Shane Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 Greeting! LOVE this forum and have been lurking for awhile. My name is Shane and my family and I live in the Black Hills in South Dakota. My wife and I have been weighing whether we wanted a turn key outfit or a project and after 3 years of looking at every Toyota Motorhome craigslist post we could find (rarely seeing a Sunrader), we decided on a PROJECT. This is a 1984 21' Sunrader. 84,000 on the 22R, 4 speed manual. It does have the 6 lug swap out, and it runs well. We drove it home for $2500. That's about the end of the 'pros'. Cons are the leaky roof openings (a/c and vent). One cab-over window is shot. The rest of the windows seem to be holding a good seal. There is some damaged fiberglass between the 2 cab-over windows and near the rear drivers side tire. The roof has a sag where the a/c unit sits. The po also removed the passenger side cabinetry. I have paperwork from less than 2 years ago that show a previous owner had a new alternator, battery isolater and battery installed. None the less, no power to the coach. (Although the marker/ running lights work! I was surprised!) Not sure if any of the appliances/ systems work. The water holding tank, water heater, water pump and grey water tank are all still there. The original furnace is still there, but to the best of the po's knowledge, non-functional. It has the original stove/ oven, but a leaky propane line that I need to repair before I can test. The fridge is electric and not original. The previous owner never used any of the systems. Just the bed. Have only had it for a week and all we've done is clean it up a bit inside and out. The next stop will be our Toyota mechanic's shop to make sure all the fluids are changed, check all the hoses and rubber and whatever else he recommends, and then we'll get started on digging into it! I've read a lot on this forum and I am really grateful for such a killer resource and all the knowledge and wisdom shared here, so THANKS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunkaman Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 congratz. from your pics, the exterior looks great. the price you paid seems very, very reasonable, even if it has some issues. good luck with your "project". joe from dover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themagnet Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 You got a great deal! Cool rig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 Wow all new cabinets. They are beautiful Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwilliam1 Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 Sweet Rig! Get ready for your adventure! Be prepared to replace Everything that is rubber due to deterioration. Great price which gives you extra $$ for needed repairs. Good Luck & Welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted March 30, 2017 Author Share Posted March 30, 2017 Thanks folks! Pictures might do the cabinets more justice than they deserve, but there is some salvageable material there. Just getting started on tearing out the old, musty and in areas, damp carpet. Once I make some progress I'll post pics. Also planning a trip to the Toyota shop and thought I'd bring a list of items gathered on this thread... Any other suggestions I might want to share with the mechanic? btw, my wife and I both drive Toyota's and take them to our regions Toyota dealership for recommended service. My usual mechanic said they have a guy at the shop who is very knowledgeable about the 22r and re... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee & Joan Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 Very Nice looking Sunrader, you got such a good deal that you saved enough to fix things as you go. Every time I fix something I think of it in terms of a car payment. Go look at prices of new rigs of this size and be very happy with this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwilliam1 Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 Yea, went to Camping World the other day and saw a sweet 22-23' class C rig on a Dodge chassis for around $90K! So when I pour hundreds in my rig I think of all the thousands I've saved!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 15 minutes ago, markwilliam1 said: Yea, went to Camping World the other day and saw a sweet 22-23' class C rig on a Dodge chassis for around $90K! So when I pour hundreds in my rig I think of all the thousands I've saved!! Yup we can replace our motors, transmissions, and a ton of other stuff and still spend tens of thousands of dollars less than a used newer model motorhome. And we'll still get better mileage. Kind of a no brainer Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted March 31, 2017 Author Share Posted March 31, 2017 Thanks for the comments. Really helps keep things in perspective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjrbus Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 2 hours ago, markwilliam1 said: Yea, went to Camping World the other day and saw a sweet 22-23' class C rig on a Dodge chassis for around $90K! So when I pour hundreds in my rig I think of all the thousands I've saved!! They claimed 1st year (depends on where you get info) depreciation on a new RV is 21%. So 21% of $90,000 is $18,900. Even I who spends far too much money on mine will not be anywhere near the first year depreciation of a new one. So I am waaaay ahead of the game. But then that evil little thought sneaks in and says yes, but you are crawling around under yours while they are camping and I reply, oh yeah go hang around an RV repair place and see just how satisfied those happy campers with brand new rigs are! That is what I keep telling myself anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee & Joan Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 It helps to read "Motorhome" magazine. You see how much those tiny class B's cost, over 100K. Then read about all the brand new rigs that are getting repairs (or not). People who got a new rig and only used it once then had it sitting at the dealer for repairs all summer, hassling to get warranties honored. Our 2 MH repair shops in this small town are constantly full of new rigs getting fixed, are year long. Think about the big down payment and 400-500$ a month for 15 years and you can find it a lot easier to fix your Toyota. I had to replace the tranny last year, $2000+, but hey that's "only" like 6 monthly "payments of $333" and shes good to go for another 100,000 miles (the tranny anyway). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwilliam1 Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 Good way to look @ things! When I first got my rig, even though she's only got 36K miles, I had to replace everything that was rubber due to dry rot! I got discouraged after spending over 2 Grand for repairs (including 6 tires) but now she's pristine. My understanding is these rigs in Excellent condition seem to appreciate due to demand! A No brainer indeed:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjrbus Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 35 minutes ago, markwilliam1 said: Good way to look @ things! When I first got my rig, even though she's only got 36K miles, I had to replace everything that was rubber due to dry rot! I got discouraged after spending over 2 Grand for repairs (including 6 tires) but now she's pristine. My understanding is these rigs in Excellent condition seem to appreciate due to demand! A No brainer indeed:-) The rubber bushings and such surprised me, Instead of replacing what was bad I replaced them all with Prothane's. Also every steering component was replaced, now it handles like a slot car! Well an RV slot car : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwilliam1 Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 Yes I was surprised jj. Everything and I mean everything was dry rotted! She hadn't been used in 7 years but was inside a barn so I didn't think she'd have that much dry rot! The ball joints were mush, the brake pads were cracked, all suspension bushings were gone, my pitman arm broke on the way home requiring a long tow, the muffler failed, the rear end sagged and I won't even comment about all the rubber engine components that needed replaced. The list went on & on. And only 36K miles! So the required repairs were a daunting project but now Priceless!! So first time buyers need to consider repair costs added to the purchase price and it ain't gunna be cheap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted March 31, 2017 Author Share Posted March 31, 2017 I'm pretty sure my wife and I are nuts. We have saved for a couple years with the idea that when the right turn-key Toyo camper showed up we would jump on it with cash in hand. And here we are with another project! That being said, the fund isn't dry yet, so we have something to get STARTED with. lol! Oh well. Keeps me out of trouble. Most of what is required with this project is new to me, and I'm not mechanically inclined to boot. But I'm stoked to learn something new, and reading up in this forum is what pushed me over the edge into 'project' territory. (I just looked up Prothane!) This link is the last project we had, and what we will continue to use until the Toyota is ready. The Toyota is going to be A LOT more work. http://repairingyesterdaystrailers.yuku.com/reply/23114/Just-wanted-to-say-Hello-#.WN6-9WkrKUk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markwilliam1 Posted March 31, 2017 Share Posted March 31, 2017 Yea Shane I'm not a mechanic either so the past year I've learned so much! Mainly on this forum. Seems you got a handle on this so enjoy and have fun Man!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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