Buy a trailer (instead of a pickup truck)

[oil pan 4]

You could tow 8500lb with a dokota.
I wouldn't recomend going any faster than about 30mph.

[ConnClark]

Just get the new Smart Pickup truck (Its called the Fail)
The New Smart Truck - Cheezburger

[Xist]

I may have mentioned most of this somewhere on here...

My dad has a Focus SFE and used to work for a guy. I do not know what happened to the friend, but my dad lost his job, started his own company, and hired his former boss, who did not have a vehicle at the time, so my dad bought him a used truck. I do not know what it is, just big, heavy, damaged, and still not as big as he had wanted. Then he drove it around instead of doing his job and making deadlines. After a couple of DUIs, my dad took it back, and now it is sitting next to his house, a hundred thousand miles later, with most of the loan left to pay. When I went up to build a fence over Christmas my dad used the truck instead of the Forester, which I had not enjoyed using for that purpose, and that was when we learned that the tailgate was broken.

Loading thirty cinder blocks over the side of the truck was not fun, but at least it did slightly better on the ice patches. I believe that both my father and I laid down after unloading the truck.

I do not know how you can drive something that inefficient a hundred thousand miles and not rethink things, but I think that I would have happily put a hitch on my Subaru and kept everything accessible--and protect the interior of my car!

When I complained, he offered to use his car--a 2,013!

My dad also had a very difficult time backing the truck once empty, up a slight incline, on frozen ground.

In the Army, we find it easier to just push HMMWV trailers short distances.

[justme1969]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

You could tow 8500lb with a dokota.
I wouldn't recomend going any faster than about 30mph.

With a chain.
I really respect the info and thinking in this post but my r/t with its posi trac rear end would probbably pull most full size trucks apart.
This does not make it a replacement for a tow vehicle due to its flexible suspension designed for road and track conditions. Neither is a Geo metro, or civic wagon, etc going to haul anything larger than its self for long.
Keeping this simple for others who wander across our thread;
A utillity trailer is much better option if you dont mind storing it then getting a large gas hog truck to move your new bedroom dresser. If you can use that!
I myself wouldnt think of launching a bass boat with any economy focused car! load lover suspension mods or not.
Would you plow a field with your lawn mower? it is called a tractor rite?

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by Shortie771

Some day he will start listening to me... hopefully

When fuel prices hit $5 they'll all start screaming ...

[5bikes]

Can be converted to a flat bed with 9" sides (less than $50 initially) and in less than 1 hour. I pull it it behind my 07 Accord V6 easily. I bought a mini-farm 3 years ago and used it a lot as a flat bed.
Behind my Class A RV it is a M/C trailer for 1 or 2 of my 4 bikes.
I tried to justify a "Pick-up" but with initial cost, depreciation, tires, lower gas mileage, & maintenance and the few times I would use it after the 1st year said "NO".
Besides all my "friend"s have Pick-ups (and ***** about the $75+ fill-ups when gas is at $4).

[oil pan 4]

Originally Posted by 5bikes

Besides all my "friend"s have Pick-ups (and ***** about the $75+ fill-ups when gas is at $4).

Yeah DOE is projecting $4/gal is here to stay as soon as 2014.

[HHOTDI]

Here is a good pic of the old Festy with the trailer hitch on it. Of course I had to haul the boat on top w/o the little folding trailer to launch it!


Here is one with the hitch carrier I made. Worked great for short hunting trips, or hauling smaller stuff. I retired the old festy with 299k. Still running strong and used 1qt of oil between oil changes!


Here is the replacement to the old Festy and current Fav in the family! A 2000 Turbo Diesel Beetle! So far the only mods are a K+N air filter, LRR Tires and light weight Synthetic oils throughout!

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Saw this trailer parked in my neighborhood recently. That's the same one which was bolted to that Chevrolet Tornado coupé-utility.

[Fat Charlie]

On Saturday, I got around to finishing with the load of dirt from a week earlier. When I was done I took the sides off and hosed everything down.

On Sunday I took a load of brush to the dump. I tossed all the trees and branches in and tied a rope over it all. At the brush pile, I untied the rope and started throwing stuff. Right after I pulled in, a guy with a pickup came in. He had a redneck swimming pool going on with a tarp in the truck bed (don't want to get sap or scratches on the paint) and it was full of branches, pine needles and stuff. He got out of the truck and stood by the bed, finally realizing that he was going to have to reach over the shoulder high bedrails to empty that mess handful by handful- or climb up in there and throw it all out into a pile right at his fender. I said to myself "dump closes in half an hour" and went home. I'll bet he's hauling that load around all week.