member7777 wrote:I'm glad you got 50% off nada, everything I see on bft is 100% higher or more. seems impossible to make a logical decision based on these asking prices.
Why? I'm not sure why that's a problem for you. As I said, NADA pricing is under-reported, and even with the current asking prices, used Born Free coaches are still priced significantly less expensive than other coaches of comparable quality build. Have you done comps on Dynamax and Coachhouse?
As I said, the same thing happens in small fiberglass trailers, and the market has been that way now for at least 15 years. Used units are snapped up within days of listing at asking price, or nearly so. That's just the free-market economy, a small supply stream and large demand.
My coach was only about 25% below NADA retail and similar 32' Born Frees on the market at the time... but it was about half the asking prices of similar Kodiak chassis Senecas or Enduras at the time, and is a superior coach to them in every way. Mine was priced lower because it had some maintenance issues, but I jumped on it. The new 2016 version of my coach runs about $236k, so I'm quite pleased with the value I bought for my money.
I suspect that you're over-looking some important issues in buying a motorhome. The true cost of ownership of a motorhome, long-term, includes the purchase price, maintenance, fuel expenses, and most importantly depreciation. THE most important factor in
selling a motorhome when it's time to move on is
demand. There are tons of inexpensive motorhomes out there that have been on the market a long time, and will
continue to be on the market because they're junk and there's no demand for them. There's always a demand for Born Free coaches on the used market, regardless of age or mileage, and you'll find them in every pricing segment because, as I said earlier, there are still early '90s vintage Born Free mohos out there being used regularly. I sold my '01 Born Free 23RK for what I paid for it after using it for three years! So the total cost of ownership of that coach, for me, was pretty low as I got the complete return on the purchase price and didn't lose anything to depreciation. There aren't many coaches you can own for three years for just the cost of fuel, maintenance, interest, and insurance.
If and when it ever comes time to sell my 32 RQ, I suspect that I'll be in pretty much the same place financially with it. They're a very good value.
Just a little different take on the financials...
And on edit (again...):
One more thought... when I was in the process of buying my coach, I couldn't figure out how the air ride suspension worked and subsequently whether it WAS working... so I called the Born Free factory while I was on the showroom floor. I left a phone message for Kim Olson, the service manager and he called me back within five minutes. He pulled up the line sheet and photos on my coach while we were on the phone and very patiently explained exactly what I needed to know. I've called the factory from the interstate because I lost an A/C shroud somewhere west of Denver, chatted with Kim, and figured out how best to deal with the issue. I've had my 32' coach in for service at the factory and they're fast, efficient, and really pleasant.
As part of the deal when I bought my used '01 from the factory in '06, Ed had all of the interior seating swapped out from blue cloth to tan ultraleather for me as part of the deal. Where else can you have the interior custom-done as you want it on a five-year old, used coach?
I realize that those are just personal anecdotes, but just about everyone who owns a Born Free has similar stories, so I know I'm not receiving 'special treatment' even though it feels that way. It's just the way Born Free does business. You might be able to get similar factory support from other boutique manufactures, I don't know... but you sure as h*ll won't get it from Winnebago or ANY of the manufacturers in Elkhart.
That kind of service is worth to me
whatever I paid for my coach. You just can't get it anywhere else.