Better Tow vehicle - big SUV or 1/2 Ton Pickup

[SailorChlud]

I'm in the suburban camp. We've had two, a 1993 that lasted until 2007, and a 2002 bought 5 years old to replace it in 2007 - at a price of $15,000 with only 70,000 on the clock. Now a comparable 5 year old suburban is $35,000 ! Crikey!

But, I have 3 boys, 2 of around 6 foot tall, and the associated duffel, toys and such that goes with that. Suburban all the way. And yes, the 4WD is sooo useful when the river mud coats the ramp at low tide!

[Ed]

My tow vehicles:

1996 Ford Bronco XLT with the 5.8L. Awesome truck to drive. Loved to have the rear window down while driving. Towing was so-so. Once the dreaded rust bubbles showed up on the rear wheel wells, I sold it with 155,000 on the odometer.

1995 Chevy Tahoe with the 5.7L. I bought it with 15,000 miles on it. I blew a transmission at 50K and another at 105k. Unknown to me at the time, these were prone to transmission problems due to a design flaw. I held on to it longer than I wanted because I wanted to recoup my investments in the transmissions. Awesome vehicle in the snow with Goodyear Wrangler TD's. Other than that, I thought it was a piece of crap.

2001 Ford F250 Lariat Crew Cab with 5.4L. I bought it with 39,000 miles on it sight unseen and had it shipped out from California. No problems with spark plugs spitting out or breaking off in the motor. Tows great locally - if I was doing a lot of long distance, interstate towing I would want the diesel. Wheel base is long for close quarters maneuvering but you get used to it. Incredibly strong, well built truck. Still driving it today with 150k on it.