I will probably soon switch to consulting/sub-contracting in my field, which will have quite a bit of travel and not much time in one place. I will mostly stay in new england (CT, MA, RI)

Having e36 and e46 M3s is redundant. Ideally, I would like to get rid of one (probably e36) and buy a big SUV or some form of a truck. This way I could just buy or even rent a trailer and just tow the car depending where projects take me. SUV/truck would also have to be a good winter vehicle (would like 4wd) and have the capacity to pack all my belongings. I really don't want to buy set of snow tires/wheels for E46, if I plan on having a second, more practical vehicle.

I was thinking something like used suburban, avalanche, silverado, ram...

Is there any significant towing differences between, say, silverado and suburban of same class? It would have to pull a trailer+e46 m3(3500s lb) plus all my shit, which might be another 500-800lb.

thanks


[Edited on April 11, 2009 at 11:55 AM. Reason : r]

4/11/2009 11:53:20 AM

i would stay away from 99 silverados and avalanches, as well as 03, but otherwise a reliable truck

4/13/2009 6:56:22 AM

Towing wise I should have no problem right?

4/13/2009 10:15:21 AM

Silverado vs Suburban:

http://www.chevrolet.com/m/06/quickfacts/09_Suburban.pdf
http://www.chevrolet.com/m/06/quickfacts/09_Silverado_combined.pdf

Looks like the Silverado will tow a little more, but both should do what you're trying to do. Obviously if you're buying a used car those aren't quite as helpful, but really any used truck should work as long as it's got a decent engine in it. That is, as long as your trailer doesn't weigh more than your bmw.

4/13/2009 10:42:57 AM

the suburban will be more versatile for hauling random shit, unless you get a camper top for the truck

4/15/2009 1:37:22 AM

any fullsize suv/truck will tow what you need just fine. i would say go for an suv unless you have a specific need for a bed to haul stuff, which it doesn't sound like you do.

don't overlook durangos and expeditions either, especially if it's something you plan to keep long term. resale on them is much lower (even half price in some cases) than a comparable suburban/tahoe/yukon. in reality, it's been more than a decade since there was any real discernible difference between the "big 3" offerings in terms of performance/reliability, so don't fret over brands too much. gm just has the long history of the model name and wins the soccer mom popularity contest for whatever reason.

you might look at gas excursions also since they're selling cheap, though the ridiculous size scares most people off. you can probably take everything you own though and still have plenty of room left.

[Edited on April 15, 2009 at 7:44 AM. Reason : don't forget a trailer brake controller and make sure to get a trailer with at least 1 braked axle!]

4/15/2009 7:41:54 AM

overlook durangos if you want a transmission that lasts more than 25k miles at a time

4/16/2009 8:44:07 PM