Rule Of Thumb For First Year Cost Of Ownership

[FredNewell]

Face it. These are older vehicles. Oxidation happens. Paint Fades. Tires rot. They cost some $ to maintain. We often see a Toy parked and not used.

Also, they get put on the market after the previous owner may have lost interest for a year or two. It is no longer "their baby".

Maintenance gets deferred.

If anyone were to ask me how much these toyota MHs cost, I'd honestly have to answer that in addition to the selling price, there are two types of First Year expenses.

1) What will you spend to "make it yours"?

2) What needs to be done to make it "ready to go"?

What were your experiences when you bought yours? How much $ should you have had "set aside" for the first year "honeymoon" with your Toyota MH?

Were you surprised? Any regrets?

Would you do it over again if your were cashed out?

[WME]

Figure $500. plus tires. So shop carefully and really check the tires. If you don't shop carefully then add $700 for tires.

[passman]

Funny that this was posted today. I just bought my 86 Sunrader on 4/26, I was told that it had sat for over 2.5 years and had no maintenance records. I was assured by the widow that her husband had maintained in meticulously, I could see that it needed work but didn't really care to much as the price was right. Yesterday I dropped it off at a local shop that I've used before and trust with the instructions to "look it over and make a list of what it needs" They got back to me today........ wheel cylinders(2), front crank seal leaking, wheel seals front and rear, front brake, resurface rotors, valve cover gasket, timing cover gasket, all belts and more then a couple of hoses, add a complete tune up and wow that can add up. This didn't include the recommendation of a new exhaust (cat back), left side back up light and cab marker lights don't work, shift shaft seal and trans service needed, and all remaining hoses appear to be original. To all of this I say "I don't give a $h#T! I walked into this eyes wide open and haven't came close to my budget for this..............yet

[FredNewell]

The list is possible DIY. Are you mechanical? There's a "how to fix it" pdf file somewhere around here. I downloaded it and it tells how to fix most everything on our vintage of Toyota truck.

[Maineah]

They are amazingly tough trucks one of the worst things you can do to any vehicle is not drive it. The one I bought the mileage worked out to 1,200 miles a year I can do that in a mouth. I have owned Toyota trucks since 78 all have been exceptional vehicles with very few problems and every one I drove at least 200K miles. Parking a motor vehicle on bare ground will make them rust,the tires will rot in the sun, all of the bushings will take a beating, the seals will dry out from lack of oil, the coach will get wet and the list goes on. In general any restoration is going to cost more than the vehicle is worth but if you don't like driving around in some thing you can't trust or are not comfortable in what is the sense of owning it?

[passman]

20+ years ago I would have done the work myself, now, not so much. It won't fit in my garage and the only level area on my property is covered in gravel. (it's easy to come up with excuses) Moral of the story? The repairs while being more then I like were budgeted for and now I'll have a starting point of knowing the maintenance and what to do going forward.

[Debbit]

I'd break it down to truck expenses, coach or camper expenses. Then divide that into necessary and "want to".

Even brand new RVs have maintenance expense, so maybe a column for "the expense of RV ownership".

Careful shopping can shorten the necessary list, but best bargains can be found if an owner is willing and able to fix things.

I'm amazed at the beautiful restorations some on this forum do! I'd not want to do more than extensive fixing up.

[iowabob]

After much discussion on the pros and cons of buying a motorhome, my wife and I decided it was not fiscally responsible to make a purchse. And then we got one. So much for rational thought. Knowing that the bigger and older units in our price range would be maintenence heavy, we chose an 84 Toyota New Horizon with 68,000 miles on it. Luckily the previous owner kept a well documented file on all the work that was done. Everything works and the tires are new but the interior was not a priority and so that is my mission with this motorhome. I am in the proccess of re-habing all the paneling (sides and ceiling) there was some water damage before the roof was replaced and resealed. Recent heavy rains proved the reseal was successful so now onto the sanding, staining, painting etc. I am also going to tackle the exterior and try to improve the cosmetic factor so my neighbors will start talking to me again. So far, I have spent about $150 on stuff at the hardware store ("...really honey, I need this new orbital sander") and it goes into the shop on Tuesday for an extensive tune up. Our first planned trip is the yearly treck to Bristol Tenn. for the NASCAR night race in August.

[Diane K]

Help!!! I am about to purchase a 1983 Toyota Dolphin that looks to be in great shape and well maintained. It has 107k. I am in Colorado then I will drive it home to Tucson, so it will make a road trip later this week.

I will have a mechanic check it out as a pre-purchase. It has the rear axle situation fixed. After reading alot of posts, I will look for leaks but I am wondering:

1. What is a decent price for this if everything is as good as it says?

2. What else should I have checked that may be a major problem down the road?

I have owned two older VW Westphalia's but this is my first venture into an actual motorhome. I plan to take short trips initially til I get used to it but then would like to take it to Alaska next summer. Does this have too many miles to take off on such a big adventure?

Thanks much - damsel in distress

Diane

[bufbooth]

It is nearly impossible to tell one what a decent price will be (too many factors) without an onsite inspection,
but since it is an 83 with over 100,000 miles, in great condition with all maintenance up to date, I personally
would expect the price to be under $5,000. How much under depends on its condition. If the tires are over 8-10
years old or the wrong type, they need to be replaced as soon as possible, will cost about $600. You would need
to know what maintenance was completed and when. You might be looking at transmission service (3 to 12 quart
fluid flush), radiator flush, gas filter change, rear diff. fluid change, brake fluid flush, brakes, new timing
chain/belt, fan belt, radiator hoses, etc... Did not want to scare you on the maintenance, but these are some
of the top items that you should know if and when was done last. Regarding the miles, 107,000 is not too much,
but it all depends on the past life of the engine. I would have your pre-purchase mechanic focus on a cylinder
compression test and ensure that the transmission is okay. The rest of the items are a lot lower cost to take care of.
Keep on posting your questions and results...Dennis...

[bufbooth]

Do not know anything about this Toyota, but might be a good comparsion for the 83.

http://terrehaute.craigslist.org/rvs/4452409844.html

[bufbooth]

Coach items to verify that they are working is the frig, both the freezer and non-freezer part.

This is probably the highest price item to get repaired in the coach area, $500 to $1,000.

Stove / Oven is next on the list, then water heater and furance.