Considering purchase

I am currently looking to purchase a 2016 heartland trail runner 27 SLE camper from RV wholesalers. I have never heard of heartland and I'm a little skeptical. I am purchasing this for my mother and father who are in there 70 and are retiring soon! My questions are, is heartland trail runner a dependable camper? Coming from RV wholseale I'm actually purchasing over the Internet and will not be able to do a walk thru before paying for camper? Is this the bad? Does the heartland trail runner come with a good MFG warranty? I would appreciate any responses that you all have to help me make an informative decision. Thank you
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Hi Ok_Cowboy1,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum.

A lot of times, hearing about a company is more a case of what nearby dealers sell than anything else. Heartland's been around for about 13 years, which in the RV industry is quite a long time. There's a large and vibrant owner community as you can see by browsing this forum. Here are some stats from the Forum Home Page.

Number of Members: 37,291
Total Threads: 50,518
Total Posts: 515,823
Currently Online: 688

Heartland is very good about fulfilling warranty. In fact, unlike some manufacturers, with prior approval, Heartland will authorize service at a non-Heartland dealer or independent service shop. Heartland has a responsive Customer Service organization that stands ready to help when you have a problem.

I would suggest you re-think the approach of paying before taking delivery. While it's not common, there can be problems, including things that can happen during transport or on a dealer lot. Before you sign over payment and sign the acceptance letter, the dealer will be very motivated to quickly correct any problems. After you sign, that can sometimes be a different story.

Also, consider that 2017 models have been in production for almost a year. If you're buying a new 2016, it could have been on the dealer lot for well over a year. You should carefully check the caulking around seams, slides, lights, and windows as dealers rarely do so. And if the dealer used the trailer at shows and to show on their lot, it may have had quite a bit of traffic. You'll definitely want to go through the trailer and check that everything is in good condition, before paying.

If you're not the original owner, be aware that manufacturer warranties don't transfer to a second owner.

 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Hi there OK Cowboy,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum. Dan has given you some great stats and advice. I want to add to it a bit.

I am hopeful that either you or your parents have RV experience and are a bit handy. Without having a PDI and walk-through of all the systems operations, you may be setting your parents up for much more stress than they're looking for at this point in their lives.

The Trailrunner has been around for a long time and as RVs go, has fairly simple systems in it compared to larger, more complex 5th wheels. If you or your parents are online savvy and are willing to dig in to learn this coach, there are many other owners here that can help you.

Wishing you all the best in this endeavor.
 

JohnD

Moved on to the next thing...
We had a 2013 Heartland Trail Runner 22RK for two years and loved it.

CheyenneMtnCO2014-IMG_2007.jpg

Miss it sometimes . . . but we like having the 2015 Heartland Prowler P292 5th-wheel with more room and easier hitch-up!
 

sengli

Well-known member
I second the notion that buying sight unseen isnt all that wise. Personally there is no way I would buy an RV of any kind or price point, without seeing, and doing a multiple day Pre-Delivery Inspection... on the dealers lot. This is NOT like buying a car. Even a new one can have issues that might be apparent or not. Heartland is the best bang for the buck in most cases.
 

TravelTiger

Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
Heartland entered the RV market making a high end fifth wheel, called the Landmark. It's first travel trailer was the Trail Runner. So yes, they've been making them a while. :)

Heartland was an independent RV company until 2011, when they were bought by Thor. They still have the same management leadership, but have the backing of a much larger company. They have kept customer-focused and are very in-tune with the Owners forum and support it, unlike other companies that may have independent owner groups.

I would not buy an RV without seeing it first, especially if you are not RV savvy. There are lots of systems and techniques for RV use that need to be explained thoroughly before you take delivery, and as others have mentioned, once a dealer has your money they are far less motivated to help you if problems surface.

Dealers are supposed to inspect and fix anything before the customer walk-through, but some choose to wait and let the customer find any issues. This creates far more stress than needed for such a big purchase.

A good dealer makes all the difference, and you'll remember the experience far longer than the price.


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Oregon_Camper

Well-known member
I'm actually purchasing over the Internet and will not be able to do a walk thru before paying for camper? Is this the bad? Does the heartland trail runner come with a good MFG warranty?


I bought our prior trailer "online" and drove from Oregon to Michigan to get it. Which was a GREAT family trip.

I only provided them a refundable (made sure that was in contract) deposit and ONLY paid for the RV after I completed the Pre Delivery Inspection.

I would never buy sight unseen....way too many things can go wrong.
 

rhodies1

Well-known member
I agree with all comments,pay a refundable deposit only.The dealer will tell you anything to get your money,do not pay until a thorough PDI.I live in Canada and purchased my unit in Michigan,dealer wanted payment upfront,answer no way until I do my PDI or no sale,usually the dealer will come around and agree to the pDI.If not then I would look for another dealer.
 

Paradise2

Active Member
I agree with all comments,pay a refundable deposit only.The dealer will tell you anything to get your money,do not pay until a thorough PDI.I live in Canada and purchased my unit in Michigan,dealer wanted payment upfront,answer no way until I do my PDI or no sale,usually the dealer will come around and agree to the pDI.If not then I would look for another dealer.

We used this dealer in Michigan and we are from Arizona. Yes we did have to put down a deposit and I have to say they were the easiest and less pushy dealership we have ever worked with. We added a lot of options and some of the things we thought we wanted he gave us a reason as to why not to purchase it. Very knowledgable on everything. Great at calling us back - great communications through out the whole deal. We actually pick it up the 20th of this month! And by the way they saved us 25K - getting it for what we would pay for one with basic options. I'm telling you my husband added everything he wanted since this we will be a full time rv'er in 2 years. And he didn't tell us anything we wanted to hear - was great with financing also. We found him through others that had gone quite a distance to this dealership....some were on their 2nd unit with them. We also ordered thru the factory and didn't take one off the lot since there were so many options, so we know ours is brand new and hasn't been sitting on the lot. He also advised us not to get the brown ones as those are the older models in the year. We purchased the 2017 Big Horn 357el.

Good luck on your journey.

Lynette
 

Oregon_Camper

Well-known member
yes lakeshore. We worked with John and Sam. So far everything has been awesome. Head there on the 20th to pick up. Did u have any issues with yours when u picked up?

lynette

We had a great experience at Lakeshore...I would certainly go there again to buy. We arrived on a Sunday (late) and they were closed buy the RV was setup on the overnight pad with soda's and some snacks. Gave us plenty of time to start our PDI, without being rushed. Just let you sales rep know you want to spend one night in the RV on their lot. They will give you sewer, water, cable hoookups, in order to test everything.

There is a SuperWalmart about 5 mins aways in case you need something for the trip home.
 

sengli

Well-known member
We ordered and bought our big horn from lakeshore too. We stayed there 3 days, because they had to fix a couple of things during our PDI. I will say this after the check was cashed, they (john the sales guy) acted like they didnt know us, and gave us the cold shoulder big time.
 

rhodies1

Well-known member
My cousin purchased his Bighorn from Lakeshore and overall was pleased with the transaction,I purchased mine from Gillette RV in East Lansing.Recieved very good customer focus,no one dealership is perfect but you expect to be treated as fair after the sale as before.
Check out Gillette RV website under clearance RVs,they have some good deals for leftovers.Good luck.
 
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Paradise2

Active Member
We had a great experience at Lakeshore...I would certainly go there again to buy. We arrived on a Sunday (late) and they were closed buy the RV was setup on the overnight pad with soda's and some snacks. Gave us plenty of time to start our PDI, without being rushed. Just let you sales rep know you want to spend one night in the RV on their lot. They will give you sewer, water, cable hoookups, in order to test everything.

There is a SuperWalmart about 5 mins aways in case you need something for the trip home.

Awesome. That is great to know! This information really helps..just praying the weather is good when we travel and we don't get delayed. Did you have any issues with yours? Any thing specific we need to be aware of when checking it out? Hubby pretty knowledgeable on this as we had a motorhome for 10 years but felt like if this was going to be our home a 5th wheel seemed more like one when parked.
 

Oregon_Camper

Well-known member
Awesome. That is great to know! This information really helps..just praying the weather is good when we travel and we don't get delayed. Did you have any issues with yours? Any thing specific we need to be aware of when checking it out? Hubby pretty knowledgeable on this as we had a motorhome for 10 years but felt like if this was going to be our home a 5th wheel seemed more like one when parked.


Just take your time (4-5 hours) to complete the PDI correctly. Give an extra day in your schedule in case you find something Lakeshore needs time to fix.
 

Paradise2

Active Member
Just take your time (4-5 hours) to complete the PDI correctly. Give an extra day in your schedule in case you find something Lakeshore needs time to fix.

Trying to find the couple that had the check off list for picking up your rv from the dealership. Was that you?

Thanks,

Lynette
 

Oregon_Camper

Well-known member
Trying to find the couple that had the check off list for picking up your rv from the dealership. Was that you?

Thanks,

Lynette
Yes.... I have one available. The link to the file is in my signature below.

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