OMG, I found the original owners!

G_Hage

Active Member
As you know, I have been searching for the original owner(s) of our 2008 Mount Rushmore Suite #6197. We bought it with little history as to ownership, maintenance, or past warranty issues and repairs, which are the hazards of buying a used RV from a dealership in many cases. So you go with your gut feelings and what you see. And that's exactly what we did. What we saw looked good, and what we felt, seemed solid. But I still needed to know, case maybe they could fill in the blanks.

No, I didn't meet or talk with the original owner, or get a PM or email from them. But in searching this public forum, I found them. At least ALL of the comments and information points directly to them, and our fiver.

It begins 2/4/07 with a thread called "Mount Rushmore w/kitchen island" where many of you help as these perspective buyers put together the ideas of what will become MR #6197 when they took delivery in July that same year. There is even discussion of their planning to place the extra small freezer in the washer/dryer area, currently still there in our now #6197. Extra outlets installed in the kitchen island cabinet, the entertainment center, etc, what was their add ons are our now reality. The solar array and the missing inverter replaced with a converter, after so many of you responded to request for advice on the thread "How does my solar system work".

But most alarming to us tonight, was in reading the "Stuck in Las Cruces" and learning of the axle and suspension failures only after 6000 miles on the road from when the unit was first put in service. One can only be left asking themselves what caused such a catastrophic sounding failure so early on in this unit's life after reading that. The cracks in the kitchen slide (which do no show today), and the issues with the pinbox sinking into the fiberglass a half inch or so. The battles over the costly repairs and who was going to take responsibility. Yet through it all sounded as if Heartland stepped up to the plate and backed their product, as we have read over and over on these forums.

Yet, as we sit here tonight in our first RV that we love so much and think is so beautiful, we cannot help but think "OMG, what have we bought? Is this fiver going to be nothing but problems and an expense for us now?" Scary as HECK to say the least for us. Our dream RV sounded as if it was to also be their dream Fiver, and not their first, yet it sounds as if it became their nightmare, and now possibly ours.

I'm sure the folks at Heartland and Lippert remember this unit well, as these major issues occurred and were repair in May/June 2009. Sadly, I doubt I will be able to get any reassurance from either that we have nothing to fear as all is repaired as if it were a new unit, or what damage you can't see is hidden in the walls and places you can't see and you should dump it like a hot potato, NOW!

I would like to believe all is well, but unfortunately with the passing of one, and I assume the surviving spouse is no longer RV'ing, we feel we cannot even ask what happened and did the unit perform well for you the remaining years until it was sold. So, we are left to guess.

I'm sure now many of you know the MR we now own, and the couple that once owned it. Since I had never met them, out of respect I've not named them. Yet we would still love to hear, as we share the same workamping dream they once lived in MR #6197.
 

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danemayer

Well-known member
G_Gage,

When I met the girl I married, we were both in our thirties, meaning we'd had a few years of relationships with other people. Like most people, we opted for an overview of each other's past, but didn't probe for details. Getting into every detail would not have been helpful to building a new relationship. Rather it would have fed our insecurities (which everyone has) and contributed to worry instead of trust.

My advice: stop looking at all the details from 4 or 5 years ago.

The coach with all of its history of modifcations and repairs is yours. As NBC TV used to say about re-runs, "If you haven't seen it, it's NEW TO YOU."

Enjoy it.
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
G_Hage, Try and put your fears to rest. There were a pretty high number of spring problems in the ere just before, during and even a while after your rig was built. Mine was one of those that was built just before yours. While I didn't have a failure, I did have the same suspension installed on my trailer by MorRyde. Your rigs owners went a step further and had the disc brakes installed as well.
Heartland has also, as you mentioned, stepped up and taken care of a few other issues they had. Imagine if you had purchased another brand. Like anything else used, you have no idea of it's past. Even with Car Fax, how many repairs go undocumented.
Now that you have your Heartland Product, you also have this Forum. A great resource when and if help is ever needed. Enjoy your MR #6197.

For what it's worth, our 2007 3400RL has not been in for any type of breakdown in almost 4 years. Not even a leak. I do regular PM's as needed but that's mainly limited to bearings, brakes, tires and caulk. Now, I hope I haven't jinxed myself.:eek:
 

kakampers

Past Heartland Ambassador
We had very similar issues with our '08 Bighorn, suspension and pin box issues with cracks around bedroom slide. Heartland repaired it, better than new. The owners of your Landmark went a step further than we did and added MorRyde IS and disc brakes...my point, we put more than 80,000 miles on that Bighorn, after all it's early issues, and now have a 2013 Landmark which we did have IS installed on...RELAX, I'm sure your Mount Rushmore is in great shape. I know whoever got our Bighorn will have no problems with it!
 

hoefler

Well-known member
We bought our 06 Mount Rushmore used as well. The only trouble we have had, and not the fault of Heartland by no means; 1 blow out and a bent axle. Not sure the blow didn't cause the bent axle though. As many have done, and I am sure you will do too, just stay on top of the maintenance. By going over your rig on a regular basis, you will become very familiar with the ins and outs of the rig. Some things require attention more often than others, and such. Fix it while it is minor, and avoid a catastrophe. Most importantly, go out and enjoy it.
 

SouthernNights

Past South Carolina Chapter Leader
G_Hage, Try and put your fears to rest. There were a pretty high number of spring problems in the ere just before, during and even a while after your rig was built. Mine was one of those that was built just before yours. While I didn't have a failure, I did have the same suspension installed on my trailer by MorRyde. Your rigs owners went a step further and had the disc brakes installed as well.
Heartland has also, as you mentioned, stepped up and taken care of a few other issues they had. Imagine if you had purchased another brand. Like anything else used, you have no idea of it's past. Even with Car Fax, how many repairs go undocumented.
Now that you have your Heartland Product, you also have this Forum. A great resource when and if help is ever needed. Enjoy your MR #6197.

For what it's worth, our 2007 3400RL has not been in for any type of breakdown in almost 4 years. Not even a leak. I do regular PM's as needed but that's mainly limited to bearings, brakes, tires and caulk. Now, I hope I haven't jinxed myself.:eek:


What Ray said! Enjoy what you have, do regular preventative maintence and just remember how lucky you were to find a nice trailer with a lot of upgrades!
 

olcoon

Well-known member
One way of looking at it, is that they got the bugs taken care of, so now you can enjoy it!
 

dbbls59

Well-known member
I have had two used and two new trailers. Had issues with both new ones, none with the used ones. Enjoy your unit and don't fret about what might happen until it happens.
 

TravelTiger

Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
One way of looking at it, is that they got the bugs taken care of, so now you can enjoy it!

Yes!

Many times, folks have to give up RVing and not because there's an issue with the trailer. As some desire to upgrade, they may trade in a really well-taken-care-of unit.

Enjoy your Heartland, sounds like you have a good one, to me!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

G_Hage

Active Member
G_Gage,

Rather it would have fed our insecurities (which everyone has) and contributed to worry instead of trust.

My advice: stop looking at all the details from 4 or 5 years ago.

The coach with all of its history of modifcations and repairs is yours. As NBC TV used to say about re-runs, "If you haven't seen it, it's NEW TO YOU."

Enjoy it.

Danemayer, the above comments and concepts of yours are correct and well taken.
1st: We are enjoying our MR very much and plan to hopefully spend many debt free years in it after its paid off.
2nd: Modifications and repairs are now ours to deal with going forward, and yes there will be repairs as needed. That's just the nature of an RV, and we know it from researching.
3rd: We only look to details of 4-5 years ago only to aid in protecting our financial future, especially limited in retirement.
4th: To many details can and do lead to insecurities, sometimes unnecessary ones. But we have always been ones to dig deep to find both the good and bad regarding our high value used purchases. Just our nature.

With that said, all of the comments of the wonderful folks here on the forum regarding our concerns on this matter are reassuring in helping us feel we still got a heck of a deal, and despite a bump in the road with this unit, all was fixed and for the most part made better than when new. A definite plus for us.

Although we could have easily afforded new, with RVs we believe buying late model used is the smarter purchase choice, at least for us. Having bought a quarter million dollar custom truck [another highly depreciating commodity], as with the RV industry the drive off depreciation alone is now more than I can justify swallowing. The annual depreciation is not much better until after about the 4-5th year when values begin to settle down a bit. I say allow someone else to suffer the major up front losses.

Next, the non transferable warranties are worthless as a selling point if bailing before the warranty runs out. Learned that the hard way on the custom truck having bought it used one year into the bumper to bumper two year warranty. When a major warranty repair came up almost immediately after our purchasing the truck, "No warranty help due to non transferable warranty sir".Trucks, RVs, doesn't matter, most bugs occur within the warranty period, so by the time a well cared for unit is sold 3-5 years later, most all problems have already been dealt with, as we believe would be the case with our MR.

We can see from the frame up, the prior owners seem to have been ones the although living full time in this unit, left little sign (wear and tear, damage,etc) of it having been a full time unit. That alone speaks volumes for me as to the kind of care it got in its past life!
 

TandT

Founding Utah Chapter Leaders-Retired
You can't change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying about the future.

(It only took me about 40 years to learn that is true)

Enjoy your new rig! Trace
 
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