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suiteowner · 02-19-2015, 01:13 PM

Well it was finalized on January 5th. Heartland purchased DRV...I really like the 5th wheel RVs DRV has manufactured prior to this point...I'm not a happy camper with this current transaction I suspect the quality of these coached will suffer because of it...Thankfully mind is a year old...

Walt Bennett · 02-19-2015, 02:17 PM

You've got to understand that this is nothing but what happens with capitalism. All the old high quality brands (save one that I'm familiar with so far) have become absorbed by larger corporations as they must continue to grow to satisfy stock owners. The corporate mentality is then to produce a product that's 'good enough' to sell in volume in order to maintain or improve market place and volume of sales. Very few, if any, companies can make a profit without keeping an eye on these things. Just the nature of the beast.

caissiel · 02-19-2015, 09:59 PM

The DRV manufacturing has some issues and the alliance with the Heartland group is to bring back the value to the line. They were in trouble before they were bought out. Heartland management will have the responsibility to make the line viable again.
Should be a good deal for all.

IRVDoU · 02-19-2015, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by suiteowner

Well it was finalized on January 5th. Heartland purchased DRV...I really like the 5th wheel RVs DRV has manufactured prior to this point...I'm not a happy camper with this current transaction I suspect the quality of these coached will suffer because of it...Thankfully mind is a year old...

Glad we finally got rid of our 2012 Mobile Suite Atlanta in December. It was a great coach, but I'm sure their quality will suffer in the long run.

Maybe the Tiffin boys will emerge as the new high end leader in fifth wheels.

suiteowner · 02-20-2015, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caissiel

The DRV manufacturing has some issues and the alliance with the Heartland group is to bring back the value to the line. They were in trouble before they were bought out. Heartland management will have the responsibility to make the line viable again.
Should be a good deal for all.

You have to be kidding or grossly misinformed,Heartland and Thor have never and will never produce an RV the quality of a DVR product...You must not like 15" frames and all aluminum floor wall and roof framing...Or 3.5" walls with all wool insulation...17.5" wheels and H rated tires trailair ride hitches and suspension...Come on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

caissiel · 02-20-2015, 11:03 AM

Got from the right sourse. The company was going down and to me it was either management or behind the time manufacturing that needs attention. The competition is there and one needs to be able to compete. Its a way of survival. Look at the ones that survived and fell in 2008/2009. Thor product are the survivors and Heartland must have the management to take the task.

hone eagle · 02-20-2015, 03:12 PM

The family wanted out ,time was right so they sold .the rest of your post is a attempt to put down any company but your own
I call troll

suiteowner · 02-20-2015, 04:10 PM

My 1st 5th wheel was a 2006 Heartland Bighorn 3600RL...I owned it for 13 months and couldn't deal with the problems any longer...Traded in on a Excel 35FLE...I'm not going to go into the problems I was having with the

Bighorn but they were serious and numerous...

maypo050770 · 02-20-2015, 07:26 PM

Sadly this seems to be a pattern with higher end 5th wheels.You need volume to make money it seems or sell them in the 200K range like Continental Coach and New Horizon. BHAA What do I know, I can barely handle my career, never mind RV manufacturing. I hope they don't change much when I get around to purchasing. They are on the top of my list

IRVDoU · 02-21-2015, 07:04 AM

We've owned 2 DRV Mobile Suites. The first, a 2010 36', had a few miscellaneous problems with fans going out, light bulbs blowing regularly, and cabinet hinges coming loose.

The 2012 MS 43' Atlanta seemed to be better mechanically but body fit and finish wasn't as good as the 2010. Had a couple of issues with full-body paint, the fender skirts cracking and the hydraulics leaking but DRV always stepped up and gave replacement parts even when out of warranty.

I think DRV is/was one of the best built 5'ers out there. I was a little disappointed when they started making the lower end products as I felt that the lower quality parts and fit/finish would eventually creep into the high end line.

It's hard for a lot of people to justify buying a $90-120K fifth wheel, but then I saw several people replace $60-80K fifth wheels 2 and 3 times over five years because they weren't happy with the quality they got.

glennwest · 02-21-2015, 03:37 PM

We had a 06 Mobile Suites. It was a beautiful unit but had many pressed wood trim and was disappointed in it. It was also drafty. Now have our 03 Teton Grand Freedom and are very pleased with it. What will become of DRV is anyone's guess. From what I have seen they were going down anyway. They are still one of the top mass produced units made today. If we had to replace our Teton, we would look at custom build.

Larmolljr · 02-22-2015, 07:59 AM

We have a 2015 Mobile Suites took delivery in August of 2014. We did have the opportunity to make a month long trip with it. Previous 5r was a Newmar Kountry Star. Newmar would have been my first choice for a new 5r, they no longer build 5rs ( wonder why) like some of the other manufactures. The DRV was in my opinion just about equal to the Newmar. The DRV has more options and a higher price but quality, fit and finish were equal. New innovations on the DRV were many. Had a couple minor issues on the trip but no different than the Newmar when it was new. The RV industry is so up and down with buy outs, product line changes its like a crap shoot, just need to do your home work before you spend the bucks.

glennwest · 02-22-2015, 03:52 PM

Are the trim around the slide outs/ cabinets press wood? Ours was. Didn't hold up well either. Air came in around slide outs especially in kitchen area. We actually stuffed air conditioning foam seal material under to block air.

Larmolljr · 02-23-2015, 01:11 PM

All trim around the slides and crown moldings ,were of solid wood not fake. Found very little in the unit that was not cherry wood. Dishwasher was a bit odd, small but worked well and surround sound was a challenge to figure out along with the wifi repeater. Thought all the rest of the options worked very well. One thing they did miss was a compartment to store the sewer hose