Just popping in to say hello from a newbie! I've been looking for a Toy-home (fixer) for over a year and I finally found the one for me. After searching long and hard, I found a 63,000 mile 1990 Winnie Warrior advertised for $4000.00. I thought to myself, 'right, a V6, automatic warrior with 63,000 miles for about HALF of what it SHOULD Be priced at- sounds like a scam to me, so I contacted the seller and set up a time to go see the unit (it was local and advertised on craigslist). The seller was actually selling for a friend who now lives in Mexico, and needed to get the camper off her property since she is moving to california. Signed title in hand, everything looked legit, and the lady selling was very nice. I checked it out, took it for a drive and twisted her arm a bit. She had a few other very low-ball offers (think $400.00 due to condition- more about that later) and lots of lookers, but no one with cash in hand, ready to buy. SO, after discussing all the obvious issues I saw with the camper (extensive water damage, some rust issues, etc....) I managed to twist her arm a bit, and I wound up buying the warrior on the spot. Now, here's the good part. As I stated, the warrior was advertised at $4000.00, which, I think was maybe just a little higher than reasonable given the condition and mileage, but certainly not a bad deal. She was already packing for her move to California, and admitted she didn't care what she sold it for since the camper isn't hers, and that she just needs it gone because she's moving to california in 1 week and has no desire to lug this thing 1300 miles to her new home. BINGO! I immediately see I have the upper hand, and I gently (and timidly) make an offer for $1500.00 cash, right now, let's make a deal. Now, I was fully expecting her to either laugh at me and kick me off her property, or be so insulted by my admittedly low offer that she'd send her very large dogs after me, but I'm awe-struck when she smiles, extends her hand, and says 'you've got yourself a deal'. So, she goes inside, comes back out with a signed title, a signed bill of sale, and the keys. We fill out the title and bill of sale, I hand over my $1500.00, and she hands me the title, bill of sale, and the keys to my very own 1990 Toyota Winnebago Warrior! I'm ecstatic at this point, but I calmly shake her hand (trying not to appear as though I just robbed a blind old lady of her social security check), thanked her, got in the warrior, and drove away.
Now, condition wise, this camper needs work! It had a major leak at one point in it's life, so the entire cab-over is completely rotten and needs to be rebuilt. OK, no big deal. I'm a mechanic, a welder, a metal fabricator and I know my way around a wood shop, so I'm not worried. There was also a leak somewhere in the rear bath, so the rear walls were saturated, and will need to be gutted as well. The floor is sound, and the "meat" of the interior is all good- some small rotten sections under one of the windows, but overall, the ceiling in the "living" quarters is great, no rotten junk there. The warriors, for those who don't know use a tubular metal frame with polystyrene foam for insulation, and laminated 16th inch ply wood to finish it out on the inside. There's also some amount of surface rust on everything- the unit came from Texas, and spent some time on the coast in Mexico. The frame is sound, chassis is excellent, and drivetrain are all top-notch, it really just needs to be gutted and re-modeled- no big deal! ALL systems work, water, sewer, AC (cab and coach), electrical, fridge, freezer, propane systems, etc. It's all there, working and in good condition. Let the gutting begin! I'm going to start by re-sealing all of the windows, repair the leaky roof, coat the roof, and fix a dent that looks like someone made because they didnt know now tall the thing was- looks like the backed into something- no rips in the aluminum, thankfully, so I should be able to just pound it out, slowly, and gently. Then I'll start on repairing the cab-over, and then gut the entire camper and start from scratch.
I'm too excited. I've been looking for one of these for a LONG time- V6, 1-ton chassis, blah, blah, blah- I can't believe I found such a screaming deal! Even with all the work that'll be required to get it back to sound, usable condition, I think I made out alright. I figure just the engine/transmission/rear axle is worth more than I paid for the entire camper. For those who were wondering, the title work all came back legit- it's now titled, plated, and insured under my name, no drama, no issues. I'll post pictures this weekend.
regards-
ecstatic newbie
