Chinook MH and BF pic

[stevek]

I see lots of these on west coast. Very seldom every see another Born Free.
I talked to the owner. These are like BF and not made anymore.
Said prices were up on Chinooks because they are "collectable".
Told him about BF going belly up. So maybe our prices will stay up for same reason.
Also he said the NEW Chinook sprinter MH is in Name only.
75 degrees today. Still in central CA.

PS... he never heard of Born Free. And is a "MH guy"

[Laker]

I would be very cautious of anyone who designates any motorhome as being "collectible"

Chinook was a great coach along with the BF I owned. Any evidence that Chinook as appreciated in value as a "collectible" since their closing?

[whemme]

The resurrected Chinook is now built on the Mercedes chassis. Attached photo is from the new Chinook RV website. Pretty plain on the outside - no graphics.

[stevek]

Hopefully Born Free will be resurrected like Chinook. Someone here at our forum said Chinook bought the fiberglass molds at the Born Free auction. Will be interested to see if and when they use them?

I agree about the collectable definition. More like a "cult" following willing to buy at a premium.

Also talking to the Chinook owner, the Chinook is all one fiberglass piece. Like a boat hull.
Which is nice, no seams to worry about. Still gel coat just like mine. His was pretty much faded and not much shine. He told me he got 12-14 mpg. Same Ford 350 w/ V10 like mine.

Also I camped next to a BigFoot a week or 2 back. Original owner. He gave a nice tour. They are very nice, all fiberglass/ seams/ rubber roof. But tons of storage. Way more than mine. More of a 4 season coach than mine. Made in Canada. He told me he thought BigFoot still made the trailer and slide in camper, but no motorhome. Wish I had a better pic.

[harrisgowing]

In 2004 when we first looked at motor homes we were in Portland and toured a Bigfoot class C. It was a very nice coach with tons of storage and 4 seasons capability - a basement and ducted heating, etc. they are built in Canada and we decided not to buy because they had no US dealers. We are still happy to see them on the road. The interior was not quite as nice as the BF.

[jjhepkin]

Our first RV was a Chinook Destiny on a chevy chassis and bought it used from a dealer in Pa. It was very nicely equipped with nice cabinetry and leather upholstery. Our sofa made into a 2 person bed but was not very comfortable. The big plus for us was good gas mileage, 15-18 and small enough to pretty much go anywhere we wanted without having to pull a tow vehicle.
We eventually decided to get something a little bigger with "better" sleeping accommodations and found our 28' RSB which we love.
Chinooks were one of the highest priced class c's on the market and sold new in the $ 120,000 plus range.

Their history and Born Free's share much in common. Both were started by individual's and then grew and prospered while developing a reputation for high quality standards. Chinook was mfg. in oregon, i believe, and when the original owner finally decided to retire he turned the business over to his 2 sons. Unfortunately the sons began to dabble in commercial real estate and went broke, dragging the company down with it. The father, who was still alive, tried to come back in and turn it around, but it was too late and too much damage had been done.

Its too bad that we lost both of these companies, since the market place has too few companies to replace the loss of a quality made RV manufacturer, as they were; and, even sadder is how the highly skilled people with both companies were left to survive as best they could.

Hard to say how much collectors value either coach will have. There are some older makes that have developed a "cult" following and are bought and brought back to life. They have clubs and rallies to share the common owner's interest and love of their respective models and maybe the Chinook and Born Free brands will develop into that type of collector vehicle. Usually it takes 20 - 30 years after the brand is retired before they start to slowly come back.....but it wouldn't surprise me if Born Free became one of those brands.

John Hepkin

[stevek]

Thanks. Interesting history.

So.... what motorhomes are left? That you can still buy NEW?
That are fiberglass.
On a Ford, Chevy, Dodge chassis?
and NOT A SPRINTER.
Thanks

Coach House is the only one I can think about. Any others?

[jjhepkin]

The coach house is the only mfg. that comes to mind (as you say) making a molded fiberglass shell. interestingly enough, their specs do not recommend climbing around on top of the unit and thus the reason they dont have ladders. maybe not as structurally sound? dont know

the only other class c that comes to mind (although it doesn't use a fiberglass hull, but stainless steel), also know for quality with a popular following is the Lazy Daze class C made in your home state, california.

they have a very distinct body design and i would guess if they ever went out of business their models would fall into that "cult" following in time. interestingly enough, lazy daze is also made and owned by a family business operation like Born Free and Chinook were.

[stevek]

Another Chinook. A couple of spots down from me. Shines like new. You can tell he takes pride in his RV.
We are right on the ocean. A CA State Beach.
$65 / nite with all hookups. Minus $2 senior discount= 63. Thank you Jerry Brown !!!!
Wheres the nearest $ Store when you need one?

I like the Lazy Daze class C. 58 years in business. A true 100% factory direct. 0% dealers!!
Out of only 26 spots I am camped at, there iare 2 Lazy Daze. You see lots of them on west coast.

[Roger H]

Any motorhome that is under 22' may not be appreciating, but isn't DE-preciating much either. The demand for short, "parking-space" coaches remains high, whether they're a class C or class B. It's not so much the construction that keeps the price up but the demand for "stealthy" coaches. The City of Mountain View Ca estimates that they have over 300 "working-poor" people living on the streets in motorhomes of various configurations... and B-vans and short "C's" are the obvious choices for folks who go to work everyday, but live in a vehicle. "Vandwelling" is growing in popularity as the "haves" continue collecting wealth at the expense of the "have-nots." The working poor "have-nots" are being more creative in their living choices as they can no longer afford traditional homes or apartment in the cities, and continue try work minimum-wage jobs and do their best to conserve what money they have.

I'm retired and live in Iowa. I can't afford $400/night hotel rooms in Chicago, LA, or New York, and neither am I willing to shell out $70-$150/night for a campground spot. When I travel, I'm usually on the road for no more than four nights until I'm at a friend's with a shower... so I guerrilla camp when I'm on the road in my B-van... and sometimes even in my Born Free Super-C towing the Jeep.

It's a sad state of affairs when middle class folks are living like they're something out of "The Grapes of Wrath" when they're on the road. It's even worse when working permanent residents of a city can't afford to live where they work.

The bottom line is that the short motorhomes are not going to decrease in price any time soon.