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Use As Daily Driver?


toyboxII

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Hi all--interested to know if any of our group uses their Toyhome as a daily driver. We have been considering a B van, but the Toy has us so spoiled that the B vans come up short. Anyway, given the age of our Toys (ours is a '92) what say you about using the Toy as a daily driver?

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Use mine as a daily driver.
It's small 16'. Easy to get around in.
And if I enjoy too much libation, I always have a place to sleep.

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Personally the poor thing has worked hard all it's life I think it would be better to let it go on vacation with you. Kind of klunky to be a daily driver not really a stop and go vehicle.

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Opinion, no experience but I can do an opinion.

Mine is a 1993 21 footer. Too big, I would not be comfortable running around in it.

If I had a smaller one I would give it a try, nothing ventured nothing gained. Not like you cannot say hey, bad idea and stop using it.

I did date a lady in Tuscon AZ who lived in her's and used it as a car. Worked for her.

Jim

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I use my ratty 1978 Toyota Chinook as a small truck often. We don't own anything that are "daily drivers" since neither me or my wife have any sort of formal employment where we have to show up somewhere every day. The Chinook gets 20 MPG on the highway empty and around 17 MPG when loaded down with crap. My full-size Ford diesel F250 4WD gets 17 MPG on the highway but diesel fuel cost more the gas. So when the stuff fits, I use the Chinook. Any trip to any store is 50 miles from us, one way. So any trip is at least 100 miles there and back. I would NEVER, EVER use my 1988 Toyota Minicruiser for a "daily driver." Gas mileage is pretty poor for something like that. 14 MPG on a good day for a highway trip and it cannot pull a trailer very well. My 78 Chinook can. My Dodge GrandCaravan with AWD and a 3.8 engine gets 22 MPG loaded with crap and people. MUCH better for that sort of thing. And my 2008 Suzuki XL7 AWD with a GM 3.6 engine gets 25 MPG doing the same. Back to the Chinook. Besides OK gas mileage and ability to pull a trailer - it is kind of fun to drive.

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" My Dodge GrandCaravan with AWD and a 3.8 engine gets 22 MPG loaded with crap and people. MUCH better for that sort of thing."

Off topic, but what year is yer dodge AWD Caravan? I have a 2000 T&C I have way too much money into, but I like it. Never thought I'd like a minivan.

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" My Dodge GrandCaravan with AWD and a 3.8 engine gets 22 MPG loaded with crap and people. MUCH better for that sort of thing."

Off topic, but what year is yer dodge AWD Caravan? I have a 2000 T&C I have way too much money into, but I like it. Never thought I'd like a minivan.

My AWD GrandCaravan with the 3.8 is a 1998 (AWDs are no longer made). I also have a 2002 GrandCaravan that is only 2WD and has the smaller 3.3 engine. Oddly it gets exactly the same gas mileage as the 1998. I never thought I'd like one of these things but . . they've been very rugged bargain vehicles. The 98 has 200K miles and runs like new. I can put lumber or pipes into it that are 10 feet long and I can't even do that with my Ford F250 without them hanging out the back. I had lots of little things go wrong with the 98 but never anything major. At 150K miles with the 98 - as preventative maintenance - I put in a new waterpump, wheel bearings, and fuel pump. But none of that stuff ever failed. I just figured at 150K it was time and it's much cheaper to do when planned and you can shop around for parts. The only thing that almost caused a breakdown was when the brake lines rusted out that run from the ABS box. They are the most complicated brake lines I've ever seen. Steel and braided stainless-steel all in one line with metric bubble-flares. I ended up making new ones from Cunnifer (copper-nickel alloy) and flexible brake hoses - and I had to buy a bubble flare tool. The absolute hardest repair I ever did to it though was changing the spark plugs. It is a nightmare with the 98. With the 2002 - the front panel where the windshield wipers can be removed and it makes the job much easier.

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I don't know what rv you have or how long.

As people have mentioned, that will make a huge different. My Chinook was about as small as they get, with the exception of the pop-top Chinooks. It was my daily driver for a couple months last year.

Given no other option, it was "fine". It was 17', and could fit in a normal parking spot and easily make a U-turn on a residential street. And the town I lived in had a population of about 30,000. It was fine, but I didn't prefer it.

There are real considerations to take into account, then there's just personal tolerance/lifestyle. Real considerations would be stuff like parking garages (can't fit in them), drive-throughs (can't fit through most of them), parking on narrow streets without creating a hazard for other people. Probably more but I ran out for now.

Personal stuff is just whether you're willing to deal with the hassle. Yes, you could absolutely do it, if you don't mind the hassle. If you're fine parking farther away from stuff, driving much less and walking/biking more, and being slow and cumbersome. It's no big deal for the right personality type.

Aside from that I'd just second Maineah's point. Every mile put on that truck is a mile of maxed-out suspension, heavy hauling and maxed-out brakes. On the highway that's not such a big deal. Like with any vehicle, stop and go driving is a killer. That's multiplied when you have the weight of a house on your truck. It will definitely wear it down much faster.

It will also take away the magic of jumping in for a weekend trip. You'd be in the thing driving all the time. It wouldn't seem so special when it's time to go camping or hit the road.

But that kind of stuff is all up to you.

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Now that is what I was expecting! Thanks all for your input. Our '92 Itasca Spirit is 21' long and, while I enjoy driving it, I don't think that it would answer my needs for a daily driver, only vehicle, etc. We are retired and don't need to drive every day, but still don't think I want to use the Toy as a grocery getter. Thanks for all your opinions and input!

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I got a good Toyhouse for a good price. I can and do buy inexpensive cars for my daily driver because I refuse to make car payments unless it is just one payment and done. I plan on keeping my 21' Escaper for many years without major problems so I keep it for vacations and weekend trips.

When traveling, I have no problem parking and driving around town. Even my 21' Escaper can do a nice tight u-turn and fit in regular width parking stalls ( I just need end to end stalls.)

8 months out of the year my personal day to day driver is a 1986 Honda Goldwing. It is fun to drive, gets 45 mpg, and maintenance is cheap.

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  • 1 month later...

In New York - where there are mandated annual motor-vehicle inspections - anything 1995 and back gets the inspection at half-price. New York's thinking is - 1995 and back don't have OBDII computer systems although my 1995 Subaru does. Anything newer must be plugged into a New York state computer every year and passing can be near impossible at times. Over $20 each for the newer rigs and we always had five on the road at any given time.

One of the reasons why I am in northern Michigan now. NO inspections. Lifetime plates on my trailers (I have four). Any daily driver must fit me, a wife, dog, and a 12 year-old boy, plus cargo most of the time. He is home-schooled and we travel as a pack. My 1978 Chinook gets used a lot in the summer. I won't let it touch road-salt in the winter. Besides - right now -- with snow - it would not make it out our driveway. Our most used "daily driver" is still our 1998 AWD Dodge Grand Caravan. Over 200K miles now and runs like new. It got totaled last year and I got the max. $1000 payment out of the deal from the kid that hit us. So now - it is almost a "free" vehicle as I see it. #1 most useful vehicle I have ever owned. Oddly - when loaded to max with stuff - it still gets 21 MPG @ 65 MPH and that's with a 3.8 V6. My little 1978 Chinook when loaded down only gets around 17 MPG. That came as a surprise to me.

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Safety is a concern for us. No airbags, etc. We love our Dolphin, but let's face it, these things are death traps. We take the measured risk for our camping excursions. But I wouldn't want to up the ante by driving it around in city traffic on a regular basis.

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Perceived safety is my concern and not what the "experts" tell me. I still rarely use a seat-belt. When I do, it is to avoid tickets. I'd rather have no air-bags in any of my vehicles but hard to avoid with some. I hate and usually de-energize anything I have with anti-lock brakes that killed a lot of people when they first came out.

I have no argument that under certain conditions, certain safety features save lives. It's a matter of odds I guess.

In 1972 - there were 54.5K road deaths in the USA. That with 1,259 billion miles of driving.

In 2013 - there were 32.7K road deaths and that with only 2,946 billion miles of driving.

Considering the complexity of newer autos - MUCH due to added safety features - I wonder how many people have tragedies due to the extra work they have to do just to pay the crazy prices of new autos? How many people crash due to them taking extra chances due to the improved perception of safety?

To each his own. I'd rather have the opportunity to buy a new car for $4000 with no air-bags and various other gizmos not needed for driving and take my chances. That instead of paying $20,000-$30,000 for a car with all the newest toys and safety items. But that is just me. Yes - Darwin's "natural selection" when it comes to bad or drivers can't hardly work anymore. Bad drivers get to crash over and over and take others with them. So I guess that makes a good argument on both sides of the issue.

Me and my family often drive in old rigs and are fine with it. I could just see us buying a new $40,000 ultra-safe SUV, heading down the road - and then have someone crash their damn plane into us. We'll take our chances.

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I have been driving mine daily for almost 8 years now. It is the only thing I own as I am a full timer. Yes, it is easier to drive a car, but not that much more difficult. I just have to be more cautious and remember to take corners wider, look for overhead branches, and backing out is a hazard. I am considering installing a backup camera as I have had a couple minor bumps when reversing.

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