Questions!

[Redwood]

hello all,

well, I stumbled upon this lovely website, and I've been reading abit here and there, but, I"m Full of questions.. and, really would rather Talk to experienced owners than just typing and typing.. but...

first, Opinons.. which is best, a 4 cylinder, for economy? or, a 6 cylinder, for more power?

I'm spending Loads of time.. Reading ads, etc.. and, I have NOT even been IN one of these things.. IS there room, to take a shower, OR, when you are at a campground, do you just use the pay showers there?

questions on purchasing.. What is smarter? .. buy the Obvious 'fixer' or, spend alittle more, and HOPE what you see in the pictures is really Worth it?

ARE these things like a boat.. ie: a hole in the water to throw your money into? I can Imagine, if you have.. engine problems, then trans problems.. then the fridge goes out.. then tires, then, then.. in NO time, you can have Several thousand dollars Over your inital investment..

HOW do you feel about, driving a 20 year old vehicle ALL Over the country.. are you confident? or, do you worry? ( I now Own a couple of 20 yo vehicles..

if/when you breakdown.. CAN one of these things be towed on a vehicile trailer? or, are you at the mercy of a tow truck?

thanks, I know its alot ... I'd Love to call someone and just Talk about their experiences... I KNOW, those here, Love their homes.. but, it would be nice to hear things to Watch out for also..

John

[turtle]

first, Opinons.. which is best, a 4 cylinder, for economy? or, a 6 cylinder, for more power?

Both seem to get just about the same mpg at highway speed. Both engines are very reliable. Both engines can be "hot rodded" to get additional power. Both of my coaches are short (17' diesel and 18' V-6). Not a lot you can do with a diesel except start it spinning and head down the road but I have done some work on the V-6 to get about 35 more HP out of it.

I'm spending Loads of time.. Reading ads, etc.. and, I have NOT even been IN one of these things.. IS there room, to take a shower, OR, when you are at a campground, do you just use the pay showers there?

When I stay at a campground that has a shower I use the campground shower and if there is not one I will use the coach shower if I need to shower.

questions on purchasing.. What is smarter? .. buy the Obvious 'fixer' or, spend alittle more, and HOPE what you see in the pictures is really Worth it?

This depends on how mechanically adept you are. If you can restore autos and build houses you can handle a "fixer upper" If all you want to do is stick in the key and go you had better go for something that has been well maintained and does not need any work

ARE these things like a boat.. ie: a hole in the water to throw your money into? I can Imagine, if you have.. engine problems, then trans problems.. then the fridge goes out.. then tires, then, then.. in NO time, you can have Several thousand dollars Over your inital investment..

Motor homes, boats, and airplanes are all money pits as all of these are used only occasionally but have to be maintained constantly.

HOW do you feel about, driving a 20 year old vehicle ALL Over the country.. are you confident? or, do you worry? ( I now Own a couple of 20 yo vehicles..

I have one that is 26 years old and another one that is 16 years old. I don't have any worries about taking either across the US. As long as you maintain a vehicle you should not have any issues with it.

if/when you breakdown.. CAN one of these things be towed on a vehicile trailer? or, are you at the mercy of a tow truck?

I've never broken down in either but I would imagine that you could put it on a flat bed

thanks, I know its alot ... I'd Love to call someone and just Talk about their experiences... I KNOW, those here, Love their homes.. but, it would be nice to hear things to Watch out for also..

John

I am sure you will get folks to talk about their toys

[smokepolehall]

I have an older Toy MH and its fairly sound fer driving, has the old 4 cyl. and 4 spd. but it needs lots of repair from water damage that has rotted. Yup i will end up with close to or little bit over a grand in materials and tools. May go higher as i find more and more bad stuff. Sure keeps a retired man busy puttering around. Can't say i am working my self to death, can get wore down daily!

[88WIT]

first, Opinions.. which is best, a 4 cylinder, for economy? or, a 6 cylinder, for more power?

Go with the six-Cly if you have the chance and the money. These chassis are maxed out with weight and you may not be prepared the sluggishness of hill climbing. If you test drive a four cyl you'll be shocked. The six gives you a fighting chance.

I'm starting down the road Diesel Mike mentioned and will try to boost the four cyl to allow it to hold top gear on the freeway. I tried to get into a six this year but several units were misrepresented and I ended up back in my '88 which is full of memories, reliability, and very nice interior. So I've invested time and some money to gussy up a four-cyl.

I'm spending Loads of time.. Reading ads, etc.. and, I have NOT even been IN one of these things.. IS there room, to take a shower, OR, when you are at a campground, do you just use the pay showers there?

Some models have a decent shower, some have wet showers (toilet standing in the shower). The real limitation is holding capacity and hot water supply. If you're hooked up with sewer and electric (and have an electric option on the water heater) at a campsite, there's no reason not to use your coach shower. Your personal preference may be otherwise. From a sanitation standpoint, your coach is a known quantity.

questions on purchasing.. What is smarter? .. buy the Obvious 'fixer' or, spend a little more, and HOPE what you see in the pictures is really Worth it?

If you have any doubt, you should opt for a finished unit. There's an adage that goes 'you'll end up paying more in the end for the fixer by the time you have in the same condition as the initially better unit.' That's my experience. But I have the satisfaction of craft, and better capacities.

ARE these things like a boat.. ie: a hole in the water to throw your money into? I can Imagine, if you have.. engine problems, then trans problems.. then the fridge goes out.. then tires, then, then.. in NO time, you can have Several thousand dollars Over your inital investment..

HOW do you feel about, driving a 20 year old vehicle ALL Over the country.. are you confident? or, do you worry? ( I now Own a couple of 20 yo vehicles..

if/when you breakdown.. CAN one of these things be towed on a vehicile trailer? or, are you at the mercy of a tow truck?

As you have anticipated, there is significant outlay to get into the game and you can't compromise on the vitals. But once set up with this chassis, the Toyota will take you a long way with only basic maintenance. You can go anywhere except a 20% uphill grade.

You should have an RV roadservice plan. A standard tow truck can take you, but will need to disconnect the driveshaft.

The coach can be the real money pit, as the standards of construction vary widely and owner use and abuse can border on appalling.

You mentioned 'several thousand dollars.' That's nothing, really, for an investment that can bring a lifetime of memories.

You're in an appreciating market, especially for the V-6s. You may have to wait for the seasonal prices to ease.

I'll send you a private message if you'd like to talk directly.

Steve R.

[turtle]

If you're hooked up with sewer and electric (and have an electric option on the water heater) at a campsite, there's no reason not to use your coach shower. Your personal preference may be otherwise. From a sanitation standpoint, your coach is a known quantity.

I always ware flip flops into campground showers.

[smokepolehall]

I have never driven one with the V-6, mine will do double nickels . Mines 28 years old runs good, 17'6" bumper to bumper. Not long at all, the shower in mine ok but my Mrs. is fluffy and its really close for her, LOL! I drove mine thru some of these rollin hills in Tn. and never went below 3rd, unless stopping. Ours isn't all that heavy either, have only taken the one trip. When we brought it home, been working on coach repairs ever since.

[Shookar]

My two cents worth...I've had a 1978 Chinook Newport since 1999. Only wanted to "rent" it from a neighbor, but he wanted to sell it.

I figured to take my 2600 r.t. adventure and sell it when I got back home. Is my one and only m.h. experience. Gets 21 mpg and no matter how long it sits (sometimes 2 years), it starts right up, and goes on down the road.

Haven't spent any money except oil/lube, tune up. It had 72,900 when I bought it and has 76K now. I guess you can't kill those old Toyota motors and that's what keeps me keeping it.

Tires have lots of tread, but are dry rotted, so I'm looking into that issue. Somewhere, the house battery part has a short, but it's been there awhile according to older service records I got with it. No problem, I just unhooked the house battery. I'll trace it, if I ever decide I need it.

Everything works inside, although it's not new and shiny, it's functional. I like that's it older and I can tune myself. It's outrageously expensive to service computer tuned vehicles, so I figure this is on the plus side for an older r.v.

Have lots to learn, and like you, just found this site a few days ago; am interested in the axle issues, suspension etc. as well as fixing up in general. Good luck to us both.