Cheryl Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 Have found a lot of good information on this website. The few Toyota campers I have seen look a little top heavy and close to the ground. I don't mean to insult anyone, I am just curious about how they handle on the road. We are thinking about buying a very small motorhome or camper for the back of our Ford 150. Price Less than or around $10,000. We are a a little worried about something that is almost 20 years old will not be reliable to travel cross country. I know to expect to have to replace some things. We have had a 5th wheeler in the past. We like to camp in state and national parks. There is a 1992 21' Warrior advertised locally. A 6 cylnder, but we haven't looked at it. Someone on this site said the Winnys weren't built as well as some others? Would appreciate any help in deciding what to get. We live in Western NC and want to take our 2 granddaughters on a trip out west when school gets out. Thanks a lot Cheryl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futar Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 The chassis are all the same with a few twists. Dolphin seems to add more springs to the rear axle. Some add air bags. Sunrader air bags are premium. Winny's are junk. The coaches are the big difference. I have had a class A Winny and my 91 Toyota Winny. They both were consistent in shoddy construction, engineering and cheap material. Not that they aren't usable if you work them over some. Winny is obsessed with pressboard and staples for construction. For example, I took out all the drawers and hot glued them then refinished the fronts then melted wax on the bottoms to make them slide. My Dolphin was much better planned out and assembled. I have been really impressed with Sunrader for premium parts and engineering. Winny made the most of any Manufacturer. About 18 of them went out of business when the rear axle recall occurred. There's really not much to compare to the size and weight of the Toy homes. There were a few in that size made on the small Chevy and Nissan trucks. For a while Winny made some C classes called the Vista with a VW drive train and chassis that were pretty good. http://www.newrver.com/winnebagovista2002.html They had a better power to weight ratio than the Toyota's and slightly better gas mileage. They still have high resale value. I think they had some tow capacity. There's the Realto from Winny but they have a lot of problems and their interior layout is terrible. Their five cylinder model had overheating problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 There are + and - for each Rv, thats why there so many RVs. Your limit of $10k is going to limit you to older anythings. RULE #1 There are no bad makes, ONLY bad examples. A unit well maintained of any make is a much better deal than one of the "desirable" units that has not been maintained. Class C Toyota...+small, easy parking, good MPG, stone reliable engines, chassis...- limited space, limited water, cruising speed 60-65 mph, no towd's Class B....+ Interstate cruising speed 70-75MPH, small, can handle a towd, (but why),easy park....- even more limited space, smaller bath (compared to Toys with rear bath) make bed each night, limited water, MPG less than Toy but more than Class C. Class C... Most room, more sizes, more floor plans, good Interstate speed, Towd's OK, most water, most cargo....- worst MPG ( bigger Class C with a Towd are in the 5-7 mpg class), you might need a Towd. With the gas shock from last summer still fresh in everybody's mind the low MPG units are cheaper than normal, the economy is making it even worse (or better depend on your view) $10K with a bit of a search will get you a 90-94 Toy in good shape, Class B 90-96, in a Class C right a 2000 is not out of reason for $10k. Remembering some Class B cost mor than a lot of Class C in the same year. If you are interested in a Toy start reading about the Axles on the older 4 cyl units and the head gasket recall on some of the V-6 engines. All the other other stuff is about the same as you had your travel trailer I have a 86 Toy that I have put about $1500 in after I bought it and drive it anywhere with out worry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheryl Posted March 20, 2009 Author Share Posted March 20, 2009 The Warrior was already sold. Will keep looking for Toyota and B's that have been well maintained. Thanks for the good advise Cheryl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comfun1 Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 Have found a lot of good information on this website. The few Toyota campers I have seen look a little top heavy and close to the ground. I don't mean to insult anyone, I am just curious about how they handle on the road. We are thinking about buying a very small motorhome or camper for the back of our Ford 150. Price Less than or around $10,000. We are a a little worried about something that is almost 20 years old will not be reliable to travel cross country. I know to expect to have to replace some things. We have had a 5th wheeler in the past. We like to camp in state and national parks.There is a 1992 21' Warrior advertised locally. A 6 cylnder, but we haven't looked at it. Someone on this site said the Winnys weren't built as well as some others? Would appreciate any help in deciding what to get. We live in Western NC and want to take our 2 granddaughters on a trip out west when school gets out. Thanks a lot Cheryl Cheryl, I have owned every kind of camper except the popup and I now have an '86 Escaper that I was fortunate to find in top shape with no rust or leaks, 40,000 miles and everything original and working. That said, there were still some maintenance items and tire replacement to take care of. We too had a beautiful fifth wheel but the kids grew up and the wife wasn't interested in going anywhere with it. So, I found this little gem on the internet and thought it would be just right for me. Lo and behold, my wife started going with me. It is easy to drive and low stress and mine handles much better than a cabover camper I had on a pickup. However I don't think there is room for more than two people to travel comfortably. One thing I have found, it doesn't matter if you have a tent or a $500,000 motor home, what is important is using it, enjoying it and your company and having fun. The fanciest camping outfit sitting in your drive will do nothing for you but sharing even a tent site with those you love and enjoy is a memory you will have forever. Best of luck, Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bufbooth Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 Hello Cheryl, Regarding your question on how they handle, the Toyota Class C motorhomes should handle better than a pickup truck with a camper, the Toyotas drive more like a large van then a Class C. I have to remind myself when driving my Toyota that it is not a car, basically I am stating that they drive surprising well for the size of them, both in the city and on the highway. If you plan long cross country trips, a V6 model may work better for you, they are newer (89-94), usually a little larger, all have the 1-ton rear axle, and have more HP. Good luck, Dennis... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.A.J. Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Cheryl, I have owned every kind of camper except the popup and I now have an '86 Escaper that I was fortunate to find in top shape with no rust or leaks, 40,000 miles and everything original and working. That said, there were still some maintenance items and tire replacement to take care of. We too had a beautiful fifth wheel but the kids grew up and the wife wasn't interested in going anywhere with it. So, I found this little gem on the internet and thought it would be just right for me. Lo and behold, my wife started going with me. It is easy to drive and low stress and mine handles much better than a cabover camper I had on a pickup. However I don't think there is room for more than two people to travel comfortably. One thing I have found, it doesn't matter if you have a tent or a $500,000 motor home, what is important is using it, enjoying it and your company and having fun. The fanciest camping outfit sitting in your drive will do nothing for you but sharing even a tent site with those you love and enjoy is a memory you will have forever. Best of luck, Mike AND HOW!!! VERY WELL SAID. I LOVE MY DOLPHIN! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLittlePuppy Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Hi Cheryl, Couldn't agree more with the advice of using whatever you have and enjoying it. We have had a tent, a pop-up, a big pickup truck camper and, last but not least, a Toyota Dolphin. The pop-up was a pain to set up because it was an old one and quite contrary! The tent just took some time to set up, but was nice for a tent. The truck camper was fine, but bad on mileage and hard to handle in crosswinds as it was very top-heavy. We really enjoy driving, parking and staying in our Dolphin. Crosswinds can be a challenge, but we slow down and hold onto the steering wheel tighter. We have some friends that have a newer Dolphin ('90 or '92) and they have traveled with their grandkids and did just fine room-wise. In fact, they said they had lots of fun and made tons of memories! So, we would encourage you to keep looking for a Toy motorhome and you will most likely come across the perfect one for your use. The major thing about the Toys is they are mechanically sound and will last a long, long time when properly maintained. They are like the Energizer Bunny and just keep going and going! Just be sure to check out the coach for any problems. Happy Toy Hunting! Charles & Dianne '84 Dolphin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgerst Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Ditto to everything said except maybe the crosswind thing. I run 65 PSI in the rear and 50-55 PSI in the front tires of my '85 Granville and crosswind buffeting is surprisingly mild. My wife, 2 kids (6 and 10) and I just returned from a 2100 mile trip across the Rockies in smooth, quiet, reliable, 15 MPG comfort. Try that in just about anything else. Hi Cheryl,Couldn't agree more with the advice of using whatever you have and enjoying it. We have had a tent, a pop-up, a big pickup truck camper and, last but not least, a Toyota Dolphin. The pop-up was a pain to set up because it was an old one and quite contrary! The tent just took some time to set up, but was nice for a tent. The truck camper was fine, but bad on mileage and hard to handle in crosswinds as it was very top-heavy. We really enjoy driving, parking and staying in our Dolphin. Crosswinds can be a challenge, but we slow down and hold onto the steering wheel tighter. We have some friends that have a newer Dolphin ('90 or '92) and they have traveled with their grandkids and did just fine room-wise. In fact, they said they had lots of fun and made tons of memories! So, we would encourage you to keep looking for a Toy motorhome and you will most likely come across the perfect one for your use. The major thing about the Toys is they are mechanically sound and will last a long, long time when properly maintained. They are like the Energizer Bunny and just keep going and going! Just be sure to check out the coach for any problems. Happy Toy Hunting! Charles & Dianne '84 Dolphin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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