hippinikster Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 (edited) Proud new owner of this 1986 Dolphin. Wasnt sure i was going to be able to find a deal after looking for several months. Finally a diamond in the rough! Edited January 31, 2011 by hippinikster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hippinikster Posted January 31, 2011 Author Share Posted January 31, 2011 Still learning how to post pics on this forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Darn, That looks just like mine!!!! Congradulations JOhn Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolling TMCI Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 I have an 86 aswell. Very nice!!! Any problems? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hippinikster Posted January 31, 2011 Author Share Posted January 31, 2011 Needs a house battery and the 2 driving mirrors. I will begin going through the wiring tomorrow to see if i can get it back up to par looks to just be missing the battery. When plugged into power everything works. No leaks or signs of leaks. She cranked right up and drove smoothly down the road. We hooked up water and ran all plumbing including toilet no problems. I was very impressed with the condition of the interior as well as a nice awning one thing is the awning was difficult to slide and and get closed but we managed...i expected to catch some strange smells etc but none. Very well maintained. It hasn't seen the open road in about a year so i'm expecting to have some snags along the way. The gentleman i purchased it from got it 4 months ago from his bank on a repo sale..... He did some mechanical work to it since it had been sitting. Replaced exhaust gasket, new plugs, wires, fuel filter, drained fuel tank etc. He just had a change of direction and decided to sale it. I feel like i got a great deal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dayoff53 Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 ... it had been sitting. Cool beans, man! A word of advice - if it has been sitting a while, please check the date code on the tires before you drive it too much. On the sidewall, find the "D.O.T." followed by 10 to 12 characters. The last 4 digits (3 if made before 2000) tell week and year of manufacture. 1203 would be twelfth week of 2003. 123 would be twelfth week of 1993. If they are over 6 years old - be cautious. If they are over 8 years old, it would be safest to replace them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RVdaytrader Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 how about if they are 19 years old??!!....date code on mine indicates they were made in 92 !...guess I will be buying new ones before taking it camping. Have to say they still held air good when I drove it to PA from wisconsin where I bought it in October, but can see cracks and dont trust them.!! Cool beans, man! A word of advice - if it has been sitting a while, please check the date code on the tires before you drive it too much. On the sidewall, find the "D.O.T." followed by 10 to 12 characters. The last 4 digits (3 if made before 2000) tell week and year of manufacture. 1203 would be twelfth week of 2003. 123 would be twelfth week of 1993. If they are over 6 years old - be cautious. If they are over 8 years old, it would be safest to replace them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunneys Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Congratulations! I love that rear sign, 55 with tailwind ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Missed that :ThumbUp: Also - 0 to 60 in 30 minutes. ( I would add, "going downhill") John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpchoochoo Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Good for you on getting the new Toy !!!! Ya might wanna make sure that the missing battery does not have wires that are live and gonna touch a ground. Have great day GP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dayoff53 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 how about if they are 19 years old??!!....date code on mine indicates they were made in 92 !...guess I will be buying new ones before taking it camping. Have to say they still held air good when I drove it to PA from wisconsin where I bought it in October, but can see cracks and dont trust them.!! Wow! That's some old rubber! Congratulations on making it from PA to WI on them. You might want to read some of what people have posted here about the appropriate tires - they are a bit of an uncommon size/weight rating and some tire shops will sell you the wrong tire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hippinikster Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 Well unfortunately the purchase was short lived... Sunday was the deal day and we reached an agreement on price as well as a meeting Monday evening for pickup. I arrived excited and ready to take the 75 mile journey home. Bad battery not big deal planned on buying new batteries, tire etc. About 15 miles in the rig shut down and loss all power. I had read some other post previous to this and thought ok no prob lets get a good charge and trek on. I caalled the seller and he happilly brought me a new interstate battery and helped to put in.. This is around 9:pm. He agreed to follow us to retrieve his battery once we arrived safely in Austin. Next 25 miles...she was true to the sign on back reading 0-60 in about 30min. Who cares i'm in no hurry anyway and expected a turtle. I like to take it slow regardless. afraid i may miss something..lol We hit 55 and all seemed well? I was paying close attention to the gauges, etc and noticed she was heating up...uh uh almost to the red line....something isn't right. I pulled over before the red line and shut her down. Big cloud of steam typical of a vehicle overheating was roaring, gurgling and the whole works. Popped the hood to take a look. Seller pulled in and we had a change of heart and hooked up the towrope and back we went to his place to retrieve funds etc. I learned from this experience that there are honest folks out there.... he could have easily told me sorry bud but its your problem now . Do a more thorough test drive..ie maybe an hour 40 miles etc. Things can look well on the outside be very clean and all but you dnt know until you get rollin. so the quest for a toy begins again. I haven't given up . I feel fortunate to have gained from this buying experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajadulce Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Good story and good for the soul! This could actually be a good thing as the owner may be interested in reducing price and getting rid of the beast? Could be something as simple as a loose radiator hose or god knows what if it's been sitting for any length of time. Tho a blown headgasket in the 3.0 is almost a lost cause according to many. Anywho, in my experience with cars, the golden rule is "They're easy to obtain, hard to get rid of!" i.e. it's easy to buy one, hard to sell. There are thousands of motorhomes out there for sale and a better one is just around the corner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 A compression test before you give up? Could be as simple as a stuck thermostat. Some testing might blow the dust off that diamond. Would the owner be willing to have a mechanic look at it, its gotta be fixed if he wants the same price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Nice to see you found a nice Seller. Who knows, since he's honest, he might decide to scrap it rather than sell it. Check out what it would cost to repair what's probably the 'Worst Case', a new engine. Since you seemed content with all other aspects, you might get it for whatever you were going to pay less the cost of a new engine installed. And if it turns out to be something as simple as a stuck thermostat, you're ahead of the game! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hippinikster Posted February 3, 2011 Author Share Posted February 3, 2011 It could definitely be an easy fix. I am just not interested in getting into all the repairs etc. Looking for a road worthy rig ready for some miles. I think i may up my budget to around 4K-5K for a decent runner. I seen a 1989 seabreeze with same floor plan for an asking price of 4500? My goal is to be on the road by the first week of March. Fingers crossed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hippinikster Posted February 3, 2011 Author Share Posted February 3, 2011 sale-pn7vw-2191173528@craigslist.org this is a link to a toy i am going to try to look at this weekend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 Nope. This is the link to the Seabreeze you're going to look at:- http://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/rvs/2191173528.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotpuppy Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 (edited) Nope. This is the link to the Seabreeze you're going to look at:- http://dallas.craigs...2191173528.html Out of curiosity, what did you pay for it? The 22R is a great engine and easy to work on.... I might be interested in it if the price isn't stupid-expensive. It should have an aluminum head, which means overheating is bad bad news. But it might be a great excuse to convert it to a Yota diesel. The unit in Dallas looks nice @ $4500. Claims to have a generator, and the ad suggests he is somewhat negotiable if you don't like the genny. There are 2 in Houston currently, one is a 82-ish very overpriced (IMHO). Another is better price, but shows some trim damage. Trying to go look at it tomorrow. http://houston.craig...2168024916.html - overpriced $4K 1982 appears to have 5 bolt axle and mythical gas mileage. This one is clean in appearance, and has a nicer price. http://houston.craig...2150552786.html Not so sure about the wet bath thing, but it can't be any worse than 25c/minute showers or sleeping on a "therm-a-rest" lol. There is a 93 Winnie in Louisiana, but it has front bumper damage, Rear damage to both sides at about 5 feet high - split seams. Can't seem to get interior pictures, but the price is good @$4500. I personally think it's been in a wreck or backed into something. Current Owner was non-responsive when I asked for information about the split-seams (both sides at the rear about 5 feet high). Wanted to talk to me about the mini-blinds and shower instead. There was also an extremely nice unit in AR for $7500 ish. Very well taken care of. Anyhow, I think comparing notes on these things makes more sense. Oh and I don't think I've been bit.... do you? lol... V6 is a plus, but the earlly Toyota V6 is reported to be a PIA to work on.... and the head gaskets are something of a dark art to get seated properly. The 22RE produces similar horsepower and is easy to get parts for and easy to work on. Yes, one might be somewhat faster than the other, but remember it's a motorhome not a racecar. Edited February 6, 2011 by Hotpuppy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Also in Houston:- http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290530985753&viewitem=&sspagename=ADME%3AB%3ASS%3AUS%3A1123 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hippinikster Posted February 13, 2011 Author Share Posted February 13, 2011 The quest continues for the right rig. http://waco.craigslist.org/rvs/2211913603.html. this is one that was recently posted. Looks to be way over priced and almost certain it has the axle problem unless he has replaced it. Are those MPG listed in the add even close?? I had scheduled to look at the rig in dallas for 4500 however the seller had to reschedule for another time:( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hippinikster Posted February 13, 2011 Author Share Posted February 13, 2011 to hotpuppy i paid 2800 for the rig. The gentleman name was Danny. I could probably dig up his number if you want to give him a call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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