Need Buying advice - previously used toad

[junior30]

I am in the market for a toad for my class c motor home. I am looking at the Honda crv as my possible toad. I found one used that I need some advice on. It's a 2007 crv with 142,000 miles. It has the base plate, possible eletrical wired, and a breakaway.

The car is being sold by dealership so they have no info on any of the rv hookup or electrical work.

One of my main concerns is the transmission. I know these car can be damaged if the towing procedure is not followed.

My second concern is can I buy the missing pieces for the base plate. It looks like a road master plate and is missing the arms, I think.

Any tips or advice would be appreciated as I am new to motor home and this is my first toad. Below are the pics of the car and set up. Carfax is clean 2 owner car. They asking $7500.

[sky_blue]

As with ALL used vehicles (dealer or or private) take it to your local mechanic for a review. It will be the best $200-$300 you will spend. The dealer may balk. But stay firm and ask him if he wants to make a sale.

[Techn0]

Definitely take it to a mechanic. If you can't do that, at the least get a carfax on it to see if there were any accidents, etc. Also, a good test drive should tell you if the transmission has any major issues; ie sluggish, etc. As for the missing baseplate parts, you can give RoadMaster a call and I am sure they can find the replacements arms for you. There is no reason why the RV service department can't test to see if the electrical wiring works with a simple multimeter.

[EA37TS]

One thing to keep in mind is the 142K miles may not include towed miles. Depending on how often it was towed it could have well over 150K on the suspension system to include some drive train components such as axle shafts and wheel bearings. Have it checked by a qualified mechanic first.

[junior30]

Thanks for the replies. I will take it to a mechanic first.

Dstankov you hit one of my concerns. The car could have over 200,000 or even 250,000 miles on the motor mounts, suspension, ect. While it was being pulled and not technically accumulating miles on the odometer.

[Mr Sunshine]

Agree with all the comments. The CRV is a popular SUV, and popular to tow, very versatile and not too heavy.

The part you see on the car is the edge off the baseplate. You can buy Roadmaster tow bars to fit it from any RV dealer, and countless places online. They are always sold separately. I have found the folks at etrailer.com very helpful. You might even find some on craigslist or ebay. Stick with Roadmaster telescoping tow bars, so you don't need an adapter.

It is never cheap to buy and install the baseplate and rig up the light hookup for towing. If you pay to have it done, figure at least $1K, and you'll likely not get much of that back when you sell it. Be sure to have your mechanic check the baseplate installation and the breakaway when you have it inspected. And, as was suggested, tell the mechanic that towed miles, over 10 years, are unknown.

Anytime you buy a vehicle out of warranty, you roll the dice. I have bought dozens of cars. only a handful were new. I've sold a few with miles that high, and they held up well with some TLC. Be smart and budget for some repairs, with that many miles.