Bighurt
Well-known member
So after 2yrs of researching and reviewing RV after RV after RV, I kept coming back to Heartland. Last year I saw the 3300RLB for a family with three boys and a pair of retrievers, this was the one. We carefully considered a multitude of aspects for which our unit had to offer. As a part time contractor and a hobby carpenter I am familiar with quality and it was without a doubt it was the little things that made the Heartland product stand out.
I would love to say we had a great salesmen but like many things I've purchased I did most of the work. It came down to price who got the sale but Heartland earned a customer either way.
It was the Big Country that originally was my goal as my unit of choice. Like nearly every 5th wheel they make the BC had the features I wanted in a rig. But the amenities and finishing touches pushed the BC base price well out of my price range.
Through 2008 my dream of a Heartland unit would just have to sit on the side lines while I diligently got back to work.
In the summer of 2009 I discovered Elkridge and was actually able to see my first Heartland unit at a show. Like the BC 3494QBS the ER 35QSQB fit what I was looking for in a unit a little lower down the material list, unfortunately the ER was still outside my price range. Still I was relentless I tracked down the dealer and we visited the showroom and spent some time looking at the unit amongst others. There were two things about the QSQB that became nagging issues. The jackknife beds were not the most practical and the wife didn't like having a back door the boys could escape from.
That brought the DSRL into picture as the loft was a bit more practical for what we needed but still having the backdoor and the one we looked at had the desk it was a no go for the wife.
At that point the dealer mentioned he had a Sundance Loft just come in their other showroom this being the 3300RLB. He said it was similar to the loft ER but at a lower price point and without the backdoor and desk. He told us he could do 7K off the sticker which I didn't think was to bad so we made the hr trek to see the unit.
Once we stepped into the unit we were sold, the salesmen walked us through nearly ever aspect which actually opened our eyes to the limitations of the luxury units, the convection oven. There is strong possibility we will do a fair amount of primitive camping. The half time oven would need a generator something I wasn't set of getting atm.
After we made it home and discussed things and compared them to other manufactures units. We decided to try for the RLB. Turns out what I considered affordable and what the bank thought was affordable were to different things.
Fast forward a year (2wks ago) and we still love the unit, I'm dead set on Heartland. And our financial situation is actually worse, wife is unemployed and we have another child. We spent a few hrs at the spring show. Walked through nearly a hundred units, including a 3300RLB. Wife pulled a couple brochure I got some prices and it was still clear in my mind that Heartland had the edge. What was even more obvious was that Heartland was now leading the pack and other manufactures were mimicking what Heartland did best.
That was when something amazing happened, I'm never one to quite so I owe it to myself that I try and finance a unit once a year. Sure my Credit report takes a hit, but what if I could qualify and not no it, so I try. I find a reputable dealer that has the unit with an amazing price, I even got is lower than expected enough to cover shipping. That's not what was amazing, what was amazing was the loan officer at the bank, not one I've used before. Unlike every bank I've ever heard of she wen the extra mile and rather that say no she found out how she could say yes. And I tell you it took a lot of work and a very complicated process.
The end result is I have a new 2010 Sundance 3300RLB in majestic blue on its way from the dealer. To make it better, I now spend less on bills with the new RV than I did before I bought it. My relentless drive has actually saved money though buying a RV.
Hope it was to boring of a story.
Cheers
I would love to say we had a great salesmen but like many things I've purchased I did most of the work. It came down to price who got the sale but Heartland earned a customer either way.
It was the Big Country that originally was my goal as my unit of choice. Like nearly every 5th wheel they make the BC had the features I wanted in a rig. But the amenities and finishing touches pushed the BC base price well out of my price range.
Through 2008 my dream of a Heartland unit would just have to sit on the side lines while I diligently got back to work.
In the summer of 2009 I discovered Elkridge and was actually able to see my first Heartland unit at a show. Like the BC 3494QBS the ER 35QSQB fit what I was looking for in a unit a little lower down the material list, unfortunately the ER was still outside my price range. Still I was relentless I tracked down the dealer and we visited the showroom and spent some time looking at the unit amongst others. There were two things about the QSQB that became nagging issues. The jackknife beds were not the most practical and the wife didn't like having a back door the boys could escape from.
That brought the DSRL into picture as the loft was a bit more practical for what we needed but still having the backdoor and the one we looked at had the desk it was a no go for the wife.
At that point the dealer mentioned he had a Sundance Loft just come in their other showroom this being the 3300RLB. He said it was similar to the loft ER but at a lower price point and without the backdoor and desk. He told us he could do 7K off the sticker which I didn't think was to bad so we made the hr trek to see the unit.
Once we stepped into the unit we were sold, the salesmen walked us through nearly ever aspect which actually opened our eyes to the limitations of the luxury units, the convection oven. There is strong possibility we will do a fair amount of primitive camping. The half time oven would need a generator something I wasn't set of getting atm.
After we made it home and discussed things and compared them to other manufactures units. We decided to try for the RLB. Turns out what I considered affordable and what the bank thought was affordable were to different things.
Fast forward a year (2wks ago) and we still love the unit, I'm dead set on Heartland. And our financial situation is actually worse, wife is unemployed and we have another child. We spent a few hrs at the spring show. Walked through nearly a hundred units, including a 3300RLB. Wife pulled a couple brochure I got some prices and it was still clear in my mind that Heartland had the edge. What was even more obvious was that Heartland was now leading the pack and other manufactures were mimicking what Heartland did best.
That was when something amazing happened, I'm never one to quite so I owe it to myself that I try and finance a unit once a year. Sure my Credit report takes a hit, but what if I could qualify and not no it, so I try. I find a reputable dealer that has the unit with an amazing price, I even got is lower than expected enough to cover shipping. That's not what was amazing, what was amazing was the loan officer at the bank, not one I've used before. Unlike every bank I've ever heard of she wen the extra mile and rather that say no she found out how she could say yes. And I tell you it took a lot of work and a very complicated process.
The end result is I have a new 2010 Sundance 3300RLB in majestic blue on its way from the dealer. To make it better, I now spend less on bills with the new RV than I did before I bought it. My relentless drive has actually saved money though buying a RV.
Hope it was to boring of a story.
Cheers
