Car on Trailer:
- PROS
- Can choose any vehicle, not restricted to the small number that are flat towable
- Can reverse with the trailer
- More protection for the vehicle
- Less road wear on car suspension/tires
- CONS
- Trailer may cost more than flat-tow setup
- Need more space at destinations for the trailer
- More towing weight and tongue weight
- Takes more time to load/unload than a flat-tow
Flat-Tow:
- PROS
- Costly to setup, but most likely cheaper than a trailer
- Less towing weight, less tongue weight
- Faster to connect/disconnect than a trailer setup and load
- CONS
- Limited number of flat-towable vehicles and seems to be getting more restricted over time
- Cannot reverse any real distance without having to disconnect
- More chance of road rash on the flat-tow vehicle
- Tires and suspension are logging miles, even if the odometer isn't
- Pot hole damage can be more costly on flat-tow than a typical trailer
You get to determine what factors are most important to you. For us, we use a trailer to carry our car, we were able to keep the car we like.