I finally made it out to Ozark Raceway Park last week (in my daily driver) for a car show, burnout contest and grudge racing. Had a nice time, looking forward to taking the Dart, at least for a little test & tune. But it's 99 miles away and I don't want to drive that far (and back!) since 60 mph is 3000 rpm and 9.2 mpg, and a 10 gallon fuel cell. Especially if something breaks.

So the best thing to do is trailer it there, behind my '93 F-250 turbo diesel. The truck has a removable gooseneck ball in the bed, but that is probably overkill for a car well under 2 tons. I'm thinking of buying a bumper-pull car hauler, something similar to this. That's more than I want to spend, though. Maybe a good used one IF it can be found.

Thoughts?

What every you get don't get a "Utility" type trailer. Here's my preference list
-Dove tail
-good axles (may even consider torsion)
-Good brakes
-Steel deck - full width (Wood rots, oil stains)
-winch and battery box

Perspective: Back in 1990 I had a 16' car trailer built for me by the local trailer builder. It cost my $1,000 back then. Mine had the same axles and springs with brakes on one axle (later I added brakes to the other axle). Mine was built with 2" x 4" 3/16" wall tubing main and cross rails. The center was open (lots of advantages with that if you haul more then just 1 car). I had 3/16" diamond plate runners that were 18" wide with a 6" "L" bend. The fenders on my trailer were built with 1/8" material. I had to add my own lights and do the wiring, supply the safety chains, add my own jack, and built the ramps.
The wheel bearings were repacked every other year. At 100,000 road miles, I replaced the spring bushings and spring shackles because they were sloppy and were allowing the trailer to wonder a bit. I sold the trailer in 2011 for $1,000. That guy used it a lot and then a couple years ago he sold it to someone else. The last I saw it was getting new axles and getting repainted.

I pulled my trailer around the country for 2 years hauling cars in the early 90s, but mostly it was used to haul my dirt track car to the races, and haul junk cars into the junk yard. The 16' deck was pretty short. Often the rear of the car on it stuck out behind the rear of the trailer. Didn't cause me any problems, but it always made me a bit nervous. My trailer had a pretty low deck, you always had to watch opening the car doors on whatever was on the trailer to be sure they cleared the fenders. On a trip to the junk yard one day, the junk yard guy dropped a junk car on top of one of the fenders. The fender dented, but other wise was still good (it was still on the trailer the last time I saw the trailer). I built 66" long ramps out of 1 1/2" square tubing, and I notched the next to the rear cross member to mount them on the trailer. They were heavy, but are also still with the trailer.

Around here, you can buy a used and abused car trailer for around a grand, but you will put another grand in it before you can use it. More money buys a better used trailer, and you put less money into it before you can use it, but your still pretty close to that $2,000 number for a used trailer. I'd spend the extra $800 and get the new one with the 3 year warranty. When ever your ready to sell it, you can usually get most of your money back. You may want to see if brakes on one axle is legal where you live. Original wood decks are usually good for about 5 years, the pine wood floor you replaced the original floor with (because the good wood is very expensive) is only good for 2 - 3 years. Gene

That's a nice wish list, but did you read the OP's post and look at the link? He wants to stay well under $2,500. That ain't gonna happen with that wish list, for even a used one worth pulling home.

Gene, some guys like the steel floors. But to me they are SLICK. Just water can make them a handful to stand on. And anti freeze or oil makes them down right dangerous. They can be so slick that the vehicle will only spin trying to pull itself on if you hit the ramps a little too slow.

Wood does have to be replaced, but we have always gotten 10 or 12 years out of our decks. And our trailers set outside year round.

Just my .

Good wood can last a long time. We bought a trailer with rotten deck in 1988, installed just enough new wood to support car.
just replace 2 of the boards in 2019, trailer parked outside the whole time. I prefer leaf springs, at least you can inspect them and replace worn or broken parts.
With torsion axles you replace the whole thing.
Also long ramps are your friend, especially if car or headers are very low, or trailer doesn't have dove-tail.
A winch is great if loading by yourself, or on a manual equipped car, but can be added later.

Treating the wood will make them last. You can buy coatings like Thompsons water seal. You can also roll on a coat of drain oil every few years. It is cheap and works.

Yep, most anything helps. Remember in the 80-90,s Thompson’s was the [censored] now it considered low level crap.

I built my car trailer in 1987. Lessons learned: If you are going to buy, buy one that is lower to the ground, makes loading easier (mine has 4" drop axles). Get long ramps, mine are 48" and work well with the lower deck. And what I think is the most important, get the longest tongue you can find, mine is 5' and I can almost make a 90 degree turn without barking the pickup.

I realize that the OP is on a budget but I recall looking at trailers before I built mine and there were two classes of trailers, ones that were made entirely of angle iron that I wouldn't have felt safe hauling my lawnmower on and trailers that were way, way out of my budget. It looks like the market has changed and perhaps there is a moderately priced trailer available now.

But there is no denying, with trailers you get what you pay for.

Dave thanks for the insight, but it is clearly stated as you pointed out MY wish (preference) list and the OP did ask for "Thoughts" and those are mine...I doubt the OP will say "Wow that's the list I must use as an absolute guide to purchase a trailer", but maybe give it will them some insight into what they may need from those of us that have trailers. They might even ask a question or two based on these lists so they buy the best trailer for their need not the cheapest that comes with a wish list after the fact. I would love to purchase many things I need/want for less than they cost but alas it never happens. If they are asking for input they must have doubts/concerns on their trailer needs.

I think that wish list is spot on. I’d watch for used or save to get that stuff. Used stuff seems to hang too close to new price for me on trailers so new it would be. I never had an issue with a full steel deck being slick and a winch takes care of loading problems, and you will want the winch for sure. I had a 20 one time that people just raved about and it sure seemed more useful than an 18. More than just 2 feet would make you think. Gonna make it harder on a budget I know.

get 3 of your buds

Mine's an open deck that I bought used. I prefer them over full deck because it saves some weight for more pay load and I can put planks down the middle if I ever need full floor. If I ever got another one i'd want a dove tail but at the time when I bought it I was looking for price and how it was constructed. I rarely use it but it's nice to have around for when you do need one and at least they hold their value.