TOYOTA Mini MotorHome- Advice for Newbie.

[Needtobreath]

Thank you for Adding me to the Club, I been thinking about buying one of these Classic Toyota mini motor home, but don't know much about it. I have own toyota car and SUV and they are very reliable automobile. Have anyone on this Forum own one or know someone that own one ? What are the con and pro of these motorhome. Thank in advance. 

 

[MotorVation]

I was looking at them also. In fact, that's what got me into this whole thing. I had an '86 4Runner with the 22RE engine that I drove for 17 years. It had 165000 miles on it when I bought it. So, I had a bit of experience working on that engine (and front end). I figured if I bought an RV with that engine I'd be a couple steps ahead of the game.

I did a lot of research on them at the time and decided against it for a couple of reasons. I live in Florida and driving one back and forth to Arizona in the winter would have been a lot to ask of an older RV. Also, I know nothing about working on RV house systems and something that old would most likely take a bit of tinkering.

If I were going to settle in a geographic area where I wouldn't have to drive 5000 miles a year to and from, I'd still be looking at them. It would be great to have that much space to live in and even better to have an actual bathroom and shower. Key word 'shower.'

One of the main things to watch out for. Some of the older models have a rear axle with only 5 bolts per side to attach the rear wheels. That's a no go. The rear axle can fail (and even fall off) while driving down the road. There were lawsuits about it. Some of them were upgraded to the newer axle with 6 bolts. The later years all had the 6 bolt pattern. I don't remember all the details or what year RV's that involved. A Google search will fill you in.

I don't remember what years but the 6 cylinder engine had a factory recall to replace the head gaskets. You can find out if that was taken care of via the vin number.

Always check everywhere for water damage caused by a leaky roof or window seals. The window seals in the front over the cab were famous for leaking. You don't want to have to deal with hidden water damage and or de-lamination . That pretty much goes for any RV.

Some of them have a molded fiberglass body. Sunrader is one of the models. They aren't as prone to leaks. Just remember, all of them have some years on them and really need to be checked out well.

That's about all I can think of right now.
Best wishes..

 

[jwhite]

Ok just my thoughts why look for a rare hard to find motorhome when there are tons of used motorhomes available in all prices and most likely closer to your home.
I looked for ever to find a newer C class with the B class roof top and it was really hard to find one bought a 2013 = 7 years old but I wound up paying twice what I wanted but got what I wanted.
My 1 trip I had trouble with all things the coach door lock broke and could not get the door open so the steps would not go in so I couldn't drive it. had to call a road tech guy to come out and help me get going again. I saw how he disconected the steps incase it happens again well after I replaced the door lock the steps worked now so I reconnected them ? I could not imagine the repairs cost and problems with a motorhome that old.
my local RV repairs shop said they are waiting months for simple repair parts due to covid ?
I now have the rear bedroom slide not working I can live without opening the rear slide but I now have that to have fixed and that is going to have to be replaced by my local RV place my guess is several hundred dollars

 

[Chuck Q]

Hello:
       I have owned two Toyota based rigs.

1984 Sunrader shorty with 4-cyl 22R and 4-speed manual transmission. I installed an RV camshaft to increase the torque (pulling power) of the engine along with a Weber carburetor. That setup made adequate power to cruise along at 55 mph and get 20-22 mpg. It was fun to drive. Enough power to tow a 650cc motorcycle behind. Made many cross country trips and two to Key West in this rig without problem. The camper was small, of course, but comfortable except for having to climb up into the overhead bunk. I'm a small guy so could fit into the bathroom for a shower. Major hassle fixing the roof that had bowed downward from a  snow load sometime in the past. Yes...Sunraders leak! I had a large leak around the door frame and sealing the front "vista wrap around" windows was an ongoing project. One of those windows eventually broke and that was the death knell for the Sunrader. I was not willing to pay the $600+ dollars for a replacement window with no guarantee it would fit. Sad because from day #1, I never used those windows as they made the upper bunk too hot, so they were covered from the inside with reflective insulation and large throw pillows to try to insulate them. They did look nice though...... Sold it to a guy in town who gutted the interior and it now sits abandoned in his backyard rotted away.

1985 Toyota Santana. Really unique rig as its a pop-up that really only pop-upped from one side, except they deigned it in a way that the extra headroom from the pop-up section was over the bed and not the living/cooking area where you need it. Looked cool as heck but very poorly designed from a user point of view. The problem came from the running gear. It had the excellent 22R engine (no fuel injection, easy to work on) BUT an automatic transmission. The rig was a nightmare to drive being so slow to accelerate and under powered. So bad in fact, that I sold the rig within weeks of buying it, didn't even bother to "soup up" the engine...just a lost cause. The camper section was made of fiberglass panels that were starting to de-laminate. Yes, you can fix this, but I wasn't up to task, especially in light of the automatic transmission.

Lessons learned:
1) These Toyota campers are not for the casual camper. They are for vintage collector folks who camp,. Yes, there are many of those who do this. You can't be in a hurry when you drive and you need to enjoy wrenching on the vehicle. I really enjoyed this aspect.
2) Avoid any Toyota with 5 bolt wheels. That means the rear axles aren't up to task and may cause problems. Yes, you can put in a 6 bolt one ton rear axle and fix the issue. You need to be a mechanic or have big bucks to pull this off.
3) A 4-cyl engine teamed up with an automatic transmission is a non-starter in my experience. I have no personal experience with the V6 engine and wouldn't want one because of the cramped working area in the engine bay and the prone to problems fuel injection. They also have a bad reputation for blowing head gaskets.
4) The interiors of both 80s era campers were made of press-board and very cheaply at that. Rebuilding/replacing with "real wood" was a fun project for me but maybe not for everyone. Obtaining repair parts for the "vintage" appliances and such was an adventure onto itself. Most common phrase heard from RV dealers/parts guys is "Buy a new one". You will get familiar crawling around RV junkyards looking for that one unique widget you need.
5) One will pay a high premium to buy one of these and it will be a constant unending project. Mechanical upkeep, interior repairs etc. Not ONE I looked at was ready to go cross country and all will require repairs before becoming road-ready. "Turn key" they are not. That's the point of "vintage campers" to drive an older classic rig that you are intimately involved in. It is not for everyone. Think the analogy: Drive a modern car if you want reliable "plain jane" transportation that you can take to the dealer for service because you "aren't into that". Or drive a souped up muscle car because you enjoy old school cool and wrenching on it...that's part of the fun! You have to be "nostalgia crazy" to buy/own a Toyota camper but they are rewarding. They do make great campers and are fun to drive (slowly). They are not even close to modern offerings in quality, power or reliability...but some folks enjoy that.

Bottom line: I enjoyed one of mine and would consider owning another, however, for the same amount of money, one can have a nice Class B with a modern V-8 and much less owner maintenance/involvement required.

PS: If you own a '80-85' 4wd drive Sunrader, for under $20K...call me!

Happy Trails!
Chuck

 

[highdesertranger]

while the 22R and 22RE are great engines I wouldn't touch a V-6 with a ten foot pole. I don't want to have anything to do with that engine. highdesertranger

 

[bullfrog]

One came in the park with the heavier rear axle and large single wheels on the rear as well as an Advance Adaptors kit that adapted GM 4.3 V6 and GM automatic transmission to the Toyota truck chassis. The owner had bought the camper new over 30 years ago and really liked the changes he had made two years before.

 

[highdesertranger]

blast from the past. we used to install the GM engines in Toyota's. the engine and transmissions came as one unit from a company that was doing electric car conversions(early 80's). the company I worked for had a deal with them and got the engine and trans dirt cheap. we then installed them in Toyota's mostly 1 tons and Motor Homes. I wonder if I worked on that one? highdesertranger

 

[Needtobreath]

Hello:
       I have owned two Toyota based rigs.......

Bottom line: I enjoyed one of mine and would consider owning another, however, for the same amount of money, one can have a nice Class B with a modern V-8 and much less owner maintenance/involvement required.

PS: If you own a '80-85' 4wd drive Sunrader, for under $20K...call me!

Happy Trails!
Chuck

Thank you-Chuck- I am so glad that you told me about this, and I am going to look for something that I can fix and enjoy it. That why this Forum is so important for me and the people on this forum to know about the type of RV or any other type of vehicle before we invest in it. Thank you again for your time and advice. :thumbsup:

 

[highdesertranger]

thank you Needtobreath for fixing that quote. I almost deleted that post. highdesertranger