Not currently a caravan owner, but did it all my childhood years, and now tend to go to sites and rent with our 8 year old.
Not in a position to change cars, but would still like to pick up a basic older van and do a bit of touring. I have a peugeot 306 1.9 turbo diesel, 92BHP, which after the 85% rule works out at about 800Kgs.
I was looking at older Abi marauders, which can be as low as 650kg unladen as a possibility.
Just wondered if anyone had any experience of the 306 as a tow car, I know its not the best choice, but could it be done with a lighter van?
I see alot of Xsara picassos towing, and getting good reviews by their owners - the 306 and the Xsara are very similar so I have hope!
we had a citroen zx volcane td for a while (basically the same car), used it to tow an earliy model ABI and it did very well, was quite sensitive to the nose weight of the van but the short overhang at the back did mean when properly balanced it handled very nicely indeed.
May be worth while double checking your weight here.
The figures on here tend to be pretty accurate. A 1.9 306 is around 1100kg, so giving you 935kg at 85%.
That would be plenty for a 4 berth like the ABI Marauder, also check out ABI Monzas and older (1990s) Elddis and Swift vans.
Watch for damp on older vans and soft floors, in particular. If you keep your eyes peeled, you may even get a lot of equipment thrown in (someone giving up 'vanning) as the cost of this can add up.
However, make sure you buy new safety equipment ie smoke detector/alarm, fire exinguisher, bucket & blanket, and CO2 alarm.
Please don't go for these silly strips that change colour if CO2 is present - CO2 makes you sleepy, and an alarm will wake you (or at least alert your neighbours). What can a bit of coloured paper do?
Apologies if you know this, but I often hear of caravanning deaths from CO2, and feel it's so preventable.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Peugeot 306 1.9td as tow car
