feedback on purchase of Born Free 26 Casual Elegance

lovemy007 wrote:
Thinking of purchasing a used Born Free 26 Casual Elegance class c (27k miles). Would like input: issues encountered in yours, mileage (v10 diesel), is it worth the $$, long term reliability and value, ease of driving in mountainous environment etc...anything is helpful. Have 35ft 5th wheel now, am looking to downsize. Thanks in advance! Jill

I bought one but would never buy another one because of too many product failures. Many of them repeat, so you can never really fix them to stay fixed. Several roof leaks and window leaks. Took it to the Born Free factory to have everything fixed right, and every repair they did failed within months. Born Frees are not the quality coach that everyone seems to think they are. If they were, mine wouldn't have had all the problems it's had.

thestoloffs wrote:

mockturtle wrote:
Born Free always has made a diesel Class C. They make a 6.7L V8 turbo.

Sorry, but they didn't make a diesel Class C during the 2 years that Ford didn't make a diesel cutaway van chassis. The choice wasn't Born Free's; it was Ford's.

That's correct. Ford does make a 6.7L turbodiesel engine, but they do not put it in the vans. So, it's impossible for Born Free to put it in their cutaway E450 Ford chassis vans.

mockturtle wrote:
Born Free always has made a diesel Class C. They make a 6.7L V8 turbo.

Sorry, but they didn't make a diesel Class C during the 2 years that Ford didn't make a diesel cutaway van chassis. The choice wasn't Born Free's; it was Ford's.

Born Free always has made a diesel Class C. They make a 6.7L V8 turbo. My gas engine Born Free had a 6.8L V10.

lovemy007 wrote:
@ol'yeller. Not arguing with you but the ad in RVtrader.com and the salesman both said it was. Now I'm confused! :/ Will certainly talk to him again to make sure. Thanks for input everyone!

It wouldn't be the first time a sales person got it wrong. If it is a Ford chassis, most likely it would be either the 6.8 liter V10 gasser or the 5.4 liter V8 gasser. In the unlikely case it is a Ford diesel then it would probably be the 6.0 V8. Finding a diesel in a motorhome chassis is unusual but not unheard of. Finding a V10 diesel would be incredible as that engine hasn't ever been installed in an RV. In fact I know of no manufacturer that even makes that engine.

Born Free does use unique parts but they can usually be ordered from the factory. In the case of the front cabover windows, it was a matter of taking them out and using a special type of 'industrial grade' sealant to keep them from leaking. This was after several other efforts to repair them. These windows had a very steep angle which was part of the problem. As stated, Born Free quit making the front cabover windows the following year so you wouldn't have that issue. All things considered, they were about the best class C made during that time frame. The Born Free forum should yield a wealth of information and advice.

@mockturtle: it's an '05. Do you have to have them repaired at a special shop? Or is it that the parts are more expensive? Thx.

@ol'yeller. Not arguing with you but the ad in RVtrader.com and the salesman both said it was. Now I'm confused! :/ Will certainly talk to him again to make sure. Thanks for input everyone!

No such thing as a V10 diesel. The V10 is a gasser.

What year? I had a 2000 24' Born Free for about six years that I bought used in 2009. Sold it with 97K miles in great shape. My only problems with it were leaks from the front cabover windows, which they eliminated the following year. It cost a lot to get them fixed. I ordered my Tiger without the front cabover windows.