Trailer or lorry? Best way to have own transport.

B

BlueSkye

Active Member
Joined
8 November 2015
Messages
35
Visit site
As title - OH starting a new job at the end of the month which means I will need to get my own car. Thought I might as well get something I can tow with.

I have a post-97 license, so did my research and settled on a large saloon with a powerful engine, beasty enough to tow a lightweight trailer with the one horse but light enough to be legal for B license towing (thanks ROG for all the info you have given on this forum).

The car will be used for 40+ miles a day plus towing once or twice a month. On paper this does not seem particularly economical - better off getting a small economical car + 3.5t box? Or even small car for daily driving + large car for towing + lightweight trailer?

What do others do?
 
I would say small car for everyday, then:

3.5T box - much nicer to travel, but make sure you buy a decent one. Bigger cap expenditure (£12000 up)but shoudl hold value very well, or...

Thirsty old barge of a 4x4 (even petrol, they are cheap as chips) plus trailer. Trailer say £4000 plus £1000 tops for the tug.

Trailer will hold value but 4x4 might cost a bundle to insure (and tax). Get some quotes....?

Hope that helps.

ETA after subsequent post...if your budget allows, really modern cars (Skoda Octavia springs to mind) WILL do both jobs with reasonable economy. Always, it's down to budget!
 
Last edited:
I got a small economical company car and big tank of a towing vehicle a couple of years ago. the tank got driven so little that I ended up spending a fortune per outing.
Allowing for owning it for 2 years including depreciation, tax, insurance, repairs, MOT (and work to get it through MOT), fuel (only local events but still) and only able to get out about once a month it cost me in the region of £200 per outing before I'd paid an entry fee or bought a brew and bacon buttie! I may as well have hired a lorry and driver for that price. (That doesn't include the £3k I spent on the trailer or the actual purchase/resale cost of the vehicle or the cost of me taking my B+E).
We've since got a new family estate that will happily tow but is economical enough for the hubby to drive to work daily (35-40 mile round trip).
 
I have a small car for running around in, a 4x4 which is used for longer trips and towing and a nice cheval trailer. I think this is the cheapest way.
 
I have a fiesta for the day to day stuff and a lorry. I did have a discovery and trailer but just found it too expensive to use as an every day car, although i do miss it!

Please make sure whatever you get, if you get a large car that it has enough weight to be able to safely stop your trailer when loaded in the event of you hitting the brakes. I know someone who towed with a VW sharan and then moaned when he went up the back of the car in front when the weight of the trailer and horse didnt allow him to stop in time!!
 
I have a nice economical car paid for by car allowance from work. And an old tank of a discovery which is the "horse truck" which tows and gets smelly. My family already owned the trailer so this was the easiest way to go for me.

If I had a bit more cash spare I would seriously consider swapping the disco for a newish 3.5T - more room for horses and kit and probably cheaper in the long run as the landy is so thirsty and I am always replacing bits that keep falling off it.

I also really like having a clean car for everyday commuting/social use which never sees a strand of hay or a smelly pair of breeches. If this wasn't such an issue for me I'd be inclined to think one big car for everything would be much cheaper than paying insurance, maintenance, tyres etc x 2. If it becomes too much cost-wise or the disco goes bang I will probably replace the wee car with a VW Tiguan or similar.
 
Nice car and if you're towing that little hire a 3.5T - round here they're £70-£100/day which given a unit cost of c.£18k for a decent one, allows for over 180 trips out before you've even considered the cost of taxing/insuring/maintaining your own.
 
Shadowdancing said:
Have a yaris and a renault master converted 3.5, both surprisingly economical and sooo easy. Wouldn't change it!
Click to expand...

yep, me too, though mybox is coachbuilt. It's an old box but cheap and cheerful. Much prefer having a box to a trailer, it's so convenient to leave all my show stuff in there and have somewhere tidy to get changed etc :)
 
Smart car and 3.5 coach built box works for me :)

I wasn't torn between hiring and buying when i got this little box in 2012,
As I do many impromptu rides with friends, it would be hassle to collect and return a box as well as making last min changes down to weather etc.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top