1983-1984 Toyota Mirage Motor Home
Sold on eBay, on April 25th, 2007 for $7600
Vehicle Description
This is a NO RESERVE auction
DO NOT BID if you do not intend to purchase
1984 Mirage Motor Home on a 1983 Toyota Chassis
Sleeps 4, Garage Kept, 107,500 miles, Multi-Use
We Are The Original Owners
SEE MANY MORE PICTURES BY CLICKING HERE:
http://home.comcast.net/~ron.dittmer/RVSale.html
The pictures show the vehicle looking nearly brand new. Understand the vehicle does have some wear and tear, though much less than one would expect for a 24 year old motor home. To be made right, the interior wall & ceiling fabric should be replaced.
This motor home is for an individual or family who wants to upgrade from tent camping, but does not want the full motor home life style. It officially sleep 4 adults, but we slept 6 on a few weekend trips, 4 small children in the top bunk laying in the other direction, and my wife and I on the dinette bed. There is also enough room to have another person sleep on the floor if you really had to.
Though it was not designed for this and we never did this ourselves, the door-in-a-door rear end accommodates one motorcycle. I don't know if a full dress Harley or Honda Gold Wing would fit, but it surely would accommodate most street and dirt motorcycles. If you plan to do this, please contact me and we can go over the available floor space dimensions.
Here are all the dimensions that are of interest to most people.
Bed Dimensions
Upper Bunk: 6'-2" x 4'-0" The position more forward is a little shorter due to the aero-dynamics
Dinette Bed: 5'-10" x 3'-8" My wife and I sleep on this bed and it works well for us as we like to cuddle
Ceiling Height Measured at the low cushion that runs down the center: 6'-1" at back, 5'-11" forward
Outside Dimensions:
Length, bumper tip-to-tip 17'-6"
Height: 8'-3" to top of roof
Height: 8'-7" to top of roof vent
Width: 7'-8" max at the rear
This RV gets you there with great home-like accommodations with excellent storage, but no gadgetry or fancy appliances to trouble with. On rainy days, we place our camp stove on one of the counter tops and we're cooking! Four of us comfortably sit (6 tightly) for a meal at the dinette. When it's real cold out, we pull out our electric heater or tiny propane heater. When it's hot, we open the screened windows and turn on the two 12v fans & open the roof vent. When we have to go to the bathroom, we go to the campground bathroom, out-house, or the woods. Our large cooler is stored in the left side cabinet by the rear door so access to cold items is easy even from the outside. Just reach in without getting in the RV. One more great feature is when you are sightseeing in the National Parks and you want to stop at a scenic over-look. You are same length as a large car at 17'-6", so just do it! So many motor homes have to drive by because they are too big, missing out on the very things they came to see. We spend our vacations outdoors, cooking and all. On a rainy day, we can sometimes be found in a restaurant. At night it's campfires until bed time. We don't hang out inside it unless the weather is poor.
My tiny wife all of 5'-2" and only 106 pounds, used it the first 6 years as her car to go where ever a stay-at-home mom goes during the day. In this motor home, you can actually use the inside rear view mirror. See the rear view mirror picture. You can look out the rear window, and see cars, not the sky. This motor home rear door-in-a-door was marketed as an awning, but we open it up when moving over-sized items. I've helped people move with it a number of times. The rear wall fabric is well beat up from moving people. You can get a full size fridge, a motorcycle, couches, and other large items inside. I have brought home 4x8 sheets of plywood and drywall with the greatest of ease, standing them up utilizing the upper bed notch. I've brought home a huge stack of 18 foot deck boards when building my deck. The long lengths just hang out the rear door by placing 2x6 lumber at the door so the weight of the lumber is not on the threshold, but on the floor. When we want to hit the bike trail, no problem getting the bikes in there to drive to the trail heads.
Since 1990 when we stopped using it as our 2nd car, we drop insurance coverage off-season to save the money. Insurance companies are very cooperative doing this. When in season, I will occasionally drive it to work to keep it active. It's good to run the vehicle once in a while. It also gets used when I'm working on one of my cars, and I'm short a vehicle. The Mirage is not bad driving around in rush hour traffic. The key is to stay in the slow lane and act like a truck, giving commuters proper respect.
Defined by Mirage as a 1984, but officially titled as a 1983 because it was built on one of Toyota's last 1st generation design 1983 Cab & Chassis.
This Mirage is six inches shorter than the vehicle it replaced, our 1971 Oldsmobile Delta 88. It's selling features is fuel economy, mechanical simplicity, car-like size, and it's multi-uses. Also it's extreme reliability even to this very day.
Though this motor home is without the typical features of a normal motor home, it has a lot of nice comfort features that are very useful.
- has drapes and shades for a nice look and true privacy
- all camper windows have insect screens
- sink with 7 gallon water jug supply and 12v electric pump, drains onto street or pan using the hose.
It's very basic in function and design.
- one 110v outlet
- four 12v interior lights provide very good lighting
- one 12v outlet on the wall, we use for one 12v fan when needed
- bank of three 12v outlets, one for a 2nd fan, and two for the kids hand-held video games
- a privacy curtain that snaps on to cover the opening of the driver's cab
- am-fm-cd stereo up front in the cab
- am-fm-cassette stereo in the main area
- over-the-driver bunk is nicely sized and has a removable insert to help in getting in & out of the cab area
- the dinette converts into a second double bed
- the hand crafted cabinet has a huge drawer for kitchen utensils and other small items
- over-head cabinets, pantry, closet, lower cabinets, and the dinette seats are all finished nicely inside
- without all the typical RV appliances, holding tanks etc. taking up space, there is an abundance of storage
- 12V roof vent (the fan blade broke and the motor should also be replaced, but can be opened for venting without forced air)
- four cup holders
There are numerous mechanical related features as well.
- gross vehicle weight empty is 3500 lbs. (2500 lbs. Toyota cab & chassis, 1000 lbs. camper portion)
- camper shell is seamless one piece, very strong and insulating double-wall honey-comb
- 110v electrical plug-in when electricity is available, with circuit breaker protection (see inside the closet)
- second automotive deep cycle marine battery to support all 12v operations in the camper
- power converter to generate 12v from 110v for charging the 2nd battery and supplying 12v to the RV
- Battery Isolator (the blue thing under the hood), to charge both batteries in priority while driving,
the engine battery first, the rear battery second
- air-ride adjustable rear suspension with on-board compressor, with controls & gauge by the driver
- rear axle & truck brake upgraded in 1995 from 1/2 ton to 1 ton, now have "True" dual rear wheels
Toyota supplied the rear axle, brand new 1995 design
- lifetime Bilstein shock absorbers all around
- 10 air filters (I'm keeping the oil filters in the one picture for another car)
- a box of extra stuff accumulated over the years
- owners manual, lots of documentation, 1983 Toyota C&C brochure and Toyota service manual
- spare tire under the rear of camper, jack, lug wrench, etc.
Other data
- We ARE the original owners, purchased new in September of 1983
- Garage kept since 1988 with seasonal use since 1990
- gas mileage last monitored in 2005 at full-load (5 adults taking a vacation)
20.2mpg open interstate driving over the course of one day
18.6mpg over-all 4000 mile vacation, combined mountain, interstate & city driving
To Be VERY Clear……Let There Be NO Surprises on features
- no automatic transmission (it has a 4-speed stick shift)
- no a/c up front
- no power windows
- no power door locks
- no power steering (no trouble…just start it rolling and steering is easy)
- no cruise control
- no power seats
- no toilet
- no shower
- no roof a/c
- no stove
- no refrigerator
- no oven
- no microwave
- no water heater
- no fresh water tanks except the 7 gallon carry-on one
- no black or gray sewage tanks
- no propane tanks
- no heater in the rear
Do you get the idea here?
We special ordered this RV without all the fluff, and over the years it has proven a very wise choice. As we are campers, not RVers, this little Mirage has been a real treat for all these years. Nothing breaks down because there is nothing to break down.
What comfort features did we special order? We upgraded the front seats to match the rest of the interior.
Current Mechanical condition
- mechanically excellent, starts, runs, drives, handles, with no issues or concerns
- over the 23 years, we replaced things like a water pump, alternator, batteries, brakes etc.
- brakes are good, rear truck brakes came with the upgraded rear end in 1995 and they don't seem to wear out
- front tires are good, rears are okay, but you'll want to replace them in the next 5-10,000 miles
- recent tune-up done, maybe 6-10k miles ago
- original clutch, but mostly highway miles so minimal clutch wear
- oil changes the first 100,000 miles were every 2000 miles, lately every 3000
- the engine takes 5 quarts of oil, 5 goes in and 3000 miles later, 4.5 quarts come out
- there is a very small engine oil leak, but not enough to add oil, and not enough to drip on the street
- the rear differential is wet, but it has never dripped. I think it leaks from the top vent from being overfilled.
- ceiling exhaust fan in the camper needs a new exhaust fan blade and motor.
Current Cosmetic Condition - READ THIS CLOSELY as I don't want you to be surprised later.
- rear camper fiberglass portion developed a few cosmetic stress cracks the first year and never got worse. They are non-structural. The RV company offered to remove them, but said they would likely return, so we let them be.
- Toyota cab was rust proofed when new, and it did good. Nearly no body rust. The frame was also rust proofed, but has long ago peeled so there is surface frame rust. The frame rust is not the penetrating kind...only on the surface. See the pictures. There are no concerns about the structural integrity.
- Toyota front cab paint is very good, but numerous stone chips are on the paint that is under the front bumper,
and there is a tiny bit of surface on the inside of one wheel well. See the left front wheel well picture.
- three coin-sized chips in the gel coat on the left rear side from clipping a mail box and later a hose reel. Also
a 6" scrape above the left rear side marker. All damage can be seen in the left-rear close-up picture. All damage is purely cosmetic and do not cause any water leakage, or other concerns.
- Toyota front cab area interior is excellent
- under-hood is excellent
- interior portion of the camper is the ONLY REAL ISSUE. We've used the RV with the interior fabric hanging for 4 years now, but if I were to buy this RV from someone else, I would want to replace the carpet, wall & roof fabric. I looked into Line-X, a rubber spray-on pickup truck bed liner material. It comes in colors. It seems a great finish for the interior walls and ceiling. Cost is around $1000 to have it applied by Line-X. This is about the same cost as having new fabric and carpet installed. (Assuming "You" remove and reinstall everything)
- all cabinets & cushions are in fine condition, and can certainly last as long as the rest of the vehicle
- hardware was recently replaced, so cabinet doors open, close, and stay closed well, outside door good too
- I hate squeaks and rattles so our Mirage does not have any.
About all 1983 Toyota's Cab and Chassis (C&C)
The C&C was marketed specifically for motor home and utility truck manufacturers. C&Cs were not purchased as whole pick-up trucks. All C&Cs came without a rear hauling bed. All 1983s were equipped with the 2.4 liter, 4 cylinder, carbureted engine and also had California emissions. This engine produced 96hp, 4 less than a non-California emissions pick-up truck. The transmission choices were a close ratio 4-speed stick shift or a 3 speed automatic transmission. Included were bigger vented front brakes and a High Altitude Compensator. According to the service manual, the HAC advances the timing of the distributor so the engine starts and runs right at high altitude conditions above 3930 feet elevation. I can say it really does work well. Standard equipment on a C&C was the 4-speed stick shift transmission, tilt steering wheel, and a temperature gauge in the gauge cluster. The floor of the cab is a rubber mat with a thick insulation backing. Fuel economy was not given in the brochure I have. The cab comes 100% complete, and is equipped with bucket seats. I am not sure if the cab came with the rear wall or not. RV companies might have needed to cut out the rear wall to allow passenger pass-thru into the camper portion. Lastly, the 1983 C&C front marker lights adjacent to the headlights are clear, unlike the amber colored ones on the pick-up. This provides noticeable illumination for night driving.
All C&Cs produced from 1979 through 1983, had the rear axle and rear brakes of a standard pick-up truck. Motor homes using Toyota and other brand C&Cs were equipped with an unusual dual rear wheel where the outer wheel bolted to the inner wheel. The inner wheel bolted to the rear hub with 5 lugs. This design was later determined to be dangerous where a pair of wheels could fall off due to loosening lugs, or broken lug stems. RV companies blamed the vehicle manufacturers, and visa-versa for over-loading the chassis. Our Mirage never had this failure.
Each C&C maker handled this problem differently. Upon request of the C&C owner, Toyota supplied free-of-charge, a completely new rear axle, brakes, wheels, lugs, etc. See the picture supplied by Toyota.
We bought our Mirage NEW in the fall of 1983. The RV slowly developed handling problems beginning around 1991 which we tolerated until 1995. The vehicle wandered on the road though we would hold the steering wheel straight. In 1995, I contacted a local trunk frame & alignment company. The mechanic there told me of Toyota's free rear end.
I called Toyota and received a large envelope with the scoop on the situation from their prospective. I had to sign a waiver of responsibility for Toyota, and then they shipped a coffin-sized crate to the local truck frame shop. The axle is a true dual rear design like a semi-truck. It doubled the hauling capacity of the C&C, from 1/2 ton to one ton. All this documentation is included.
Along with the new rear axle & tires, we had the shop add new Bilstein shocks and a 10,000 lb. rated air ride suspension. The air ride included an on-board compressor with pressure gauge & controls located by the driver. The end result was a motor home that rides & handles like never before. Since 1995, this RV handles extremely well, even under high cross winds and during semi-truck passing. And there is never a concern of over-loading the RV, whether on vacation, or hauling very heavy things around town.
I have been getting questions about towing a small trailer like for a motorcycle. I understand the chassis frame can handle a class 1 hitch, but I am not 100% sure. None of my documentation says anything about it. My personal opinion is the over-all chassis can handle it, especially considering we upgraded the rear axle and also added the 10,000 lb. air ride kit. My concern is with the 2.4 liter 4 cylinder engine. I think pulling a trailer will decrease the gas mileage significantly, from excess wind drag and pulling weight. I'm sure it would work, but you may be very disappointed in the sacrifice in fuel economy and engine performance. Understand this vehicle gets 20mpg from it's aero-dynamic design, and from it's light curb weight.
Someone asked me specifics on rust now and historically. Here are the details.
- Rust around the front fendors. We had that front air scoop/running board thing you see in the sales brochure. It was an inferior product but I tolerated it until rust started forming where the scoop was pop rivited on the vehicle. Also there was rubbed-off paint on the face of the fendor from it, from road vibration. I threw away the scoop and took care of the rust, which was very minor surface rust. A very minor amount has returned on the driver fendor as you can see in that close-up picture. The passenger fendor has no rust today.
- Rust on the cab floor. About 12 years ago while doing an oil change, I noticed the floor of the cab was rusting where the front tires splash hard against. To completely remove the rust, I had to cut it out. The end result was a hole in each floor, about the size of a post card. To make proper repairs, I got thick aluminum plating and bent it to conform to the shape of the floor, covering way more than the size of the holes. Then I screwed the plating using many sheet metal screws. During this process, I applied a whole lot of roofing tar in between the plating and the floor to make a perfect seal. Afterwards, I tar'd the outside of the aluminum plating, and also the inside of the cab. I placed celophane wrap over the floor on the inside so the carpet would not stick to it. The outside is hardly noticed as the tar matches the undercoating of the rest of the cab. The oversized aluminum plating does an excellent job at protecting the splashing of the wheel to prevent a reoccurring problem.
- Frame Rust. The entire metal frame of the RV was rustproofed by Ziebart. As so many years have gone by, the Ziebart on the framing has flaked away, so there is now surface rust. See the pictures. The rust is superficial only and is NOT structurally threatening.
There is NO other rust on the vehicle. The door jambs are rust free, door hindges, firewall, etc. etc. etc. is excellent original Toyota factory paint.
Someone asked me about airport pick-up. I would be happy to pick the winning bidder up from Chicago O'Hare airport with the Mirage. Any other airport is too far for me. I will drive it back home so the winning bidder can be a passenger in the front and back to "Experience" the Mirage. Once we get to my place, you'll surely be able to drive it yourself.
Contact me for a current CarFax report. It clearly shows one owner, passing all Illinois emissions tests, and no accidents. It has the cleanest history possible.
I've been an active eBayer for a while now, with perfect ratings which I take very seriously. I surely don't plan to blemish them over the sale of our Mirage..
Ron