Campernoob Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 (edited) Hello & thank you for looking at my post. I'll cut right to the chase: Without knowing much about it, should I jump at the chance to buy a running 1987 Toyota Dolphin MH for only $3400??? I have been looking for a small Toyota MH for quite some time & I see many being offered for sale b/w $10-12K. Granted most if not all of the campers in this range claim to have had many 'upgrades'/parts replaced, but at only $3400 that would give me quite a bit of wiggle-room for any repairs that need to be done. Here's what little I know. The 87 Dolpin has ~84K miles on the fuel-injected 22RE engine, with AT. It has been advertised for at least a couple weeks & now the price has dropped from $4300 to $3400. I went to see this in person but it was hard to get a lot of information, as the seller is Russian & his daughter was trying to translate. They told me the fridge doesn't work & that they don't know about the roof ac because they never used it (they've had the camper for less than a year I think). She said it does NOT have a generator & that they used their own generator, though while inside I saw a "Generator" indicator/switch, so that should mean it's wired to have an external generator I would think. I also noticed that part of the wallpaper in the upper bed area was coming off which could possibly indicate a roof leak problem, and the stereo & speakers had been removed. So again, I'm hoping that I can get advice from experienced ToyMH owners & mechanics whether $3400 is a price I should jump at, not knowing exactly what repairs may be in store. I mean even if the engine needed a little work, roof needed re-sealing, fridge & roof a/c needed repair/replacement, & I need to have a generator installed, wouldn't I still be coming in at well under the $10K mark that many of these campers are selling at? Thoughts? Again, thank you for your time reading & hopefully giving your input to my post. Cheers & Happy Holidays! Todd Edited December 18, 2012 by Campernoob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred heath Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Welcome to the best toy site on the web. My toy is much older so I can't advise you on the pre-purchase criteria, but the first thing that jumped out at me was be sure this man has a clear title to the mh. You don't want to put your money down only to loose it later. Good Luck. Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stamar Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 well fortunately about these things is they are all low mileage toyota trucks so theres not a lot that can go wrong. in a test drive I think theres two thiings Im looking for, I want to see the auto trans is shifting perfectly. I dont want to do that repair... Im looking for a lot of water in the exhaust showing a leaky head gasket. Theres a lot of things to look for I think the regulars will say. Mine had the dry rot tires people talk about a lot thats going to end up being expensive but I think a lot do. rusty frame obviously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Todd, Price seems good for the truck part. 84k with 22RE and auto, Do the normal vehicle pre-buy; starts, runs, tranny fluid burnt, no leaks A/C and heater work, all the lights work. Tires will be a major item, look at dates, not tire tread a 10-15 year old tire with good tread is not a good tire. figure $100 per tire to buy new ones On the Toyhouse part. Look for the telltale signs of leaks; wallpaper coming off, bulging or soft walls. stains on the ceiling, Some can be repaired, some can be a money pit. Check all appliances working. stove, frig (you said it didn't work) furnace, water pump toilet. Check 12 volt stuff when not plugged into shore power, lights, water pump, range hood lights and blower, see if furnace runs (its 12 violts) Recheck all this on shore power, the converter now supplies the 12 volts instead if the coach battery. The frig may be broke, but it might be OK and just not being operated properly. Regardless of what you buy, expect to go thru it completely and bring it up to date on maintenance; i.e. brakes, repack bearings, belts, hoses, etc. John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totem Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 pull the trigger. $3400 is nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob C Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 That pealing wall paper may be a sign of major problems. If there is wood damage, it can be a pain to repair. If you can't do the work yourself, it may be hard to find someone that will even work on it and if you do find someone, it can be very expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Unless you have been to see it nothing we say matters. You have to check it out for yourself. See if the peeling wall paper is just that or the wood underneath is gone to hell. Go look and get back to us. Your in the Sacramento area so fridge repair is pretty close in Vallejo. Parts are available at Dr George in Sac. Tires if needed are right in Reno at Tire Rack. Sac is a very good place to be with a toyhome that needs some work. It's a very good price as long as there aren't tons of issues but none of them can be diagnosed from an ad. You have to see it Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Everything Linda said. To give you an idea of a very simple repair, take a look at this. A small section of cabover rot. I know others have done some very extensive repair compared to this one. http://toyotamotorhome.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=3597 John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stamar Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I've seen a lot of toyhomes for sale in sacrammento. Terrible economy in the valley plus the sierra nevada mountains on the other side. Lots of factors but they all add up to lots of cheap ones there. Close to a capitol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aptruncata Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 All things considered, i think it will come down to what value you find in the truck. If you're looking for a turn key unit.....you should wait and plan on spending the extra money. On the other hand, if you're looking for a decent running truck that needs some tlc...the one you're looking at seems alright. As for me and the wife, we're used to roughing it out in the remote areas of eastern sierras carrying 40lbs packs, enduring snow storms, negative temps and bathing in icy lakes. Having said that....as long as the unit runs reliably we're forgiving on other things such as leaks and appliances that doesn't work and can wait to fix them one by one or on a needed basis. so how flexible are you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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