We found our new RV. This post is a follow up to our changing from one RV to another. What did we find when shopping and what made this one a winner? First, this is a 2008 Tiffin Bus. We had very knowledgable friends recommend this model. Our friends are also on board for lots of questions in the future. One friend has a 2006 Tiffin Bus and the other has a 2008 Tiffin Bus. We also had some people recommend other RV brands that were about the same age. We don’t know enough about other brands to evaluate them, so we remained with Tiffin.
Our new RV is a 2008 Tiffin Allegro Bus.
We started this up-grade question with a different RV in mind. Our initial focus was Tiffin Phaeton. The biggest difference between the Phaeton and a Bus is the location of the radiator, the Bus has a side radiator and the Phaeton has a rear radiator. Prices between a Tiffin Bus are slightly higher than a Phaeton, but labor costs, if we ever need an engine repair or to do required maintenance, like changing a belt, will be hundreds of dollars less. Another measure of the difference was fuel capacity for a Phaeton is 100 gallons, the bus carries 150 gallons of fuel. More fuel capacity means fewer stops for fuel.
Floorplan
The floor plan for our 40QRP was not our first choice of 2008 Tiffin Bus floor plans. The one big, obvious thing that is missing is a second bathroom sink. The missing bathroom sink will require some adjustments. Tami loves the King size bed and we are both happy about not going to the laundromat. You will notice that we have four slide outs including an extra one in the bedroom that makes walking around the bed easier. Since the RV is longer and includes a washer and dryer we also get a big closet. The other addition to the length is associated with the refrigerator and living area.
Interior
We think the floor plan and interior appointments are very nice. I’m looking forward to the recliners and the desk. Behind the recliners is extra cabinets and the dining room cabinet is arranged for a computer desk. It also has a space for laptops both of our laptops and a printer. I will no longer have to sit in the passenger seat and I will no longer have to balance the printer on the dash-board.
The interior has lots of very nice things including a factory-installed refrigerator and stacked washer/dryer. The refrigerator is twice the size of our previous refrigerator. The freezer portion of the refrigerator will jump from the size of three shoeboxes plus miniature ice maker to about 10 shoeboxes.
This RV started life as a very expensive RV but with age dropped in value to the point that made it affordable for us. A running joke among RVers is that the most expensive RVs only sleep, two people — we do have a little sleeping area on the couch but I think sleeping in a recliner would probably more comfortable.
Factory Options
This RV came from the manufacturer with extra batteries, a bigger inverter, two solar panels, and a residential refrigerator. I anticipate enlarging the solar dramatically and hopefully more than tripling the battery capacity.
And I love the color, it is the same color as the dirt.
You can read a little about our old gasoline-powered RV a Tiffin Allegro 34TGA at this link.
Yay!!! I’m so happy for you guys and all that living space.
Wow! Beautiful coach! We know several people who have Buses and they love them. And, IMHO it’s good to stick with Tiffin rather than trying out an unknown brand. I’m sure it’ll be quite the puzzle trying to figure out where to fit everything, but you’ll certainly have much more carrying capacity now. Looks great! Enjoy!!
Congratulations! She’s a beauty, Can’t go wrong with a tiffin>
Looks nice, you will enjoy the extra space and especially the residential frig.
That’s beautiful!
You did a great job of prioritizing your requirements. We are looking for the same requirements; room to live comfortably without having too much vehicle.
We both want a full-size‘ fridge, and washer/dryer.
I’m all-in on an older air-ride diesel pusher – here’s why; we had a DEF pump go bad on a brand new tandem-axle Mack dump truck recently. Even though the replacement pump was covered under warranty (although labor, conveniently was not) it still knocked the truck out of service for 10 days and required a 1/2 day on each end getting the truck back and forth to the dealer’s shop. Having DEF is just one more headache and potential failure point that I will go out of my way to avoid.
We love having our clothes washer and dryer but I have to caution you. Don’t get a combo unit and make sure the dryer is vented outside.
Hoping not to jink myself. I think my washer may be the first appliance to die. It is just a pain to get going.
We have an Allegro Bus 42QRP that we bought in April 2018 and are now full-time. We spent quite a bit of money getting the rig updated. Our Rig is called “The Old Lady” and she has never let us down. We have been through Red Bay 3 times in the past 12 months to get work done. We love Red Bay and Tiffin Motorhomes!