I'm wondering what you all have found to be the best for towing a TD or ultralite? I currently have a 2005 Odyssey that has a hitch and transmission cooler, but it has 180,000 miles on it and for many reasons I need to replace by year end.
I owned a a Forest River PUP for a few years that was huge (slide out, etc.). It was too close for me to the 3500 tow rating for my Odyssey, and I didn't like hauling it. Plus it took way too much effort to set up. I'm a single mom and my kids are young. The next camper I buy will be 2200 pounds and ideally less and require much less set up/take down, especially since we tend to keep moving on trips vs. staying put once we get somewhere.
So what do people here use to haul? With something that's 2200 pound or less, do you think about payload, whether it's recommended to use a weight distribution hitch and rear axle ratings?
My wish list for a new car/crossover is under $30K (for a base model, and I'm a good negotiator), can tow well (I've never thought the hauling was great for the Odyssey and that includes Uhaul trailers when we've moved), good MPG and an optional 3rd seat for carpooling. I've looked at another base model Odyssey, but it's not much fun to drive and it's just a little too big for our needs right now. I also looked at the Honda Pilot with 4WD, which seemed nice, just wish it had a little better gas mileage. I'll keep my next car for about 10 years (or more) as I have.
Thanks for any suggestions!