I'm thinking about going back to grad school, and I'd like to transport about 1000 pounds of stuff from CA to MA (plus myself, and my car) I have an A4 2.0T Quattro, and was looking at putting a class 1 hitch on it to tow a light 4'x8' trailer (rent or buy). It would be convenient having the hitch to later transport bicycles on a hitch mount, etc.

I'm concerned about body stress and possibly suspension damage from towing even once; tongue weight on a trailer would be in the 100-200 pound range, total trailer weight about 1300 pounds. I could "less than truckload" ship things, and just put high-value items in the trunk, but having a hitch and trailer would be more convenient for future use, if it's not overly destructive to the vehicle.

I've searched and seen previous discussions which didn't really have useful data, other than that audi does not recommend towing, and that lots of europeans do tow.

Of course, financially, it probably doesn't even make sense to tow or even drive; LTL the cargo, ship the car, fly -- otherwise it's about $1500 for the vehicle in fuel/depreciation/maintenance just to drive it, plus incremental fuel/depreciation/maintenance/etc. for towing (and not being able to go 80-100mph...), plus 3-4 days, plus hotel/food/etc. However, the freedom/flexibility of self-drive might be worth it, and it would be a fun experience (I've done San Diego to Vancouver, and San Francisco to Denver, but I haven't driven from CA to the east coast ever)

 

Why not rent a moving truck, and tow your car behind that?

 

Grad school in MA? I'm assuming in Boston? Depending on where you're gonna live, I'd say sell the car before you get here. I didn't own a ride for my first 8 years here in Boston because owning one in and around Boston proper is a real pain. (parking, snow routes, tickets, street cleaning, not to mention the potholes)

Granted it's great to have a car, so you don't feel trapped in the city. However, if you're gonna live in Cambridge, Allston, Brighton, Somerville...etc, you might be better off with a subway pass.

 

well the snow shouldnt be such a problem for him as he has quattro... but to rdlmitedu, i wouldnt put a hitch onto your car. Audis are not meant to tow stuff behind them even if it is possible for them to do it. if its not recommended there is most likely a good reason behind it, and such a long distance will put a lot of strain on the car. I would just rent a UHaul or send the stuff over and just drive the car all the way over there if your willing to spend the time, maybe even take a week out and stay a night or two in a few differnt places so its not as long of a trip

 

It's a cool drive, but most of the scenery is between CA and CO; the 2-3 days crossing the midwest are pretty boring. I've done Chicago to PA and VA, and Chicago to CA. Once you get near the east coast you get some mountains again, so that's alright.

 

ya, the midwest isnt going to be the most scenic part of the trip, but i would rather be able to cruise at like 90 through the midwest rather than have to stick it at like 70 or 75 and worry about my car being ruined by towing so much weight for so long

 

It wasn't the actual snow that I was thinking of when I mentioned the snow routes. What I meant to say was snow emergency routes. When Boston declares a snow emergency, cars have to be moved off the street asap or they'll be towed. A fleet of angry tow drivers line up on the streets and take cars as fast as they can move. No flat bedding...Some guy will do a rush job and practically drag the car across town to the city tow yard. No recourse for damage done in the process.
Same thing for street cleaning. Trucks line up at the end of street cleaning routes minutes before the start time and as soon as the clock hits the specified time, they haul *** in towing cars. Cops supervise as cars get dragged down the street at warp speed.

 

o ok i see what you mean now... ya that would not be good at all, but if he is going back to school im sure he would get a parking pass at the university where it is alright for him to park without worry but i guess he will still have to worry about that if he goes into downtown boston

 

I'll have a parking spot (I am actually going back to the same place I did undergrad, and living in the same coed frat I did as an undergrad, 10 years ago.... Back then, a grad student living there had a subaru awd vehicle, and we loved it (being the only person with a car out of 20 people, you become very popular...))

I do need a vehicle for going to some off-campus labs, going hunting, etc., so it's not likely I'd get rid of it. A cheaper, older vehicle would be tempting, given how bad Boston drivers are (I spent a few years in Iraq, and Boston was the only non-Europe place I've seen which is worse for people doing wrong-way on a one-way, turning from middle lanes, etc., and at least in Baghdad people had some kind of excuse...plus a 12k pound truck with a machine gun tends to get right of way in otherwise ambiguous situations...). However, by the time transaction costs are handled, I don't know if it's really worth selling and trading down. Plus, I really like the A4.

Driving a uhaul across the US seems kind of depressing in terms of material comfort, performance, etc., especially if it's 4-up trailering a car. Plus, it's $3k, plus even more expensive for fuel than driving the A4 (12mpg regular vs. 28mpg premium).

Thanks for the advice, though -- I think I'm going to nix the audi as tow vehicle. Shipping or selling the two heavy items I own makes a lot more sense, then self-drive. My suspension thanks you

 

sounds like you made the right decision... and you can always pick up a shitty car for pretty cheap