... but I would sure appreciate it!

I drive a 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid (HCH) with 124.4k miles. Next week (the 11th) I'm planning to drive from St. Louis, Missouri to Rochester, New York. The rub is that I also need to take 6 medium-to-large pieces of furniture with me.

I'll be honest and admit right away that I haven't planned this trip very well. I imagined I could just make a service appt. with my local dealership, have them hook me up with a tow-thingy and then leave town with a trail-behind U-Haul packing the furniture. Looking things up today however, not only does Honda neither make nor install such a contraption for my HCH, it became apparent that the majority of recommendations on the web were against doing such a thing.

My alternatives principally involve renting a U-Haul truck at a $725 base price, plus either towing the HCH or renting a car for the return trip several days later (one-way car rentals aren't as common as I'd assumed). My hopes are buoyed by U-Haul's site listing a compatible hitch (http://store.uhaul.com/hitches.aspx?vehicleid=32644), but then again, (a) it doesn't explicitly specify "hybrid" Civic, and (b) what do they care if I screw up my car somehow?

Ultimately, what I really hope to hear is that I can go ahead with this plan, and that it's not a horrible, horrible idea. I throw myself upon the steps of your experience! What say ye, of lords of automotive wisdom?

- THOR

 

If I were in your situation, I'd probably just go for the U-Haul truck. You certainly wouldn't want to even risk screwing up your Civic.

 

I love both my '03 Civic Hybrid and my '10 Insight. But while I love them I have to admit that they have all they can do to haul themselves. I thought my Subaru Forester was under powered until I got into my Civic.

Bottom line, if I was desperately desperate, and I had a manual transmission, I might attempt it with my Civic. If I had a CVT I wouldn't even consider it.

Also it seems to me by the time you get a tow hitch installed you would have shelled out a good portion of the cash that could have went to renting a truck anyway.

Best of luck whichever way you go...

 

I wouldn't attempt to tow a feather with it. Way underpowered and god help you if you have a piece of junk CVT like me...it would take 3 transmission replacements to tow anything 2 feet with that junk. Honda should be held responsible for even putting these pos's on the market.