Brinkstar Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 I have recently decided to make the transition to full time RV living. I have camped all my life in tents and trailers but never done much with RV's, I am looking at purchasing a Toyota RV because i believe they fit my needs better then any other RV. I am fresh out of college and don't have a huge start up budget but should have enough to aquire a nice little Toyota. I have started to do some research but really know very little about RV's and what to look for as far as common problems. I have about 8 months left of my lease and wont be ready to purchase for a couple months, so i have some time to take my time and make sure I get exactly what I need. I would appreciate any tips on buying, owning, operating a Toyota RV,. I would be most interested in a 4cyl Dolphin but am open to suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred heath Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 Read through all the archived posts. Almost any question you may have will be answered. Pay close attention to the section dealing with rear axles. Welcome to the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobilehippo Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 (edited) If you get a 4 cyl you'll be looking at an RV that's about 30 years old. Mine is 35 years old with 4cyl 20r engine. The 5cyl I believe are the 22r. Anyway in good news you're looking at a much cheaper RV, easily under 4k but you'll be missing some of the amenities that the newer ones have. Like mine doesn't have a generator or a cabin AC. Also some of the appliances might not be working. Like my furnace isn't working but it's a death trap apparently. Also my fridge was replaced with a non propane one. Also these older ones won't have the 6 lug axle unless it was replaced but if the rig is under 18/19 feet you'll probably be fine. Anyway if you are looking at one this old definitely look at the rust and water damage if it has any. The engine is a beasts but you'll be looking at replacing things here and there under the hood cause its old. Edited October 24, 2013 by mobilehippo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaChinook Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 4 cylinder goes all the way to present day. 22R is 4 cylinder with slightly more displacement than the 20R. Any regular person would notice pretty much no difference between the two. 5 cylinder is a very rare engine and I'm not sure Toyota ever made one. The biggest things to figure out are what size you want, and what material. All fiberglass or otherwise. The Chinooks (only made until 78 and very small) and Sunraders (made into the 90s, very nice and bigger than Chinooks) are very nice, and all fiberglass. Then there's all the rest...Dolphin seems to be the most well known. There are some other rare all fiberglass models like the Mirage. After that think of the floor plan you want (rear dinette? Etc). Then make sure it has a good rear axle (search on that, lots of info), minimal rot and rust, all the appliances work, tires are newish and high load range, and on top off all that, all the things you'd check on a normal truck, mechanically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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