SHOVELDOG

Thanks. I had already drained the tanks, as winter isn't too far away here. On my old coach, the water pump was at the tank, haven't found it yet on this one. None of the literature we got with it tells us. Suspect it involves some disassembly on the left side in the basement bin where all the water & drain connections are.

The pump does run on, as to more than one switch, that I don't know. I figured it for the switch I could see as it didn't feel right. Turned the main off for now. I'll dig into the manual tomorrow & see if I can find another switch in the schematics. Thanks

Hello, 1st outing with the 1996 Allegro Bay was a success, until we were home a couple days. The water pump will no longer shut off with the rocker switch on the monitor panel which on our coach is built into the range hood. Have the hood pulled down from the stove and there appears to be absolutely no access to the back of the monitor panel. The hood appears to welded into a single piece and the plastic monitor panel snaps in from the front doesn't want to come out. Anybody familiar with this setup? Mike

Thanks all.

Will be joining FMCA shortly.

Love those old buses.

Our newly purchased gently used 34' Allegro Bay. 7.4 Vortec powered. We had class Cs previously, looking forward to hitting the road with a "tad" more room.

Perspective working against us in that shot, the dog house is behind the TV & easy to access. And by the way it is in our driveway. Runs smoothly & quietly on the highway. Fully expect a few things to pop up, as they do with most used vehicles, RVs in particular.

Unfortunately, that's not far off the mark.

Thanks to all. I know you guys prefer the diesels, and had that other one worked out, I'd have had one too. Have to say mostly because it and its owner was kind of special. The Vortec powered one in the picture above has an interior that presents as new, and with a good clean & polish the exterior will look pretty close to that too. 26K on the chassis, 120 hrs on the 7KW Onan, 2- roof a/cs, everything works, and clean underneath too. I know low miles are not necessarily a good thing, but this has just been serviced recently, and added some supplemental steering & suspension mods, then the current owner's health went south on him. He hadn't gotten around to the original tires yet, which I will have to do. If all goes well it will be in our driveway tomorrow night. BTW: That 40 footer wouldn't fit at the house, 34 does with a skoshe of wiggle room. While I prefer to keep our RVs at home, we may park it at a nearby storage facility when winter hits. Makes cleaning the driveway a lot easier.

Can someone tell me where to look for the VIN tag on a 1996 Allegro Bay? 34' Chevy 454 if that makes a difference. Thank you, Mike

Well, on the day I was going to go the bank & arrange the funds, the owner called and said he had someone who wanted to look at the bus. He called as I asked him to around 10:30AM. Unfortunately I mis-cued and gave him the home phone (he doesn't email), instead of my cell. Needless to say, by the time I got home for lunch & the message, it was gone. Real bummer as we had both fallen for it. Spoiled for Tiffins, I looked at a very clean 34' 1996 Allegro bay 454 powered today & will look at a V-10 powered 2000 Allegro 32' wide body with a V-10 later this week.

We are pretty close to pulling the trigger on the Allegro Bus. Gathering the funds, getting estimates on insurance, and other things. There is a good secure self-storage lot 2 miles away. That said, I am leaning toward keeping it at home where I can keep it on tenders in the winter months. The Bus is at least 8 feet longer and a bit bulkier than the old class C, so it will cramp us a bit until we retire. Snow-blowing around it won't be fun either. Included in the sale are 2 tow bars, and tho I have not examined them yet, with any luck, I can get a base plate for our Jeep Liberty to fit one of them. BYW a Cleveland area shop quoted me $500.00 for a general maintenance including oil & filters and a full chassis lube. Couple of over the road truck shops said no RVs and one suggested Camping World….HA! Suspect I can do better with some more looking. I think I will try the first one myself and decide from there. The current owner probably has some good thoughts on the subject. Mike

We are pretty close to clinching a deal on the Allegro Bus. Thanks to all who contributed to the conversation Mike

Thanks Joe.

Thanks Joe.

If I may jump in here, some of you may know me as the newbie who is considering buying an older Tiffin DP. Any recommendations for good shops NE Ohio, specifically Akron area? Herman, I take some comfort in your comments above, if the $275-350 quoted is the annual regular maintenance cost. To throw something else out there...... What should a brake job cost? Wheel alignment? Not needed now, but if I buy the thing, probably have it long enough to need them. The current owner of the Tiffin said the FMCA was very good outfit, and while he is old school....no internet, I see he was correct. I appreciate any & all comments. Mike

Joe, Coolant changed every three years, he specifically went over the 3 or 4 drain valves and the fill & bleed procedure with me. Had the engine covers off looking at the maintenance points there too. The man knows this thing inside & out. In most respects, it really is the perfect scenario everybody hopes to find when buying a used anything. No reservations about anything on this rig, but still, it nags me..... l wonder about the costs of keeping it on the road, paying for chassis maintenance. While I am handy and a middling shade tree mechanic, no diesel experience, and not a spring chicken. The coach end of it doesn't bother me.

34' we had it rolling at 70 today, no sweat, hills would take a toll sure, but the owners went from mid west to the west coast a couple of times towing a car. Asking low 20s, on the high side for something that old, but condition is unbelievable. Mike

Thanks Herman, but we are back east.

Hi, Not new to RVs, we sold our last class C three years ago. We are not in a position to buy a new coach-- are looking at 10 - 12 year old decent quality class A units. Today we inspected & drove a 1994 Allegro Bus DP, at least a grade above the others we are looking at, but older. 94k miles and in the hands of its 2nd owner since 1998, who was meticulous in its maintenance. Very clean inside & out with fairly recent full paint & decals, the roof & fittings were in great shape. We looked in every cabinet, door, hatch & cover, and found nothing but neat, orderly & ship shape everywhere we looked. New tires & recent batteries, water heater, reams of records & all the books. Many upgrades & add on features inside & out to make life easier, and everything worked. Oshkosh chassis, 230hp turbo Cummins, Allison 6 speed. It rode & handled nicely, very few rattles & squeaks. It really did seem ready to hit the road for the West Coast tomorrow. The older couple (members of FMCA) who own it said they will be sorry to see it go (I believe them). Advancing age is making the maintenance tougher for them, the husband did much of it including some relatively heavy stuff himself. Looking for thoughts & opinions. Thanks in advance. Mike