Hi guys,
The trusty old commodore is nearly at the end of it's life. It has to many problems to justify spending the money on it and I was thinking of replacing it with a transporter (single or dual cab) . The question I have is, is a transporter any good for towing. My boat weighs about 1100kg's. I don't want to tow it all the time and I don't have to get there in a hurry, but I don't want to do any damage to what ever I buy. Any info would be good. Also what would be the best engine, 2.5, TDI etc. Thanks.

Adam......

it depends on what year and type of transporter you are after..
i have a towbar rated at 1250kgs lying in the shed im thinkin of sellin soon that came off my 1998 T4.. i replaced it with a 2000kg h/d towbar for towin cars n thing around..
the T5 can have a h/d rated towbar to 2.5t from memory.. diesel is the way to go and tdi you will be havin extra smiles all round..
good luck with it..
(beats the dunnydore any old day)

I've done a bit of towing with T4 T/porters with the petrol 2.5l. Towed my bug with a tandem trailer and a couple of hundred kilos of gear in the back no problem up and down the Toowoomba range

I was pleasantly suprised how well it towed and was stable @ 110-120k's.

Up the Toowoomba I sat on 60 K in 2nd gear doing it quite easy, much easier than a 253 WB V8 ute that my father-in-law lent me.

However the Turbo Diesels would be my choice after driving them!

The T5 TDI with a 128KW and over 400NM of torque would be down right awesome.

My 2.5 TDI T5 has a 2.5 t factory tow bar, no problem in towing at all even going up hills at 95kmh. 10l/100k or 8.5 without trailer .Makes a big difference with a PD module from Berrima diesel.

Thanks. Very useful info. Sounds like the TDI is the one to look for. Now all I have to do is find one. I've had a look on carsales and carpoint and have found a couple of 97-99 duel cabs for reasonable prices. Is there anything I should look for with these models.

Adam......

t4 or t5 single cab syncro ute on ebay at last look, a couple of bucks spare and away u go.

Sorry my fault it's now a 4motion, well lardy f**##$g darr.
Still it nicely set up.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/2005-Volkswagen-Transporter-T5-Lwb-4-Motion_W0QQitemZ1...

I have a Hayman Reece tow bar off my T4 that I'll probably sell.

I can posta pic if you like?