Van or towbar and trailer?

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spanish_lad
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Van or towbar and trailer?

Postby spanish_lad » Mon Jul 08, 2019 8:00 pm

I´ve been mulling over the idea of buying one or the other of these :


A towbar (300€) for my current car (high milage, Max tow 550kg) and a trailer (500€) and then when i replace the car i would have to get a towbar put onto the new one at another (300€) so thats 1100€ and i can use the trailer for garden waste, wood, building stuff, moving etc etc.

or

a small van, a high milage berlingo or the like, for 500€ / 600€ - then it would need insurance and 2 x ITV´s per year. so say 1000e for the first year, and 450€ per year after that.

I dont know what would be more useful to be honest, we are not "campo" people but I find myself with alot of things a trailer or van would be useful for.

I would rather a "bigger" trailer - ie: 150mmx150mm load space, not one of the tiny ones which would be fine as long as I dont put a ton bag of wood on it...

Has anyone got any opinons for either way ?
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costakid
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Re: Van or towbar and trailer?

Postby costakid » Mon Jul 08, 2019 11:18 pm

I don't like towing so I have a 4 door Navarra pick up. More money but can go anywhere and carries a tonne.

baroness
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Re: Van or towbar and trailer?

Postby baroness » Thu Jul 11, 2019 4:55 pm

When I moved from France to Spain in 2004 a trailer was recommended to me as apposed to returning a hire van to France. Never did I receive such good advice. In my 12 years in Spain the trailer proved invaluable. Used to collect leña, washing machines, fridges and loads of stuff from Leroys. It was also used many times by my friends. When I sold it, I nearly got what I had paid for it. Win-win, I must add that I lived in the campo and had plenty of room to store it. Jeff

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Re: Van or towbar and trailer?

Postby olive » Thu Jul 11, 2019 5:35 pm

I would go the trailer route provided you have the space to keep it.

Noting the 550 kg towing limit, I would go for a 200 long. Less trips , more volume. Ever seen a loaded trailer being weighed? Not that I am promoting law breaking . Trailer is easier to clean out too after garden waste.

Then you have the civilised car the rest of the time.

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Re: Van or towbar and trailer?

Postby Manchesteral » Thu Jul 11, 2019 10:27 pm

I'd go with costakid, a flat back 4x4 is much more practical (you could always put a towbar on it later !

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Re: Van or towbar and trailer?

Postby 1bassleft » Fri Jul 12, 2019 3:44 am

Have to agree that used trailers and towbars go for pretty high money so very little depreciation. OTOH, I have a LHD Combo Tour (UK reg) and have developed huge respect for the Isuzu 1.7
I would rather have a gazillion km one of those than Renault's 1.5 or a PSA 1.6 diesel.

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spanish_lad
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Re: Van or towbar and trailer?

Postby spanish_lad » Sat Jul 13, 2019 5:49 pm

costakid wrote:I don't like towing so I have a 4 door Navarra pick up. More money but can go anywhere and carries a tonne.
swmbo doesnt like the idea of a pickup truck, she wants a kuga or a Q5 next... :wtf:

baroness wrote:When I moved from France to Spain in 2004 a trailer was recommended to me as apposed to returning a hire van to France. Never did I receive such good advice. In my 12 years in Spain the trailer proved invaluable. Used to collect leña, washing machines, fridges and loads of stuff from Leroys. It was also used many times by my friends. When I sold it, I nearly got what I had paid for it. Win-win, I must add that I lived in the campo and had plenty of room to store it. Jeff
So your trailer is illegal, not registered in spain? I´m not sure I like the idea of that. You´ve never been stopped while towing it, in the 12 years that you´ve had it? Is your towbar fitted legally on a spanish registered car?

olive wrote:I would go the trailer route provided you have the space to keep it.

Noting the 550 kg towing limit, I would go for a 200 long. Less trips , more volume. Ever seen a loaded trailer being weighed? Not that I am promoting law breaking . Trailer is easier to clean out too after garden waste.

Then you have the civilised car the rest of the time.
this is very true Olive - it would be for firewood, garden waste, moving, water bowsers etc etc. a 2m long one would be much better for me tbh.

We are on a finca right now, but not out in the campo, its 3 minutes from town, the first house after the urban into the "rustico". Loads of space to keep it. My dads house has a 400m2 back garden in the town too, so loads of room to leave it anywhere i need to.
Manchesteral wrote:I'd go with costakid, a flat back 4x4 is much more practical (you could always put a towbar on it later !
i totally agree, I´d love a Pickup, and a pickup with a towbar would be great. she might need more convincing...



I´ve still not decided what to do. Me and swmbo have a Renault Megane Coupè and a Seat Ibiza.. But my mother left me with a Opel Omega v6 petrol, and a Jeep cherokee 4.0L - Both great towing cars, but stupid petrol and tax costs.. I´ve just taxed the Omega, it was €200 compared to the megane at €53. I´ve got a hankering to drive the Jeep to be honest, Its a nice car.. but the 4.0 straight 6 makes me cry when I fill it with fuel.
Alhaurin el Grande since 99, working at the airport since 2011.

baroness
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Re: Van or towbar and trailer?

Postby baroness » Sun Jul 14, 2019 4:58 pm

Spanish lad. You asked for opinions on trailers, which is what I answered. Not the legal requirements of their use in Spain. I find your assumptions quite insulting. You have no idea what vehicles I drove in Spain nor what steps I took to remain legal. I shall not answer again.

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Re: Van or towbar and trailer?

Postby Pamela1 » Mon Jul 15, 2019 11:36 am

How about deleting the offensively worded post to baroness if you are going to delete both my own and costakids observation of it?

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Re: Van or towbar and trailer?

Postby El Cid » Mon Jul 15, 2019 2:33 pm

I am happy with SLs post and do not consider it offensive..

If you are unhappy with that PM me as per House Rules.

Sid

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spanish_lad
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Re: Van or towbar and trailer?

Postby spanish_lad » Fri Jul 26, 2019 7:01 pm

Apologies Jeff / Baroness - my intention was not to offend anyone, although you might be wise not to admit breaking the law on an open forum. A vehicle from France would be french, as would the trailer, but you said that you kept the trailer for 12 years, even tho you didnt say what car you or your friends were pulling the trailer with. Someone was bound to pick up on that.

Anyways .. back to the subject in hand, I´m thinking that getting a trailer is probably a better idea, even tho i´m limited to 550kg loaded, due to the car I have / my driving licence (class B, incase anyone is wondering)

Interesting to note that for people that drive bigger vehicles - audi q7, mercedes vito etc etc, that are already 3500 kg, as of 2006 the spanish government added the classification B96 which allows you to drive that vehicle (3500 kg), plus a trailer of upto 750kg loaded, making a total of 4250kg. !

I didnt know that, so I will have to see about changing my licence if I´m gonna be getting a bigger car - maybe I´ll be "over the top" for a B class licence ... hmmmm

now to look for a "cheap" trailer.. :lolno:
Alhaurin el Grande since 99, working at the airport since 2011.


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