mike_g

Wow! Thank you all so much for the very insightful suggestions and advice! I'm so glad that I found this site before my actual purchase! So, the common theme seems to be to take it slow and enjoy the drive. I can definitely do that; but, does the extra load have a negative effect on engine and transmission life? Do the automatics come equipped with transmission coolers? How about replacement parts for the RV portion? Are they easy to come by? Are parts usually specific to the model or would I be able to go to any RV parts store and get replacement vents, light fixtures, plumbing fittings, etc? Also, water leaks seem to be common with all RV's, not just Toyotas; is there regular maintenance that can be done to prevent leaks from starting in the first place? Does it make sense to get the roof sealed before it ever starts to leak? @Bob C: Good point about the issue with the spare tire for the rigs that have the axle conversion. Something that probably wouldn't have occurred to me! @waiter: You said "Use caution - stay away from fake dullies." Is there a way to tell the fake ones? Is that why bufbooth says above to "make sure that the rear axle has 6 bolts and sticks out about 4 inches past the wheel"? (BTW, is that you in your avatar photo? If so, I am super-jealous; my biggest childhood dream was to be a fighter pilot. Less than perfect vision kept me out of the cockpit….but I digress. ) @90toydolphin: We will be using our unit as a testing ground, also. Both my wife and I have very limited experience with RV's, so we will need to make sure that we both enjoy RV'ing enough to stick with it long term. We do enjoy camping, so I think we'll be fine. Again, thank you, everyone for all the great information and keep it coming! I'll keep you all posted on my search. Maybe I'll be able to show off my "new" rig at one of the upcoming gatherings!

Hello all, Hopefully this is the appropriate forum for me to introduce myself. I am not yet a Toyota Motorhome owner, but I've been actively researching them for the past month. My wife has had it with tent camping and says that she will not camp any more until we get an RV. This will be my first RV, so I am leaning toward a late 1980's Toyota-based motorhome. It looks like they can be had in good condition for around $5,000, which is my price range. Also, I have much experience with the 22R engine, having owned a 1981 Celica which was still running strong when I traded it in with over 250K miles on it. But, therein also lays a major concern for me: I know the 22R will run for ever, but I also know that it had a hard enough time pushing the Celica around with 2 or 3 people in it. The thought of relying on the little 22R to push a 6,000-pound motorhome boggles my mind. Add to this the fact that we live in the Sierra foothills, that some of our favorite camp grounds are in the Reno/Tahoe area (7 – 9,000 ft elevation), and that we take several trips per year to Southern California which requires that we go up and over the Grapevine (~8,000 ft). What are your experiences keeping up with traffic with a 22R in these conditions? Also, I know all rigs are different, but what would be a reasonable amount of money to expect to have to spend on an annual basis to maintain a 25-year old Toyota Motorhome? And what is the floating axel conversion I keep reading about? Sorry for all the questions (I actually have tons more) but, I need to get myself educated before I spend this kind of money.