MT MIck Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Hi I am new to RV's and would like to get into something smaller like a Toyota. Found this ad, what do you think? http://missoula.crai...2465033400.html What I found out is that it has water stain around front skylight, has a new propane tank that needs to be installed yet, and A/C does not work. Is it a good buy? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Toyota Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 how much a lot of us do not have ac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Stains are from water leaks, the roof vents need to be resealed. A lot of these original roof vents had plastic frames that crack and allow water to seep regardless of sealing. If the roof vents have plastic frames that are cracked, replace the entire vent These are about $35 each and have metal frames. WARNING - Make sure you have the correct propane tank. If the tank is mounted horizontal (lays on its side) make sure you have a "Horizontal" tank. A regular ole BBQ tank is a Vertical tank. If you lay a Vertical tank on its side and try and use it, it puts out liquid LP instead of Gaseous LP. When you light you stove, or frig, or water heater, it will be like taking a cup full of gasoline and throwing it on the burner. A/C - These can be repaired / replaced. Tires - Don't rely on tread as an indicator of tire condition. Because of the weight of these MHs, its the sidewall condition that's the biggest factor. You can judge Sidewall condition by visual ( Look very carefully, you'll see small tiny cracks in the rubber) , but you really need to look at tire age. If they are over about 6 years old, consider replacing them. Plan on $100 for each tire, out the door. (Theres a file in the "Files Section" that describes how to read the tire code to determine tire date. i.e. when I bought my Dolphin, the tires had good tread, but there was cracking in the sidewalls and the tires were 15 years old, I replaced all 7 tires, just under $700.00) ONE LAST THING - Old Toyhouses are like any old house, Odds are good its going to require some fixing and TLC. If your a good handyman, and your starting with something thats not in to bad of shape, you should be able to restore/repair and have a very nice, almost new MH. We purchased our Dolphin for 5k, and have another 4k into it. but we now have a MH thats is excellent condition with all the new technology. Heres a link to give you an idea of what we did to ours, and where the money went: http://toyotamotorhome.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=3570 If you need to take the MH to a repair facility to do every little thing, these could easily become a huge money pit. Look around, get educated on Toyhouses so you know what to look for and what questions to ask. Have a dollar limit and have the money in the bank. These Toyhouses pop up on the market and get grabbed up fast, so you need to be ready to move quickly. Its hard to keep emotion out of the purchase, but always be prepared to walk away if something is beyond your capabilities or questionable. John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MT MIck Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 Thanks for the GREAT info! We are going to go take a look at it now and see what we have. Will pay close attention to the sidewalls and lugs. I gather there is some significant difference between the 5 and 6 lugs. Though I am not sure what this means or entails. Sounds like the 6 lug is more heavy duty. How necessary and $$ is this process? Thx again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 There's a fact sheet for the 6 lug axles somewhere on this site or the Yahoo group that explains the dully axle. Basically, the 6 lug full floating axle is mandatory because of the weight of the MH. Straight axles have broken on these MHs and there was a recall to install the dully full floating axle on almost all these MHs, but there are many out there that the recall was never complied with. I can't see it in the photo because of the hub caps. Pop the rear hub caps and in the center is a large hub about 5 inches in diameter with about 6 bolts holding on a cover plate. Retrofit would cost anywhere between 500 an 2000 depending if you do it yourself, with a used axle or take it to a shop and install a new axle. I would not drive one of these MHs that does not have a full float axle. JOhn Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalFusion Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Axle Info: http://www.toyotamotorhomes.com/files/Axle_FAQ.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.