sounds like a good deal!!

Just to let you know, I can tow my SeaCraft to Lower Matecumbe on one tank of gas at 65 mph with OD off. That's 305 miles @ 32 gal, that's the best I can get out of my F-150 with the 3.73 gears.

Seeya

Don-I am thinking 12mpg with the boat in tow (probably dreaming). Your getting down there pretty quick to your mansion at 65mph. I should be prepared for 9-10 mpg!

Oooh yea I forgot to mention that I have the mansion on Jupiter Island between Tiger Woods and Greg Norman's mansions :)! My parents and sister are right there in Tequesta. So, I was thinking of staying at my parents mansion - they sold the Loxahatchee River property but the new house ain't too bad :). Living and boating in Jupiter in the 70's and 80's was slightly different than today. I can't wait to be up and running with the boat and trailer.

Burt Reynolds don't count anymore? :eek:

Good luck with the new tug Danny!!

Ford Explorer
 

While we're talking tow vehicles, anyone towing their 20 SF with a new Explorer - the V-6 fwd version?

That new Explorer is a great vehicle. That should pull the 20 well.
Ken- I haven't heard what's up with Burt lately. I do get the play by play from my parents from the Lox Historical Society / Lighthouse tours / DuBois Rehab though. I love being there especially when Celine Dion is in town :).

"I love being there especially when Celine Dion is in town"

Don't bust my chops!!!!! (even you Ken), however I took the wife for a "special occasion" to one of her concerts....no doubt she can sing!

Danny, say Hi to Tiger when you're over there, don't mention he got smoked by Rory today. :)

Don-There's nothing wrong with scoring brownie points! Great pipes on her fo sho!

I have an 08 Armada and it tows like a dream. The backup camera is a big plus when hitching up as well.

I does not look like yours came with a tow package but I am sure its pretty easy to add. I am getting 12.9 mpg avg when towing per the ECU readout.

That is great to hear on the mpg! Yea this one was too good to pass up with perfect paint / leather, DVD, ect. I've done a few hitch bolt-ons and harness work. The hitch is $150. 3 relays and the 7 pin adapter. The tranny cooler is exactly the same. The 2011/2012 smaller tow package using my 2.94 gears is 8200 lbs. I would love to have the back-up camera! I'm pretty happy with the 12k price tag considering the price new.

You only paid $12k? Does it have high miles or was it totaled and repaired? Seems like a really low price for that vehicle.

It's an 05 with 91k miles. For a 7 yr old vehicle it's under 13k miles per year. I used car fax a lot in my searching. This thing was a 1 owner SUV taken to the Nissan dealer every oil change, ect.. no accidents ever, paint and interior look 2-3 yrs old. It runs like a beast. Those 1st 2 yrs these vehicles had some recalls, but I have it all on record what was done. It kinda makes you want to be sure your mechanic is reporting the maintenance work being done when it is time to sell! Ever since my last new 35k YukonXL was the biggest piece ever, I am staying with used vehicles that have a good history to run 250k miles and can be bought either outright or financed for 3 yrs.
Or less.

The exhaust manifolds tend to crack on them. They are not cheap and people go with the Stillen replacements.

I heard the older ones may have had brake issues but I am not sure what years were affected. I love the Armada and the only thing I wish they had was a diesel motor!
I boat down your way a lot in AMI/LBK so I may see you down there.

Yea the exhaust manifolds do crack. This vehicle has already had them replaced and I hear the welds are better this go round. Since the exhaust manafolds are welded to the catalytic converter, nissan will replace them up to 80k miles no charge. Rotors were warping on the 1st year Armadas in 2004. this vehicle has the gold Security Plus Plan which requires the prior owner to bring the vehicle in to Nissan for regular maintenance. Also, this extended warranty is transferable to me! Club Armada has some excellent info on these vehicles. What color is your rig? I will keep a look out for you. My office is right next to the AMI Walgreens.

Thanks for the clarification. For some reason I thought you said it was an '08, that's why I asked.

Scott-I have a rule to never buy anything used out of Miami because of their "rebuild shops". So I wasnt even looking down there. I went through this thing and realized that it was untouched by the dealer and my inspection went well.