1988 Toyota Itasca SOS

[NewbieHair]

Hello All,

I am going to be vulnerable here and publicly admit that I am in way over my head after purchasing a Toyota RV sight-unseen from a fellow member of this community. I paid 6000 dollars for the vehicle, plus another 1000 to have it delivered to me. After going through the process of getting the vehicle re-titled (the original title was lost) and registered in Pennsylvania, I was finally able to get it inspected earlier this week. As it turns out the vehicle is an absolute mess. It couldn't pass inspection and from what I understand (I have absolutely no education around mechanics) the costs of getting it road safe are going to be way more than I can afford. 

 

At this point I'm just trying to cut my losses, so I posted an add on craigslist with the inspection notes, in order to be completely transparent about what its going to need. So far I've had a couple people reach out to say that considering the repairs needed, they wouldn't pay more than a few hundred dollars to take it off my hands. 

 

I'm posting on this forum specifically because I know people here understand the ethos of these vehicles and what makes them worth maintaining. I know I made a huge mistake in this purchase and am already reckoning deeply with my own ignorance and naivety, so there's no need to bother calling me out on it. This vehicle may be destined for the junk yard, so I figured I'd share this situation with all the Toyota aficionados out there in hopes that maybe the collective spirit of this forum might have a higher perspective on a situation that I can't reconcile on my own. 

-Hair

 

 

Edited January 6, 2021 by NewbieHair
changed title

[kevinchinook]

Hey there,

 

I'm sorry to hear it didn't work out for you. Your images don't work for me. Is this your ad?

https://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/rvs/d/pittsburgh-1988-toyota-itasca/7257120431.html

 

I did something similar, bought an old Toyota Chinook and realized it basically needed an entire frame off restoration to be usable. Can you store it for cheap or free? If so I would keep your ad and your price posted and see if you get any takers. I've seen Toys on craigslist for 2 years+ before getting sold. 

 

The lights, mirrors and belts you might be able to do for cheap yourself and with limited skills/experience. The knowledge is all on these forums. 

 

Another thought: get some vinyl floor planks from the hardware store and install them in the back(over the damage). Be honest about it's condition still, but that will improve the picture/ad appeal by quite a bit.

 

These days I try to scare people away from old Toy motorhomes as much as possible. The reason being I've seen many 'cherries' up close and they all seemed to have huge problems beneath the surface. I saw a garage-kept 1976 Chinook that was as close to mint as possible, looked brand new. And the materials were still deteriorating. 

 

[kevinchinook]

I would also post in your ad what you paid for it. I work in sales and "my loss is your gain" motivates potential buyers. 

[linda s]

I can't see these pics. Wonder why. When I try to open them comes up URL not found. If others can't see them it would be harder to offer suggestions and help too.

Linda S

[linda s]

Well I looked at the pictures in the craigslist ad and they don't look good. Did the seller sell this as a project? Why did you even pay him. One look and you should have known that it was beyond your capabilities. Kevin is right though. I'm sure you can do some stuff like painting and putting down some floor tiles to make it look usable. Better to sell closer to spring anyway. If your willing to try I know between all of us we can come up with some easy solutions. Just take one project at a time. 

Linda S

PS I know who sold this to her and I don't take kindly to people who prey on others. While your wandering up and down the east coast might be a good idea to offer to fix some of this stuff that you lied about.