The Falcon has almost had it so I need to replace it with another car that can tow a caravan a few times a year and run around town with the kids the rest of the time. Budget around 10K. Hit me with your ideas. I want something that is a lot more economical around town than the Falcon. Cheers
stickman4u,
Dec 20, 1:12am
nissan safari
morrisman1,
Dec 20, 1:13am
another falcon!
What year is your current one? At a stretch you might be able to get a XR6 BF with the 6 speed auto.
The important info will be around your caravan. How large, how heavy, what brakes does it have. What sort of terrain do you tow over and how far?
In a recent trip I did in a FG XR6, I got 7.7L/100km driving normally, 7.3L/100km trying to hypermile (without driving slow though). Pretty bloody good for a tank. 13.1L/100km mixed running (80% highway) towing 1500kg of race car trailer.
ggoodwin,
Dec 20, 1:14am
Thanks, I'm actually hoping for something a lot smaller. I forgot to add the 2 kids are still in large car seats so lifting them into an SUV or higher is a bit of a pain. I'd prefer a sedan/station wagon/large hatch type car
ggoodwin,
Dec 20, 1:16am
Caravan is braked - it's an old 1970's 14ft aluminium one so quite wide and heavy but tows like a dream with the Falcon. I'm not exactly sure of it's weight though.
Current Falcon is 2003 or 2005 I think. I liked it but wanting something a little more economical for all the around town running
ggoodwin,
Dec 20, 1:17am
Would a mondeo do the trick maybe?
vtecintegra,
Dec 20, 1:19am
How much does the caravan actually weight?
I really doubt you'll be able to get anything significantly more economical that is still capable to towing much
matarautrader,
Dec 20, 1:34am
I recently brought a 2007 XR6 with 160000kms for $6500. Its got the 6 speed box. Tows our caravan well. 32-37 mpg on trips, about 25 around town. I decided that if I had a prang its worth paying another $20 week for fuel to have a safer car
henderson_guy,
Dec 20, 1:35am
You already have an ideal tow vehicle. $10k will buy a LOT of fuel. My 2c.
jumpingstone,
Dec 20, 1:37am
Toyota Estima
tony9,
Dec 20, 1:55am
You would have an even safer car with a Mondeo (or others) and save $20 a week or more.
sr2,
Dec 20, 1:58am
What makes the XR6 a "safer car"?
morrisman1,
Dec 20, 1:59am
They can hardly tow themselves let alone a caravan on behind, and the OP is after improvement in economy, not worse.
msigg,
Dec 20, 2:00am
Any large car will do the job, nissan maxima, toyota camry , as said falcon or commodore.
matarautrader,
Dec 20, 2:32am
Compared to a Hiace van its about a 1000% safer. About as safe as I could get for the price.
ggoodwin,
Dec 20, 3:01am
lol, yes!
woodypc,
Dec 20, 4:42am
Lol, best post.
sr2,
Dec 20, 4:47am
Compared to a Hiace van anything short of strapping yourself to the front bumper would have to be a 1,000% safer.
I'm confused as to where the Hiace option came from?
kdcentralni,
Dec 20, 1:15pm
Late vz or early Ve wagon with the 3.6 would be marginally cheaper around town, I would stay with what you have.
2sheddies,
Dec 20, 2:41pm
Problem there is, given hoe they hold value, at a budget of 10k, the OP will end up with a vehicle nearly 20 years older and half a million K's more buggered than their current Falcon which they're trying to improve on. There's no doubting they're brilliant wagons for heavy towing and offroading, but seem to sell at crazy high prices for what they are. old, agricultural and basic. (though rugged and basic isn't such a bad thing sometimes) and in most cases look about ready for the crusher. I personally couldn't imagine going from a lovely smooth grunty Falcon to a stinking old rattler like one of them lol!
And hey, juice is pretty cheap at the moment which is a bonus point for keeping the Falcon or updating to another one!
monaro17,
Dec 20, 3:36pm
The caravan would weigh around 1100kg. Loaded with a bit of gear say around 1250kg. You will need a good medium sized car at a minimum. A Toyota camry or Mazda 6 would be adequate- the latter being the better. Otherwise a subaru legacy or outback would be fine with the 2.5 or 3L motor.
Think of Towing a caravan like heating a large room. A 2kw bar heater will heat it but will be going full capacity and won't like doing it. It's the same with a caravan, a smaller car will tow it but won't do it very well. You will have your boot up it all the time keeping up with traffic on the hills- and it won't do the car much good. And stopping it is worse
franc123,
Dec 20, 3:50pm
What's wrong with your current car that justifies the Had It description?
shorebee,
Dec 20, 7:52pm
sonata or mondeo diesel
woodypc,
Dec 20, 8:45pm
As others have said so you spend thousands on a new slightly more economical car, that is ALOT of fuel to make up the difference.
elect70,
Dec 20, 9:20pm
In nz i wouldnt tow a caravan with anything smaller than a v6 camry . Poms tow with hatchbacks but they all on motorways & good sealed flat roads . Plus their fuel use rockets up when towing . Stick with Falcodorecam
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