What would you buy? Used SUV under £25k for towing horsebox

[Coupleofhorseypeople]

Hi all,

Sorry if this is the wrong place but I need to chat this through! I am needing to swap my current ford focus for something that will tow a minimum of 2 ton (horsebox). I am looking for some advice on what you would do in my situation.
My current car has no outstanding finance and is worth £10,600 part exchange. I know I could maybe get a bit more on the private market but am looking at part exchanging as we are a one car family so can’t really be without a car whilst selling privately then arranging a purchase. I plan on taking out a personal loan and dipping into some savings to come up with a total budget of £25,000. The loan repayments will be £190 a month over 5 years so I will ideally need a car that will last me at least 5 years doing approx 13,000 miles a year. The car needs to deal with regular 30 min commutes through the countryside and bypass roads. Very occasional city driving, weekends away in the U.K. and also towing a 17hh horse and horsebox a few times a month (combined weight of 1680kg. All tack/water etc will be in the car).

As this is quite a lot of money to spend (for me it is anyway!!) I do want to have a car that I feel looks nice and I enjoy to drive. Looks aren’t everything but I do really like the look of SUVs that can tow- a discovery sport/ Jaguar f-pace would be an absolute dream. For £25000 I can get a 2018 model with less than 40,000 miles on the clock and a 12 month warranty.

However my FIL (who is very against Jaguar landrover due to the common knowledge that they can be unreliable) is convinced we should be going for something more like a VW Tiguan, which for £25k we could get something similar age/mileage but with a 2 year warranty from a main dealer, and in his mind would be a much more reliable purchase. Could possibly find one a year or two newer but still would be similar mileage. He thinks it is worth spending more on what is essentially a cheaper car (on the local dealership market) as the warranty is worth having for 2 years- but I am arguing that we would be overpaying for the extra year and would also not have a car I am particularly fussed about.

I guess my question is what would you do if you were me? Dream car with 12 months warranty and (possible) reliability issues, or VW Tiguan with 24 months warranty. Both same price/age/mileage.

Thoughts on the cars I have mentioned? Or, would you be considering something else entirely?

I appreciate we are all quite hard up at the moment so apologies if this comes across as insensitive. We are a dual income household with 1 car and purchased our first house last January (with a mortgage), so can now afford to spend on a car we like, but can’t stretch to buying new. No children currently which also helps!

Work in the motor industry dealing with all makes and models. Avoid JLR unless you have endless money for repair bills and electrical faults and random warning lights and EGR valves etc etc etc. You wanted something nice and presumably reliable you said so I wouldn't go near Nissan or Hyundai. They're cheap for a reason.

Would you prefer SUV over pickup definitely? If so, as others have said the Toyota Land Cruiser is indestructible but you would have to look a bit older. Or Hilux if you're looking at pickups too. But it would last forever.

I know nothing about towing but a Kia Sorrento was also a good idea someone mentioned. They're a fab car.

Volvos are beautiful spec, feel very premium but better value than other premium brands, also very reliable. Again I haven't a clue about towing with them. Maybe check out an XC90 or XC60.

I live semi rurally, quite a lot of horsey people, farms and small holdings round us and Mitsubishi Outlanders seem popular, can't comment on their reliability.

Or my last suggestion is Skoda Kodiaq, great car but no idea about towing again. But feels premium but much better value than Audi or VW.

I personally feel Tiguans might be a bit small for what you require. If you want to look at VW a Touareg May be more suitable? But again you may as well look at the equivalent Skoda model as you get the same for less money.

Can you get Ford F150 pickup trucks there ? (I live abroad)

Brilliant for towing and can get SO MUCH in the back.

Have a look at the ssangyongs. Mine was excellent for towing

Dodge the discovery it costs £2k just to get someone to look at a problem. Someone at work has a shiny new, 130k defender Air conditioning isn’t working and customer services are a challenge.

Teeny bit of exaggeration there
Diagnostic should be around £125 depending on which dealer
That shouldn't be an issue with the AC as it's under warranty but customer service issue can mean anything, if they can't get in for a bit it's because they're booked up and they can only offer what slots they've got, but they wouldn't have to pay anything

Why not ask on the H&H or similar forum as there will be plenty of people who tow

Avoid landrovers. Having said that that we have a 25 year old defender but they don’t make them like that anymore.
We use A Mitsubishi L200 for towing cattle trailers. The best 4x4 is the Toyota Land Cruiser but they are £££. Go for something Japanese. Would a Toyota RAV4 tow a horse box?

If you're towing 2 tons you're going to need to choose your car carefully. You can't just go on the maximum towing capacity but have to look at curb weight and also whether you can tow the combination of car and trailer with your driving licence, some people need an additional test it depends on when you passed.

For good technical car/trailer matching advice you can look at the website towcar.info it's geared towards caravans but you can use it to get tow test reports and accurate information for the particular make and model you're interested in. From my experience (caravan related) with a 2 ton trailer to pull you're going to have a short list of potential cars Land Rover (anything other than Evoque) Audi Q7 or Q5, BMW X5 or X6 (possibly X3), Hyundai Santa Fe (definitely not Tucson), VW Touareg (Tiguan probably won't do it), Ford Kuga (only 4x4 models, Volvo XC90 or XC60 should both be ok as well.

We have had 2 Land Rovers, both from new and absolutely loved them both, no issues and found them reliable. We also previously had a Volvo which was terrible and a Hyundai Santa Fe that was great until the warranty expired then cost us a fortune when the rear differential went. So my advice is to find a car you like that can legally tie your trailer, then buy from a reputable dealer and take out the maximum extended warranty just in case.

@Lavendersquare they have now ditched the tow test so there is no longer a 3.5 ton combined weight restriction.

@justgettingthroughtheday good point, I'd forgotten about that.

Currently looking to replace an Outlander.

Loved the Tiguan (R). Hated the Touareg and the Kodiaq - they drive like boats. That might not bother the OP. (Looking for performance, not towing.)

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202306088276838?advertising-location=at_cars&atmobcid=soc5&fromsra&include-delivery-option=on&make=Mitsubishi&model=Shogun&year-to=2023

I'd get one of these, no question. Used to have one, it was great.

Based on my experience of towing, for two tons I would choose the biggest and heaviest tow car you can find. Preferably with a conventional automatic gearbox and a big engine.

I'm going to jinx myself by saying we've been towing for years with a 2017 Discovery and never had problems. Great car.

(Now everything will go wrong with it tomorrow)

Hi, sorry to jump on post etc but I find towing and numbers really confusing and complicated, so wondering if anyone can shed a light.

I have a 2019 VW Tiguan Auto Diesel 2.0 DSG, I don’t want to sell it as love it, but so paranoid about towing with it as don’t want to mess up the engine or it to be unsafe.
I’m looking at buying an iFor 511 trailer, and horse is 16.3 and approx 550kg. I only plan on towing him!

In theory I believe I should be ok, but I’d feel much better if I have other peoples opinions about the matter. Just to be sure!

Hi! I went for the disco sport (but a version that definitely has 2500kg tow capacity) and I am happily towing a IFOR 511 with my 17hh 620kg horse well within the weight limits. My trailer is just over 1000kg and we tow it with just the horse, and one hay net. Tack and water etc goes in the car. So I am towing circa 1700kg with a 2500kg capacity car and have had (touch wood) no issues so far.

I wouldn’t feel comfortable towing 2 in there as wouldn’t want to be any closer to the limit, but the car tows effortlessly and we tow (granted only short distances) a few times a month, the rest of the time we use the car for day to day travel.

looking at your specific model online, looks like you have the same capacity as me (2500) so it would probably be absolutely fine! Worth contacting the manufacturer directly to confirm the tow capacity. Whoever will fit your tow bar will also confirm as they will need to bear in mind the use etc.

I went for the disco sport in case anyone was wondering, got a great deal picking up someone’s barely used part exchange!

thanks for all the help and advice, very much appreciated!

Pleased you went for what you wanted. People on MN (and in general) do tend to bash Land Rover. Don't forget, if you got it from the LR dealer you can buy an extended warranty as yours comes to an end.