Would you buy Heartland again? Best Florida dealer(s)?

Hello All,

We will be going from full-timing in a 10-yer-old high end diesel pusher to part-timing in a Heartland TT. I would like to hear the good and the bad about this brand. If you know Nick Russell of The Gypsy Journal, well Heartland is the only brand that he accept ads for in his newspaper because he says they are the best trailer product he has ever seen. While I trust Nick, I want to hear form owners. Tell me the good and the bad. What to look out for?

Finally, we will be in central Florida (closest BIG city would be Ocala) . Anyone got a recommendation for an honest and reliable dealer in the area.

I would in heartbeat. I have an 08 bighorn and have had very few problems and all were fixable by me.

We've had our Heartland Landmark since March and been fulltiming since May and LOVE it!

1. We purchased ours from LazyDays in Tampa and would go back to them in a heartbeat. They offer exceptional customer service and go that extra mile.

2. We have had a few minor issues ie loose wires, crimped ice maker tubing, etc (mostly fixed by my husband) and also needed a new living room a/c that was replaced under warranty with no issues. We also had a back up camera issue that was dealt with via the manufacturer.

3. The ability to chat with other owners & reps from the company via this forum has been invaluable.

4. So far we don't have any 'bad'.

5. Too many people go into a purchase like this expecting to find no issues at all and in my opinion that just isn't wise. New homes, cars, electronics etc have issues when newly purchased and unfortunately so do RVs. Its when your dealer/manufacturer wont work with you to get the issues resolved that then there is a problem.

Good luck to you!

I would only buy a Heartland RV. It's a super company and they are there for you if you have any questions, issues, or problems. The Heartland forum is also there to answer any questions or problems. We bought from Crossroads in Newfield NJ and would buy from them in a heartbeat. They stand behind Heartland and they go out of there way to help you in any way, for all your needs. We store our unit at Crossroads in the winter and they are great. Heartland is a well made product and doesn't compare to other brands. The only negative about Heartland is as soon as we turned on the light over the bed, the bulb burnt out. We emailed and they immediately emailed back but said bulbs aren't covered. I understand there logic but can you understand what I was trying to say, We just turned the light on and it immediately burnt-out. Other than that Foxriverguy go with a Heartland, you won't be sorry.

Hi,
This is our first experience with a TT. We had 2 MH's before with about 18 years experience driving and maintaining. First, my background is as an automotive instructor for 35 years. I always question why we do things and I am always open to new technological advances to make things better (if they do). Since we don't ride in our TT's like we do in MH"s they don't approach things the same. I don't have a vast amount of experience with either of the two industries but in general it is my impression that TT's are a notch or two below the quality of motor homes. I'm not saying that all MH's are better or that most TT"s are junk. Like most manufactured products there are good/bad in everything. One observation is why do most TT's. especially the smaller units, come out of the factory with no shock absorbers and bias belted tires?? What out on the highway does not need the advantages of radial tires and shocks?? Name me one car/truck including 18 wheelers that come out with non radial tires. You can't. Since these two items (shocks, radial tires) are not generally standard equipment that tells me something concerning the entire travel trailer industry.
My wife researched TT's for over a year before we settled on HL. I believe that they are one of the best (quality) out there and their customer service is very good. But they advertised our 24-RBS as 4-seasons and a factory rep told me to take that term with a grain of salt. They are not really designed to be used in freezing conditions that may last for days or weeks at a time. So why advertise them as such??? OK. Heartland does make a good unit. They do have a good CS record. This forum, monitored by HL and well supported is really a great, great benefit. You can get answers to questions and factory support. The real secret to buying any TT is to find a good dealer who will support your unit and maintain a good working relationship with the manufacturer. When we were still searching for a make we stumbled onto the dealer that carried HL, which was on our short list. That dealer is 120 miles from us. We ordered from them but were greatly disappointed with their quality of work and service. Later we contacted HL concerning a broken fresh water tank strap and realized that there was a dealer only 20 miles from us. When we first stopped to see their units it was early spring and most of their units and sales people were in KC attending a show. We did not realize that they sold HL units. They are a top notch service facility.
There will always be things to fix with TT's or MH's. Find the unit that you want. Then find a dealer. Use this forum to locate a quality dealer because that will make the difference.

TeJay

I agree with all of the above replies. We have a 2010 Sundance 3200re. Bought it new off the lot in 09 and couldnt be happier. The Sundance is not a high end unit but that doesnt mean lower quality. When I read about other brands on other forums and the complaints I see is enough for me to stick with my Heartland product or purchase a new one.

Yes I would at this time, last Sat. I woild not have but the dealer came through for us. We hooked up everything and I truned on the water and it filled the front storage area up with water, call dealer said to put water in holding tank and try using the pump you guess ed it filled front storage area up with water again, called dealer again he said that he did not have service personal on Saturdays but he call one of his people at home and they came out and found out what was wrong shut it off and came back on Monday and fixed it. We have had some problems with it but Heartland and the dealer have taken care of everything, Thanks to Heartland and Camper Clinic in Rockport, Texas

I think somewhere on this site there is a survey of Heartland Owners.

We've had our Elk Ridge for 1 yr. last April. During the first year, we had some issues, nothing really major, but they were frustrating to say the least. We got everything taken care of. We workcamped this summer, and lived in it from mid June when we went to the Goshen rally, until we got done work camping, about 4 months, with little or few problems. Would we buy another Heartland product? As things stand right now...you bet!!! The customer service is beyond great! From what I've seen the company really cares about the owners (this forum is a prime example a lot of companies don't have one), from the top dog, to the guy on the line hooking up the plumbing.

As far as a dealer in FL, last Dec we were in Leesburg, FL and an issue popped up. We called Heartland, and they hooked us up with a dealer, and from what we saw they were GREAT! Just wish they were in MO. They are Campers Inn in Fruitland Park They jumped on the problem, and got it taken care of when our dealer couldn't. If you do buy a Heartland product, make sure to join the Owners Club so you can go to the national rally. We went to our first rally last June, and it blew us away. We are now hooked on Heartland rallys!!!

[h=2]Would you buy Heartland again? NO![/h]

I would not think of buying a coach from another manufacture EVER AGAIN !! As good as Heartland has been to us, I could not sleep at night if I were to buy another brand.

I commented earlier but would like to add more. Reference has been made to high end MH units (400-K +). Our two MH's were, Tioga 23' -1977 $13,000, 1999 Dutch Star by Newmar - $80,000. Both units were good quality with few problems. I mentioned earlier about the locations of drain valves. Both MH's drained well with the existing drains. The HL NT-24-RBS drains will not drain the fresh tank completely. A drain is supposed to be installed at the lowest part of the system so gravity will do the work. That to me is attention to detail. I also realize that a few gallons in the bottom of the large tank if it freezes won't burst the tank. The fresh tank was installed with just straps holding it up into the frame. When one strap (the center one) broke the tank sagged 7 + inches. That center strap was being asked to bear a greater load because it was in the middle of a large piece of plastic filled with water. Adding a piece of plywood across the bottom of the tank would have spread the tank pressure so that all straps would bear the same load. That's 75 gallons of water around 500 lbs of weight. Do what you can to secure the load. That is attention to detail. We as well as many others have had hinges pop out of cabinets. It took just a little contact cement to secure the hinges. That's attention to detail not higher cost. Out of the factory with no shocks, no self-adjusting brakes, and no radial tires as standard equipment. That's attention to safety.
I still believe that Heartland is the best but the industry has a long way to go. This forum is wonderful for information. I would have gladly paid $1000-$2000 more for our unit with the above things as standard equipment but I was not given the option.

TeJay