I hate to be critical, but...

mockturtle · Post by **mockturtle** » Wed Feb 26, 2014 12:34 pm

Looking over the new Born Free models on the Lazy Days website I'm wondering who picked the colors for the graphics. Black and orange [Halloween special?]? Purple? And the listed prices are outrageous, IMO.

whemme · Post by **whemme** » Wed Feb 26, 2014 4:24 pm

mockturtle,

The desireability or un-desireability of a color scheme is in the eyes of a particular viewer. The factory now offers may color scheme choices on new coaches of which several can be viewed on their website.

Mel Wilbur · Post by **Mel Wilbur** » Wed Feb 26, 2014 7:11 pm

As for pricing, Lazy Days shows a msrp price which we know is always subject to discussion. Looking at the Coach House Platinum web site they show prices ranging from $129,900.00 to $189,900.00 so it looks like quality has its price whether we like it or not.

Ray · Post by **Ray** » Wed Feb 26, 2014 7:38 pm

I agree - the prices seem to be pretty much in line with other high end comparable RV's. Of course you can buy the same size or bigger brand new for 1/2 the cost if that's what you want.

Right now I cant afford those new prices, so I am destined to own used. And thank goodness they were built good to start with. I looked at some of those 1/2 price used ones - Oh My...........

I have had some folks think I was nuts because I paid more for my Class C than some newer, larger, Class A's are going for.

All depends what you want.

mockturtle · Post by **mockturtle** » Wed Feb 26, 2014 8:05 pm

Yes, I guess it does. My plan is to buy a new Lazy Daze motorhome for about half the price of a Born Free. Maybe not as fancy but well-built and factory direct. It seems to me that the prices increased by at least $30K when the dealer entered the scene.

Ray · Post by **Ray** » Wed Feb 26, 2014 9:00 pm

Lazy Daze has a pretty large following also, don't know much about them but they do have great customer service, they went out of their way to help me find some parts that I couldn't find anywhere else, and I didn't own a Lazy Daze !

mockturtle · Post by **mockturtle** » Wed Feb 26, 2014 10:51 pm

Sam, I was planning to buy a Bengal Tiger CX [not the more expensive Malayan] which runs a little over $100K. They are, incidentally, made in South Carolina, not the west coast. They are having some difficulty getting new chassis, I understand. I haven't ruled it out. I'll be keeping my Born Free [which I like very much] until fall of 2015. My travels this coming year will likely determine which vehicle will best fit my needs.

mockturtle · Post by **mockturtle** » Wed Feb 26, 2014 11:25 pm

The 4X4 is a feature I'd like to have. As I say, my travels this year will tell me whether the places I want to go will require 4X4 or whether the Lazy Daze, with it's outstanding dry camping features would be more suitable. Having thought of a truck camper, I decided that, being a solo female, my increased sense of security in not having to exit the camper to drive away from an unpleasant situation would outweigh any advantages of a TC.

stevek · Post by **stevek** » Thu Feb 27, 2014 12:01 pm

Regarding prices, Lazydays Dealer has 9 BFs listed thru RV trader.
The price range is from 138k to 197k for 2014 models.

Before finding my used BF, I went to the Lazy Daze factory in So. Cal.
Not a bad Class C for the price for a new MH.
Has a spare tire and 1 solar panel as standard equipment.
They have never changed their price list to 2014, so here is the latest..
http://www.lazydaze.com/FEATURES.PDF
Notice that it says... NO DEALERS, Factory Direct only.
Sure a lot less money..
May not be the quite the quality of the BF, but not that bad.
You can upgrade it with all the $$$$$ you will save.

Ray · Post by **Ray** » Thu Feb 27, 2014 12:24 pm

Yes, They look ok on the web, and they have a following like Born Free and some other manufactures do. I would like to take a look at one someday. They dont go into allot of detail on side wall construction, framing and other materials.

If I ever buy a new one they will probably be on my look at list along with Born Free and Coach House.

I think its strange that factory direct is the only way you can buy one but they seem to make a big deal about how much you can save if you buy from the factory - and the discount you get off of manufactures suggested retail price.

Isn't that kind of like marking the price up so you can sell it for what you were going to in the first place?

stevek · Post by **stevek** » Thu Feb 27, 2014 12:44 pm

Lazy Daze construction...
Quoted from the site:
"Smooth exterior polyurethane laminated aircraft aluminum coach body panels that are durable,
lighter weight and replaceable. Aluminum is non-flammable, unlike fiberglass, and offers superior
appearance, and outstanding endurance. A Lazy Daze exclusive".

It is interesting living here on the West Coast.
I see a lots and lots of Lazy Daze motorhomes, and very few Born Frees.
LD are manufactured here on the west and BF back east.
So it makes sense.

Ray · Post by **Ray** » Thu Feb 27, 2014 1:21 pm

Yeah, I saw that. Not sure what polyurethane laminated means, Is that the polyurethane paint they put on it? or is that a polyurethane bonding process to the foam insulation that they have in the walls? I also didn't see if the the side walls were constructed using a laminating process (vacuum, or other) or if they are some how free float like Born Free, did not see where they explained if the frame is wood, aluminum, steel, etc. And other construction specifics.

I am sure a tour through their factory would answer all questions. I understand from other forums that they offer a very nice factory tour. If I get out that way I will for sure make it a point to stop.

I really haven't seen any used ones around my area, or in my travels - In fact when I was at Lazy Days Florida I asked the salesman about Lazy Daze RV's and he had never heard of them (Bad salesman?)

The only factory tours I have been through have been Born Free and Coach house - both were fantastic. I think maybe Born Free was the best.

It will be a while before I can afford a new one, so I have time to look and learn.

Thanks, Ray

bigdipper · Post by **bigdipper** » Thu Feb 27, 2014 3:56 pm

In my case I talked to a Lazy Daze principal prior to buying current unit. Never got to the factory, but quality of build is good enough for me. They ardently refuse to do anything special added to new build, but agreed to omit some items. BF, at least at that time, agreed to do quite a lot of modification on a new build, and thus I stayed with them. In retrospect, BF might by now somewhat regret all the complications before and after delivery, but that is another story. My only big complaint about Lazy Daze is that they are about 6 inches wider and I like the 8 foot- BF width. In 2010 BF was almost $30K more costly for comparable size.
Traveling around this part of the country, I probably see 10 Lazy Daze for every BF. Back in the Midwest, 15-20 years ago, I did not even know Lazy Daze existed.
Ralph

Ray · Post by **Ray** » Thu Feb 27, 2014 7:09 pm

Ralph

I am in the midwest so maybe thats why I dont see many. The not being willing to change a few things might be a deal breaker for me, for one I will not buy any RV with a booth type dinnet in it - for me it is a total waste of space.

I like the smaller width also - my biggest complaint about my Born Free is that they are built for short people

Well at least people under about 5' 11" - I am 6'3" - the ceiling isnt to bad, I have learned to live with the roll bar covers (a little padded) and the a/c cover - BUT, why would anyone building a RV drop the bath door frame even lower ?????

I believe there has been many a night in the wee hours of the AM when it is dark that my neighbors have heard a loud thud and allot of colorful words emitted from my RV.

This summer I am getting the sawzall out

shilohdad · Post by **shilohdad** » Thu Feb 27, 2014 8:47 pm

We also looked at Lazy Daze when looking for a class C motorhome. They were a lot less money. We were seriously looking at them because of that - even met an owner of the floor plan model we were looking at.

What we saw was that the quality of the woodworking did not meet that of Born Free. The whole feel was inferior to that of Born Free. But, then, you were saving a lot of money, so we did not yet make up our mind.

There were two main things that turned us off Lazy Daze. First, there was a lot of chatter on their user list about leaking at the seams. The solution was to use EternaBond to seal the seams after a number of years. OK, we can live with that. You have to maintain your coach, just like you maintain your house. But, then someone posted about their two-year-old coach having this problem of seam leakage. Nobody, repeat nobody, mentioned having the coach repaired under warranty. Just use EternaBond. Hmm, this is normal??!!

Second, when we looked at this owner's coach, we noticed that the overcab mattress was glued down. We wanted to use the overcab for storage, so we did not want the mattress permanently glued down. So, we called the factory to see if that was possible. The answer we got was that we could request that, but they could not guarantee that would happen. The guys on the floor tend to do what is usual. Hmm, you can't even honor a simple modification request like that? Since a non-removable mattress was a deal-breaker (we REALLY wanted that overcab for storage) we decided against Lazy Daze.

So, we started talking to Born Free. We ended up getting EXACTLY what we wanted with absolutely no problems, even though they had to do a fair number of modifications to the coach for us. So, listening to and responding to the customers desires sold us on Born Free, regardless of price. For others, price may be the deciding factor.