Community Forums

IlliniCathy · 08-29-2015, 12:24 AM

We sold our Gulfstream DP and are looking to upgrade. We are considering Allegra bus, Phaeton or zephyr used units. We are concerned about Phaeton lack of tag axle and lesser HP for pulling a small toad if we go west into mountains. Could you owners give us some guidance if that is valid concern? Also where would you suggest looking for used units? Anything to avoid or anything to jump on if we find it? Is now the best time to buy or should we wait til weather is colder? Lots of questions. Thanks in advance for your help!!

Hayman · 08-29-2015, 04:52 AM

Check out TRVN the Tiffin owners forum where in the classifieds there are a lot of Tiffins for sale. Good Luck !

Teacher's Pet · 08-29-2015, 06:20 AM

No tag on our Phaeton....We tow a 2003 Sport Trac at over 4000 pounds it replaced a 1996 GEO Tracker 4Dr 4X4 that weighed in at about 2600 pounds. No great difference in towing the mountains of WV with a 5 mile 7% grade. Now when stopping you can tell a difference, the Sport Trac pushes a great deal more, the Patriot Braking System takes care of that.

PDGotro · 08-29-2015, 06:31 AM

M/M Ashworth- Read you currently own a Tiffin but you have an Entegra on order. Would you share the reason why you did not order a Tiffin (experienced problems, etc). Thank you in advance!

srh · 08-29-2015, 06:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IlliniCathy

We sold our Gulfstream DP and are looking to upgrade. We are considering Allegra bus, Phaeton or zephyr used units. We are concerned about Phaeton lack of tag axle and lesser HP for pulling a small toad if we go west into mountains. Could you owners give us some guidance if that is valid concern? Also where would you suggest looking for used units? Anything to avoid or anything to jump on if we find it? Is now the best time to buy or should we wait til weather is colder? Lots of questions. Thanks in advance for your help!!

Here is a 2007 Zephyr seemingly priced right 2007 Zephyr 45QSZ for Sale - D181 - PPL Motor Homes

Both the Phaeton and Bus are good. I used to have an 06 Phaeton and then an 07 40' Bus. The Bus was better interior, woodwork, Aqua Hot. The Zephyr, by far is top of the line of Tiffin Products. You wouldn't go wrong with any of the three.
Good Luck with your search!

Melmoses · 08-29-2015, 07:21 AM

We have a 2009 40' Phaeton with 360hp Cummins engine. We travel towing a Jeep Wrangler. No tag axle. We have had no issues in the mountains. No mh is going to fly up a mountain and we accept that but ours doesn't creep either. We have been east coast to west coast with no issues over any mountains at all. One thing to consider is braking. The Phaeton have exhaust brakes while the Bus and Zephyr have two stage Jake brakes. Higher torque engines climb a little faster. Tag axles are steadier in winds but that means something above a 40' in Tiffins. Ours has been such a great coach with only a few minor issues we plan on keeping it a long time. Floor plans mean a lot so think carefully about that also. Good luck!!

luvlabs · 08-29-2015, 08:32 AM

I suppose it comes to what your budget is and what you really want in a coach. The Phaeton, Allegro Bus, and Zephyr all fit a niche. You can kind of the think of the three models you mentioned as the Buick, Cadillac, and Mercedes of motorhomes. They will all get you where you want to go, you will be comfortable, and the only difference is the furnishings.

Neither of your concerns are valid. Phaeton horsepower is either 360 (Cummins ISC), 380 (Cummins ISL), or 450 (also Cummins ISL). Torque is 1000 - 1200 ft/lbs. Any of these engines has more than enough power to take you anywhere you want to go and tow just about anything.

Phaetons can be had in lengths of 36ft, 40ft, 42ft (tag) to also 45ft (new for 2016).

Hayman · 08-29-2015, 05:46 PM

David & Paula,

The 09 Bus is our 5th motorhome in about 35 yrs all of which were 2nd hand or more and since we went full time last year we decided to purchase new this time and hopefully get what we believe to be the best motorhome for our hard earned dollars.
We knew we wanted a 45' tag and considered American, Entegra, Newmar & Tiffin. We rather quickly ruled out American and Newmar both fine units but they didn't seem to hit us the right way so that left Entegra and Tiffin.

Tiffin in the 45LP or OP is an awesome floor plan in fact honestly in our opinion the 45 OP IS THE BEST floorplan in this price point class BUT we wanted a coach that was better insulated , fewer slideout drafts and cooler upper cabinets then what we have experienced with our Bus.

If you are not aware certain year ( ours in those yrs range ) Tiffins have had roof rail issues, wet bay floor issues and slideout floor issues. All covered by Tiffin BUT we really don't want to make the trek to Red Bay with a no appointment factory service center policy.

We believe that Entegra provides a better insulated, tighter slideout box construction and better engineered/designed product for basically the same price and has a factory service center appointment process plus a 2 year warranty with a return to the factory for a PDI at warranty expiration.
The new floor plan ( Anthem 44A ) is close enough to the Tiffin 45OP that it will work for us.

Honestly only time will tell after we take delivery as we all know these beasts can have their issues !

If you have more questions please feel free to PM me so we don't get off topic !

fla tom · 08-29-2015, 07:05 PM

Well said Brian you stated the reason very eloquently.

IlliniCathy · 08-30-2015, 10:08 AM

there are so many Phaetons available across the country with price differences of 40 k from coach to coach, ASide from obvious condition differences, are there other things we should be looking at when evaluating? Or is it worth extra $ to upgrade to Allegra bus? If we drive it west, will we need tag axle? The more I look, the more confused I become.

luvlabs · 08-30-2015, 11:06 AM

We live in the West, don't have a tag, and don't feel like we are missing anything. If you are worried about high winds, those generally happen for short periods during the year and later in the day. You can either wait them out or travel earlier and get off the road before they start blowing.

And you can't buy a Bus until you learn to spell Allegro.

IlliniCathy · 08-30-2015, 12:32 PM

LOl, my daughter's middle name is Allegra. An old family name, so you will have to forgive me!

Melmoses · 08-30-2015, 01:14 PM

Here is how I would start: first I would go to the Tiffin Motorhome website. They have brochures on that site for several years, not just the current new models. I would check out floorplans and pick the one I like the best from the drawings. After choosing a few floorplans, then I would focus on length of rig that matches the floorplans I like and the years that floorplan was offered. Next I would look at features- print out the brochures that give you specs like engine size, tire size, tank sizes, those brochures tell a lot. Make a must have list. This will narrow it down for you. For example, the Zephyr is only offered in 45'. That might rule out Zephyr's right off the bat.

Once you have narrowed it down a little, then start looking at real rigs. If one you are looking at has 2 ac's and you want 3 because you travel in the south, the that one is automatically off the plate. Look for what you want and don't settle for less. Having your basics down first is really important before actually looking. Otherwise you can drive yourself crazy.

You don't need to worry about the engines on a Phaeton or Bus. They will get you up & over a mountain just fine. You do need to read on the forums about issues on those models and years you are interested in. Just keep narrowing it down until you have a manageable list to really look at.

IlliniCathy · 08-30-2015, 05:17 PM

Mel,
that is excellent advice! There are so many choices out there for sale on line that I have been having q hard time keeping them straight. Much better to search for a specific model. thanks!