Buying a Toy Hauler

What do you need in a Toy Hauler

There are many kinds of Toy Haulers, Pull Behinds, Fifth Wheel and even Motor coaches. To keep it simple and in my area of expertise, I will limit my discussion to the higher end Fifth Wheel Models. If you need more information on other types, do a simple Google search for what you are looking for and do your homework, like I did.
 

There are many different kinds of "Luxury Class Fifth Wheel" so I will keep my remarks to a certain segment of the population, mainly women who have chosen to, or have been convinced, to give up their home and try to live in what is actually a mobile garage with living quarters.

 

Don't despair, there are homey and useful units being built that will meet your needs and look good doing so.

 

Here are the Top Toy Hauler manufacturers,

(would love to add more, send me info and I will post):

Heartland

Sunnybrook

Keystone Raptor

Keystone Cougar

Here are some helpful links for research on Toy Haulers:

http://www.fifthwheeltoyhaulers.com/links/

I could go on forever on the many makes and models of Toy Haulers and which one would work best in any given situations, but I find this topic more than covered by those who know so much more than i, so here are the forums you need to research to make your own best decision.

RV.net Form/Toy Haulers 

For Living on the Road Full Time I recommend:

Escapee's Forum

How I Feel Personally:

 Take this as a blatant endorsement. Your mileage may vary depending on whether you are realistic and have a grip on what you want.

The following is a letter posted to the Road Warrior Owners Site. In no way was I solicited or in any way encouraged by Heartland or NobleRV to make these comments. I feel this strongly about my experience with these people because I spent the better part of two years looking for the right Fifth Wheel Toy Hauler at the right price.

Here we are picking up our rig at Noble

We are so excited, we are currently in the process of ordering our new 2011 Road Warrior. We are impressed by not only the quality of this product, but by the responsive and positive attitude of the Heartland Salespeople and the Heartland Company. What other RV manufacturer can you call up and talk to your product line manufacturer personally? And get the answers you need? 

We have been looking at "Toy Haulers" (could we find a better term here...they are much more than this!) for over two years and have never seen the equal to Heartlands quality and commitment. We have toured models from every manufacturer that makes toy haulers and only Heartland has taken the time to make this model not only beautifully hospitable, but capable of going off road where we need to be.

 Our local dealer is more than happy to let you hang around and check things out for as long as you need to feel comfortable with your purchase, we witnessed this when we went to look at a another model that had just been delivered and the owners were giving it a detailed going over, the set up crew actually hauled it into the bay and fixed the small concerns as the folks brought them up. Now, that's service!

We are not new to RV ownership and realize that a few things can be expected to need tweaking in a rig that is literally a complete house and garage on wheels. The difference with Heartland and our local dealer, Noble RV, is that they are there for you, and the sale is just the beginning of a long and happy relationship, not the end.

Try visiting over 50 RV dealerships in two years and see for yourself what's out there. We had many instances of "Buy this one, (even if it doesn't meet our needs), or we can't be wasting time on you" or "We need you to put something down on this today, we have another buyer coming in tomorrow so you'll miss your chance". I can't believe that kind of attitude in this economy! I worked in sales and marketing for over a decade, I wouldn't sell a toilet brush with these lines.....so amaturish and unprofessional.

I won't even get into the way most dealerships treat women, it's like you're invisible! they only talk to the man and when they do say something to you its about the color scheme or how nice the microwave is, like I've never seen one before! Heartland is the ONLY Toy hauler line that actually built a unit with a woman and family in mind. That's why they are prospering, they see the big picture and women are in it. (not just draping around in a bikini ad with a beer in her hand, although, I must admit I do plan on relaxing in my one piece with an iced tea once we get our rig set up in Florida).

 

We searched far and wide for more than two years since we travel the country, and researched every Toy Hauler out there. We can find no better build, nor better service than Heartland. We are amazed at the no pressure sales, and the extra mile taken to get your needs met the first time. If it sounds like high praise, it's because they earned it.
Heartland has found the dealers who care and has entrusted their line to them. We haven't had a bad experience yet with a Heartland dealership, even when we asked the most annoying and tedious questions, via phone, email and in person. I asked stupid questions and delayed committing to any deal on purpose! I wanted to find out if they have the patience to deal with me now, cuz if they don't, they won't have the time when I have a problem!


Say what you will, I will order from Heartland because they have already proven themselves to me, long before we signed and drove away. This company has got it right.
Thanks again for your help, and we sure will take pictures and post our new adventures when we take delivery. Happy Travels!