Toad or drive seperately...HELP!! - RV-Dreams Community Forum

karebear · RV-Dreams Community Member

Toad or drive seperately...HELP!!

Roz · RV-Dreams Family Member

One aspect you did not address, KareBear

. . . is the distance you plan to drive each day. If you plan travel to include no more than four or five hours maximum with a break at a midway point, following with the Camry would not be terrible, if you enjoy driving. Equally important would be rest days between driving days. Back to back driving days can work for some, but after a couple of days, the third days is no picnic.

We tow our car with no problems at all, but if it is less than an hour move, we both drive. As with most everything else, it will boil down to your personal preference.

Good luck with your decision and trip!

Charles

Jan and GC · RV-Dreams Family Member

We have a Toyota Prius that I chose and absolutely LOVE! The 52 mpg in warm weather doesn't hurt my feelings either. We decided on the truck and 5er and was going to sell the Toy. I really didn't want to part with my car! We finally decided to pay the car off and keep it as we were very upside down in it. I will be following GC when we travel and we will use it for sight-seeing along the way. The way I see it, we will need some time apart from one another and this will be a way to do it. We have walkie talkies and cell phones. The Prius has bluetooth so the radio cuts out and I push a button on the steering wheel to answer a call or I can set up a speed dial for GC and use that to call him. In the beginning I really didn't want to drive but ride with GC and enjoy the views together, now I am seeing where we can talk about what we are seeing but still have a bit of distance and alone time. I think it will work out well for us that way. If not, I still have the option of selling. One thing I am seeing about this lifestyle is it is all about our own style and choices. :)

Howard · Host

Charles had the same questions I had.

You would save money by following behind in the Camry rather than equipping the Class B for towing and getting a different vehicle. So the extra gas expense seems to be a moot point.

Plus you would still have the Camry, a car you like a lot, if you upgraded to a motorhome that could tow it.

The rental idea may or may not save you money, and I don't think you like that option anyway. It would be a bit of a hassle and you would be much more comfortable in your own car.

So the question is whether or not you, as a couple, mind driving separately. From experience (Linda follows our fifth wheel in a Jeep and we use walkie-talkies), I can tell you that we don't mind it at all. But we almost always have at least three days between moves and we've never driven over 300 miles in a day driving separately.

So your travel plans would certainly influence my advice. But assuming you will be taking your time in that eight month trip, I'd keep the Camry and follow. smile

karebear · RV-Dreams Community Member

Thank you for your replies. I just put new tires on the Camry also, and that was really going to influence me to keep it. And we won't drive more than 300 miles in any one day as we have many stops planned along the way, Mt. Rushmore, the baseball and football halls of fame, Niagra Falls, Maine and slowly head to Florida, a week here and there, Texas and check our the RGV and then Arizona. If we decide the lifestyle fits us I think I would tend to buy a Jeep or CRV or Rav 4 for our toad as we'd be getting a larger coach, this would make more sense overall. Any other opinions??

karebear · RV-Dreams Community Member

We are leaving in 6 weeks for our 7 month trip. After reading about the RV Dreams rally in Branson and that 2 people had broken ankles/legs....we decided maybe we SHOULD get a toad, because if that happens to us, who would drive the second rig. So we went on RV Net forum, found a link to Escapees for used toads and found one immediately to our liking and it was only going to be a 300 mile drive. Calling the gentleman we found out he really was only 140 miles away and even met us partway so he could instruct us on the use of the Roadmaster tow bar, even the lights were a perfect match!!! So we purchased the 2006 Hyundai Accent for $8600 and are very happy with it so far. Just need to hook it up and practice a time or two and we can be on our way.
The other gentleman and his wife have been fulltiming for 4 years and had a wild hair, bought motorcycles and had to get a truck to haul them in!!! So it was a nice find for us and he was leaving the area this week. biggrin

Old Snipe · RV-Dreams Family Member

One other option that has not been mentioned is a tow dolly. They may not be quite as easy to hook up as a four down tow, but they do work well and would solve your problem.

I normally tow four down but just last month did a cross country trip towing my son's car on a dolly I rented from U-Haul. It was not hard at all. No more than 7-8 minutes to hook up/unhook.

Maybe you could try a rental for a day or two and see if that might be your solution.

Used dollys are available pretty cheap on e-bay and craigslist if you take your time to look.

Just a thought, hope it helps.

Best Regards!

karebear · RV-Dreams Community Member

We have been on the road now for 2.5 weeks with our Hyundai toad....and all is well.....so glad we did do the flat towable and not driving....can enjoy the drive, and spell dh when he gets tired. The toad pulls so easily and now that we have unhooked quite a few times....doesn't take long at all to unhook and rehook. We have gone 3,000 miles and are in Ohio at the KOA.....dh heading for the Football Hall of Fame. I thought Washington had bad roads!!!! Well all states are needing a lot of highway work for sure, and we are finding road constuction everywhere. I could LIVE this life, we'll see what the next couple months prove to dh.....enjoying the siteseeing of the USA. Karebear

thebearII · RV-Dreams Family Member

Karebear,

You might want to check the specs for your B+. Cargo weight and the weight you can tow are two different categories. Keep in mind when you tow a car there really isn't much cargo weight being used up because the car is supported by it's wheels and tires. Most vehicles show a separate tow rating which indicates how much weight you can tow and even the tow weight is separated depending on the hitch setup. You may only need a hitch, towbar and some sort of pump for the auto trans or disconnect hubs for the drive wheels to be able to comfortably tow the car.

But consider this... when towing a car there's always that little nagging in the back of your mind that interferes with the enjoyment of the trip. It's the what if factor....what if I forgot to hook up the chains, what if that guys stops dead, what if the gas station is too small to manuver in.....

We use the rent a car option while on long trips. I have found cost wise it just about breaks even vs. other options discussed. The wear and tear on the Camry, extra gas and most important to us separation, not being able to readily point and say hey did you see that ...cow, bird, mountain, boat, idiot...etc is one of the reasons we travel, See the sights together. The rental car is worth every penny.

Most of the privately run campgrounds we've been in have a deal with a local car rental, usually Enterprise, to deliver a car to the RV park or come and pick you up. Choose a special deal and you can get a car with unlimited mileage for $30 + per day.

Put blankets on the backseat (and front seats) of the rental and the dog hair isn't an issue. Or take it to a car wash before returning the car.

On a long trip we usually stop at points of interest along the way, park our RV in the parking area and use shuttles if provided to get around someplace like Yosemite or the Grand Canyon. We've used public transportation or a bus tour in cities like Washington DC.

As the day comes to and end or we get tired from sight seeing, we leave the parking lot and head down the road towards our next destination and stop at an RV park for the night.

Great thing about RV'ers, they love to help. Many times I've hitched a ride into town with someone in a campground to pick up a needed thinga-ma-jig. It's a great way to make new friends. So if there is an emergency, an RV'er will be there to offer help.

You'll find that a car isn't really needed all the time. The few times when you will need it, a rental is a great solution.