shandamac Posted May 10, 2008 Share Posted May 10, 2008 For the last year, I've researched Roma vardos (gypsy caravans). My plan has been to take our home-made 15' flat bed trailer and convert it into a bow top wagon to haul me and my many instruments around to Irish music festivals. It seemed like a glamorously, primitive way to travel, and oh so bohemian. Well, that WAS the plan until a week ago when one of my clients told me she and her husband were thinking about selling thier '81 Toyota Sunrader- "Just an old thing" they bought to haul them and their stuff from Washington to Oklahoma 6 years ago. It had basically "been sitting in their driveway ever since." Hmmmm. What would it hurt for me to go by and just look? So a few days later, I did. Didn't stop, just drove by. (And I've read some of you all say this, so I know you know what I'm talking about). It was love at first sight. The shell was grey with mildew and the tires were flat, but I thought it was beautiful. What would my husband say???? (He'd be damn glad he wouldn't have to explain a frilly, painted wagon to his buddies.) "Oh, honey, I saw the cutest little motorhome for sale today", and in true guy form, he replied, "How much they askin' for it?".....I had no clue. I called my client. "Make us an offer", she said. (I had remembered her telling me that her husband had had a new rear axle put on right after they'd bought it, and she said they'd only used the toilet once on their trip, since they had pretty much stored their stuff and stayed in motels coming from Washington. That had to be worth something.) No good at bartering anything but fiddle tunes, I asked her to come up with a number. She called me back. "How does $1200 sound, and we'll throw in a new set of tires?" Yeah.....I held my breath too....ok...now exhale......I said, "Well, how 'bout we come by tomorrow around 6pm and take a look." The tires had been aired up. That was a good sign. First thing I did was climb up in the house. Orange shag! How retro! Other than a thin layer of dust, a sagging headliner (Oklahoma humidity is brutal), and a musty closed-up smell, the house was in real good condition. Cushions...check. Table...check. Stove, Fridge, Cabinet doors...check, check, check. Heat worked, water pump worked. The roof was solid fiberglass. Okay...on to the cab. It had the same orange, shag carpet, and the seats and door panels were crushed velvet of some color....(might have been orange at some point, but had faded to the oddest minty green with amber highlights.) "Better duck your head!" Mr. S tossed my husband the keys. "Take her for a spin!" Oh My Gosh!!!! I don't know if the seats are sitting on some kind shock or spring system, but it was like riding on pillows. Legs out front, not dangling. We drove down the back road to the highway. We drove on the highway, to the main drag. We drove for a good 20 minutes. Pushed her up to 65mph (speedometer only goes to 80). Gears shifting like a champ. The motor revved and purred. It said, "Vroom, let's not go back. Ha Vroom, they won't miss us." My husband was beaming! Oh, yeah....I was so buyin' this baby! That was yesterday. The Toy gets new tires tomorrow, and it will be in MY driveway come next Monday or Tuesday. I'm so pumped! The bed and dining/2nd sleeping area cushions get new apholstry, and I'll glue up a new headliner, and recover the cab seats and the door panels...I'll leave all the electrical, technical stuff to my husband..The orange shag will be the last to go, if it goes at all. Yeah, I got plans. This afternoon, I called my guitarplayin' girl-friend, and said, "We're not reserving a hotel for O'Flaherety's this year." "Oh no" she said, "Why?" "'Cause we're stayin' in my new motorhome!" Life Rocks!!!! By the way. As I was searching for info on the '81 Toyota Motor home this afternoon, I came across your forum. Thank you for giving a wacky musician/artista/office worker a place to ramble. Blessings of Peace and Prosperity for us all. shandamac ps. Did I mention that it only has 75,000 miles on it? (Nope. Hasn't rolled over...yet) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoprat Posted May 10, 2008 Share Posted May 10, 2008 Howdy Shandamac. If you can play the fiddle as well as you spin a tale, your a lock for some kinda award. As to your MH, sounds like you made a real find. Welcome to the " Save the Toys" movement. Orange shag, huh? Gad ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86rader Posted May 10, 2008 Share Posted May 10, 2008 1200 bucks WITH new rubber? You know what they call that? Grand theft auto. Assuming this thing has no major issues you just stole yourself an RV. Congrats. How 'bout some pics? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyonthespot Posted May 10, 2008 Share Posted May 10, 2008 FANTASTIC DEAL shandamac.... for that price... if you find that somthing doesnt work... you just replace it and SMILE! no matter what happens from here you can never say you took a loss... that test drive alone was worth what you paid... welcome aboard and make sure you stay onboard and write up your progress and share your adventures... great story... what state did you score this 81 'rader in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shandamac Posted May 11, 2008 Author Share Posted May 11, 2008 Thanks for the warm welcome y'all. Bought the MH here in central Oklahoma. As soon as the thing shows up in the driveway, (at Fred's in line for new tires as I write this), I'll snap some pics and post them. I'm always enchanted by those "See What I Done" sites, so will probably work up a step by step remodel web page of some kind. Blessedly, you all have this forum, if I have any questions. Honestly, I don't see myself keepin' the orange shag. Seriously thinking about trading it out for red, and decorating the house with satin brocade, gold fringe, and brass fixtures. It'll be a real hoot when my husband borrows it to take fishin' with the guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepager5 Posted May 11, 2008 Share Posted May 11, 2008 Hey there shandamac, I am in Fort Smith, AR - we're TOY neighbors. We travel to OKC Norman and Edmond at least 3 times a year for Gymnastics. There is also a TOY around the Muskogee area. Keep in touch and maybe we could meet at Bass Pro/Bricktown and compare notes. I have an 86 Toyota Dolphin 21' Model #900 w/a 2.4L 4 cyl w/fuel injection and on June 7th we leave for Yellowstone for a 2 week adventure. Look me up on the albums - thepager5. Send all of us some pics - we are very interested in your "STEAL"!!! Congrats on your new adventure. Pager Arkansas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyonthespot Posted May 11, 2008 Share Posted May 11, 2008 pager: your 86 looks like it is 20 years newer than my 83.... I need repairs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shandamac Posted May 12, 2008 Author Share Posted May 12, 2008 Pager, Honestly, I'm feeling this funky sense of freedom just knowing I'm now the owner of a motorhome. (The new tires were put on yesterday, and I pick it up tomorrow!!!!) I play fiddle in a traditional Celtic/Mountain/Folk Fusion band out of Norman. Just this afternoon I was mulling over the possibilities of booking more out of state gigs. The Ozark Folk Center in Mtn View, AR is one I had to set on the back burner. Until now, the room, board, and gas expense has been more than the typical Folk gig offers, but we have a small 3-man (in our case, a 3-chick) band. I think the '81 rader will be perfect for a weekend road trip to play music, and if the gig covers gas, then it's all good! So, tomorrow evening she'll be in the driveway. I'm trying to keep my head, 'cause I know she needs some serious cleaning, but I'm really excited. My husband says he's even more excited. (He thinks he'll be taking her out fishing more than I will take her playing music. Ha!) I'll take the "before" pictures and post them as soon as I can. When you come to Norman, do you all park at a campgrounds? I've heard of people overnighting in Walmart parking lots. Is that acceptable? I'm interested in learning all aspects of motorhome etiquette. I'll take all advice. (Probably a separate topic.) Have the greatest of weeks! shanda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motoyhomme Posted May 15, 2008 Share Posted May 15, 2008 Shanda, Of course it is perfectly acceptable to stay in a Walmart shopping center lot (some of them are beginning to disallow overnights because of static from near-by campgrounds). Lots of places will let you park overnight or a couple of days but please ask and then patronize their stores. The attached photos show me parking in a TVA campground (no Class A's!) for $10 per day which included elec and water at the site and a dump station. This was taken on the Fort Loudon Lake in Tennessee south of Knoxville, my ancestrial home. The other photos show my neighbors in a Walmart parking lot at night. The small class B (van) nearby had a generator running all night and it was driven by two ladies. Also I had to toss in a few photos of traveling thru Tennessee. When you're traveling slow and easy, nature seems to really pop through even on an interstate. Havahappy, Allen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtle Posted May 16, 2008 Share Posted May 16, 2008 Honestly, I'm feeling this funky sense of freedom just knowing I'm now the owner of a motorhome. (The new tires were put on yesterday, and I pick it up tomorrow!!!!) I play fiddle in a traditional Celtic/Mountain/Folk Fusion band out of Norman. I purchased my 1st Toyota motor home (a 1981 17' diesel) about 14 years ago from a couple who played bluegrass music and used it as their portable dressing room at festivals. I still have it. When you come to Norman, do you all park at a campgrounds? I've heard of people overnighting in Walmart parking lots. Is that acceptable? I'm interested in learning all aspects of motorhome etiquette. I'll take all advice. (Probably a separate topic.) Some walmarts allow overnight camping and even encourage it. There is a walmart camping forum on Yahoo if you are serious about this http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/walmartrving/ I find that I prefer staying in National Forest campgrounds. They are usually quite rustic and small but a short Toyota fits nicely. Overnight ranges from free to $10 a night. Take a look at the USFS web site for campgrounds near you http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/map/finder.shtml And this one too... http://www.forestcamping.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shandamac Posted May 16, 2008 Author Share Posted May 16, 2008 Those are some beautiful pics Allen. I've been reviewing this forum's past posts and I'm so inspired by all the wonderful pictures and ideas! Now when I'm booking gigs, I'll also be researching scenic points along route and marking off an extra day or two to "enjoy the moment". I'm glad to know that Walmart is an option for emergency stop overs. Cool. Thank God it's Friday!!!! shanda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLittlePuppy Posted May 16, 2008 Share Posted May 16, 2008 Hi Shanda! Another Okie with a new Toy! These things are Fun! We found ours last November and have been getting it ready to camp and travel. We wanted one for years and found ours on Craigslist and it was right next door to us in Broken Arrow (we're in Tulsa). How neat is that? It was also affordable for us even with all the tune up, etc. There was no way we were walking away from this little one! We named it "The Little Puppy" because it's going to house both of us and our three small dogs. They love to travel and so do we, so we are looking forward to some fun times in our great little motorhome. We still can't believe it's ours. We were the first to call about it and as soon as we saw it, we knew it was the one. It's an '84 Dolphin and has the rear axle replaced so no problem with that. Sometimes, we just go out and sit in it and chill; it's so relaxing! Can't wait to actually use it. Hurry Memorial Day weekend and get here! Yes, this site is wonderful and full of information. It is so nice to read through all the listings and make copies of what you need. Lots of friendly folks on this site who are ready to share their joys and their woes. Welcome to the group and we look forward to reading more from you. Sounds like you're already having fun in Toyland! Dianne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shandamac Posted May 16, 2008 Author Share Posted May 16, 2008 Hi Diane!! Nice to meet you!!! I'm really looking forward to being a motorhome owner, and especially a "Toy" owner. I had no idea what was in store. Got to googlin' the Sunrader and ended up joining this forum. It's like an explosion of info!!!!! I'm trying to read up on all the past posts, and study them like in school. (There's so much to learn.) And you're right, everyone's been major helpful, even though I know they've answered the same questions over and over. I really do appreciate the advice, and It's good feeling to know that I'm not alone in my obsession. Have the most beautiful of weekends!!! Shanda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLittlePuppy Posted May 16, 2008 Share Posted May 16, 2008 Shanda, Nice to meet you too! Enjoyed reading about your 'test drive' in your four speed Sunrader. Ours is a four speed also and it is so easy to shift. Our Little Puppy is not going to be real speedy, but we will get there sooner or later! If you see us out and about in our sweet antique Toy, be sure and wave as you pass us! By the way, we love Celtic music, so we have these two things in common. Life is good! You have a great weekend, too! Enjoy the new one! Dianne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GypsyWindTraveler Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 Hey Shanda, Congratz on your new sunrader and welcome too the fourms! Its good too see musicians and artists picking up these old rigs to use.. Im kinda sad that im selling my 84 sunrader =( It just got too small for my girlfriend, myself, and my kitty and all our gypsy toys and instruments lol... part of me wants to hold onto it to use again someday but we are probebly going to sell it to get some solar panels and a solar fridge.. anyways.... hopefully we will cross your path sometime so we can enjoy some of your music! hope it all goes smothly for you! blessings to you as well friend! ~~~Eli & Gwen & our little gypsy kitty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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