Jayco-noslide wrote:
We need to consider downsizing and simplifying from a 30 ft. Class C towing a car to a much smaller unit and not towing. Discovering the older Toyota truck motorhomes. Seems like one would work; except how in the heck do you find a place for stuff to take along. Amazed to see that there is no outside storage. How do you deal with this? Do any of you tow a very small utility trailer? But then darn that's back to towing something.
Second question. We looked at a 1992 Dolphin model sort of reconditioned. Pretty nice; but $28000?
We owned a 1983 Toyota chassis motorhome for 24 years.
CLICK HERE to see many pictures of it.
That rig as it was pictured, weighed only 3600 pounds. As stripped-out and light as it was, with a solid 4-speed stick shift transmission, it accelerated and cruised very poorly because it was powered by a 2.4L 4-cylinder carbureted engine that yielded only 96 hp. I test drove a fully featured self contained Mini-Winnie on a 1993 Toyota chassis with the larger 3.0L-V6 engine with MFI and it too was unimpressive, I believe because the house weighed so much more than our rig did. Figure adding another half ton in people and stuff.
I cannot endorse owning an old Toyota-based chassis unless your plan is to take your time. Plan on a cruising speed not to exceed 60 mph, and 25 mph on extended inclines. Also plan on "Poor Handling" with no good means to improve it. Our rig had no stabilizer bars and none were available. I had Bilstein shocks and air bags which helped, but were not an ideal solution. Better but not right.
As far as the price is concerned, I would not offer more than $15,000 on any such rig regardless of it's condition. You can buy a very nice 22 foot long durable E350 chassis motorhome with a Triton V8 or V10 engine that is many years newer, built better, and in great condition for less than $28,000. And your fuel economy might not be much worse than a fully featured Toyota-V6. Our aerodynamic 2007 Phoenix Cruiser 2350 with a length of 23'-8" and the V10 engine gets 10.5 mpg trip averaging when not towing.
My advise is to shop around for these rigs to determine if the design and price fits your needs and budget. Start with year 1998 and go newer.
- Dynamax Isata Sport
- Dynamax Carri-Go
- Coachman Starflyte
- Phoenix Cruiser 2100
- Phoenix Cruiser 2350
Pending the brand and model, lengths will vary from 21 to 24 feet long. The shorter ones will fit in a regular parking spot. Ours fits if backing in the letting the rear overhang grass and such. I believe all are also "narrow bodied" offering easy maneuverability.
Many of these motorhomes lack a slide-out which is another benefit when buying "old". A slide-out in an old rig generally is not a good combination for reasons that don't require an explanation.
