I have a '02 WRX wagon (MT) and am contemplating a June move from Massachusetts to Arizona which is ~2700 miles. I'm not going to move a lot of heavy stuff this time, but I do have a couple of bulky items. In past cross country moves I've always towed my (previous) car with all wheels off the ground behind a rental truck. This time I'd much rather tow a small trailer and drive those miles in my car in my seats with my stereo. U-Haul says the car is rated for 2000 lb trailer and recommends a class 1 (lightest duty) hitch.
Has anyone here towed such a load with a WRX? Any issues? What size trailers did you use, and how heavy were they? The trailers are only rated for 45mph, but the clerk said that was mostly to prevent the trailer coming off the ball during bumps when people don't attach the trailer quite right. I don't think I'd be able to go less than 60 on some of the interstates with 75mph limits. Still, I'm thinking of keeping the transmission in 4th gear to prevent lugging. Does this sound like a good idea? Any idea how much my gas mileage will go down (in mostly city driving I'm now averaging 18.9mpg)? My last moving truck with car in tow got just under 4mpg. Other recommendations?
Thanks, Byron