Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Info & Discussion Forum

Hi, I would appreciate your advise.

Is there a reasonable/objective method to properly quantify the value of a loss of the warranty when purchasing a pre-owned BF?

I may purchase a pre-owned '04 BF 26' RSB CE with low mileage. I understand that BF will not transfer their manufacturer 3-year / 36,000 mile warranty to a new owner, which includes the warranty of the appliances (e.g., refrigerator, etc.) installed in the unit. In short, if I buy the BF, and have a problem, instead of having a warranty to cover the cost of repairs, I would be responsible for the repair costs.

Has anyone tackled this issue before? Does anyone have a solution, which is reasonable for the seller and myself as the buyer?

Let me thank you in advance for your time to respond! Bill

Bill,
Warrantees have different values to different folks. For me I put little value in guarantees, I'll take the advantage of someone elses depreciation every time. In other words a good clean, used unit with low mileage is SO much cheaper than a brand new unit, you just can't justify the added cost (at least $10,000) to get a warrantee. Obviously you know what a new unit cost, now get on the net and tract the asking price of late model pre owned units. The evidence speaks volumes

And about Born Free, there is an old saying, "Quality is remembered long after price has been forgotten" Nothing rings more true. George B

I think that you might want to look at the individual owner's manuals for each applieance/item before you decide that the individual manufacturer's warranties are carte-blanche not transferrable.

I think it would be up to the individual company whether or not their warranty applies to subsequent owners, and should be printed in their manuals/paperwork. Born Free cannot supersede the individual policies of the suppliers of the different coach enhancements. They can only make policies for themselves and their own items.

Check the manuals. Some may transfer.

I still think Born Free should consider doing a "certified pre-owned" thing like Lexus and others do...where they check the thing out and offer a 30 day or 90 day limited warranty to new owners, at least on rigs that were traded into the manufacturer (so they could check them out.) Why not? They know thier own quality. What a customer service coup that would be. They could SHOW folks how awesome their service is.

But that's just my opinion and I guess it's worth what you paid for it.

PatTrish

I believe the Ford chassis warranty is transferable and there are supplementary warranties available for the complete motorhome from a number of sources including Good Sam. Whether they are a good deal or not , you will have to determine, but Good Sam will give you a quote over the phone. Be sure to read the fine print when you receive the form as it means exactly what it says. Most warranty firms are not flexible as to the details of coverage.

I'm not sure what year or model you are looking at but you might want to look at the Born Free web site at their demos. for sale. We just bought a NEW 2004 with full 3 year warrantee for $19300. under the MSRP. As we all know they olny sell for MSRP this is a good deal. I think there are only 2 left. The actual price is $5000. below what they advertise and no shipping or del. fee. Just a thought. They are both 26 RB.

We did this in October. We had found a 2004 RSB CE with low milage and lots of extras we wouldn't have put on a coach buying a new one (in motion sat, inverter,etc). We calculated the cost of a new one equiped the same way and realized we were saving about $38,000. At that price we felt like we could "afford" to replace anything that broke. So far all we have replaced the themostat @ $125 (which was a fluke). The Ford warranty does transfer as do many of the individual components but not the "blanket" warranty from Born Free. But I do agree with the other responses about the overall quality of Born Free. When we showed it to some friends they commented that Born Free was a Class C with Gucci Stlye and quality.

Good Luck with your purchase!