[ghost34]

I'm looking at some full size suv's to double as family haulers and to tow my track ready M4. I want to ask fellow owners their opinion on the big boy suv's. this will be a third car, so something only for dog hauling, towing and home depot trips. looking at 05ish qx56/armada, lexus gx470 and LR3. thoughts?

[DocWeatherington]

Originally Posted by ghost34

I'm looking at some full size suv's to double as family haulers and to tow my track ready M4. I want to ask fellow owners their opinion on the big boy suv's. this will be a third car, so something only for dog hauling, towing and home depot trips. looking at 05ish qx56/armada, lexus gx470 and LR3. thoughts?

LR3 is out.. Reliability would be a question as well as parts/availability and they aren't large SUVs on the inside..

Reliability is better with the Lexus...

My vote Q56.. more room, has almost 2,500 more pounds in towing capacity over the Lexus and 1500 over the LR3, and 390 ft-lbs is what you need.. Its better to have more truck than not enough when it comes to towing... Thinking about trailer/ car/ a few hundred pounds in track gear and a few additional friends... it add's up.. on the highway, inclines and wind

3rd Car.. I would get a pickup of the 2500 series from the big three with 4 doors...

[Killramos]

For duty work you cant really beat the big 3 domestics. Get a short box Super Crew or equivalent. They have really stepped up the interiors. Are cheap to fix ( and things will break if you are regularly towing) and maintain. And hell they are cheap to buy to... And if you go with a 3/4 ton you can get a diesel which will excel at towing and gas mileage.

If you insist on it being an SUV then a Ford expedition, Suburban/YukonXL would be good options. Its your choice if you think a 1/2 ton could cut it.

LR3 is going to be stupid under powered for towing something heavy like a car imo. Just not what its made for. The LR4 would serve much better in this respect. But i still don't think buying an import for duty work is a good idea.

In short my recommendation for what you are doing is buy a new F150 SCrew short box or a Silverado 2500 Duramax of some kind. Depends on your budget.

I think you are looking for luxury type features since you are looking at LR, Infiniti, Lexus but an 05 of those vs a 2015 domestic. The domestic will be much nicer. Now if you just want to buy them for the brand on the front i cant help you lol.

[P1]

How about a 2wd crew cab Dodge 1-ton dually?

[1MOREMOD]

X5d works great for my track car e46 m3 with open trailer.

[Killramos]

I imagine in Chicago 4WD would be an asset for at least a few months of the year.

Who buys 2wd truck

[ghost34]

thanks for the input. I probably should of added, looking for something less than $10k and I wanted a suv cause I hual my big dogs too. 4wd is a must and this thing will only see a few thousand miles a year. I didn't start liking that domestics until 06 or higher but those options cost more than I want to spend. love the 07 and higher tahoe's. that's why I settled on my list. think I'm leaning towards the armada. Actaully kinda fun to drive

[MightyMouseTech]

For towing my racecar, loved my 2500 Suburban. Tossed in a set of front and rear 4.56 gears, great stump puller. Was $7k plus $2k in gears, and another $1k for GOOD towing tires, Load E Michelins. HD everything.

For towing, the heavier the better.

[Killramos]

Originally Posted by ghost34

thanks for the input. I probably should of added, looking for something less than $10k and I wanted a suv cause I hual my big dogs too. 4wd is a must and this thing will only see a few thousand miles a year. I didn't start liking that domestics until 06 or higher but those options cost more than I want to spend. love the 07 and higher tahoe's. that's why I settled on my list. think I'm leaning towards the armada. Actaully kinda fun to drive

Even with a 10k budget i still say go domestic. No one wants to be fixing an inifiniti or a lexus out of warranty, and as i mentioned when towing will break.

Armada is just a Titan. And the Armada/Titan is consistently ranked near the bottom of all full size Truck based SUV's. For basically its entire existence.

imo buy the newest F150 you can for whatever 10k will get you in your area. Put a cheap canopy on it for your dog. Go home happy.

[ethanjoon]

I have a fully loaded 2008 Titan Crew Cab that I've had since new. The Titan is basically the truck version of the Armada (I've driven th Armada as well and can confirm the driving feel is very similar). Great car to haul your M4, but not as reliable as you may think.

[ghost34]

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

For towing my racecar, loved my 2500 Suburban. Tossed in a set of front and rear 4.56 gears, great stump puller. Was $7k plus $2k in gears, and another $1k for GOOD towing tires, Load E Michelins. HD everything.

For towing, the heavier the better.

that's awesome

[tcpsoft]

My vote would be for an Excursion 7.3 diesel

I looked at one when shopping for a Lotus tow vehicle but ended up with a lesser truck to keep other family members happy.... Wish I had that now.

[DocWeatherington]

Forgot about the Excursion.. Those are a beast with the 7.3

[08TUNDRA]

My vote goes for the gx470, we dont own one but we own a toyota sequoia as the family hauler and it shares the same toyota platform. Belive me when I say these things will tow far past the tow ratings without a problem ours is used as business vehicle for our store and tows 9 pallets of prouducts in a trailer from los angeles to san diego once a month and towed my car on the same journey with another 5 pallets and all of this and the car dont even struggle at all. This is also with bullet proof reliability we've owned the car for 12 years since new and im not joking when I say not one thing has broken or been replaced just belts, brakes, tires, and fluids. I have a lot of maintenance planned for it mostly suspension since it rides more rough after 220,000 hard miles. So its a great tow car and seats everone comfterbly.

[08TUNDRA]

if you look at how low the suspension gets because the back is completley jam packed but when the car turns on the air suspension lofts it back up.

[ghost34]

Originally Posted by dmikhael619

My vote goes for the gx470, we dont own one but we own a toyota sequoia as the family hauler and it shares the same toyota platform. Belive me when I say these things will tow far past the tow ratings without a problem ours is used as business vehicle for our store and tows 9 pallets of prouducts in a trailer from los angeles to san diego once a month and towed my car on the same journey with another 5 pallets and all of this and the car dont even struggle at all. This is also with bullet proof reliability we've owned the car for 12 years since new and im not joking when I say not one thing has broken or been replaced just belts, brakes, tires, and fluids. I have a lot of maintenance planned for it mostly suspension since it rides more rough after 220,000 hard miles. So its a great tow car and seats everone comfterbly.

a few hours ago, we actually looked at a nice black 05 sequoia with 120k miles for 8500. it's the top contender but I'm going to look at a 08 expedition tomorrow. really do appreciate the feedback. I pinged some other truck forums but I wanted to pick the minds of "my" kind of car guys

[Steve33]

Originally Posted by dmikhael619

if you look at how low the suspension gets because the back is completley jam packed but when the car turns on the air suspension lofts it back up.

And when the air suspension goes out, you're fucked

[08TUNDRA]

Originally Posted by Steve33

And when the air suspension goes out, you're fucked

Well after 220,000 hard miles I wouldnt be mad at it its served its porpose well and dosent leak or creak so I dont belive its going anytime soon. Its a toyota not a range rover XD. I think your forgeting all the suspension disasters that bmw had that all go out at a quarter of the miles these are at right now (e46 control arms, x5 air suspension leaks, the list goes on) However if it did go out id happily diy it.

[08TUNDRA]

Originally Posted by ghost34

a few hours ago, we actually looked at a nice black 05 sequoia with 120k miles for 8500. it's the top contender but I'm going to look at a 08 expedition tomorrow. really do appreciate the feedback. I pinged some other truck forums but I wanted to pick the minds of "my" kind of car guys

Nice, sequoias are bulletproof with regular maintenance. Just get a loaded one and you'll be happy. The expedition will be great im sure, but not to own lol its not from fords best period. If you're intrested in this size also check out the lx470 as well.

[n55x3]

I'd stay away from LX470 / Land Cruiser. Especially as a dedicated tow vehicle. Weak motors and soft suspension. Not exactly a great combo for towing a trailer. Can be done but again, if this is a 'dedicated' tow vehicle there are many more options out there. Something like a basic Tahoe will tow circles around an Lx / LC.

With that being said I actually went from a Tahoe to a Land Cruiser and couldn't be happier. The Land Cruiser is nicest vehicle I have ever owned. It's like driving down the road in a bank vault. One of the most reliable vehicles ever made too. I have only towed a 2000lbs trailer with it thus far and that was fine but I wouldn't want to go much bigger, especially if I was towing frequently. I could pull a 6500 lbs boat all day in the Tahoe, I'd be afraid to do it in the LC.

[WreckerX5d]

Just get a 4wd crew cab diesel pickup truck and call it a day. SUV's can tow, but they aren't designed as a dedicated towing vehicle.

Make sure you get a truck with a transmission oil cooler as well.

[ghost34]

thanks all. I'm in my 40's but still nice to have a big sister looking out for me. bought my sisters 09 suburban with heavy duty tow package and the k5l option.