Future BF buyer in Texas?

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shadowcat410

Future BF buyer in Texas?

Post by shadowcat410 »

Hi, I am looking into buying a used Born Free, and I am trying to find one near me to take a look at. None are showing up in my area. However, would an owner of a BF in my area of DFW (Dallas / Forth Worth, not Down For Whatever :lol: ) mind if I got in touch with them and had a look at theirs? I am not so picky about size, I just want a general feel.

I am also looking at Lazy Daze and a few Winnebago's. But there's something about the BF that appeals to me.

Thank you in advance.
Angela
(RV newbie)
Covfam

Re: Future BF buyer in Texas?

Post by Covfam »

There is a new Born free dealer in texas named ancira i just got a email from BF the other day about them, they have a location near sanantonio and one near dallas-ft worth. i dunno what stuff they have at this time.

as for my personal experiences, ive owned 2 forest river products a pleasureway class b a nexus class c and a born free built for two, and i can say in my experience nobody else makes a unit to the same quality as born free besides pleasureway and pleasureway only makes class b's.
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Roger H
Posts: 653
Joined: Sat May 26, 2007 7:48 pm

Re: Future BF buyer in Texas?

Post by Roger H »

Hiya Angela!

There's certainly nothing wrong with Winnebago or LazyDaze motorhomes, but I've had a number of RVs over the years; most of them Airstream or Bigfoot including an Airstream 325 moho and 34' tri-axle trailer in Limited trim. I'm on my second Born Free. Not only do I find the Born Free coaches to be really high quality builds, but the factory service is unparalleled. As an example, while I was standing at a dealership in Illinois trying to buy the coach I have currently, I couldn't figure out how the air ride suspension worked, so I called Kim Olson (the service manager) at the factory in Humboldt and left a message on his voicemail about what info I was after. In less than ten minutes, Kim returned my call, looked the coach up by number, and told me exactly what I needed to know based on photos that he had in their database of my coach. Just TRY getting service like that from any other manufacturer!

I also have taken the coach back to the factory (which is convenient for me since I live in Iowa) and can attest to the quality of their in-house service work as well. They service all of their units, regardless of age.

The chassis are all the same in motorhomes, and the appliances and systems are all off the shelf and the same. It's the quality of design, construction, and service that differentiate one company from another.

Good luck in your search!

Roger
'06 Born Free 32 RQ Kodiak Chassis
(Former: '01 Born Free 23 RK)
Dinghy: '16 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon with a Blue Ox Aladdin tow bar.
Traveling with Sir Winston and Lady Rae (Cavalier King Charles Spaniels)
shadowcat410

Re: Future BF buyer in Texas?

Post by shadowcat410 »

Thanks Roger! That's what lead me to a BF over the others, plus they just look nice. Although a nice, quality rig, the LD's are a little too big and boxy.

I wish I could rent a BF for a week, that would be great!

I saw the San Anton dealership but their website doesn't show much but I'll call them and ask if they have anything to look at. I can't afford any newer models, mine will have to be mid to late 90's to early 2000's. And finding one w/ low miles (with the overhead bunk) has proven to be challenging, but not impossible.

Looking forward to joining you all as a Born Free owner! :D
shadowcat410

Re: Future BF buyer in Texas?

Post by shadowcat410 »

Covfam wrote:There is a new Born free dealer in texas named ancira i just got a email from BF the other day about them, they have a location near sanantonio and one near dallas-ft worth. i dunno what stuff they have at this time.

as for my personal experiences, ive owned 2 forest river products a pleasureway class b a nexus class c and a born free built for two, and i can say in my experience nobody else makes a unit to the same quality as born free besides pleasureway and pleasureway only makes class b's.
Wonderful. That's what I like to hear! The first BF I looked at (online) was a built for two. What's your gas mileage averaging? I really prefer to not have to make my bed and pull it out every night and just have it up and out of the way. I'm 37 so no mobility issues...yet. ;)

Thanks for your reply!
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Roger H
Posts: 653
Joined: Sat May 26, 2007 7:48 pm

Re: Future BF buyer in Texas?

Post by Roger H »

shadowcat410 wrote:Thanks Roger! That's what lead me to a BF over the others, plus they just look nice. Although a nice, quality rig, the LD's are a little too big and boxy.

I wish I could rent a BF for a week, that would be great!

I saw the San Anton dealership but their website doesn't show much but I'll call them and ask if they have anything to look at. I can't afford any newer models, mine will have to be mid to late 90's to early 2000's. And finding one w/ low miles (with the overhead bunk) has proven to be challenging, but not impossible.

Looking forward to joining you all as a Born Free owner! :D
You just have to be patient. They come up for sale regularly as owners buy newer, or retire from RVing. And it helps to have cash in hand and be willing to travel as soon as you see a good candidate.

Looking at a new Born Free will give you a really good idea of how well they're built, but not so much what an older coach "feels" like. The new coaches use different construction in many areas, including the windows and window boxes and some of the interior build items. The exteriors are very different build styles as well. The coaches from the late '90s through '07 were all similar. For '08 they revamped the styling of the coaches, and then changed the exterior styling again last year. They're slight changes... and still very distinctively Born Free... but there are three distinct styles of Born Free now.

The "feel" of the interiors in the older coaches is a little less "frilly" if that's a term... than the new ones... at least to me. The new coaches have lots of 'stuff' that high end luxury coaches seem to have... stuff that is whiz-bang, bells-and-whistles kinds of things that the older coaches typically don't have. Not saying that's bad, necessarily... maybe just a little over-the-top for my tastes. Some things are really nice though, like the LED lighting throughout, and the fit and finish of the cabinetry continues to be top flight. The new coaches are gorgeous! Just don't expect a '99 24RB to look much like a '15 24RB.

I have to say, though, that the one you linked to is appears to be one of the nicest older coaches I've seen.
'06 Born Free 32 RQ Kodiak Chassis
(Former: '01 Born Free 23 RK)
Dinghy: '16 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon with a Blue Ox Aladdin tow bar.
Traveling with Sir Winston and Lady Rae (Cavalier King Charles Spaniels)
daryl&mary
Posts: 41
Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2011 7:12 pm

Re: Future BF buyer in Texas?

Post by daryl&mary »

A quick bit of encouragement here. Appreciating what they have, most Born Free owners are fussy about maintenance and repairs. Thus, you are pretty safe buying used. Of course, it is still prudent to check out any used coach, but I think you will find most used Born Frees to be in good condition.

We bought our 2006 Built For Two (22') used from the factory in 2011, and could not be more pleased. We have the twin incline beds, which I believe are unique to Born Free. We are the third owner -- the previous two owners traded up to brand new BF rear bath coaches (primarily for the larger bath.) We talked with both previous owners and it was obvious they really liked Born Free, and had maintained our coach very well.

You asked about gas mileage on the BFT. We get 10-12 mpg, depending on wind conditions and how fast we drive. We have driven it across country several times, and have put on over 30,000 miles. The BFT handles very well, and we like being able to park in most parking places (we do not tow.)

So good luck on your quest! And if you see one you like, be prepared to move quickly. We are glad we did!
Daryl & Mary
2006 BFT
Covfam

Re: Future BF buyer in Texas?

Post by Covfam »

Covfam wrote:There is a new Born free dealer in texas named ancira i just got a email from BF the other day about them, they have a location near sanantonio and one near dallas-ft worth. i dunno what stuff they have at this time.

as for my personal experiences, ive owned 2 forest river products a pleasureway class b a nexus class c and a born free built for two, and i can say in my experience nobody else makes a unit to the same quality as born free besides pleasureway and pleasureway only makes class b's.
We nolonger have our built for two and are in the market for a newer born free on the ford f550 or dodge 5500 chassis, we had a custom model built for two that was john dodgens personal coach that he and his family used before we got it, so im not sure how much more it weighed than the standard off the line model, but we got 12mpg on good days and 10 on driving in the great plains windy days, i second rogers description of the factory, we were total newbs with the born free being our first rv and we had made alot of calls in to kim and he was always patient in talking us throught things, also Ed Neman (sales manager) is fantastic, we saw him at an rv show 6 years after our purchace of our unit and still remembered us by name and my wifes occupation, and once again when i emailed him now 10 years later he still remembered us and her occupation, he is one of the most genuine and likable persons ive ever met.
Also there is no other company that means it when they say you are family, because when you buy a born free whether its brand new or its 20 years old, you are part of the family and you are treated the same whether you buy new or used, born free didnt have dealers when we got the built for two we delt directly with ed, and to be honest while i believe they try to have a close relationship with thier dealers now, personaly im getting a born free from ed and the factory if i have any say in things :)
oliverpsmile
Posts: 271
Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 2:46 pm

Re: Future BF buyer in Texas?

Post by oliverpsmile »

If I were You, I would go to Arizona, drive the rig and if drives well and you like the interior - buy it on the spot. 1999 models are a lot better crafted inside then later models (I had one - model 1999). The Ford engines last almost forever. Shocks, stabilizing bars, brakes whatever are minor things. Some haggling and you would be happy with BF. This is the way I bought my two rigs. The same way I sold the old one. Inspection out of the blue is pure waste of money.

Good luck.
Oliver P Smile
2005 26ft RSB
BornFree_nTX

Re: Future BF buyer in Texas?

Post by BornFree_nTX »

We live near Dallas, and have a 2004 26' RB, Casual Elegance, and would be happy to show it to you.
Our daughter also lives nearby, and has a 2001 24' RB, and also would be happy to show hers to you.
Two different floor plans, both well maintained. Email OMILL1@verizon.net

Just looked at your post regarding the Born Free in AZ. One of our previous BFs was this same floor plan, and the owner is a friend of ours, and is going to sell it. It is a 1999 23' RK located in Colorado Springs, CO.

Orpha & Jim Miller
2004 26' RB
Towing 2004 Honda CRV
2boomers

Re: Future BF buyer in Texas?

Post by 2boomers »

Hi. We purchased a used 2006 26' Born Free Mobility this spring. We live in East Tx and it was in Austin area. We travel to Rockwall often to overnight to see family and are happy to show you ours. Though custom built with a commercial wheelchair lift that alters floor plan slightly you will see the beauty and excellent materials and craftsmanship that is in it. We have leather adjustable seats behind cab area that can face front, side or rear of coach. The coach is very efficiently appointed. When inside we feel like we are in a house. We are overjoyed that we found our Mobi as we call her. I never thought I could love an RV this much. Great solid ride and just gorgeous!

We will actually be going to Ft Worth area soon so let us know if you would like to meet so you can see and drive it.

As with earlier posters we also :D called Born Free pre sale for information on the coach. They pulled the file and actually spoke directly with our lender to give them the specs. They answered many questions we had pre sale and actually contacted a former Born Free Service Manager and Sales Manager who inspected it for us. These are the nicest people you could ever meet!! Love Born Free!!

Truly a rare company run by rare people of great integrity!
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