Thinking of Selling

[TurboBernard]

Hi Folks

We love our Sunrader and everything is in great working order. However, after our last trip we realized that we need more space when traveling with the family plus our 110lb Bernese Mountain dog and our now considering selling our Sunrader.

Question: What do you think is a reasonable price for this rare model Sunrader?

This was Greg's (forum moderator) former rig. 18' 1986 Sunrader Extended Cab 4x4 Turbo. You've seen pictures under Bernard's 4x4 or TurboBernard

Thanks for your help,

Bernard

It has 120k and has been cared for meticulously. Greg had done a lot of great work. I took it over and

• Refurnished the entire interior: built cabinet in back with sliding doors; installed sliding doors on all upper cabinets; painted all doors and parts of the interior; new curtain rods and new curtains; new refrigerator panel; stainless backsplash; added small bench in back.
• On the exterior had the front truck cab painted, new hood, replaced all vent tops, coated underside.

Specs are listed below:

1986 Toyota Sunrader 180RD 4 Wheel Drive

Toyota Deluxe extended cab w/velour interior

Riccaro type seats - Air conditioning

Power windows - Power steering - Power brakes

Independent front suspension

Pioneer cd/mp3 player with rear coach remote

Speakers in dash, behind seat and coach rear

TV antenna (TV removed temporarily) - VCR player

A340H 3 speed automatic transmission with overdrive

Gear ratio 4.10 standard differentials

Shift on the fly transfer case

Tires Michelin LTX M/S Radials - Tire size: LT 215/75 R15

Tire Load capacity: (Single 1765LBS @ 50psi cold - Dual 1610 @ 50 psi cold)

Manual front locking hubs - Factory Tachometer

26 Gallon Gas Tank

Turbo water temp gauge - Turbo boost gauge - Transmission temp gauge

Transmission auxiliary cooler

Full floating rear axle

Two roof mounted rear flood backup lights

Stock 22rte (turbocharged)

K&N Air filter

144.4 cu. in. 2366 cc

135HP @ 4800 RPM

135 Ft. Pounds @ 2800 RPM

Unleaded fuel: Research Octane No. 91 (Octane Rating 87) or higher

Cruises at 65 - 70 MPH with ease!

Fully Self Contained

21 gallon fresh water tank

18 gallon grey water tank

9 gallon black water tank

2003 Wedgewood 3 burner Pizo ignition stove/oven

FantasticVent in bathroom

8 gallon LPG tank - frame mounted

Elec. start water heater

4 cu. ft. Dometic refrigerator

16,000 BTU forced air heating

Extended rear bumper & Rear bumper storage pod

Two ad-on storage containers on rear bumper

Interior floor strengthened with 1/2 inch plywood

Carpet replaced with vinyl covering

Overall length 212 inches (17'-8")

Overall width (7'-0")

[linda s]

You left out some important things. It's the only king cab Sunrader ever built. The only 4x4 with custom made 15 inch wheels and has been featured on every 4x4 and expedition vehicle site online. It's worth what someone will pay and times are tough right now. I think you'd get the best price on ebay. Just set the reserve so you don't regret anything when it's done.

[Silv1441]

You left out some important things. It's the only king cab Sunrader ever built. The only 4x4 with custom made 15 inch wheels and has been featured on every 4x4 and expedition vehicle site online. It's worth what someone will pay and times are tough right now. I think you'd get the best price on ebay. Just set the reserve so you don't regret anything when it's done.

Ahhh....it is NOT the only 4X4 with custom made 15" wheels anymore.....

[Gulfstream Greg]

Hey Bernard

Sorry to see that you have decided to sell the turbo. Your reasons for selling were exactly our reasons. If I had the money I would buy it back from you and have two MH's. I miss it. If I can help in anyway let me know. If you want to send me some pics I can update the main page for it so that you can steer folks in that direction.As a note I think the tires are no longer the Michelin, can not remember the brand though.

Greg

[dogre]

Bernard,

Please let me know when you come up with a price as I might be interested. My '91 Itasca Spirit is nice but I would like to get further out in the boonies. I have been very careful so far but the horizon continues to challenge me.

Dave Oglevie

509-860-4800

[bajadulce]

18' seems adequate space for 2 ppl + a dog. Maybe consider remodeling the interior for a more efficient living space? Seems like a lot of "bulky" stuff crammed in such a tiny space.

Dave, your phone # is displayed on a public forum?

[Gulfstream Greg]

18' seems adequate space for 2 ppl + a dog. Maybe consider remodeling the interior for a more efficient living space? Seems like a lot of "bulky" stuff crammed in such a tiny space.

Dave, your phone # is displayed on a public forum?

The difference between the Sunrader 18 footer and the 21 foot Conquest as far as comfort is considerable. I had done a small change in the sunrader before we sold it and that was to turn the table into a half table, That allowed one to sit and bend over and put on shoes and socks. Not possible before. We had no wish to remodel the interior and eliminate some of the creature comforts. A few years ago I would not hesitate throwing up a tent and cooking off the tailgate of my 71 Bronco and throwing up a tarp when it rained and a shovel was my bathroom. Might still do that a couple more times before I kick the bucket but in the mean time I really like that comfy couch to stretch out on, hot water heater, cold beer in the refer without worrying about ice and the toilet paper hanging in the back room. So I guess its whatever amount of comfort we wish to have. I do miss the 4x4 and clearance benifits.

And for info, Bernard sold his turbo to his Dad and will be keeping it in the family.

[bajadulce]

Glad to see vehicle remains in family!

Cooking off the tailgate and sleeping in a tent does sound like fun to do again! We’ve all done our share of that 20 years ago tho and probably never will again. When 50mph wind starts howling down the beach with the force of a sandblaster, you might as well be camping atop Mount Everest. "SANDwiches take on a whole new meaning! haha

I’m not saying we shouldn't have comforts of a nice modern mobile shelter, I just think that some of these "mini" motorhomes have a few too many perceived "necessities" from the manufacturers. The end result of this is a floorplan with about 2 square feet of usable living space. No surprise ppl soon want bigger coaches just so they can turn around.

I think an 18’ or even 16’ motorhome can easily have:

Spacious cooking counters + efficient storage below these counters.

Excellent seating/ comfortable dining arrangements for 4 ppl.

Stove + oven

Refrigeration

Possible built in portable toilet for absolute emergencies

Overhead Sleeping. And still feel like you can turn around or tie your shoes.

[motoyhomme]

I think we all choose our motorhomes for different reasons and to be sure when we got our toy houses we had to do a lot of compromising on certain things. Most everyone agrees that we like the better gas mileage, size, and dependability of the Toyota powertrain. However, after selecting those three things as being at the top of the list we had to choose the ability to carry many passengers, lots of storage room, power, ability to tow, full bathroom facilities, cooking/baking, etc. To have all of those you would have to have a large Class A or large Class C, which brings us back to gas mileage and size and select one or two from the rest of the list. I know what was important to me.

After starting camping at an early age with a knap sack and army blanket from a Army/Navy surplus store and sneaking out my Mom's 6" black iron skillet, that was all I needed. Later on in life, I introduced my sons to camping with a large tent with folding bunk beds in Lily Bay State Park on Moosehead Lake in Maine, that was luxury at that time. Later we moved to a pop-up then large Class C's mainly because I was older and wanted more comfort. I went without camping for several years and then decided I needed to do it again, but I wanted a small motorhome. A Class B was just too small and I happened upon the 21 ft Sunrader that I now have. I choose it mainly for one reason: a complete bathroom with a commode, sink, and most important, a hot shower. I have to have a hot shower every morning to get my bones moving and trips to the public showers etc, just doesn't do it anymore. I got rid of the bike rack that came with it because that seemed to me to require exercise. Exercise to me when I go camping is to get up (at my age a great feat), take my hot shower, eat a nice breakfast made on my range and biscuits baked in the oven, cold milk and OJ from the fridge, and walk outside and sit in my nice folding chair, listen to the wilderness around me, and do some lazy fishing.

Allen (wishing I was on this Tennessee lake right now)

[bajadulce]

Sounds like a great time and nice photo! Your fortunate to have an additional 3' as opposed to the OP's 18'. T

I think with a little thought, the shower compartment could be something that quickly "installs" once per day inside your coach and then is folded away for another 24 hours. For those with the 18’ floorplan, a permanent enclosed shower that takes up 30% of the living space just seems like a bit much? Not saying you can’t have a hot shower, but it shouldn’t take up 30% of the living area.

Here’s a plan:

Take the standard Sunrader enclosed shower and chop off the top half! A hinged countertop now rests even with the countertop to the left. When you want to go to the toilet. Lift the hinged countertop, open the cabinet door that conceals it and you have access to your toilet in a nice little alcove. Hey not "enclosed" but at least you have one that is out of sight and some much much needed counter space. When you want to take a shower, lift the hinged countertop and pull a small “splash” curtain across the overhead bunk area + extend from the hinged countertop. This isn’t very descriptive and an illustration would convey a thousand words, but the idea is that the bathroom/commode isn’t a permanent waste of space such that it is.

[motoyhomme]

Sometimes I think the 18' Sunrader was built for the single guy (or girl) to go out and fish or whatever, but I could see it getting a little tight with 2 or more people.

I once had a Brougham 22' motorhome that used some innovative ideas about space. There was a sink and vanity sitting below the rear window, on one side a small room with only a commode in it and the other side, a small room with the shower in it. Both rooms had wooden doors that opened out and locked together giving you a full size bathroom that 2 people could easily move about in. Over the dining area was a six foot long cabinet with two doors, that when needed, could be converted to a bunk bed. It had a folding matress that was kept inside of it, the front of the cabinet was unlatched and swung down and rested on steel cables, inserts were placed on the door openings. During the day, blankets, pillows, etc were carried in there. At night it became the bed for the youngest son who loved it and underneath, the dining area became the full bed for the other two sons. The wife and I had the overcab bed. We once spent 2 months living in that motorhome camped on a Florida beach while awaiting Air Force housing. We still consider that one of our family's most memorable events.

The 21' Sunrader for just my wife and I and one Shih Tsu killer dog is luxury. As you get older you will appreciate that full bath.

Allen

Pic of the Brougham shortly before installing the roof AC in Novato, CA and heading for Florida in 1980. Even tho the Sunrader and the Brougham are about the same length, the Chevy 350 only got 8 mpg on a good day.

[Gulfstream Greg]

Here's a plan:

Take the standard Sunrader enclosed shower and chop off the top half!  A hinged countertop now rests even with the countertop to the left.  When you want to go to the toilet.  Lift the hinged countertop, open the cabinet door that conceals it and you have access to your toilet in a nice little alcove.  Hey not "enclosed" but at least you have one that is out of sight and some much much needed counter space.  When you want to take a shower, lift the hinged countertop and pull a small "splash" curtain across the overhead bunk area + extend from the hinged countertop.  This isn't very descriptive and an illustration would convey a thousand words, but the idea is that the bathroom/commode isn't a permanent waste of space such that it is.

I think that's a good idea but I would not want to reconfigure an in-use counter top to use the toilet or shower, but still thats a really good idea. Would like to see that! But for me I just want to open and close the door and be done in the middle of the night. The 18 ft Sunraders definitely have a tight toilet shower combo but it is usable. I took many showers in ours and only used 1.5 gals or less per shower. As for counter-space the reality is that the longer coaches have basically the same amount of counter space as the 18 footers. Most have double sinks. Ours luckily has a single sink so there is a bit more space. I plan to add a front removable piece (4 inches deep) across the front of the sink area for more counter-top space.

On our last trip we met a couple that had a different type of RV. It was a custon built V8 tricycle. He had also built a small trailer which with a bit of configuration turned into a tent trailer. It was very cool but for me it would be very uncomfortable having to setup and break it down. Somewhere drawn in the sand is a faint crooked line seperating two territories, one side is the land of "I don't need all that extra comfort stuff" and the other side is "I want to be comfortable".

[bajadulce]

@ Brougham Motorhome:

That sounds like it was a great rig and good memories. I like a lot of the things you described. At the other end of the spectrum, I've witnessed a few homemade campers that pushed the "innovative" design just too far with fold out bed configurations that would stump a Chinese puzzle master. So it's gotta stay simple too.

I think that's a good idea but I would not want to reconfigure an in-use counter top to use the toilet or shower, but still thats a really good idea. Would like to see that!

You would just "lift" it up. *well you'd have to make sure to clear the counter first I suppose. And if it is an emergency like the ones my wife experiences, I feel sorry for whatever should happen to be on that counter.

I actually found a picture of a camper that utilizes this concept. The camper is called the XPCamper (some may already be familiar with this vehicle through ExpoPortal Forums) and you can read about it here:

XP camper main page

Here's a picture of the folding counter/bathroom... guess there are other maniacs that dream alike.. scary thought.

XP camper Interior.pdf

This is the general idea.

I took many showers in ours (the 18' sunrader shower) and only used 1.5 gals or less per shower.

Those are impressive #'s and are as good as the heat up a pot of water method, but a lot simpler and probably a bit more rewarding. Good one.

Somewhere drawn in the sand is a faint crooked line seperating two territories, one side is the land of "I don't need all that extra comfort stuff" and the other side is "I want to be comfortable".

That's a really good point. I think as motoyhome mentioned, the length of the vehicle pretty much dictates what side of the line you'll have to gravitate towards. I think the manufacturer's lost sight of this line tho and went ahead and tried to cram 30' worth of luxuries into 18'. And 21' is a huge step up. If the coach is 7' wide, that's 20+ extra square feet. Add a third dimension (7') and that's 140+ cubic more feet than the 18'er... basically an enclosed bathroom

[Gulfstream Greg]

Those are impressive #'s and are as good as the heat up a pot of water method, but a lot simpler and probably a bit more rewarding. Good one.

Simple, replace the standard rv shower head with one of these, the pull out dish rinser for home kitchen sinks. It provides a high pressure spray that washes out of the hair and off the body considerably fast and is only on when you depress the handle.

[Roy in Jax]

18' seems adequate space for 2 ppl + a dog. Maybe consider remodeling the interior for a more efficient living space? Seems like a lot of "bulky" stuff crammed in such a tiny space.

Dave, your phone # is displayed on a public forum?

I see you have a sunrader for your profile pic. Are you still working on it? I am wanting some interior remodel ideas.

Roy