Buying a LD December 05, 2010, 01:29:45 am Yahoo Message Number: 118854Hello. At the risk of getting run off, did anyone here consider a Born Free? If so, what sold you on the LD? These have been my top two contenders, and I like them both, although they're very different. I thought maybe I could hear some insight into your decision. Also, as an aside, how many miles do people find they can get out of the LD ultimately - i.e., 100,000, etc. I'm hoping to launch full-time by the Spring. Thanks in advance! -Kathryn
Re: Buying a LD Reply #1 – December 05, 2010, 08:23:46 am Yahoo Message Number: 118857I'm sure you'll get lots of responses to your post. We looked at both and LD came out on top
Re: Buying a LD Reply #2 – December 05, 2010, 08:33:25 am Yahoo Message Number: 118858Hi Kathryn. I considered a bunch of SOB's including Born Free. Here are some of my comparisons and issues.1. Battery capacity. I knew I wanted 6 AGM's. In looking over the Born Free at an RV show, I saw no realistic way of doing that. Now that I know more, it would have been possible.2. Solar Panels. I wanted 4 to 6 solar panels. The irregular shape of the Born Free roof line would not permit that.3. Price - The price of a Born Free, equipped like a LD, was 50% higher.4. Recliner. For various reasons, having a recliner with great window views was important to me. The Born Free had no way to do that. By leaving out one of the couches on the LD Midbath, I could make that work.5. Windows. Nothing out there compared with the views one has from the back of a LD Midbath.I hope that is helpful.Ken F in NM
Re: Buying a LD Reply #3 – December 05, 2010, 10:55:14 am Yahoo Message Number: 118861To us, the Born Free was a dark tomb. It's a very nice rig, but it felt like an enclosed railroad car. We MUCH prefer our Rear Bath with the open space and LOTS of windows for viewing gorgeous countryside. The LD has more versatility versus the Born Free in our opinion. The LD is a great boondocking machine. We visited the Born Free factory up the road and were taken aback at the pricing structure versus the LD. You know what you like, so it may fit you fine. It was not the rig for us.Our rig is pushing 90K miles. As long as you do the required fluid changes, and other factory recommended upkeep, you should not have a problem reaching 200K miles. The key is frequent oil changes in the engine and transmission, and watching oil temperatures in both.Chuck & Carla Myers 97 RB Skye Hartford, IA On the road in 45 days.[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: Buying a LD Reply #4 – December 05, 2010, 11:28:25 am Yahoo Message Number: 118863From: CC Sent: Sunday, December 05, 2010 8:55 AM To: lifewithalazydazerv@yahoogroups.com Subject: [LD] Re: Buying a LDTo us, the Born Free was a dark tomb. It's a very nice rig, but it felt like an enclosed railroad car. . . . Chuck & Carla Myers 97 RB Skye Hartford, IA On the road in 45 days.Agree. The Born Free, with its, IMO, nicer cabinetry than the LD, seems better suited for a couple taking a weekend trip, and one where they plan to eat out a lot, than it does a real living space. Compared to the LD, it's not even a starter and hardly suited for boondocking.bumperYonder '05 MB Minden, NV
Re: Buying a LD Reply #5 – December 05, 2010, 11:39:35 am Yahoo Message Number: 118864On 12/4/2010 11:29 PM, Kathryn wrote:Quotedid anyone here consider a Born Free? No, we never considered the Born Free, mainly because my husband detests the exterior look of it.I did go online, though, to look at the floor plans and never saw anything I liked as well as I liked the Lazy Daze floor plans. Not to mention the large windows in the Lazy Daze that Born Free doesn't have. And, as others have mentioned, an equally-equipped Born Free is a LOT more expensive than a Lazy Daze.Linda Hylton http://earl-linda.blogspot.com/
Re: Buying a LD Reply #6 – December 05, 2010, 01:49:46 pm Yahoo Message Number: 118867Quote "If so, what sold you on the LD?" -KathrynKathryn I can sum it up in four words... Price, Quality, Options and Windows.Compare the price of the two vehicles and you'll see what I mean.Learn how they are made and you will see the LDs are quality +.List the items that come standard on a LD and compare to the SOB. Sit and look out of the LD windows, then see what you get in the other brand. These items alone should make the decision as to which is the better choice.Steve S. Lazy Bones & Jiggs
Re: Buying a LD Reply #7 – December 06, 2010, 07:00:02 am Yahoo Message Number: 118872Hi Kathryn Two years ago we feared our 1998 mid-bath would not last as long as we wanted to camp and then would be a good time financially to replace it, which we did. It had nothing wrong with it, but had an astounding 185,000 miles on it and still took no oil between 5,000 mile oil changes. It sold on the net unseen
Re: Buying a LD Reply #8 – December 06, 2010, 03:29:23 pm Yahoo Message Number: 118884Hi Kathryn, After visiting the various floor models at a regional Lazy Daze caravan, I never once considered anything else. I've been solo fulltiming in my Rear Bath since 2003 and after 106,000 trouble-free miles, I have absolutely no regrets. I may slow down a bit, but as long as I'm breathing, my Second Wind will still be filled with gas and serviced frequently!Lorna On the road in California