Our first RV was a 27ft 92 Coachmen Capri Class A that we bought in 1999 in Gulfport Mississippi while I was part of a 2 year employee exchange between my employer and our competitor in Pascagoula. It was an awkward layout and poorly built but we used it intermittently until 2012.
In 2012 we spotted a 19ft 98 American Cruiser Class B for sale beside the road while returning home from a weekend at Acadia National Park. The American Cruiser was an amazing use of limited space and a lot of fun but just too small. Setting up the dinette and sofa for sleeping at night and back again in the morning was time consuming.
In 2015 just before I retired, I found a 24 ft 97 Born Free Class C on Craigslist in Hartford Connecticut. This was a great unit, rivaling Phoenix Cruiser for quality of build and materials. Depending upon the model, each Born Free had 4 to 5 tube steel roll bars built into the wall and roof structure, after the founder witnessed RV roll over where a child was killed. Each Born Free was assembled by a 4 man team. Unfortunately, the founder of the family owned business died several years ago and the remaining family sold it and they closed their doors a year or so later. Our only complaint was that in our rear bath model, sleeping was limited to the jackknife sofa which was somewhat uncomfortable and the bed over the cab. We used it extensively traveling around Maine and as far as Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
In 2017 I spotted a 31ft 03 Winnebago Minnie for sale on Craigslist in Beverly Mass. While not nearly the quality of the Born Free, it is more comfortable with a big slide on one side encompassing the sofa and dinette, and a queen size bed in the rear bedroom. We have used it extensively around the northeast as well as a trip to the Grand Canyon last March. We cut that trip short when the began shutting things down due to COVID. It was eerie on the return trip to Maine because most of the highways were empty of cars although the big rigs were still rolling. We've really enjoyed the Winnie, but we really missed the convenience and maneuverability of the Born Free.
In early January, I noticed a Craigslist add for a 2008 Phoenix Cruiser 2350, again in Beverly Mass. Closer inspection of the add showed it was the same person who sold us the Winnie (he sells RVs on consignment). Unfortunately my wife and I were both suffering with Covid at the time (she in the hospital) so I couldn't do anything about it. Fortunately we both recovered and were declared no longer contagious. Surprisingly, the add was still up and the price had been reduced so I gave him a call and we drove down to look at it. This was the first Phoenix Cruiser I had seen and I was very impressed. The quality was on par with Born Free. So we bought it and brought it home on February 4 and its sitting in the driveway waiting for the string of storms that have been going through since to end. We'll probably throw the porta-potty in it (so I won't have to un-winterize it) for a quick winter maiden voyage to Acadia in the next week or two depending on the weather. We love the layout and size and are looking forward to many adventures in it.
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