Almost a decade ago, I bought a Honda Element. I absolutely love the thing- good MPG, tons of storage, fun to drive- I’ve taken the thing all over the country. I’ve been fully intending to drive the thing into the ground.
This last weekend, some friends *gave *us a really nice pop up camper, with the stipulation that we come camping with them occasionally. My wife’s been wanting one for quite a while, so we were both pretty excited about it. Our friends drove from Seattle to Salt Lake City and dropped it off over the weekend, and gave us a quick training course on how to use it before they left
Unfortunately, none of us bothered to wonder if the Element can tow it.
It can’t. The trailer is 2500 pounds, the Element can tow 1500. Dammit.
My wife (the accountant) has said that she’s okay with me buying a new, larger SUV, one which can tow the trailer. I don’t want to- as I said, I love my Element- but I also don’t want to give up the trailer (did I mention it was FREE?).
So, yeah, there’s my situation. First world problems, I know.
How often would you be going camping with the trailer? Could you rent a vehicle that would tow it when you needed one? Since you didn’t pay for the camper, I would think occasionally renting a vehicle to tow it would be a compromise. At least until you are ready to replace the Element.
Renting an SUV can be a bit expensive, but if it’s only once in a while it still probably makes more economic sense than buying. Present that option to your wife (the accountant) and see what she says.
I like little puzzles like this, so I went over to Expedia.com for Salt Lake City (from what you said in your post, I’m guess that is where you are).
Put in SUV’s for 4-13 Sep (Friday pm to following Sun PM) and a Jeep Grand Cherokee will cost about $466 (all extras included) for that length of time.
Costly, but how much is a relatively reliable truck/SUV going to cost you?
One possible problem; Rental car companies may (or may not) allow you to tow something like a trailer behind their rental vehicle. I’d check with one or two of them before you make a decision.
Rent something and try camping with it once before you commit to a new vehicle. Make sure you actually like tow camping.
If you like it, go ahead and trade in the Element. It was fun while it lasted baby, but we knew it wasn’t going to be forever. I’m sure you’ll find something else that you love. Really.
If you don’t like it, then you find out before you do something you’ll regret forever (and feel free to shoot me a PM).
