I'm a new guy on the block looking to buy a small vintage airstream and well matched tow vehicle to be a part timer (read snow bird) for 2 or 3 months a year. I will not be driving in snow or rough terrain. I would like to buy the tow vehicle first as I do not currently own a car. To be useful for the portion of the year while I am not traveling, the tow vehicle should be economical and easy to manage (park and manuver) in the tightly built urban area where I live. It should be an SUV, not a pickup. I have in mind a Toyota 4runner w/4.0Lv6 (5000), a Honda Pilot (4,500) or Toyota Highlander (3500) where the numbers in parenthesis are published tow capacities. My budget requires that all will have 50 k or more miles on them when I buy. What size vintage AS trailers could I consider matching with these vehicles (21'?, 23?). Any other recommendations and/or advice would be appreciated. What sort of milage reduction should I anticipate while towing?
We have a 2003 Pilot, which we do not use for towing the Safari. We did tow a 17', 3500 lb SOB with it. It towed that OK. But note that the 4,500 tow limit on the Pilot (at least the '03 model) was for boats and it was 3,500 for trailers. The difference has to do with aerodynamics, so maybe an Airstream would let you get away with a bit over the 3,500 tow capacity.
By the way, the Pilot got 10 mpg pulling the 3,500 lb SOB. My Mercedes ML 500, a V8, gets 12 mpg pulling our 5,000 lb Safari.
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