Possibly upgrading from TT to Class A

[George3037]

Considering upgrading from a 32' TT w/ 2 slides to a Class A Allegro Bay 35DA MH. I have found what seems to be a good deal on a 2002 Tiffin Allegro Bay model 35DA. Selling price is under NADA low retail. Owner is local to me (under 80 miles away) and has sent me many pics and original dealer invoice with options. It is built on the workhorse chassis and has the 8.1 Vortec and Allison, 5500W Onan gen set, leveling jacks, dome sat. dish plus orig. batwing ant, new HW heater, only 60K miles, LR and BR slides. Claims to have no roof leaks.

Owner is currently on vacation with his new MH and I'll be going to look at it next week.

I'll be checking all inside and out functions to make sure everything works. Check for any soft floors etc. Also checking all fluids, belts, hoses, antifreeze, tires, looking for leaks underneath.

Anyone have a MH with the workhorse chassis w/8.1 and Allison? Anything I should be aware of or look for.

[Horsedoc]

I like(d) each MH we have had. Sure is nice to fire up the genset and have coffee on a cold day, or pull over and make a trip to the john. Is this worth the difference in the price? Hmmmm? good question.

[crawford]

WOW look so clean I have to go out and wash mine but mine isn't a money pit mine is a Georgetown 34.4 that's the only problem I guess they the company didn't how to make a model name so they just say its a 34.4 LOL

[3_dog_nights]

Congratulations! Hope it's everything you want it to be.

[George3037]

Well, I made the deal and I'm now the owner and member of the money pit club. It has a few electrical gremlins I've been repairing the past few days.

1) BR slide sometimes worked/sometimes not, re-soldered some poor solder joints on the slide module.
2) R.F. ABS speed sensor bad - new one ordered
3) 12V power at door entrance wasn't working. Turned out the house batteries were shot - replaced them.
4) Also made a new steel plate to mount the 12V switches. The plastic one was broken.
5) Rewired power steps and installed a new switch.
6) Drivers door power window doesn't work. Found it's not getting power. Applied temporary power to motor and window works fine. Still have to trace wiring to find the cause of power loss. No fuses are blown.
7) Hours of general cleaning done.
😎 Sanded and polished headlight plastic lenses that were fogged over.
9) Pulled and cleaned taillight sockets that had some corrosion.
10) Crank up TV antenna needed to be lubed.
11) Going to replace hyd. jack return springs that are weak. Previous owner supplied them with the rig.
12) Tires are good this year but will need to replace them next year. And the list goes on.

Got it inspected today.

[angler]

Tiffin makes a great motorhome. Went from a 33 foot trailer to 35 foot motorhome(see sig). Less room for sure, but in my opinion the layout fit my needs better. They are expensive to fix if you can't do it yourself. Hard to find people to fix the chassis on older motorhomes
I've had mine for a couple years after running the gamut of rv's. Figure about 20% of the purchase price to fix stuff that's wrong with it. Awnings, Jacks, flooring, fluid changes ect. If you need tires you can add to that number.
It's a great way to travel though.

[wa8yxm]

I Can tell you what I think of the upgrade.
I went from a 13' Scamp TT to a 38' triple slide out Class A 14 years and change ago.. NICE (Bath and a half. 2 holes .. Now waiting)

Now as for the used model you are looking at.. All I can suggest is the same as others. Have a competent both drive train and RV technician fine tooth comb it.

I have seen a lot of "Excellent condition" RV's that were one step removed from the RV bone yard.

[3_dog_nights]

George3037, what ever the outcome of your search I hope it turns out right for you. Safe Travels!

[George3037]

Thanks 3 dog nights, I haven't figured out the Sq Ft difference yet as I haven't seen the MH in person yet. Really won't make too much difference to me, 80% of the time it will be just me. My DW doesn't camp much. I'm retired, she is not.

I want to take a trip to VA to visit kids/grandkids that I only see once a year and FL to visit a daughter/grandson and brother I haven't seen in almost 20 years and a MH will be much easier to maneuver on narrow streets and park in the driveways.

Who knows, the MH may turn out to have too much wrong with it to buy after I check it out. Pictures always look better than seeing it in person.

malexander, thanks for your input.

[malexander]

3 dog nights wrote:
my 5ver had 4 slides and 425 sq ft of room. So much storage we didn't use it all.
We were 65' bumper to bumper with the truck. Now we are 55' bumper to bumper with the jeep. We have far less storage and find that a 38' MH gives about 35' of living area,We find the cockpit area to be useless, although you can turn the chairs around, it's too much of a pain to fool with. With three slides (one is full body) we have about 325 sq ft of room. Not to mention the learning curve of driving the MH,and the fact that my wife can't ride in the passenger seat. Too nervous riding in the window over the bumper. Just saying, be careful what you wish for. It might be the right move for you but it was certainly regrettable for us.

Well, I had a '97 class c motor home. Traded it for a 5er with 4 slides, 1 1/2 bath, blah blah blah. I missed the "little" motor home the FIRST trip out in the 5er. Took WAY too long to get ready to go, WAY too long to set up. Wife & kids couldn't move around while in motion.
Had the 5er 5 years, traded it in for a Class A. We'll never go back to a trailer.

[3_dog_nights]

my 5ver had 4 slides and 425 sq ft of room. So much storage we didn't use it all.
We were 65' bumper to bumper with the truck. Now we are 55' bumper to bumper with the jeep. We have far less storage and find that a 38' MH gives about 35' of living area,We find the cockpit area to be useless, although you can turn the chairs around, it's too much of a pain to fool with. With three slides (one is full body) we have about 325 sq ft of room. Not to mention the learning curve of driving the MH,and the fact that my wife can't ride in the passenger seat. Too nervous riding in the window over the bumper. Just saying, be careful what you wish for. It might be the right move for you but it was certainly regrettable for us.

[George3037]

3 dog nights wrote:
Be careful what you wish for. We "upgraded" from a 40' 5ver to a 38' MH. Wanted to get rid of the Duelly, crew cab and just tow our jeep. Found everything we wanted and made the switch. Worst mistake we ever made. MH just can not compare to the living space of the 5ver. If all of your travels are 1 or 2 nights and moving on, might work for you. Our trips are 3-6 weeks in one spot.

What was different about the living space between your 5'er and MH?

The MH I'm going to look at has two slides, like my TT, and is 4' longer. Also has way more basement storage than TT.
All areas of MH can be used with slides in or out. TT could only be used to eat, use bathroom, shower or sleep with slides in (LR is not usable with slides in). MH is shorter (36') compared to almost 60' of truck and TT. Not sure what the downside would be.
Thanks for your input.

[3_dog_nights]

Be careful what you wish for. We "upgraded" from a 40' 5ver to a 38' MH. Wanted to get rid of the Duelly, crew cab and just tow our jeep. Found everything we wanted and made the switch. Worst mistake we ever made. MH just can not compare to the living space of the 5ver. If all of your travels are 1 or 2 nights and moving on, might work for you. Our trips are 3-6 weeks in one spot.

[garyemunson]

Best to inspect on a hot day. Slow roof and window leaks will get water inside the ceiling and walls and often do not show obvious stains. If it has that "old RV stink", it's been leaking. Wet insulation and wood is where that smell comes from. Most obvious when hot.

[IB853347201]

rgatijnet1 wrote:
I loved that combination on my coach. The engine and transmission worked well together and had plenty of power in the Western mountains. The engine is thirsty so expect somewhere around 8MPG on flat land while towing.

Agree whole heartedly! However on our 38 footer wish I could get 8 MPG. We're lucky to get much over 7!