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RV-Dreams.com Home -> RV-Dreams Community Forum -> Buying An RV -> Buying 5th wheel far from home?
Post Info TOPIC: Buying 5th wheel far from home?
fun2travel


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Buying 5th wheel far from home?
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Hi, we've been looking for our fifth wheel for a couple years now.  We are 1-2 years out now from FT,

weve decided we want the Heartland Landmark Key Largo.  The model we are interested in is a 2014 and will not be manufactured

any longer as they are going to new models for 2015.  There are only a couple left around, with the closest being a 7 hour drive from home.

My question for you is not so much that the dealer is far because I know we won't be in any one location for long.  But my

concern is this is a pretty small dealer that has recently changed ownership.  I've read how important the PDI is and I

wonder if I should be concerned about this being done by a new, small dealer whom I don't think probably has much experience

with this brand or the process.  Their price is much less than the other ones I've been able to locate.  

I'd like opinions, should I get this one, or be more concerned about the PDI than price. Next closest in price is at least 10,000 higher.  ( I think they want to get rid of some inventory).

I tend to be more cautious because our current TT has had a water leak somewhere in the unit that has ruined all the floors and even caused the entry step to fall off due to the floor rot.

Thanks!



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2014 Dodge 3500 Diesel Dually Truck

2014 Heartland Landmark Key Largo

Finally on the road September 2015 !
el Rojo and Pam


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I wouldn't worry about the dealer being new. He/she is probably trying harder to please all customers since they are new. And the mechanics or techs are probably the same as with the old owner. So if it is "the trailer" I wanted and the deal felt good I would buy it.

FWIW

Red

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igotjam


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Bought our first 5er (ordered from factory with many changes) from a local dealer and once delivered promptly left the area. I will say that there is a bit of hassle getting warranty work from a dealer you did not buy from. Having said that, most warranties are only a year or two so it won't be long til its not a concern.  As far as the PDI, there were so many problems that I could not catch with the PDI (they only became evident after time) that as far as I am concerned the PDI will only catch a small portion of the problems anyway.



-- Edited by igotjam on Tuesday 7th of October 2014 09:40:55 AM

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travlingman


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We have a Landmark and have no issue with getting warranty work done by someone other than dealer. I had an issue with water leak at fridge and called Heartland, told them I was on the road, they said find a mobile tech and let tech bill them. Just do a good PDI before you hand over any money. We spent the night in ours and then paid the next day after fixing the little stuff we found.

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2riker2go


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We also bought long distance...got our Landmark in TN when we still lived in NY. Agree that Heartland is great about warranty work. We needed a slide adjustment and we were able to bring it to a local place and Heartland worked with the repair place with no issues. Just have to make sure it is approved before they do the work.

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SnowGypsy


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I, too, would not worry about the smaller dealers and would prefer them. They have lower prices because they have lower overhead and generally are not high pressure like the bigger dealerships. Any unit being discontinued should be nicely discounted because it will lower the resale price unless it is something very special that others are dying to get which is usually not the case. If others have had a good experience with the manufacturer standing behind the products and dealerships, you should have no problems.

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MarkS


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We bought ours from Ohio and had it shipped to California. I didn't expect much from the dealer. As long as you don't expect anything from Lippert, you'll be satisfied.

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fun2travel


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Thank you all so much for responding. We are on our way to see the unit later this am. 



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2014 Dodge 3500 Diesel Dually Truck

2014 Heartland Landmark Key Largo

Finally on the road September 2015 !
The Junkman


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Bought mine in TN from NV..

It's just a price thing. Lowest price wins. I don't believe you should have to pay for good service. You are already paying a ton of money to begin with.

Pdi is important, but is should not cost you a single penny. Mine was set and ready.. some small scratches and stuff is all I could find.. Just look, and test everything.. and if buying new, know it has a warranty.

Btw love the landmarks.. was in the finals for me.



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el Rojo and Pam


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Any update?

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kb0zke


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fun2travel, buying locally vs buying from a distant dealer is something that gets discussed frequently on many RV forums. There are advantages and disadvantages each way. In your case, though, there is only one model that satisfies you, and only a few left for sale. That may be enough to go for it. Since it is a leftover unit, and the new ones are already out, I would expect a pretty hefty discount on the price.

The question of warranty work frequently comes up, and Heartland is usually pretty good about letting a local dealer (rather than the selling dealer) do the warranty work. If you do buy from the distant dealer I'd suggest that you have your local dealer do all of the service work. That way they are making some money from you, and also know your coach a bit better.

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fun2travel


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Thanks for asking!

We put a deposit down on our new Landmark Key Largo.  It's funny, I was going through a bunch of our

old brochures and notes we had made over the last couple years in order to pitch them since we had made our decision.   I found the brochure for this one from a year ago, I had written on

it,"this could be the one"!

 

Anyway, now we just need to find the tow vehicle for it.  Looking for a 2-3 year old dually, diesel truck.

We're open to the make, so hopefully here in the next few weeks we can find one so we can bring our new home, home.smile



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2014 Dodge 3500 Diesel Dually Truck

2014 Heartland Landmark Key Largo

Finally on the road September 2015 !
el Rojo and Pam


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Congrats on your new home!

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Full timing since 2/27/14.

Silverado HD 3500 4X4 Dually.

Momentum 380 by Grand Design.
fun2travel


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Just picked up our new home.  Ended up getting a new Ram 3500 Diesel Dually long bed truck.

My DH calls the truck BA, haha, any A team fans out there knows what he means biggrin



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2014 Dodge 3500 Diesel Dually Truck

2014 Heartland Landmark Key Largo

Finally on the road September 2015 !
Diana and Jim


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Congratulations!  Do you have any photos?  Your rig sounds beautiful!

 

We were at the Fall Rally, and we saw Jo and Craig's Landmark.  I was impressed with the quality.

 

Jim (and Diana)



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el Rojo and Pam


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fun2travel wrote:

Just picked up our new home.  Ended up getting a new Ram 3500 Diesel Dually long bed truck.

My DH calls the truck BA, haha, any A team fans out there knows what he means biggrin

 "I love it when a plan comes together"  lol

 

Congrats.



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Full timing since 2/27/14.

Silverado HD 3500 4X4 Dually.

Momentum 380 by Grand Design.
jayc


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We have a 2010 Ram 3500 DRW that pulls our 2011 Landmark Grand Canyon very well. We've put about 80,000 miles on the truck, many of them pulling the trailer and love the way it performs.

If you do have a problem that you need dealer service for, contact Heartland Customer Service (574 262-8030) for the name of a service provider near you. 

Good luck and enjoy your new coach.

 

 



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Dave and Denise


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Thanks for posing your question(s) fun2travel. It's amazing how many of you have the same questions we do and how helpful all the responses are. Our current plan is to buy an Arctic Fox from a Pa. dealer. We live in Florida. We think this will actually work out good for us. We plan to travel 4 - 6 summer months each year up north, so our current assumption is we will spend our first summer in and around the PA/OH/NY area. Initially keeping within close proximity of the dealer. We then plan to store our 5er up north each year. Doesn't seem to make sense to haul it all the way back to Florida only to return somewhere back up north the next year.

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gypsymaus


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We were in AZ and bought a motorhome we found online in Iowa. We gave the dealer a list of things that were critical to us inspection wise. They answered all of our questions to our satisfaction before we got in the car to go pick it up. For us it was a big adventure and we had no regrets. 



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