There’s little doubt that old Toyota trucks are immensely popular right now. They have proven to be desirable for a few different reasons: one, nostalgia is powerful and many GenXers (and folks on either side of that era) have fond memories of their durable Hilux pickup that was used for work, school, or both. In addition, you can use a vintage Toyota pickup as both a classic that will get thumbs up at Cars and Coffee as well as an everyday hauler. This 1987 Toyota Sunrader is a rare R/V conversion that also sports a rarer-still turbocharged 4-cylinder engine and 4WD. Check out this unicorn here on eBay for $69,500 or best offer.
Feast your eyes on the interior, which looks like a modern Japanese apartment versus the cramped confines of a compact camper. The Toyota is claimed to be one of only 26 4WD Sunraders made, and although I have no hard evidence of those numbers, I also believe that figure given how ridiculous this combination of options is. In the 1980s, there were a variety of these light-duty camper conversions made, with Toyota, Nissan, and Isuzu all providing solutions for anyone looking for a motorhome that could fit in compact spaces. Of course, you had fairly humble powertrains powering these heavier-than-stock conversions, so the 22RTE was a possible solution to that problem.
However, the 22RTE was not exactly a reliable engine. Toyota rolled out the turbocharged mill as a way to provide better performance before it began offering the 3.0L V6. From what I’ve read, the turbocharged 4-cylinder with the CT20 turbocharger encountered issues around 40K-50K miles due to a poor oil return design. Of course, you can remedy this issue by going to an aftermarket turbocharger from the likes of HKS, which could also provide a performance boost as well. The seller notes that this engine, with 101,000 miles, was torn down and rebuilt in July 2024.
The interior on this Toyota, like the living quarters, is in immaculate condition. The dash shows no cracks, the seat upholstery is near mint, and the carpets look great. Part of this is due to the seats being redone with new leather and professionally repaired, and the seller also discloses that the living quarters (which sleeps 3-4 close friends) has been completely restored with the addition of “….2 solar panels, battery and inverter to ensure the battery stays charged.” Overall, this Toyota seems to benefit from the best of everything, and a very well-executed overhaul. If you ask me, it’s worth every penny.
Very cool rig. Good write up Lavery. Fresh rebuilt motor is nice. And as Jeff said everything on the inside looks pretty great for near 40 yr old.
This is a beautiful truck in great condition. But, it’s still a used RV, I think there are better choices available for $70,000. Being 5 hours from the Gulf a small one bedroom condo can be had for not much more, and you can rent that out.
Maybe I’m just out of touch with todays reality.
LOLI was going to say, you’re not very far off from a condo at that price in many places. But you have to admire the effort to keep it nice.
Well, I’m in love. What a fantastic little couples camper this unit would be. But, in agreement with oilngas who posted above me, for that price, other options may be more fiscally attractive.
Oilngas, a condo won’t satisfy wanderlust or allow you to outrun a Gulf Coast hurricane.
I love it.
If I were young and single (and rich)…. Alas, none of those things are true.
Moving on, reluctantly, one can’t possibly expect someone who enjoys $8,000 cabovers, to be in the same gear with a $70,000 RV. Be that as it may be, this rig has a lot of good going for it. AWD, dual rear wheels, turbo for more power, and in this case, the stick is much preferred over the automatic, if even offered. The camper part is pretty standard looking, and I can’t find an original price, but this is clearly on the high end here. This rig was featured here 4 years ago, with a $49,500 price tag. Funny, I said the same things then. It’s overpriced for those who might actually enjoy this. Upon researching, there are much cheaper ones.
HoA-
At that price,I’m guessing the cabin smells of the hippie lettuce.
Wow, 69k? Maybe 20k max on a good day Wow!
I think this is really cool, but rare does not always equal valuable. As a camper I could buy a Class C with far more room, far more power, slideouts, full bath etc for the same money.
It’s a neat find, but I’m going to guess there’s a reason that it’s rare. I can imagine toting around that sail in the bed with a 4 cylinder while the engine is also carrying the weight of the 4wd system and dual rear tires. I’m sure the turbocharger helps, but if the power of the turbocharged mill was similar in output to the 3.0 liter V6…maybe it didn’t help enough. I like old Toyota trucks with 4 cylinders and 5 speeds. They’re good for a lot of things, but I don’t think camper rigs/RV’s is one of them.
I have had the misfortune of being behind some of these small underpowered rigs that always seem to find some extra speed when you approach a safe to pass space. This may be great when camping but a hazard on the road.
The hazard are the drivers who think they own the road.
Nice example. I worked for a guy who spent a year with his wife traveling the U.S. in a Toyota based motorhome. (Sans turbo). The liked it, and enjoyed it- less and less as the year wore on. This is a nice curiosity, seriously overpriced IMHO- but I’m not in the market anyway. It’s
Had and 86 with the Turbo and Automatic. I put over a 100,000 miles on it without any issues with the Turbo. Other issues started to crop up. Short somewhere caused the radio to work when it wanted to. If I could have afforded it I would have rebuilt it, but it didn’t make economic sense.
My brother-in-law let me borrow his Sunrader with an older 20R motor. My wife and 3 kids had a blast even as small as it was.
Little people, Big world. Billy Barty’s RV.
Got stuck behind one like this in Colorado & it was really struggling in the Mountains, it’s cute, but 70K no thanks.
It is really cool. I want to rent it for the weekend to see how it really performs in the real world.
This 87 Toyota RV is cool, but it ain’t $69k cool. That’s nuts. You may be able to make a good down payment on a condo for that price. Cool, but crazy price.
Cool, YES.
Neat, YES.
Overpriced, YES.
But how can you guys compare this to a condo?
Similar prices, maybe, but a R/V moves, a condo doesn’t.
I thought 86 was the only turbo model. I learn something here everyday.
I personally would hack off that camper and return it to a dually 4×4 pick up.
I’d love to have an 87 Toyota dually with 4×4 without this RV camper setup. These year Toyotas trucks are very desireable.. 22Rs and 22RTEs are solid little engines. But can you imagine how sluggish this 4 banger RV would be going with up on mountain roads? No thanks.
Entry and exit from the cab is more annoying than you would think.