1986 Toyota Dolphin

[chrisj]

We are thinking of purchasing a 1986 Toyota Dolphin. It has the 22re EFI engine. 4 speed manual transmission. There are 122,000 miles on it. There is a roof leak near the roof evaporative cooler. The refrigerator does not work. The asking price is 5000. It has a solar panel and a spot to put a generator. The interior is in ok condition. There is a spot on the roof where a vent use to be and there is now a piece of plywood covering this. We do not know much about this type of vehicle and are wondering how difficult/costly it would be to repair a roof leak? The seller said we could use some roof sealant from Home Depot? How well the evaporative cooler might work? How much a new refrigerator would cost? How much a vent cover would be? There is no manual for this vehicle, when do these require the timing belt be changed? Anything else we should consider or know before purchasing this vehicle? We will be travelling around the country for a year on a low budget, trying not to stay at rv parks very often. We will be travelling with 2 cats. We would need them to be ok in the vehicle alone from time to time, ie: the temperature would need to be comfortable for them. We will be relying on the engine generating most of the electricity we will be using, unless we get a generator. Also what kind of generator would be good for this vehicle? The main thing we would need electricity for is for charging a laptop computer, digital camera and a few external hard disk drives.

Thank You,

[Shoprat]

Hi chrisj.

I'd be leary of this one. First of all, the engine and chassis sounds a little long in the tooth, but would probably be ok if it was maintained well. The engine timing is controlled by a chain, so they last a long time.The coach is another story. From what I've read about units made by Dolphin, they used presed wood in the ceiling and walls and roof leaks get this stuff wet to the point where it starts to crumble. Major body work rebuild here.

From the sounds of it, by the time you add a new fridge, probably a generator, and sundry other things, I'd keep looking. This would be a project.

[toto]

I agree with Shoprat. If you look on Ebay for Toyota motorhomes, you'll see a lot of them around that vintage with much lower mileage, more amenities, better condition and lower prices than that.

[86rader]

gotta ditto the rest of the responses. i just bought an 86 sunrader which from what I've read here, seems to be the preferred model. It has 75K, brand new dometic fridge, roof air and looks good on the outside, like new on the inside. I do admit I'd prefer the 4 speed manual to my auto, but, I'm in the minority there. I paid 5K, btw.

you do have a few things that are nice such as the solar panels, but, if you are gonna be on the move regularly and have just modest electrical needs, the engines alternator will fill your needs nicely. A gennie is great if you boondock in hot places where you need AC, otherwise it's just 100 plus pounds on an already overtaxed drivetrain.

keep looking.