2008 Tiffin Allegro M-32BA

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BinaryBob

BinaryBob

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I might be ready to make my first offer on a private seller..

one owner 2008 Tiffin Allegro 32ba, 16,000 miles, Gas Engine 340HP, 8.1L V8 on a Workhorse Chassis, Allison Transmission, Aluminum RV wheels, 5.5 kW Onan generator, 2 auxiliary batteries, 110 v/12v converter, driver's side door w/power window, in motion satellite dish, 2 flat screen tv's, back-up camera and monitor, steering stabilizer, front and back heavy duty sway bars, single CD AM/FM stereo, 2 slide outs, pull out sleeper sofa with air mattress, booth dinette, solid surface countertops, medium Alderwood solid cabinet raised panel doors and drawer fronts, double, electric step, manual patio awning, 3M Film, 50 amp service, 35,000 BTU ducted furnace, day/night pleated shades in living area, trailer hitch, rock guard. Also included Blue Ox tow bar and Macerator Pump. For more specifics on what makes a Tiffin Motorhome, go to tiffinmotorhomes.com - MUST BE SEEN ? no pets, smoke free, stored inside when not in use. $59,900 BO

Just found it on the net. Located 100 miles away. Floorplan looks great. Seems to be in great shape. NADA (if at all relevant) is $49,000-$59,000.  Tiffin seems to have a good rep? Any thoughts? Comments? Perhaps offer low 50's?
You guys remember cutting your teeth on your first offer? Need words of wisdom.... :)

edit: and if you would pass on this, I wouldn't mind knowing why too!
 

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Tiffin is a fine rig!! The customer service at the factory is second to none. Even with an older coach out of warranty you will get support and do not be suprised if Bob Tiffin him self answers the phone (owner)

As far as that coach, the tires will have 2-3 years left on then, Go see it. Take a check list from our library with you. Anything you dont feel good about is a haggle point.

I can't say that I would pass on that one, I would try it at 45k ad go up to 50k max.

Steve
 
Thanks Steve.
I'm gonna do just that.
Don't know about the rest of the country, but up here having it stored inside in winter seems to be a big selling point.
 
NADA low retail (no options) is $51,500.  $50K would be a great price IMHO.  As Steve said, take your
checklist and be sure to checkout all major components, a/c, refrigerator, genset, etc. 
 
Two things that jump out to me...

1) suspecting that's a gas generator on a gas coach, really exercise that generator and check the service record. I see a lot of posts on Onan gas generators having bad fuel, gummy carbs, don't run after they start, etc. Everyone, including me, loves their Onan's but servicing one is key.

2) check the Tiffin website for experience with that model, especially on recalls. Several friends have had some slide issues, floor issues, etc. that are well documented, and that doesn't extend to all models. See if they have had service in Red Bay at the factory and for what. Good maintenance records wouldn't hurt.

That's low average mileage and you should suspect the usual things, like old fuel and filters, radiator gunk, weathered hoses, and of course batteries and tires.

Good luck - look hard, look long!
 
I have a Tiffin Allegro Bus DP.  The website for tiffin motorhomes is:  http://www.tiffinrvnetwork.com/    You can search for a specific model, ask questions and read past posts regarding the model you are researching.  They are pretty forthcoming on that site.  It is not owned by Tiffin Manufacturing.

The manufacturing shop in Red Bay. Alabama can fix all issues.  The coaches are built and repaired at the same facility.  They can also do remodel, repaint work etc.  They used to take reservations, but I've heard that now it is just first come first serve; with a full hook up campground on site.

As mentioned the thing we like the most about a Tiffin product is that we can call Tiffin and talk to a service rep.  He can trouble shoot problems with us and they will send you any piece or part that you need. 

Have fun!!!

Marsha~


 
Tiffin has cut back on access to their factory service center in Red Bay. It was simply overwhelmed with customers, either because the service is so great or the recent quality issues have generated more traffic than they can handle. Perhaps both.

As I understand it, only coaches in for warranty repair can get an appointment; older coaches are done on an as-time-permits basis. You go in, register and wait/hope to get in. Maybe a Tiffin owner with recent experience at Red Bay can give more details. They also added an off-site RV parking area for non-warranty stays and are charging for each site. Quite a few shops have put a modest charge on their customer campsites - it seems that abuse of the privilege was/is rampant.
 
I have friends there, even as we speak, who waited two weeks for a front cap to be readied, then drove to Red Bay from Texas, expecting to move right along. Then they waited two weeks to get in the bay at $20 a day, and no water connection (winter), spent another week in the paint bay, and now their fourth week in extended warranty work. The length of time receiving service was not the issue, but the time waiting was.

They were told the new policy is that coaches under warranty (two years maybe?) could make appointments, everyone else was left to hang out until there was an opening.

What they were really agitated about was the two weeks, begging to know when they could expect a shot in the bay, and not getting an answer.

This is not an indictment of Tiffin service at all, but a customer courtesy problem. I would like to believe a $15,000 repair waiting at the door might deserve a little better treatment, but then I see this kind of customer care (or lack thereof) in many places, not just in the RV business. I would like to believe, as would all Tiffin owners, I am sure, that this was just a perfect storm of time of year, customer demand, etc.

Tiffin owners are fiercely loyal and I get that, especially in comparison to some of the others, but I think the golden days of service and support may be few and far between. As owners, we have to budget our time accordingly. We are not in control of our service destiny.

 
The biggest problem Tiffin has had over time is that all the snowbirds going to and from Florida were stopping in to get simple things done like oil changes.  They were filling the bays and taking appointment times blocking the warranty and "needed work done" customers.  Appointments were often made a year in advance. 

There are several Tiffin owners here in the park we are staying and we've talked; no one has had trouble at Tiffin in Red Bay over the last couple of years, so I'm not sure what is going on.  I haven't been to the Tiffin owner's website in the last year or so.  Think I'll head over there and see what they are saying.

Gary, they have always charged for their camping sites, that's nothing new.  And the overflow area is just that, a big dry camping area right near the campground and close to the working bays.

Marsha~
 
Aiming to buy at NADA low retail would be really good. Pictures can be deceiving but from the one shown it looks to be really nice on the outside, that building is great! Tires are probably not far off so that should be considered in making a deal. Personally, if I was to go over low retail it would be for something like this: good builder and stored indoors.

Last week a local dealer listed a 2008 Winnie that has lived outdoors in FL and it looked terrible in comparison to this Tiffen.
 
Bob...

Assuming everything is working and the coach has no leaks, damage etc., I think your offer is reasonable. I've owned my '99 Allegro since 2000, and it's been a great MH for us. We didn't buy it out of brand-loyalty or because anyone recommended it, it just suited our family's RV needs at the time. It's been very reliable and pretty easy on the pocket-book to own. I don't have any personal experience with the factory service center in Red Bay, simply because I've never needed it (I think that's a good thing), but I'm quite sure Tiffin has had to tighten its belt and make some changes over the past few years to keep the cash-flow going. (What RV manufacturer hasn't? At least they're still in business.) Personally, I wouldn't hesitate for a second to buy another Tiffin product.

Kev
 
Bob,

I've owned 2 Allegro gas coaches in the past before buying my current coach and both were good coaches.  I like the Tiffin products and would have bought a diesel pusher from Tiffin if I had found one before the one I bought.  Sounds like your offer is reasonable if the coach is in good condition and the tires are not too old.  Many 2008 coaches are built on 2007 chassis with tires as old as the chassis, so they could already be 6 years old and would need to be replaced within a year or so.  Be sure and check the date codes to make sure of the age.

Dan
 
[quote author=Marsha/CA]... the overflow area is just that, a big dry camping area right near the campground and close to the working bays.[/quote]

No different from the Monaco service centers we've visited.

Meanwhile, it might be worthwhile to drop a note to the head honcho to see if he has plans to resolve the backlog, and to let him know his company is being talked about  ;)
 
Meanwhile, it might be worthwhile to drop a note to the head honcho to see if he has plans to resolve the backlog, and to let him know his company is being talked about 
Click to expand...

I could do that.  I could also remind him that one of his sons married one of my cousins..... ::)  Naw, that would just complicate the issue.

Marsha~
 
In the interest of full disclosure and fairness, my friends have just left the Tiffin lot and the taste in their mouth has abated. They were pleased with the work, I saw the pictures, and I think they are none the worse for wear.

The was a brief flurry on the Tiffin Facebook page on this very issue for this customer, but I am told that Tiffin is not "email" oriented. In this day and time, I think that's a customer service faux pas not unlike overburdening your customers will a telephone call center that never returns calls. Being in the call center business, though, colors my judgment.

For the original poster, though, this is just a lot of background noise, and I hope Bob is getting the feedback he needs on the value and features of the coach he is looking at.
 
In fairness, getting a new front cap installed is not something you just fit into an opening in the schedule.  It is a major undertaking, requiring multiple techs of various skills and  at least two separate areas of the work shop (body work, painting, electrical wiring, windshield install, head lamp aiming, etc).  However, I am kind of surprised they did not insist on an appointment for that level of work. For their own shop scheduling purposes, if not for the customer's benefit!
 
Gary,

They had to order the cap built, waited for two weeks while it was being prepared,  totally understood the complexity, and wanted the factory to perform the installation and repairs. Then they were told to come to the shop to have it installed. The appointment was implied and when they got there from Texas they were ignored. And I mean for days. You are going to have a very difficult time explaining to any reasonable person how that's not a bunch of bull.

They insisted and were ignored. For days. It has nothing to do with complexity of repair. It has to do with communicating with your customer and giving them updates. It's called managing expectations. It's obviously a lost art.

Fortunately, for all involved, it's over and they are happy to be on the road and are now satisfied. I suppose that's all the needs to be said.

Kim
 
skyking4ar2 said:
For the original poster, though, this is just a lot of background noise, and I hope Bob is getting the feedback he needs on the value and features of the coach he is looking at.
Click to expand...

When the learning curve is vertical, as in my case, I don't think there's such a thing as background noise. I'm taking everything in. Can someone explain what a "new front cap" is?
 
Can someone explain what a "new front cap" is?
Click to expand...

Here's a photo of a front cap, although it's for a Monaco coach. Ignore the steel frame around it, but the cap is the entire front fiberglass part of the body.
 

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