Seeking First Toyota Motor Home Advice

[hunkaman]

hello to all, i am currently seeking to purchase my first motor home. i am only interested in the toyota's. being a NEWBEE, i have some questions for the experienced "old timers" out there, first of all, is there one model year, or one motor size that is considered more dependable than an other? pro & cons? 4cly. vs. 6cly ? are there maintenence issues more prevelent on some versions over others? i am recently retired with limited income, but wish to do some "bucket list", traveling as economically as possible. i only have one soild requirement for my motor home and that is a bathroom on board. as far as motor size, stick or automatic, length of motor home, etc. , that is all pretty much open. of course issues as to parts availability, relative cost of repairs, and other operating expenses, i am completely uneducated. any suggestions, insights,or advice concerning the above questions would be greatly appreciated. i have been on the internet doing some research. i do have a budget to work with for the purchase. i do not want to but a "fixer upper", which i have seen on the internet for as low as $1500.00. and i can not afford to buy a "mint" unit in the $9 - 10 thousand range. am i realistic to assume a road worthy, decent shape, most things in working order ( a/c , stove, fridge, bathroom , etc.), can be found in the 5 to 7 thousand range?? again, any help with my questions would be a blessing, thank you in advance. joe h.

[Back East Don]

Hi Joe, welcome aboard.

First thing I would say is you at least found this community before going out an purchasing one. I am one of those horror stories you hear tell about. The noob who goes and gets himself a bargain without knowing what to look at first. That said.

There are a number of posts through out this site. If you scroll through you will notice some recurring trends.

If you are going to spend 5-7K you are going to want to be sure it is tight and everything works. Don't take the sellers word that everything works. Have them demonstrate that it does. Refrigerator and AC are the big ticket items for appliances so you'll want to be sure they are in top shape.

Tires. Learn how to identify and read date codes on tires. Mine were pre 2000 tires. Looked great, were name brand Dunlops but I was driving on borrowed time with them. 7 load range D truck tires cost a few bucks.

While mine was a complete mess, the drive train is a complete gem. Mine is a 4 cyl with auto that had just over 50k and here the owner actually took pretty decent care of it. 6 cyl seems to have more maint issues. There are lots of pinned posts I suggest you read through.

Axle's Again, read through the Engines-transmission-drive train and Suspension pinned posts.

The main thing is, It probably doesn't matter how much you spend, you are likely going to need to do something to it. These are old machines and as such, need to be treated accordingly.

Maybe if you look and get lucky, you can find someone who already spent a bunch of money and for some reason is parting with theirs. That is best case. It will likely still need something. (I'm sounding like a broken record)

First question I would ask you, are you at all handy with tools?

[jjrbus]

Welcome. If I were on a tight budget I would opt for a 4 cyl. Less maintenance and easier to work on. My knee is not doing good and I had a shoulder injury, now my hip is acting up so I am not going to drive a standard. But a 4 cyl stick is economical to operate.

I always recommend the same thing, read every repair thread you can, take notes. On this and the yahoo site. When you learn what people are repairing or have issues with you will know what to look for in your search.

Only my opinion. Jim SW FL

[zero]

hello to all, i am currently seeking to purchase my first motor home. i am only interested in the toyota's.

If I was looking for another RV - rot in the coach would be the biggest issue I've be fearful of. I don't believe there is any measurable difference in longevity between any of the Toyota RVs to worry about when it comes to 4 cylinder versus 6 cylinder. That being said - I'd stay away from anything that has dual real wheels attached to a rear made for single rear wheels (via an adaptor kit). Just about every RV coach made 70s-90s has wood somewhere. Since RV walls have no ventilation - wood has to get water-logged eventually and rot. Some RVs have a LOT of wood (like Dolphins), some a moderate amount of wood (like Minicruisers), and some less wood (like Sunraders and 70s Chinooks). I've got three Toyotas. Two Chinooks from the 70s and a 88 Minicruiser. All fun to drive but none are huge feats of engineering. I was camping in the Michigan UP last week and met a family with a 1994 Astro ProTiger van with pop-up roof. The coach is nearly all fiberglass. Has low wind resistance with the pop-up roof. And has gobs of power with the GM 4.3 V6. I drove it and loved it. They got it last year for $4500 with 80K miles on it. Gets 16-17 MPG which is going to beat any Toyota 20-21 footer out there and has more power then any of them. If I ever find one in that kind of shape for that sort of price - I'm going to buy it and it will likely replace my 20 foot Minicruiser. My Chinooks - I don't think I'll ever get rid of. 18-20 MPG and lots of fun - and not overloaded like the bigger Toyota RVs.

Don't get me wrong. I love out 1988 Minicruiser. Fun to drive, easy to work on, and easy to get into tight parking areas. But - 13-14 MPG is not what I call "astounding" for a vehicle that never gets driven faster then 60 MPH.

I spoke to a guy in the UP that has ten Toyota RVs. He has several Dolphins, a Minicruiser, two Sunraders, a Chinook, a Winnebago Warrior, etc. He says the 1991 Winnebago is hands-down his favorite. He says it gets the best gas mileage and handling. True or not, I do not know.

[Skydancer2992]

I have a 91 Winnebago and like it a lot. Mine was $2500 at a Habitat for Humanity Restore silent auction. Nobody bid on it because it was missing a corner of the camper over the driver cab.

The Toyota part has been very reliable. The camper part takes constant attention to keep watertight.

If you are handy, don't be afraid of making repairs to the camper.

To some folks, these are just old campers and are priced according to their expectations. Good deals are out there.

If you see one in a driveway, inquire about it. Several owners have found their campers that way.

[hunkaman]

thank you all for the info/advice. very much appreciated. the tire date codes, and axle information is very helpful, something i knew nothing about. i am handy with tools, (retired cabinet maker/construction related fields), i would not mind doing a little work on a purchase, but i really do not want a long refurbish project. i am willing to pay more for a unit that is basically in sound condition, both mechanically and related issues. I.E., tires, brakes, electrical, a/c, etc. as i stated above, i am handy with tools, but obviously not in relationship to auto mechanics, i am afraid my mechanic skills are limited to mostly oil and brake changes, very simple type work. that being said, i can see i may be in for more questions before i make a purchase. having the input from all of you out there is very helpful, so thank you again, and please feel free to add any other opinions, advice, etc. thanks in advance, joe.

[Back East Don]

The last thing I'll add is that you'll likely get more action further up the forum. If you look at the number of total posts, you'll see general posts are where much of the action is. Specific questions regarding drivetrain and electrical or the appliances each have an appropriate place. Mostly it is just an eyeball thing. You'll get more of them further up perhaps.