[cobrajeff]

I am very pleased with the performance of my 5.0 Litre Mountaineer for pulling my cars in an 18 foot enclosed trailer. This is my second one, first a '98, now a 2000. Before I got my truck, I borrowed an F-Series - no place to put anything. Then I borrowed an Expedition - no place to park it, and, with the 4.6L engine, it had no more "oommph" than my 5.0L Mounty.

My SUV does triple duty - everyday driver, tow the trailer, haul the boat. It is compact and powerful enough to do the job. I have pulled my cars (my '65 Mustang and the '57 T'Bird will fit into the 18 ft trailer as well as the Cobra) from Michigan to Pensacola,Florida, to Lime Rock Park in Connecticutt, and to Elkhart Lake. It's not the fastest rig on the highway, but it gets the job done.

I have a hitch on the front of the truck for manuvering the trailers - it's really slick. And when the weather is nasty (I know you guys on the Left Coast don't know what I'm talking about, to you guys think a heavy dew is "bad weather" - we had six inches of snow just a week ago) I have all-wheel drive to get me where I want to go, safely.

If you're haulin' all the time, a bigger rig may be needed, but, for just a few trips a year, a V-8 SUV should be able to do it.

regards,

Jeff