Dear Car Talk:
I am a longtime fan of your Car Talk podcast, writing and humor! I will be turning 70 soon and plan to retire sometime next year. I want to get a small travel trailer and pull it around the U.S. and see our grand country.
I’m the original owner of a 1997 Toyota Camry and am still driving it. It has almost 300,000 miles on it.
I know I will need another vehicle to pull the trailer around. Do you think a truck or SUV like a Jeep Grand Cherokee, Toyota Highlander or Chevy Traverse would be a good vehicle to use with a small trailer? Also, which do you think would be the most comfortable to drive? Thanks so much! — Ann
Would you consider a Lexus sedan, an AMEX card and a Marriott Bonvoy membership, Ann?
Seriously, driving a truck with a trailer could be quite a burden after living with your easy-to-drive Camry for 25 years. Maybe you can rent a truck and trailer and try it out for a week before dropping a chunk of your IRA on this idea.
If you do decide that this is an adventure you want to go on, start by picking out your trailer first. You’d hate to spend $50,000 on an SUV and then find out it doesn’t have the towing capacity you need.
If you get a relatively small, light trailer, you might be able to tow it with a smaller vehicle, in which case a Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Ford Bronco Sport or Subaru Forester might be enough.
If you need more towing capacity, I like the Highlander. It’ll probably be very reliable, just like that Camry with 300,000 miles on it. The Grand Cherokee is very comfortable. And the Traverse makes good use of its interior space — which you probably won’t need because all your earthly belongings will be dangling behind you in the trailer. If you do need a larger, three-row crossover, also put the Kia Telluride and the Honda Pilot on your test-drive list.
But, in the end, choose something that has the towing capacity you need and that you feel very comfortable and at ease driving. You’ll be spending a lot of time behind the wheel, on unfamiliar roads, dragging a small house behind you. So, your comfort and confidence is going to be very important.
Once you make your choices, get some instruction on driving with a trailer. Practice in an empty parking lot until you get the hang of turning the wheel one way to get the trailer to go the other way while backing up. Fun!
And however you decide to see the country, Ann, send a postcard or two.
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