Looking at purchasing a Born Free...Need some advice

[the3eaglesons]

Hello All,

My family and I (wife and 4 year old daughter) are avid campers and feel there's no better way to spend family vacations than camping. Recently, we sold our pull behind camper, because we were interested in purchasing a motorhome, since when you travel with three females (we have a dog also), it's hard to make good time. I'm from the school of travel, where you only stop to get fuel; at that point is when you take care of everything else..women are different and like to stop at every 3rd exit even when they're only 3/4 mile apart...LOL Surprisingly, we sold our pull behind within 2 days of listing, so we didn't have a great deal of time to research motorhomes. With that said, I'm here seeking advice. I know as members of the Born Free club, most will rave and applaud the quality of born free. So, now for the advice part--we cannot afford a new unit, so we are looking at purchasing used. We've located several used models and have called on a couple. When looking at a used unit, what specifics should I look for? We also want to be able to pull a 4 door Jeep Wrangler behind a unit. If I purchased a diesel Born Free, would it efficiently pull the Jeep even through mountains and hilly terrain? When I say we want to take longer trips, it is our goal to camp at least one night in the lower forty-eight before our daughter graduates high school, so we will be traveling a great deal. We are looking for a unit, that when properly maintained and stored under a roof when not in use, will last a long time and provide years of use. The models we have inquired about are the rear side bed models, but none of them have a bed over the cab. One gentleman stated that he puts a cushion somewhere over the cab, where his child would sleep. With the images I've looked at, is there enough room to do that, and is it safe? Has anyone else done something similar? I know the couch folds down to make a bed, but at some point, my daughter might be interested in taking a friend, cousin, or grandparent. For those that have owned other models (class A or C), what sets Born Free apart from others? I'm sure there's a lot that I have left out, and I apologize for the length, but we have sacrificed to make this purchase and want to ensure we are as educated as possible before taking the plunge. Any and all advice is well appreciated, and if there is additional information to share, please do.

Many thanks, the Eaglesons

[robert newby]

You are looking at the Best Motorhome made, as you know.
We have twin beds that I had made. The overhead has never been used but would make a great bed for your daughter. Does the "Rear bed models " have room for a matress in the cab-over?
I have a diesel and pull a CT Cruser with no problems.

[Ray]

I have a 2001 26 rsb and pull a ford explorer with the triton v10 - I dont even know its back there, I dont have much experience with mountains, just the terrain of nova scotia is about as hilly as I have gotten and it did fine there. I am on the road - I will write more latter - ask any questions you have.

kinda sounds like a 26 rsb might be a good match for you - with cab over sleeping - theoretically you could sleep 6 with the jack knive couch - but tight

btw - your going to get allot of response's - and 99% from this forum will be right on spot - but, I would highly recommend that you be very cautious of what (deleted by bfadmin) says if he says anything - allot of times he just goes off the edge and dosnt exactly state reality.

latter - ray

[Laker]

Check Ben Davis RV in Auburn IN

Quality 2008 27' rear bath, under 50,000 miles, Auto levelers. Cab over bunk , power inclined bed, jack knife / sofa. Good tires with spare, double wardrobe and lots of storage.

Ask for Tim Warble and tell him Steve sent you. I was the previous owner and will answer any questions.
Good luck

[Ray]

Bill - (and others) I am sincerely sorry for my post above - and thank you Bill for deleting a portion (of this one). I meant my response to be a PM reply and not be view-able to the general forum population.

Again I apologize for my mistake. I will try to guide my fat fingers better in the future.

Ray

[dowellcj]

We moved up to a Born Free from a Pleasureway, a well made van camper. We wanted a bit more space, but, still wanted a compact, and maneuverable coach. We wanted a coach that would let us easily explore out of the way places, and camp in National and State Parks. We are now on our second Born Free. We put 88K miles on our first one in 6 years, and lived in it full time for 6 months while building a house. So far in 6 months, we've put 10k on it and overnighted about 100 days. We couldn't be happier with the coach.
The quality of a Born Free is significantly better than the other brands the last poster mentioned. Less expensive coaches are less well made. No roll bars, flimsy cabinets, cheaper finishes. Often, the interiors look like what is offered at a discount furniture place. No brand is perfect, we have had minor issues come up. But we have always had assistance from the factory for support in either fixing our problem, or assisting us in finding a place to get it fixed. We are always amazed when we talk to owners of other brands, when they tell us their tales of numerous service needs and issues. The number of folks who have 10-15 year old Born Free coaches, that still look great, and run well speaks volumes about their quality.
It does sound like a 27 ft. coach would be good for you, and I too second looking for the cab over bed option. You could also look for a 24 ft RSB with incline beds (twins) and a cab over.
We haven't had a diesel, but do tow easily with the gas engine. We have towed a Subaru Outback,and now a Honda CRV. Unfortunately, starting in 2015, Honda is no longer making vehicles that can be flat towed.
Keep looking, and keep asking questions.

Caryl Dowell