Toyota Coaster

Hi Karl

I have a 1987 Coaster done up as a motorhome. I get approx 20mpg on diesel.

I plan to eventually put in a 2nd tank so that I can travel further.

Peter

Karl

I have seen countless 70s Coasters on the road being used as mobile homes but not so much in recent years due to the age of them. It may prove difficult to find a good one but there is always the occasional meticulously maintained one being sold by an elderly couple who have owned it for years and have no further use for it so you could be lucky. Be careful though because a roughie could cost a fortune in repairs and that is just in areas like brakes or steering box before you even get to the engine, transmission or rear axle.

They do run fairly well on the road, possibly because they were designed to carry passengers, not general cargo, in both city and rural areas. I have driven a few 70s models on sealed roads but have done a lot of unsealed and even off track (no roads) driving in late 80s/early 90s models and thought they were excellent.

I can't help you with tank sizes but from memory there was a lot of space under them so it should not be a problem installing a second tank from something like a small truck.

The only fuel consumption test I ever did on them was on a four cylinder petrol model that I think had a 22R engine from memory. I did it out of curiosity because I expected it to use heaps of fuel but it consistently did 23 mpg with about 15 people on board and towing a four wheel trailer.

Diesel will usually give you the best fuel consumption but they can be expensive if they need major repairs.

The original Toyota engines from the 70s may run into valve problems on gas. The usual thing is the lead lubricated valve seats are too soft for the lead free gas and the valves sink rapidly into them closing up the valve clearance in the process which in turn will lead to burnt valves. Generally if the engine has been designed for unleaded fuel, the valves and their seats are usually ok on gas.