Looking for some advice/guidance on a potential lease option for a tow vehicle I’m looking to purchase. I’ve been digging into the used listings for months, pushing a year honestly, to find a tow vehicle for a fairly small travel travel. No luck given the used market is insane this year. So I’ve now shifted my thoughts to leasing, which I’ve never actually done before. .
So tl;dr…My budget is around $400 all in, but I can probably push to $450. I need something that has at least a 6k lb tow rating. I’m not really wanting a truck simply because it’s not super practical for our family when not using the vehicle to tow. But if I can find a really good deal on a truck right now, it’d be something I seriously consider. In in PA, and I’m not sure what incentives I’d qualify for, not military or a first responder, though I do work in a hospital.
Does anyone have suggestions for brand/models that could fit my needs that lease decently?
Used wise I’ve been looking at Pathfinders and Grand Cherokees, but both have concerned me with reliability and in the GCs, the safety ratings. A Pathfinder lease seems to be where I’m coming back to because reliability matters less when it’s under warranty and not actually mine.
Any guidance would be super appreciated. I’m getting wildly frustrated with the whole search.
I think you’d be doing yourself a disservice not considering a Tacoma V6 Double Cab, especially given how well they lease in your area relative to anything you’re considering
A truck probably is your best bet, particularly a Toyota. If you’re in PA @Jrouleau426 usually has some great deals available on them. That being said, your options are pretty limited if you need to tow 6000 pounds in an SUV, particularly in your budget. The Grand Cherokee and Durango might be doable, I’m not so sure about the Pathfinder. This is a pretty complete list of what would work in an SUV: I Want A Family SUV That Can Tow 5,000 Pounds! What Should I Buy? (2021 Edition) - The Fast Lane Car
You figure out which of my vehicles tow what you need and I’ll have you under 450 in highlmaders. 4runners under 400. Taco 300…or just grab a tundra. I have one left for 375ish.
My guess is the Durango, Pathfinder, and Explorer (if 5600 is close enough) are going to lease best, but once you have a short list you need to do your homework: get residual/MF/incentives from Edmunds, compare recent deals for pre-incentive discounts, run the numbers and see if it fits your budget.
Highlanders can’t tow more than 5k, OP said 6k.
Same with 4Runners, 5k
Tacoma’s BARELY make it at 6400 , OP said at least 6k so this might not work.
A Tundra 4x4 Offroad leases for just around 400 and that bad boy can do 9k
So I would say a Tundra 4x4 Offroad, it has a crew cab as well.
I wouldn’t trust a v6 non turbo to pull that kind of weight for any duration. You need a full size truck to pull over 5k for long trips. It’s not the peak load weight that is the issue when towing it’s the distance plus weight.
Yea not an expert by any means myself but have towed in the past. Some factors are whatever trailer weight add 1k lbs for everything your putting inside as well as people in vehicle. Also factor 500-1k extra if it’s very mountainous this puts you on the safe side of overheating.
Thanks everyone for your suggestions I’ve actually considered downgrading my trailer into the low 3k lbs simply because I’m so boxed in with my budget. Definitely looks like I’ll have to test drive the trucks.
To clarify, my trailer is a little over 4k - 24ft, but loaded both trailer and tow vehicle is over 5k and I want to make sure I have a cushion.
I actually did forget about the Durangos and their higher than most tow capacity, I can’t say I love the looks of them, but I’m in the position where functionality is probably going to be the priority over the bells and whistles and aesthetics I’d prefer.
Super popular in Europe and the UK specifically. Trucks are a rare sighting out there, so most citizens have an suv or other towing capable vehicle.
Tundra seems to be the best bang for buck all around. My pops is about to sell his 2014 tundra above the expected KBB; it’s resell value and reliability are top knotch.
Tundra would be on the only thing that would tow that much without stressing you out, never want to tow at or close to max weight of a vehicle. It’s thirsty though!
