Hi - Thanks much for a very informative discussion group!
I recently sold my old 20' dodge 360 gas guzzler (8.5 mpg
average on trip) and have been looking for a 1988 and newer fuel
efficient rv with a manual tranny. My Class C Dodge Komfort also
developed an unstoppable roof leak after loading 2 kayaks up there
for a little boating fun in Muleghe - Baha Mex.
I have a friend who wants to sell his '84 toyota "New World". I
believe it has a fiberglass body with excellent interior height but
with his auto tranny he is only averaging 12 mpg which is quite a bit
less then the 15 to 18 average I read about here.
If anyone has any leads on a unit that is is good condition, I am
most interested. I am looking only for the units with the heavier
rear axial. The few toyotas I saw under $6000 were older units with
the "guaranteed to fail when least expected" wimpy rear
bearings/axial.
Another friend loves his 1988 Dolphin with a 4 banger 22R engine and
manual however I wonder how durable that body is compared to the
fiberglass ones? Has anyone had problems with roof
leakage or structural integrity?
My first rv was a '74 fiberglass body dodge class B Xplorer 224
(factory van conversion) with a 360 engine. It averaged about 13 mpg
on a trip. That unit was built like a tank, never leaked and it could
easily cruise up mountains at 60 mph. I'll have some "adjustments"
to make in my driving with a 4 banger but the gas prices
are "encouraging" me and many other folks to downsize into more fuel
efficient units.
Finally (sorry to be so long winded) is there much performance
improvement in toyota's 6 cyl engine compared to the 22R 4 cyl ?
What about fuel efficiency? I've heard some rumors that the 6's are
not as reliable and had to be recalled. Your comments are most
appreciated!
Happy Rv'ing,
allan
