Hiring a car with a tow bar
Hi all - we are considering a change of car and realise that we only need a big car when we tow a caravan. This is usually for our main holiday and perhaps two or three minibreaks in the year. So as an alternative we were wondering about having a small car and then hiring a car with a tow bar when we need to tow. Does anyone have any knowledge or experience of doing this?
Thanks
Ian
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Our local garage hires out a Discovery with tow bar & electrics for £75 a day including insurance. Would work out to be over a thousand quid just for your main holiday.
Have you thought about getting an older tug & just taxing & insuring it for the holiday season?
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This useless forum logged me out while typing a very exact rely, try again
There is truly only 1 supplier of a 4x4 tow car, http://johndennis4x4.co.uk/car-sales/
Although based in Aylesbury they will deliver anywhere. Tracey is the key person there.
We had cause to hire a tow car despite Mercedes Benz best efforts to get a tow bar for the car, or to provide a car with a tow bar be it hired, borrowed etc.
John Dennis stepped in at the 11th hour.
They delivered and collected a Disco 4. All up it was £1200 for 12 days unlimited mileage. That included the delivery / collection charged at a mileage rate.
Whilst going through the sage I discovered very few national companies will hire a vehicle to tow with due to insurance. The specialists that do, do not necessarily have AlKo stabilise compliant tow balls on Discoveries, Range Rovers, Land Cruisers & Shoguns, so ask the relevant questions when enquiring.
John Dennis were superb. We had a Disco 4 for our first caravan trip.
School holidays, Badminton horse trials etc and Glastonbury are busy times, so book early.
Can't recommend Tracey highly enough.
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As the Club, through Red Pennant, often arrange for replacement tow cars to be sent abroad to get members out of trouble it might be an idea to have a chat with them as they no doubt have a list of garages with such cars.
David
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When you compare those costs against shelling out for a towcar with insurance and road tax - it is an interesting addition to the options available.
Great post KeefySher.
And do watch out as said about the tow ball - I had a problem with my caravan in a rural workshop and the snow a couple of years ago - a friend volunteered his Landrover to rescue it back to my very rural home. All was arranged for the workshop to stay open so he could do it after work etc etc and when we got there the caravan didn't fit his tow ball! It's something to watch with breakdown companies too as some stipulate regular tow ball on their vehicles.
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I would expect Mayday to be able to cope with caravans? but reading the small print in the RAC policy a few years ago they specified "standard ball". However the contractor sent to rescue me was all set up. Super service from Redhill near Birmingham.
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