If a car has been flat-towed behind a RV most of it’s life, is that a good selling point?
by admin on Monday, March 14th, 2011 | 3 Comments
The car we purchased recently (a 94 Saturn SW2) was owned by a couple who bought it new, but used it strictly for pulling behind their Winnebago. They’d only use it for traveling around when they got to their destinations, but most of the miles on the odometer are “cruising in neutral” miles, I assume.
If I’m mistaken on that one, correct me, by the way.
Here’s the thing: Can that type of situation adversely affect the car in any way? It would seem like it’s a good thing…less wear on the motor, but can being pulled behind an RV cause any other problems?
Other than road dust, that is….
There are some honest people in the world, and there are some that lie like a rug.
I don’t know if being a towed vehicle is specifically bad for a car, but, I think road miles and how they got there are probably pretty irrelavant even IF they are telling the truth about that. It still adds up to wear/tear on the car’s moving parts.
It seems to me that the engine would have very little wear. I would want to know about their service habits, and if they could produce receipts.
If anything, like the transmission, could be damaged, it would have happened well before now, so if it drives and shifts properly, it’s probably a good buy.
Some cars require a pump to keep oil circulating in the trans when towed. Not sure about yours.
If the story about the car is true and I were going to buy it I would:
Check the oil,
in fact, check all the fluids,
check the shocks and springs,
check the front suspension and steering,
Replace all the wheel bearings, and
check the tire wear.
The engine and transmission should be in great shape because they were seldom running, same with the brakes, but the rest of the suspension would be as is the car were driven so would still have wear and tear.