Step 2: buying a tow vehicle

Our faithful little car just wasn't going to cut the mustard as a tow vehicle.  Well, we didn't need anything too big to pull the Escape.  Ford Ranger?  Sorry, MWP just ain't a pickup guy.  How about a "compact" SUV?  Ford Escape and Hyundai Santa Fe were good contenders.  An Escape pulling an Escape had a certain symmetry.  On the other hand, Santa Fe, New Mexico is one of our favourite places.  Our only criteria was that we didn't "trade down" meaning no older and hopefully less mileage than our current car.  In the end the Santa Fe won the day.  After an agonizing negotiation session at the dealer's we were the proud owners of a blue, 2006, low-mileage Santa Fe.  Which, by the way, feels truly luxurious compared to what we had.