I was a
van driver for 18 months, had a Fiat Ducato maxi that we'd converted
into a grooming van. We had decided to move into a salon and sell the
van, and we were in the market for a new car. We had a tall order;
low budget, need for huge boot (2 Cockers and a Great Dane), five
seats (in case we have a baby so not a van) and desirable to drive to
us both.
Nick
wanted a Subaru. He's been an avid fan for as long as he can
remember. He owned a WRX Impreza when I met him and has gradually
down graded since and needed money for things like an engagement ring
and a house. So his main choice was a Legacy or a Forester or even an
Impreza estate. He loves the Subaru four wheel drive system and the
reason why their exhausts create that unique sound (which he has
explained to me but I've either forgotten or wasn't listening).
We ended
up with a Fiat Croma. I'd never heard of this car before and it had
received a lot of bad reviews. Thankfully this means they are dirt
cheap and you get a lot of car for your money! Had we bought a Subaru
with comparable mileage and age we would have paid double. The Croma
is very spacious, extremely comfortable, fuel efficient (we have the
1.9 multijet diesel) and has possibly the biggest boot you can find.
Unfortunately, they are prone to gear box problems and we did have to
have the gear box repaired when we bought it but we still saved a lot
of money even with the repair.
The Croma
has a lot of bad reviews for handling but seriously, if you want a
car that goes around bends, buy a car that's built for it, not a
comfort wagon! I did find myself drifting around bends one rainy
evening but replacing the Linglong tyres with Nexen all season tyres
soon solved that problem. Now, it sticks to bends as well as any
other car I've driven.
So, Nick
tells me the Croma is a good tow car because it has a powerful diesel
engine that is fuel efficient. The car is very wide and high which
improves fuel efficiency when you have a caravan hitched to it, and
it is quite heavy car making the weight of the car to caravan ratio
really good for stability. Nick believed that the Legacy and the
Forester are the perfect tow cars for their four wheel drive systems
and of course, their reliability. It's a shame they are heavily
taxed, especially for those who do low mileage.
Oh and
the vital component was of course the tow bar! Already fitted to the
Croma was a Witter tow bar.
Happy Caravanning!