Need info on 1989 Tioga Montara

[DuetTogether]

Hi there, this will be my first post, so forgive me if I'm up there on the newbie scale..

I have been looking and researching RVs, trailers and the like for about 3 months now and I have saved up enough money to pick one out. I have decided to go with a class C as it will fit my boyfriend and I's needs. **We will be traveling full-time and boon-docking/dry camping a lot (We are planning on going with solar power). We do not have children, but we do have a medium-sized husky that will be with us. My boyfriend and I are used to living in a very small space already.**

There is a local ad for a 1989 Tioga Montara with 59,200 miles on it. The seller is asking $5200 for the RV. The description on the ad is:
"1989 Tioga Montara RV for sale. 350 Chevrolet motor with 59,200 miles. Has Onan Generator, stove, refrigerator with freezer, awning and bathroom with shower. Everything works and runs good."

I have looked for information on the Tioga Montara but haven't really been able to find any solid stuff. I guess my question is would this be a good RV for what I'm planning to do? And does anyone have any info or links they can provide about the Tioga? Also, based on the pictures that I'll post below, does this appear to be in good/decent condition?(I know it's hard to tell from 5 pictures)

Any and all information is appreciated! I contacted the seller about it and they are suppose to get back to me with more pictures so I will post those later if I receive them. Thank you!!!!

[Bordercollie]

Try to spend some time driving class C's from 22-foot to 30 foot. Our 27 foot can actually turn quite sharply although no standard suspension rig is good for off road driving. Short Class C's are just as tall and wide as longer rigs. You just need to be aware or rear overhang and tail swing with any motorhome when backing into a small camp spot. Partner needs to guide driver or you need to get out and look for posts, rocks and overhanging tree limbs before backing in with any sized rig. Handling on the highway is not much different with short or longer rig. You might be interested in a Roadtrek or other van conversion which is a more versatile vehicle usable as a daily commute vehicle as well as a camper/touring rig. They have less elbow room and storage space than a short class C. They are also more expensive. You can buy a short rig and sell it with some loss if your needs/desires change. Take your time and don't buy on impulse.

[OldRadios]

DuetTogether wrote:

I appreciate your thorough reply, but I do disagree that a 26' is needed to be comfortable. We are both under 30 years old and very active so most of our time will not be spent in the rig. The boyfriend and I share one room in the house we are currently in, we live out of a mini fridge and a plastic box for dry food storage and our current bed is only accessible from one side and we don't disturb each other..we actually alternate between who sleeps on the outside each night (lol). We would even be fine without a table or chairs because we eat dinner, play video/board games and everything else in our bed. We are looking for a small small rv that is easy to drive and maneuver. We test drove a 24' and it was way too long for what we are wanting.

Sounds like you might be better off with a class B. Just remember that there is little to no storage space once you drop down too 22' or below.

We have the same rig as Bordercollie and tow an enclosed trailer with our Harleys. I use to have a 19' B and there's really no issues driving the 27' which gives us a lot of storage and a full time queen bedroom. In fact, our C with the E-450 chassis handles better than our 19' B did.

[srd1941]

Duet Together
Because a Rig is old does not necessarily mean it’s bad. Take a look at Geezer on Utube. Last summer he and his wife left Illinois crossed the US to the west coast, traveled up the coast to Washington, then across the northern states and back home in a 1991 Tioga. Just this month they traveled to Padre Island Texas for an RV get together. So old does not mean junk. My own rig is 23 years old and I would not hesitate to drive it anywhere. The advice you received concerning the pictures you submitted was right on and the Tioga in Nashville has had some major cab over problems and some pretty shabby repairs so be careful in your search and inspect thoroughly. I have seen some really nice Class C’s dating back in the 1970’s so they are out there.
Stan

[DuetTogether]

https://nashville.craigslist.org/rvs/5960431768.html

This popped up a couple of days ago. The price is not great for what it is though...

[DuetTogether]

Bordercollie wrote:
There are lots of opinions about buying new vs used RV's. My advice in a nutshell: Short Class C's have little cabinet and storage space and poor sleeping setup especially if you have, or will have, arthritis or agility problems. You will need at least a 26 foot rig to have a rear bedroom with RV Queen sized bed with access on one side. A bed with access on both sides is much better for getting out of bed without disturbing your partner but that requires a small bedroom slide or 28+foot rig. Take your time looking at floor plans and lengths and features offered by various brands and year/models. Don't buy on impulse. Try to buy a rig that is three or four years old and have it inspected by a pro truck mechanic and an independent RV repair service, get written estimates for any repairs, replacements or upgrades needed for full functionality. Tires need to be replaced when 4-6 years old regardless of looks and mileage. Roof and dash AC units, fresh water pumps, and house and starting batteries can last for ten years. Expect to spend some serious money with any RV in addition to purchase price, DMV fees, taxes, insurance and periodic maintenance and storage lot costs if needed. Don't buy an extended warranty, most are full of maintenance requirements and loopholes. Set aside money in a bank account for repairs and other costs. RV ownership is not cheap, Owning and maintaining an RV is similar to owning and maintaining a cabin cruiser boat or an airplane.

I appreciate your thorough reply, but I do disagree that a 26' is needed to be comfortable. We are both under 30 years old and very active so most of our time will not be spent in the rig. The boyfriend and I share one room in the house we are currently in, we live out of a mini fridge and a plastic box for dry food storage and our current bed is only accessible from one side and we don't disturb each other..we actually alternate between who sleeps on the outside each night (lol). We would even be fine without a table or chairs because we eat dinner, play video/board games and everything else in our bed. We are looking for a small small rv that is easy to drive and maneuver. We test drove a 24' and it was way too long for what we are wanting.

[Bordercollie]

There are lots of opinions about buying new vs used RV's. My advice in a nutshell: Short Class C's have little cabinet and storage space and poor sleeping setup especially if you have, or will have, arthritis or agility problems. You will need at least a 26 foot rig to have a rear bedroom with RV Queen sized bed with access on one side. A bed with access on both sides is much better for getting out of bed without disturbing your partner but that requires a small bedroom slide or 28+foot rig. Take your time looking at floor plans and lengths and features offered by various brands and year/models. Don't buy on impulse. Try to buy a rig that is three or four years old and have it inspected by a pro truck mechanic and an independent RV repair service, get written estimates for any repairs, replacements or upgrades needed for full functionality. Tires need to be replaced when 4-6 years old regardless of looks and mileage. Roof and dash AC units, fresh water pumps, and house and starting batteries can last for ten years. Expect to spend some serious money with any RV in addition to purchase price, DMV fees, taxes, insurance and periodic maintenance and storage lot costs if needed. Don't buy an extended warranty, most are full of maintenance requirements and loopholes. Set aside money in a bank account for repairs and other costs. RV ownership is not cheap, Owning and maintaining an RV is similar to owning and maintaining a cabin cruiser boat or an airplane.

[TyroneandGladys]

USAFBILL wrote:
If the first picture is accurate it shows severe delamination meaning severe water damage....if so I would not be interested...Good Luck

run Forest RUN

[DuetTogether]

cgmartine wrote:
DuetTogether, good for you. Often times, some prospective buyers come here and ask about buying an older rv, but sometimes fail to listen to good advice and go ahead and make a purchase, despite the warnings. Keep looking. There are many good deals out there. Once you find one, it will be self evident that you have a keeper and will not need to ask for anyone's opinion.

Haha I've learned a lot of lessons the hard way..I don't want this to be one of them!

[cgmartine]

DuetTogether, good for you. Often times, some prospective buyers come here and ask about buying an older rv, but sometimes fail to listen to good advice and go ahead and make a purchase, despite the warnings. Keep looking. There are many good deals out there. Once you find one, it will be self evident that you have a keeper and will not need to ask for anyone's opinion.

[DuetTogether]

You all have saved me a great amount of time! Thanks so much. The search continues...

[Lwiddis]

27 years old and only 59,000 miles? hmmmmm

[DrewE]

I think you'll have a hard time finding a class C in decent shape for full-time living in the price range you seem to be looking at...at least, that would be true around here. (If you're from where the Tioga is registered and I'm seeing the plate properly, you're also around here, somewhere in New England or New York probably.) I may be wrong about the price range; sometimes great deals do come around. But $5000 to $6000 is IMHO more in the "retire to be a hunting camp while slowly returning to the dust from whence it came" range than the "reliable and in good condition and worthy of full-time use" range. You might find more usable trailers than motorhomes (but that does require a suitable tow vehicle).

The outside walls of the Toyota can't delaminate since they are not made with laminated construction. That doesn't mean that they are immune from water damage; typically there would be wood framework behind the aluminum siding, and it most certainly can rot. There is some definite signs of water intrusion in the cabover area from the posted pictures, and I would not be surprised if there was more elsewhere as some parts don't look very straight and true.

If this is a four cylinder Toyota, be aware that it's rather underpowered even by motorhome standards. It would get relatively good gas mileage, but probably will have a lot of trouble keeping up on the interstates (even flat and level ones). If it has single rear wheels, it's very likely also extremely marginal in weight carrying capacity and may be overloaded even when empty. It is possible to update to a dually axle, which would be safer and more reliable, but I don't know all the details offhand.

The first thing I would look for in a full-time RV is evidence of good maintenance of the caulking/sealing and no evidence of significant water intrusion. Dash AC working would be pretty far down on my list; that's only of interest when you're driving, and with a generator you could run the roof AC if rolling down the windows is insufficiently comfortable.

[USAFBILL]

pauldub wrote:
Lots of water damage in the cab over on the Dolphin. They would need to pay you to take it and you would need to be handy and determined enough to repair the damage yourself.

X2

[pauldub]

Lots of water damage in the cab over on the Dolphin. They would need to pay you to take it and you would need to be handy and determined enough to repair the damage yourself.