arpijay

We have a 2008 Tiffin Phaeton and have been very pleased with the quality of construction. We went from a pickup + travel trailer to a 40 foot diesel pusher, so I can't tell you the difference between a Class-C and a Class-A except for being longer and taller. I didn't have any experience with diesels before we bought ours and have made the transition with no significant problems. Do make sure that all of the proper maintenance for the engine and transmission has been performed. The diesel engines and transmissions in an Allegro can last just about forever but lack of maintenance can reduce their lifetime to zero and repairs on them are very, very costly. If you do buy it make plans to go to Camp Freightliner in Gaffney, SC. I went a couple months ago and learned more about proper care of my motor home in two days than I had learned in the entire previous year. Tiffin has a reputation for standing behind their products. We visited the factory in Red Bay, Alabama last Fall for what we thought would be a set of minor repairs. Their initial inspection brought to light several major warranty issues that we hadn't known about which they repaired at no cost. I don't know if a 2005 model would still be under any kind of warranty but the work done at Red Bay is reasonably priced. Also, I hope you know that the dealer is not your friend. Our dealership lied to us about having performed complete engine and transmission maintenance on our motor home before we took it home. When we were in Red Bay we had it inspected at Bay Diesel and found that no significant maintenance had been performed since the motor home had been manufactured. Fortunately there was no damage. Since the dealership hadn't put it in writing there wasn't much we could do except have Bay Diesel completely catch up on all necessary maintenance ($1500). Good luck!

Fall color starts in the far northern part of New England in mid to late September and peaks about two weeks later. Mid-October is more or less peak time near the White Mountains in New Hampshire and about a week later in southern New England. That said, the starting and peak times vary somewhat every year based on how much rain trees get during the year and how cold it is. Two spectacular areas to think about are the Kankamangas Highway in New Hampshire (southern edge of the White Mountain Range) and the Northern Berkshires (Mount Greylock area) in Massachusetts. Roads in both locations are winding and on the narrow side so camp nearby and use your toad for sightseeing. There will be a lot of other "leaf peepers" out sightseeing so campsites can sometimes be hard to get. Definitely make reservations for Columbus Day weekend now. Most New England campgrounds start closing after Columbus Day so plan accordingly. We use I-81 and avoid New Jersey and metropolitan New York as much as possible. Pick up I-84 near Scranton, PA and follow it into Connecticut. Use I-691 to get onto I-91 south of Hartford, CT (I-84 through Hartford is a white-knuckle drive). After that either I-91 the rest of the way if you are going up into Vermont or pick up I-84 again in Hartford to go into New Hampshire or Maine.

If you go with a tow dolly don't forget to buy a good pair of knee pads! You'll find out why the first time you have to hook or unhook in gravel or mud! That said, we use a tow dolly that folds up (Demco KarKaddy SS) and have had to do that only once in the last year and a half to fit into a site.

I took my Texas Class B license test in April and the examiner checked the weight class on the registration, but I don't know if this was just to make sure I was applying for the right kind of license or not. Your best bet is to call and find out. Do you know where you are going to get your license? I got mine in Livingston (about 70 miles north of Houston), which is where the headquarters of the Escapee's club is located. The examiners there are very familiar with people getting Class A or Class B non-commercial licenses for their RVs and were very friendly and accommodating. I've heard from posters in other forums that this is often not the case in other DMV locations in Texas. Good Luck! Richard, Susan and Mr. Meowto our bipolar Siamese Tiffin Phaeton 40QDH, Ford Transit toad