A Lurker No Longer

[M & J]

After weeks of lurking I decided to join.
My wifey and I are avid off roaders with our VW rail buggy and many times spend the weekends riding the trails. We slept in the back of our 91 Blazer tow vehicle but being in our mid 50's we quickly switched to an SUV tent for more room. But cooler nights in the fall made that uncomfortable as well.

We started looking for a classic motorhome and found our 1987 Tiffin Allegro (I know Tina - "yea another Tiffin owner  "  ) we bought at an RV dealer in West Virginia. +


In 2005, the dealership in an advertising trade with an area radio station, completely stripped the interior leaving only the fridge and water closet (toilet and sink) in thier original locations. The sink and stovetop was relocated to where the shower was, a built in bench seat was installed where the kitchen was and "L" shaped seats/benches were installed where the bed and closet was. The entire interior was covered in foam padding and commercial grade vinyl on the walls and ceiling. The radio station had one sweet mobile studio and tailgating RV that served it well for over 5 years. That was perfect for us since we many times come in from the trails covered in dirt/dust/mud so no worries about getting cloth interior and carpet dirty. Everything either sweeps out or is sponged clean. The plus side of the coach is the dealership kept it in tip-top condition. The downside was it was parked for over a year after it was retired offered for sale. Plus no bed, oven, shower, drop down table, seats, sparse inside storage... So we sleep on an air mattress, installed a microwave and toaster oven and wash either at the kitchen sink or bathroom sink. The bias tires flat spotted some and will be replaced with radials in the spring. Someone forgot to drain the water heater so the tank split but I replaced it with a used unit from Visone RV Salvage (those guys are AWESOME btw), reworked the roof top antenna and wiring, cleaned the genny carb since it sat with fuel in it and now runs great. I also replaced the swiss cheesed rear tube bumper with a 1/4 " steel tube more than capable of pulling the 16' tandem trailer used to haul the rail buggy. I upgraded the Tstat to a Hunter just this week.

The radio station also had the coach painted black and covered it with decals promoting thier station and the university where it was used for tailgating. We have removed them all except along the sides near the top where it reads "URBAN ASSAULT VEHICLE" in foot high letters. With us being rock and roll fans and her history as a radio station studio, we named her "Black Betty" (bam a lam). We've taken her out twice - once without and second with the buggy in tow and we got looks, stares - pointed at and many thumbs up.

I am amazed at what an RV adds to camping. No more setting up tents, canopies, awnings, bedding, cook stove, coolers etc. Out for a weekend is basically a 3 step process. Park, plug in, opening the awning and open the brewskis. Ok that's 4 but still: why did we wait so long before getting one?
I'm long winded I know but I wanted to bring our new friends (or soon to be) here up to speed. This forum as a great find and I"ve learned much just visiting and lurking. I do have questions but this is enough for now. Ya'll take care and be safe.

[Oz]

Welcome aboard!  We'll certainly enjoy any and all tales you have to tell as well as the "finer things" of your RVing experiences along the way.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Excellent!  And welcome to the forum!  I'm glad another longwinded member is here...lol!  I get tired of rereading my own longwinded posts...lmao!


Kev

[tiinytina]

Now for Pictures!!!!! Welcome!!!!
Tina

[LJ-TJ]

 i?? Well shoot why should you stop prattling on now. Glad to have you a board. WHERE'S the PICTURES? D:oH! Oh yeah WELCOME. We have a philosophy here which is the only dumb question is the one you don't ask.

[moonlitcoyote]

Welcome aboard, cant wait to see pictures!

[M & J]

Dang. Beatup the new guy. I posted pictures 3  days ago.....  check the Black Betty  folder.