Hello Guys and Gals, my name is Vince and here is my situation. I hope only that I can be helped in 12 easy steps...

I bought a pimped out 99 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 this summer with an off-road and towing package on ebay. its got a flowmaster roaring dual exhaust, 3inch lift n big wheels, nerf bars, camper and hella tinted with skull shifters and all. - From a Cali surfer dude and his wife who only ate raw food and sold night vision scopes at gun shows. - He bought an old VW Bus and dropped a new engine in it so he could sleep with the all his stuff as he traveled Florida avoiding chemical sprayed hotels. Now I'm 21 and never drove a manual car before, so that a unique way to learn. The first real day of driving I did not foresee rush hour Jacksonville FL. On the way home to Detroit I got lost in China Town in Brooklyn NY... That was stressful driving....

So anyway I recently got bombarded with old news articles on this as random things happen to me, re-enforcing what I learned previous of these cars and bio diesel conversions and whatnot in an even stranger way than the previous story.... Which I'd rather not divulge.

So it sparked my interest and I got to thinking I could maybe sell the truck and with the money buy one of these cars and trailer to replace the utility of the truck while getting 30mpg cruising at 80 and having a cool project to work on in the future... I got the truck partly because I needed a car, and it was what I wanted, it is loaded, it has a smooth ride for recording equipment/night vision scopes in the bed of the truck, plus if I needed more room I could get a trailer, and also take the 14 ft alum. bass boat on some trips this summer. This would be occasional towing at most 10-15 times a year if I get out fishing. Now comes the questions, does anyone really know the towing capacity of these cars, I've got my eye on a 5cyl 300CD '83 which happens to be the year of my birth, - just turned 22. It has 155,000 miles on it and very little rust. Needs a windshield and radio from what the owner is telling me. It would be nice to not have a car payment. also curious as to how much insurance is for something like this is - what are some of you are paying?, I maybe 22, but never an accident (knock knock) and never a ticket (knock knock knock knock).

Now the car I've got my eye on is an auto which I think is lame for a coupe but hey, I could deal. This raises some questions, first off to do any sort of towing it is recommended I get a tranny cooler ok check. How do the autos compare performance wise vs. manual, manual being 4 speed vs. 3 speed correct? At about what speeds does it jump into each gear given normal acceleration? shifting should be nice and smooth right? (anything else on that to look for when test driving?) How long do the auto trans last vs. manual? Forever if maintained would be nice. If there is something funny with the trans, what would be signs to look for that would signal something out of alignment vs. something worse. Also if the auto blows up or dies, its possible to switch to manual.. is that way hard or not too bad if you know what your doing? gotta replace a lot of stuff?

Was antilock breaks standard or optional, do many of these cars have it (if it was optional was it a popular choice?) would it say on the the break pedal or other place to look for it, chip or brain somewhere? Also on the breaks, is it possible to hook up a trailer that has electronic breaks? I would almost like to have 2 trailers at some point, a 4x7 that I can use more often and a 7x14 at times, maybe an old 50's bubble style steel looking camper. Pulling something like that kills the fuel economy ok, but how about killing the trans, is the only wear from excessive heat with lack of cooler or is the mechanical strain too much on it or can it handle that (both?), say 5,000lbs or would I be limited to 2,500. Now my truck pulls 5,000, so I'm really being silly with these #'s maybe this car can do it, but I don't know I don't have one maybe it would rip the car apart. But here is the motto I live by...."In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is."

How do these cars do in the snow, I noticed it weighs more than my Tacoma! I want to see this car start from a cold start, any things I should look out for, like black smoke coming from the exhaust or the initial idle being 4grand, do flames shoot out from anywhere if things aren't so go? Any signs to look for when test driving? ex. consistent slow acceleration through out rpms as in a broken turbo? can cruise control be added easily / cheaply if it doesn't have it? how should the suspension feel? boaty like a Lincoln or what? How much should I have set aside for initial repairs, what are some common things to expect? I think that's it for now. Parts can be expensive as with anything German, but can you usually find most anything you need and relatively quickly? How much can I expect to pay for an engine rebuild or overhaul if that day ever comes?

Any longtime DIY'ers or mechanics or owners where is the best place to take your car or would you be willing to work on mine for an affordable price - anyone out there in the metro Detroit area please contact me!
- I just looked up Frank in Lansing seems like the man to do it all. Any feedback on him?

I hope to hear from all of you out there with the practice mind not so much the theory mind. Or someone that's seen it all as a long time mechanic. How about a famous P E H!
I hope this also answers a lot of questions for everyone else.

WHEW!

Thank you all in advance!
-Vince

WoW man you have a tall order here!

Personally, if I were planning on towing, I'd rather tow with something that has a lot of power. I used to haul horses with a Chevy pickup with a 305 V-8 and dreaded not having a 454 V-8 instead! A 5 cylinder OM 617 turbo diesel might be adiquate for your run of the mill two wheel trailer hauling leaves to the dump, or maybe a 14' aluminum boat, but after that?????

To answer your tranny integrity, the answer is "both" as you have already have clued yourself in! Disc slippage will generate heat and it wont matter if you have extra cooling, your still going to do damage! Again, cars in general really arent designed with towing in mind, and while you can tow, you will wear out your tranny sooner! My 84 300D had a four speed auto. There were 4 spd manual trannys available, but are rare!

There are two basic adjustments made to the auto tranny via bowden cable and modulator valve. These could be improperly adjusted and cause a good transmission to act like it is faulty. Shifting should be crisp, even bang a little bit is OK, but flaring no! (mod valve adjust) Shift points should occur for all speeds at or before 2000 rpm, depends on how far you have your foot into it!

Anti-lock became standard after 1986 I believe, but was optional before that. The anti-lock system is usually in front of either front wheel well under the hood connecting hydraulic lines from the master brake cyl.

My 84 300D did very well in the snow but not as well as my 87 300D that hosts a far more powerful 6 cylinder turbo diesel and actually does get 30 mpg at 80 mph, but don't expect that from the 617 5 cylinder, 23 - 25 on a good day!

Flames blasting out the rear? you mean like nitro? I don't think so, you need to get better aquainted with knowledge of diesels! They generally run much cooler than gassers, but there is a possibility of "run away" meaning they start sucking crank case oil uncontrolably and climb rpms to red line and blow-up, a very rare thing, but does happen once in a blue moon. That's why they call it "run away" because in most cases that is your only option!

Gotta run................BB

These diesels that you are looking at have 125 hp. You have an understanding of horsepower and you know how much that Tacoma had. So, you will clearly understand that they cannot tow much more than a 1000 lb. trailer. This would also need to be attached to the bumper in some fashion because the vehicle does not have a frame underneath for attachment of a proper trailer hitch.

IMHO, its not the vehicle you want for towing.

Being rear wheel drive, they are like most rear wheel drive vehicles in snow. Not too great. You need to be careful with them and you need to add some weight in the trunk when you are driving in snow.

You seem to know what you want.
If you can live with a 1000 LB trailer tow, and lower take off power, it will work for you.
Be aware of part prices and repair cost, as compared to a Tacoma.
If you use a 1983 W123 300CD, 1985 W126 300SD or 1995 E300D like a Tacoma, you will at a guess be paying $3000+ per year in repairs.
I have a 1987 Bronco 2 for heavy towing and off road work.
My 1985 W126 300SD is daily driver / commuter and safety / comfort vehicle.
I love my car, but it has limits.

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