Does anybody own a Toyota Class C Motorhome ?

[Carvic]

It would be nice to share some information about

[SarahW]

Nope, sorry. But welcome to the forum. Hopefully someone who does own a Toyota Class C will see your thread.

[Dogpatch]

It always amazes me that that little Toyota moves that much camper!

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by dogpatch

It always amazes me that that little Toyota moves that much camper!

Most of them were overweight as they left the factory, even before the driver got in.
It is amazing to see them still running after this long.

[AdamB]

I had a 1990 Sunraider on a Toyota chassis for a while. There's a website for them. Just google it. A little too cramped for our family of 3, but it would be great for a single person or a couple who are not large people. I had folks calling me from all over the US when I sold it.

[DeanoD]

Yes i have a 1981 18 foot Dolphin and i also could use a little communication about it. I have had it for a few months but so far so good. I have been an rv tech.(retired now) so if i can help feel free to ask, i am a new member of the irv2 forum. a fellow rv'er DeanoD

[wanderso]

I owned a 1991 Toyota on the Winnebago warrior chassis. V6. Power was just fine. I got 14 mpg. It did not leave the factory overloaded as some state, at least from Winnebago. Be sure to get one of the newer rigs with the V6 and the full floating axle for best durability. Several folks saw it and had positive comments. Sleeps 4 comfortably. Easy to drive and will get into any campground.

They won't tow anything more than perhaps a motorcycle or light fishing boat.

Google for Toyota RV for a good forum dedicated just to these rigs. Very helpful folks.

Winnebago still has the schematics as build sheets available and will send them for free or you can get them off of the above forum.

The 3L V6 had a head gasket recall that either has already been done or Toyota will still do for free. Their later versions of the engine have more power and reliability but that version is still just fine or a fresh rebuild is available locally for about $2500 installed.

There is quite a following for these rigs and they retain resale value. I sold mine for $10k in good shape. Only moved to another rig because of needing a back corner bed.

Good luck.

[Shawnna]

I just bought a wonderful 1992 Winnebago Micro-Mini Warrior that's on the Toyota chassis. I was the first in line and bought her sight unseen because there were two people behind me who wanted her!

Put all new tires on and had the timing belt done because of her age and it had never been done. She has a little over 61000 miles on her.

She's in beautiful shape as she is, but I do plan to refresh the interior to make her interior a little more modern looking. Just installed a 32" TV in her too!

The Toyota Motorhome forum is a great place to find good information for these little gems.

I am thrilled with her.

[Teamfoxy]

A 1993 Toyota Winnebago was our first motor home. We really did not know what we wanted and the Toyota had just come in on trade. It seemed like the perfect way to learn and we bought it expecting to keep it a year and then trade up. We sold it five years later.

You want one with the 6 cylinder engine and the 6 lug axle. Also make sure that the air bags (suspension) are good because we had a very hard time finding replacements 7 years ago. I was told that Firestone stopped making them. The tank capacity is very small, so more than one night without hookups is not feasible. Outside of that the problems are the same as any older class C. Things wear out and need fixing all the time. If there are leaks, there will be rot in the over cab area.

I can tell you that we like our 2005 24 foot Itasca on the Ford Chassis much better. There is more room and cargo capacity, but its still easy to find parking, maneuver, and you don't need to tow a car.

[Shawnna]

When I found mine, I paid to have both the truck, and the cabin inspected by two very reputable and highly recommended shops close to the dealer. Keep in mind, I hadn't even seen her yet!

With a clear understanding of what I was getting, I made the commitment and asked the dealer to help me get the work done before picking her up. I still hadn't even seen her!

The dealer (John at Country Motorhomes in Mount Vernon, WA) was the best. He got her to the truck mechanic who had recommended the new timing belt and tune up. WORK DONE. Motorworks Northwest also in Mount Vernon was great to work with.

They then took her back to the RV inspector (Action RV in Burlington, WA) who had recommended a new converter, LP detector, LP regulator with hose and roof seal after the inspection showed no leaks and overall in great condition. WORK DONE. Action RV was also great to work with. I still hadn't even seen her yet.

Action RV took her to Discount Tire where all the tires were replaced.

All three shops commented about how wonderful a rig she was, and two of them had people who wanted to buy her from me; she had obviously been pampered. I still hadn't even seen her yet.

I verified with Toyota that the head gasket recall had been taken care of (confirmed done in 1998).

I also verified that she was manufactured with the right (6 lug, dual axles on the rear) so there would be none of the 5-lug axle issues that caused problems for earlier models built on the Toyota chassis.

I just knew in my gut she was THE right rig for me.

With all the required maintenance work done, I took a train up from my home in the south Puget Sound area up to Mount Vernon to pick her up. I finally got to see her in person and go through the walk through with John at Country Motorhomes.

I was so impressed with her! It was truly a blessing to find her, and now call her my own now!

I met the woman who owned her before me (she was sold as a consignment) and we exchanged a little bit about ourselves. Getting to know her that day just confirmed that everything happens for a reason, and I was the obvious perfect 'new' owner of this little gem.

Why do I love this little Class C so much?

I owned an older Apollo 30' Class A gas engine for one year back in 2000, and took it across country with my two sons and two of their friends. Two weeks after I bought it I had to replace the transmission. That done, we took off on our adventure. We enjoyed the trip, but the motorhome had lots of little issues that took away from the enjoyment; not to mention the A/C quit in the middle of Alabama's hot and humid summer. I sold her at a $5,000 loss when we got home.



I also owned a Arctic Fox travel trailer (pulled with a Ford 350 diesel truck) and towed it solo one year for a few trips in 2011. It was a solid travel trailer, but hooking it up by myself was worthy of a Saturday Night Live sketch.



My trusted mechanic (who I've known and used for over 20 years) told me after my Class A and Travel Trailer adventures that what I really needed to get was a good little Toyota motorhome. I stuck that piece of advice back in my head for a few years.

What I paid for this little Class C is exactly what I will be able to sell her for 5 years from now; maybe even a little more. (unless the whole economy implodes again) In other words, her depreciation is done. And everything I do to her now will hold her value IF I ever decide to sell her.

Also, I'm a huge Toyota fan - I have an FJ Cruiser and my youngest son has a Prius he inherited from me. All have been incredibly dependable, and also as important, very easy to maintain.

I've already promised my youngest son he will inherit her when I'm gone - and she will be in loving hands when that happens.

[ThePowells]

Welcome to the Forum!

[Ron Dittmer]

We were long time owners of THIS 1984 TOYOTA MIRAGE. We bought it brand new in the fall of 1983 for $12,225, and sold it 24 years later for $7,600. It was built on the last year (1983) of the first generation cab-&-chassis. In 1995 we had the rear axle replaced to proper DRW. The engine was a carbureted 2.4L with CA emissions yielding a whopping 96 hp. We sold it in 2007, replacing it with THIS 2007 PHOENIX CRUISER 2350 which we still own. I gained much knowledge about the Mirage and Phoenix Cruiser.