NEW RVer- TOYOTA CLASS C RV - GOOD/BAD IDEA?

rather than saying "will a Toyota work"?
why don't you say "I have this much cash to spend, what can I get?"

Personally, on a strict budget, I think the choices would be better in a "big 3 based" class C than a specialty unit that is going into the game overloaded and underpowered.
You could probably get a useable ford, chevy or dodge V8 powered class C for no more that the Toyota you're looking at. It will have more space, more power, and a chassis and drivetrain with readily available parts that anyone can fix.

1212Coleman had a bottom-line great answer. Which I, too, am doing now and would continue no matter what I'm driving.

I just returned from a 7000 mile trip cross country in my little Toyota 1990 Class C and can share with you my personal discoveries:

--- My trip was flawless in that I had to pay for a new ignition switch as I came to the bottom of a hill into Rapid City. Other than that she drove like a pro. Because I am a me hanical midget though, I take it to a professional and have EVERYTHING Checked out, from the belts, tranny, brakes and so forth.

___Slept like a baby in the overhead cab. Everything works perfectly. I am blessed. So far...

--- What I DIDN'T like is that on the back of my rig it states "This is a Non-Towing Vehicle"or some such, which meant that every time I wanted to go INTO a museum or any place for that matter, my rig came with me. It was a royal pain to put EVERYthing away, dump my waste, unhook electric, eater, turn off and unhook cables and so on and so forth every time I needed anything!!

My objective is to take it for one more cross-country fling in the spring for a couple/few months, pray for the rest Nd when I get home, sell it fora a 24 or '27 footer. If you're just one person with no animals, ypur Toyota would be doable IMHO. I traveled with two HUGE dogs and it was a huge challenge just to cook or clean lolol.. Hope this helps.

PS. Personally I was up and on the road not later than6:00a., so reL traffic on them hills seemed never a problem for me no matter now slow I had to go. Heck, I had a HUMUNGOUS truck in front of me with flashers movin at around 30-something up hills. I certainly wasn't worried passin him at 40-plus.. in other words, my V6 into the Tetons and Yellowstone performed well enough for me. Where there was a line. Holding, I'd just move n let 'me pass. Piece of cake.

Best advice I can give is to work out a monthly budget and keep some cash on the side for maintenance issues. From what I've read here, if your using it full time, things tend to break at a faster pace.

Since there were at least a dozen manufacturers building twenty-some brands on the Toyota chassis, some using radically different construction methods, does anybody else think it might be important who built the motorhome, rather than whether or not it was built on a Toyota cab chassis?

I, for one, would be much more willing to consider an old molded-shell CarriGo, but might not be as enthusiastic about a Coachmen, or somebody's stick-built house. The condition of the house is going to be a lot more important over the long term whether than it sitting on a Toyota vs Dodge, GM or Ford chassis. In that era there were manufacturers building 18-22 foot motorhomes, A, B or C, on all four platforms.

I would open the search, at least as a mental exercise, to small motorhomes of all types from the 80s and early 90s, so as to not start out limiting myself to something that might be less suitable to purpose. I would look at van conversions particularly, because several U.S. manufacturers were still building them, using medium length as well as extended length vans, with layouts and features quite suitable to the needs of a single person.

I spent 15 years driving a 1983 Toyota Class C. 4 cylinders, 5-speed stick shift, 22R engine. Total length bumper to bumper was about 17 feet. I loved that little rig and we had a lot of great adventures in our 60,000 miles together.

Now the bad parts: Not enough engine ooomph, to the point where I lived in fear of being rammed from behind. The truck would go up anything, but not fast enough to suit other drivers. Not enough braking strength for the weight of the RV. Overloaded drive train: I had to have U-joints replaced twice and transmission rebuilt once. It had the "bad duals" and one failed, causing great injury to the camper as it came off; I had the side wall of the camper rebuilt and the axle replaced with one from a larger Toyota truck and that worked OK. When I sold it in 2006, I was starting to have trouble finding parts for the engine.

I agree with a previous poster that a fiberglass trailer and a tow vehicle might be a better combo for you. Take a look at this blog by a guy who has a Toyota RAV4 and a small trailer.

Good luck in finding the right rig for your future life.

A van dragging a small TT is a very popular combination for full-timers on a budget.

The van provides lots of storage. Far more then you will ever find in a Toyota.

There were some units that only got single rear wheels but needed to have duals. I'm not sure which ones exactly. But this is something big to watch out for. The bad ones were actually dangerous. Some got retrofitted properly, and some of the ones out there never did. Be sure to research this. I'm sketchy on the details because I've never paid close attention, not being in the market for one of those myself.

You might also wish to consider a tow vehicle and small travel trailer. Some of the 13' to 17' molded fiberglass trailers like Scamp and Casita have light weight, low profile and low wind resistance, allowing pretty decent fuel economy (14-16 mpg is pretty typical, but some use a 4 cyl stick shift such as a Tacoma and get around 20). The lack of seams means less chance for water intrusion (the bane of RVs). You could then pick and choose among many potential candidates for tow vehicle. If the tug became too problematic to maintain, you'd still have your 'house on wheels' while you, shall we say, saddle up another horse. ;) Whereas if a Class C has to go into the shop for a while, where do you sleep?

Small easily over loaded chassis. There are lots better out there

Hi and welcome! We have owned many (11) RVs in our 20 years of full time living in them. During this time, we have owned three Toyota motorhomes and are currently traveling in our '92 with the V6. They are great, if that is what you like. Kinda close quarters, but I laugh each time I fuel up, because we get 14-15 mpg. compared to 6 or 7 with the big boys. I suggest you Google Toyota motorhomes and key in to the many forums out there and do your homework. Yahoo groups has two groups dedicated to Toyota motorhome owners. Sounds like you are already aware of some of the things you should look for before you buy one. If I can help in any way or answer any specific questions you may have, don't hesitate to send me a private message. Good Luck to you!