But with a full fresh MOT, get the seller to put it on a ramp if possible for a quick inspection.
Better to go to Mercedes because the ones that fail do so from the inside so it's not always obvious.
We had W212 V6 cdi and W213 E class V6 and all tow really well. More economical on long runs that local travel. Nice to drive too.
We still have our 16yr old Accord estate. Everything still works, 100K on the clock. No issues with it at all over the years but not particularly economical (petrol). Not particularly big as an estate either but the last ones are 2012-2013?
What exactly are you towing?
A stacking dinghy trailer.
Think like a long, wide and shallow camping trailer with scaffolding on top with two upside down boats, trolleys and 4 cruise missile launchers big plastic tubes strapped to the sides full of masts and sails.
I also tow a camping trailer with four bikes or two kayaks loaded on top and some smaller dinghy trailers (longer and lighter).
The stacking trailer is rated at 750kg but it's probably running at about 500kg on an average local trip (more for a big event or with the two larger dinghies on it) and the camping trailer is probably similar.
It's not very sleek due to all the jutting out bits and gaps through it and flappy boat covers.
I'm towing on an actual road and the odd rough track in and out of campsites and venues.
Thanks for all the follow up comments everyone. I think we are going to enhance the budget by £5k or so at the top end.
I’m towing on an actual road and the odd rough track in and out of campsites and venues.
Self levelling suspension really helps in that situation as you are much less likely to ground the towbar.
Self levelling suspension on an old car is just something else to go wrong surely. You won’t need it towing a 750 kg trailer unless you’re loading it incorrectly, nose heavy for example?
The wife tows a horsebox with her Kuga - can't say we've ever felt the need for self-levelling suspension.
Self levelling suspension on an old car is just something else to go wrong surely.
I dunno, maybe. We tow a caravan which may work out differently but we had to load the caravan very carefully and put almost nothing in the boot to avoid feeling rather nose up and wallowy. Clearly I'm pretty fussy here though but we were driving a fairly long way.
Things like the transition from road to sloping driveway could result in grounding. You may not be as exposed to that in a Kuga with more clearance to begin with.
Your trailer MUST be nose-heavy though otherwise you will have severe and possibly fatal stability problems. Recommended for caravans is 5-7% of the total weight of the van which is quite a bit to be hanging off the back of your car. I don't know how the numbers work out for horse boxes as they're shorter.
My 2017 5 tourer has just had the comrpessor unit replaced that runs the air suspension at the back. Apparently the newer stuff is not as robust as the older stuff. Cost just shy of £1,100 at the local indie who said he’d done 3 that week, my 5 series, an X5 and an e-class. All exactly the same issue.
the ZF 8HP box found in many BMW’s (& Audi & Jag among others) ZF recommended 70-80K as the service interval, BMW said sealed for life.
Only over here, in the us and Canada there is a service schedule for the gearbox.
