a couple of questions

[Rex&Nancy]

We haven't purchased our Landmark yet, in fact we are still looking for the "perfect" full-time camper for us. So far we keep coming back to the Mt. Rushmore. We are scheduled to retire Oct. 2007, so we are in no hurry to purchase. But we have a couple of concerns. First is the possibility if we do have a problem while under warranty that Heartland may or may not stand by it because we are full-time, even though their site states " Listed below are the features and options that have made Landmark a favorite among today's full-timers." When we're getting ready to put down the amount of money necessary to purhase our new home we'd like to know the company will stand behind their product. Secondly is the dealer, since we will be full-timing it we are not locked into just locale dealers. I've been hearing a lot about RVforless and wondered how they are about service. Or if anyone can recommend a good dealer where we can get a good price but also good service.

Thanks
Rex&Nancy

 

[mrcomer]

Rex and Nancy,
I will tell you from my experience and others that I have heard during the Rally this past weekend, your dealer will make or break your experience no matter what brand of fifth wheel you want to buy. I have been through 4 previous trailers and this Bighorn is my 5th and the dealer I purchased it from has been by far the best dealer I have ever had. The dealer is Best Buy RVs in Springfield Ohio and Richmond Indiana.
As far as the "full timer" issue with regards to warranty, that seems to be a gray area with all manufacturers. They place this clause in their warranty to cover their rearends. I don't mean that in a bad way, the general understanding is that you are buying a "recreational vehicle" that is built for that purpose. By the way, Scott Tuttle has addressed this issue in another part of the forum. I will try to find it for you and add a link later.
Good luck in your quest.

Mark

 

[Tom of Ypsi]

Rex and Nancy,
As far as Heartland standing by their products I personally would not worry. For me personally, Heartland has taken care of me, wish my dealer would. You state your retirement is scheduled for Oct 2007, 1 1/2 years away. I would think you would want to buy your next home in advance of your retirement, get to know it, how to pack and what to pack, and make sure you have an adequate tow vehicle. All dealers that sell Heartland products will service Heartlands but if it is not your dealer you may have to wait longer than normal. What is longer than normal I do not know but I do know that my dealer, General RV in Michigan would be one to steer away from. I have noticed on other forums that a lot of RV repair shops seem to go out of their way to take care of full timers knowing that this is your house.
Good Luck and hope to see you in a Heartland product soon.

 

[fireflipper]

Fireflipper

Hi Rex and Nancy

If it will put your mind at ease, I bought a Grand Canyon with the full timing in mind. Spent nine months on the road and the wife said she had enough. I had several problems while on the road and not once id the factory refuse to fix it due to "full timing". Most of the time a Heartland dealer took care of us right away knowing we were traveling. If I was not close to a dealer the factory authorized someone to do the work. This usually involved me paying the repair shop and getting reimbursed by Heartland, but they were very quick in getting the funds to me. I know this sounds like I had quite a few problelms, but I have one of the first Grand Canyons made, and I am very happy with it. The warranty is now over and have not had any problems other than minor adjustments and such. As for buying, do it at least six months ahead of retirement, this gives you time to work out the bugs and see just what stuff you can live without, and I found out that is usually a lot.

Glenn

 

[mike surber]

To my knowldge the only company that states their unit is for full time is Teton Homes in Casper Wyoming

 

[SmokeyBare]

My thoughts on Warranties while full timing.

First, I have yet to purchase a New RV.

When we decided to go Full time I had the same concerns about buying a new rig. I decided to purchase a used fifth wheel. My thinking was if there is any breakdowns.... they are out of my wallet and I do not have to drive across the country to get a dealer to repair them. I also felt we needed to be sure this was the lifestyle we wanted for the long term.

We are planning now on a purchase of our next fifth wheel, it will be new this time. I am not at all worried over the company warranty as it is ONLY for one year.

There are many RV'ers out there that travel but are not full timing. Many spend the winter away from the cold and snow of the north country. Those trips could and very often do take one away from "HOME" for months on end. I hardly believe an RV Company goes to the level of asking questions, IF you have used this for your only residence, when performing the warranty work. If this was a problem, wouldn't that problem have shown up often with-in this forum?

For an RV Company to become successful they have to have a quality product and serve their customers with quality service. If there was a lack this type of service being offered by Heartland... it would quickly show up in a forum such as this.... or other sites on the Internet. We are quick to point the finger when we feel we got a bad deal.

I look forward to being a Proud owner of a Heartland Product some day soon..

Marv

 

[Trap]

By saying it they give themselves an out. It also protects them from complaints from people who full time in. Example your having problems with to much humidity in your rig. By doing that they can always claim that the unit is not designed for full time use.

Trap

 

[Rex&Nancy]

Actually New Horizon says they are a Full Time Rig and they are rated Five stars for Full Timers by RV consumers group.

Which is one of the things that bothers me about Landmarks because they are only rated for snowbirds use and I would like my home to be rated better than warm weather only.

 

[VietvetUSMC]

Rex and Nancy,
I will tell you from my experience and others that I have heard during the Rally this past weekend, your dealer will make or break your experience no matter what brand of fifth wheel you want to buy. I have been through 4 previous trailers and this Bighorn is my 5th and the dealer I purchased it from has been by far the best dealer I have ever had. The dealer is Best Buy RVs in Springfield Ohio and Richmond Indiana.
Mark

Wow, that is great to hear, we are picking up our North Trail 31BHD from Best Buy RV in Richmond.None
VV