Keystone TT

[outdoordb]

I'm looking at purchasing a used 2016 or 2017 Passport, Bullet etc. I'm starting to hear bad things about anything made by Keystone and Thor. Let hear your thoughts. Thanks

PS I hope this does not open a can of worms.

[temccarthy1]

myredracer wrote:
We have friends that own a Keystone TT that they bought new. After a couple of years the cabinetry and dinette was falling apart due to poor workmanship. I spent a day fixing it for them.

I've been to our local RV show a number of times and have seen Keystone units with obvious, in-your-face, bad cabinetry workmanship like cabinet doors that can't be closed due to improper installation of hinges for example. You'd think the dealer would go through a TT and fix things before thousands of prospective buyers parade through it.

The worst case about a Keystone TT was a guy we met in a CG. His roof leaked like a sieve from new. The dealer could not fix it and it got sent to the factory for repair, but the factory only made it worse. He ended up fixing it himself.

I've seen Keystone TTs on display at a dealer and just for fun have looked at GVWR and tire and axle capacities. Keystone will sometimes install tires and axles that are very close to their max. load ratings. No law against that unfortunately. Then an owner can end up with a blowout or bent axle and wonder why.

Personally, I'd never buy a Keystone but other owners claim to have had few issues. We were lucky with our KZ TT as it was one of the last to go out the factory door before Thor bought them out. If we were to buy again, the only one I'd consider would be an OutdoorsRV TT. Keystone uses bling as a lure but it's what you can't see that matters most. Choose wisely and don't get sucked in by the price because you can spend a lot more dealing with issues down the road.

A dealer can also be a big factor as many are inept at repairing things and can take forever to do warranty work.

Your comments are the same as saying "GM cars are all junk!" GM makes many brands from low price Chevies to high price high quality Cadillacs, Suburban SUV's and more! Keystone, just like GM, has dozens of brands from low price ones that may be lower quality fit and finish to high price much better quality ones! We have a Keystone Bullet Ultralite since 2014. Thousands of miles and not a single defect or poor quality component! Certain Keystone brands are high quality and others are not. You get what you pay for. Don't group every brand Keystone makes under 1 umbrella!

[temccarthy1]

am1958 wrote:
I have a 2014 Bullet Premiere 31BHPR... Love it and no issues worth mentioning.

X2---we have a 2014 Keystone Bullet 285RLS and love it! Bought it new, have NEVER had a single problem with anything in it. Keystone makes many brands but Bullet seems to have mostly very positive comments from all reviews I have seen! Check them out! Luxurious Ultralites and a great value!

[Duane4238]

My 2 cents. I bought a 2 year old Keystone Springdale in 2013. It's a 311RE and was owned by one of the mechanics at the dealership. He traded it on a new 5th wheel. It was taken care of to the best standards. I bought it for about $10,000 below the cost of a new unit. The best thing about it was that all the bugs had been worked out in the first 2 years and I've had 0 problems since purchase. I'm planning on trading it in on a new one in 2020 and getting the same model as it fits what I need perfectly. All in all a quality unit.
Duane

[GeoffW90]

We purchased a Keystone Cougar H/T last season, it is a fantastic trailer.

On our search for a new one, we looked at them all. I used to sell TTs at one point in life and I was very pleased with the build quality of the Cougar. I cannot speak for other brands of Keystone, but happy with my unit! Good Luck and Happy Camping!

-GW

[rbpru]

Pull up the Keystone website and you will see they make a full compliment of RVs.

Not all models are created equal.

The vast majority of the RVs are owned by Thor or Forest River. Each builds models to a price point, with the same materials and work force.

Right now the industry is in their third year of record growth, building close to 500,000 units a year. I do not think you will find any company head and shoulders above the others for the same size and price point.

[old_guy]

I've seen Keystone TTs on display at a dealer and just for fun have looked at GVWR and tire and axle capacities. Keystone will sometimes install tires and axles that are very close to their max. load ratings. No law against that unfortunately. Then an owner can end up with a blowout or bent axle and wonder why. I think a lot of them do this. I bought a forest river once that had two different sized tires on the TT. I called them and they did nothing about replacing them. I had blow outs on every camping trip. I finally went to tire store and had them put on over sized tires. went from c class to G class and never had another blow out.

[campigloo]

We have a 2010 Outback we bought new. It had all the typical problems, underrated tires, a couple of cabinet patches that weren’t adjusted just right, but nothing I’d call major. When we first got it we would put maybe 10-15,000 miles a year on it. Last last four, since wife’s retirement it’s more like 25,000 a year. This year will probably make closer to 35,000 miles. If I ever replace it Outback would be the top runner at this point.

[skiles]

FWIW, we have been really happy with ours. We bought it from the original owners who we knew. There was a leak in the roof where the fridge exhausts. I found that in 2015, it had probably been brewing for less than a year. I couldn't really fault Keystone for that. Other than that no issues at all.

[goducks10]

handye9 wrote:
It's not unusual for many satisfied owners to not go out of their way to post good reviews.

Bad reviews, there are some folks who complain about manufacturers when their problem was actually self induced. And, there are some folks who complain about the RV manufacturer, when the real cause of their problem is a dealer or a company that makes the subsystems. IE: entertainment systems and appliances, etc

You'll see more complaints with Thor and Forest River simply because they make more units.

The big question is what percentage of owners are having problems.
Doesn't matter if they sell more or not.

[camp-n-family]

am1958 wrote:
I have a 2014 Bullet Premiere 31BHPR... Love it and no issues worth mentioning.

I have the same in a 2013, same experience. From other TTs I have looked at, the Bullet is one of the better built.

[ktmrfs]

well, we have a keystone outback, 2011, have put over 30K miles on it, put ove 100 days camping on it each year, including grandkids in the trailer.

The only issue we had with it was the clearcoat on the alloy wheels cracking for which keystone replaced the wheels, paid for balancing etc.

Daughters in-laws have a keystone cougar 2009, they have probably 20K miles on it, 60 days/year or more on it and again no problems with it everything is holding up well, both look almost new inside.

Now the in-laws trailer is stored outside w/o a cover and the decals are starting to curl. Ours is stored ouside covered whe not in use for more tha 3 weeks or so and the decals are still in great shape.

Both of us would by another keystone in a heartbeat.

BTW Thor owns airstream, and probably makes well over half the trailers sold.

[tnscoutr]

We have had no issues with our Hideout.

[Ron3rd]

Daughter has a Keystone Cougar and has had no problems

[sgfrye]

handye9 wrote:
It's not unusual for many satisfied owners to not go out of their way to post good reviews.

Bad reviews, there are some folks who complain about manufacturers when their problem was actually self induced. And, there are some folks who complain about the RV manufacturer, when the real cause of their problem is a dealer or a company that makes the subsystems. IE: entertainment systems and appliances, etc

You'll see more complaints with Thor and Forest River simply because they make more units.

good point here.

more units, more problems in general.


even airstreams have problems are they are considered "high end quality"


i only review or give opinions based on my personal experience


wife and i bought a 2018 fr wildwood 33 ft last july.

we loved the floor plan and price was in our budget.

i didn't want to buy new but after looking at used TT in north carolina over about 3 months the 2 problems i found were

#1 finding a couple floorplan we liked. just wife and i no kids.. not interested in bunk house. alot of used bunks out there.

#2 asking prices on 2 to 3 year old TT's were almost as much as new off lot. probably because most were upside down on loan when they are trying to sell. same with newer harley davidson motorcycles.




we have been very lucky with our rig. must have rolled off of assembly line tuesday thru thursday


no isssue so far in regards to assembly.

i maintain and inspect it myself.

my truck is a f250 and matches up great with TT

TT gvwr is 7720lbs,

i have weighed on catscales and am about 700lbs under that weight ready to camp. we dont dry camp or boondock so don't need extra weight for h20 and holding tanks

we are weekend warriors usually twice a month but do have longer trips
booked this year.



my final point is that you can purchase a new or used lower quality "entry level" TT and get great enjoyment out of it. we sure are.