A.j.

I have read that some Dolphins had 13 gallon tanks (that is, I've read some older posts on the Yahoo group from owners). Maybe they are mistaken though... well, I'll find out tomorrow! Where is the gas tank located? I'll look underneath and measure if I can find it .

Interesting... has anyone replaced their shorty Toy tanks with the "larger" (everything is relative!) 17.2 gallon tanks? Just found this link for a "new" 1985 Toyota pickup truck fuel tank... pretty affordable: http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/shop_parts/fuel_tank/toyota/pickup.html Which is making me curious - is it a fairly common and/or straightforward to swap out fuel tanks in Toy RVs (should one malfunction/rust out/etc)? Easy enough to do (relatively speaking of course)?

Going to take a look at an 18 foot shorty tomorrow... it's an '85 Sunland. Seller says its got a 14 gallon tank... does that sound right? I thought that 17 gallon was the smallest. If it really is a 14 gallon, I'm guessing I'll get 150 miles to a tank (he says he gets 14-16 mpg, but I'm going to be conservative here). Makes me a little less excited about the deal, but I'm wondering if he's wrong? Maybe it's really 17 gallons and he's just filling up with 14 gallons every time the fuel empty light goes off (and there's really 4 gallons in reserve)? Aj

One more update to add... JB Dlco in Warren will indeed do a pre-purchase inspection on an RV for $170. They know older Toyota trucks. This does NOT include the coach, just the truck part. It's a 1-1/2 to 2 hour inspection and (they say) includes engine, transmission, brakes, chassis, etc. They have a large truck hoist (can do buses and the huge motorcoach RVs) and get under the vehicle. Wish they could also do the coach systems for that price, but it's the best I've found so far in southeastern Michigan. I envy you West coasters and your Toy home connections! Aj

Ok, updating my own post.. I called Palco and they do indeed do service/repair on the coach portion of the RV (not the truck part though - they aren't mechanics). They also *don't* do pre-purchase inspections, sadly. Still looking for a pre-purchase inspection place in Detroit/Ann Arbor. Got a call into JB Dlco (listed above)... we'll see what they say. Aj

Thanks for the reply... it looks like Palco is a parts shop, not a garage. But it actually looks really cool and is useful to know about - I'm going to call them and see if they can recommend an RV repair garage. Also, a quick Web search led me to this place: JB DLCO Transmissions & Certified Auto Repair 24111 Groesbeck Highway, Warren, MI 48089 They appear to specialize in both Toyotas and RV repairs (with a big oversize hoist), so maybe they can do Toy homes? Anyone have experience with them (or Palco)? Aj

Agreed! Even without an RV, on roadtrips my wife and I always carry a county gazetteer atlas, so we can take the back roads whenever possible. Interstate driving can get pretty boring (especially in the midwest), so we often will only use expressways when pressed for time. Plus, those picturesque county roads are great fun for finding parks, antique shops, out-of-the-way diners, weird attractions/Americana, and so much more. You never know what you'll find.

Thank you all! Nice tips for all of you, hadn't thought about the power steering issue. I've driven an old rack-and-pinion Toyota, but that was years ago. Didn't bother me much back then, but I'd probably appreciate the extra oomph now. (And John - I read your blog... what an interesting trip! I always wanted to tour Alaska. Don't know many people who've had the chance to stand on the Arctic Ocean.) I'm assuming driving (and parking) an 18 footer would be a bit easier than the 22 foot models. My plan at this point is just do the test drive - adjust the mirrors (both kinds!), get onto some city streets, and then do a stretch on the highway at 60mph, get a feel for things. Also was going to mention - originally, we had planned to get a VW Westy, so "upgrading" to an 18ft. RV seems like total luxury. Also, we want the 18 footer because we plan on doing some more "urban" legs on our road trips. Stopping in Denver or Boulder, for example... parking, doing some shopping, seeing the sites. Thanks again... great forum, makes me feel more confident in making the Toy home plunge. Aj

Hi all, Can anyone offer a recommendation for a garage and/or mechanic in the S.E. Michigan area (Ann Arbor or metro-Detroit, preferably) who has experience with Toy homes? We're going to need someone to do a pre-purchase inspection as well as a good person to handle repairs down the line. Thanks! A.j.

First of all, greetings & hello! First-time poster, newly obsessed lurker/forum reader here .... Don't own a Toyota RV yet, but we're in the market. I'm currently reading the RV'ers Bible, scouring the InterWeb, and looking at local models for sale. The plan: my wife and I are in the Midwest, and we're hoping to get a 18' lower mileage (under 6x,xxx) 4 cylinder auto or manual Toy home to take the two kids (age 7 & 9) on a Southwest roadtrip this summer. Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, lots of back roads and small towns. We're used to doing lots of tent camping (and car picnics in our van) so even a nicely equipped 18 footer is going to seem like the Taj Mahal (we think!. Truthfully, we've NEVER rv'ed before, but we've definitely got the bug and are eager to learn. The one thing we're wondering about (and have seen little comment on so far) is: what's it like to actually drive one of these things? Do you need to rely on the mirrors as much as the larger RVs? Is it hard to judge where the rear of the vehicle is? Are lane changes and turns tough to get used to? How about backing up? And is it that much different than driving a small van (our Honda Odyssey is about 17')'? I'm going to test drive an 18' footer this weekend, and would appreciate any tips so I don't embarrass myself (too much!). Keep in mind I've never driven an RV before - although I drove plenty of 4 cylinder Toyotas back in the 80s. Thanks! (And what a great forum... really inspires confidence for purchasing one of these older mini-homes). A.j.