Quote:
Originally Posted by galOnTheGo
as we are just starting out, we haven't decided to tow or not. one factor is fuel mileage effect. can anyone comment on their experience with fuel mileage effect. I understand there are many factors to consider, I am just looking for your experience with it. eg - 2 mpg decrease,....
thanks
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When we started we were a bit overwhelmed and didn’t want to add towing to the picture. We sometimes rented a car at our destination or brought bicycles or mopeds. But when we decided to snowbird for a month or more at a time we decided that we needed to bring a car. After all if all those other people can do it we should be able to as well! We completely ruled out using a dolly because it was just one more thing to hook up and to store. After careful review we decided to buy a Jeep Wrangler - ours is a 2004 - and I installed all of the tow equipment myself. Blue Ox baseplate and tow bar, Stay In Play brake system (because I didn’t want to fuss with a portable unit) and a Hopkins plug in light kit. Not counting the Jeep it cost just over $2,500 which isn’t peanuts but it is a one time expense. On our last trip without the car we averaged 6.8 MPG over 6500 miles. On our first trip towing we averaged 6.71 over 1800 miles. To be sure, the longer trip was out west with lots of wind, mountains and twisty west coast roads. Nevertheless I consider the mpg difference to be of little consequence. Enjoy your learning curve and all of your adventures!
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