[molly]

We are selling our condo, buying a trailer, and hitting the road. I think I have a couple of months to make a decision, probably less. One camper that we like is the Keystone VR1. I found 3 different models, and the one that we are really fond of is the Keystone VR1 with the large front windows. It also has a nice layout. Any thoughts on this model and brand? I think they started making this model last year, since I can't find any older than a 2007. We really don't want to buy brand new. Would rather have a clean used model. I've found a couple, ebay, and PPL. Does anyone have any personal experience with this model. How are they for insulation, and towing? Any info, would be great.

Thanks,
Molly

 

[cassiem]

Thats the trailer with the V shaped front end right? I havent seen one in person, but have read good things about them. They are aerodynamic which should help some with gas mileage and wind drag.

I know there are others on here that can assist you more, but they do look like really nice campers. What length are you looking at?

 

[molly]

I've got one I'm looking at on ebay that's 33 foot. I'm open to anything between 29 - 33 foot. My Husband and I figured we could get along in that amount of room LOL. We do want at least one slide out. Are there different types of slide outs that I should be aware of?

Gotta go, our first prospective buyer is on their way over! Too soon can't be soon enough to sell our place! We're really looking forward to getting out of here.

Molly

 

[outbackshack]

I don't know much about that model, but I have to say that I have been satisfied with the Keystone brand.
We bought our Outback new in '04. I found a check list on the net and spent 1.5 hrs at the dealer having them tweak it here and there before we took it home. We never had to take it back for any other problems.
We had bought (2) used trailers before that & found "hidden" problems with each. Then we decided to bite the bullet & know what we were buying & have been very happy every since.

 

[mailfire99]

30 plus feet sounds good, that should be big enough if its just the 2 of you. Molly, generally slides are pretty reliable.

There is usually a manual crank that comes on the RV with slides to allow you to hand crank it back in should you ever need to. Get some Protect All slide lube and apply it to the tracks a 2 or 3 times a year and you should be good to go. Good luck to you!

 

[Dash D]

I agree this applies to all types of slideouts. KEEP THE BATTERY CHARGED! If your not going to be where there is not power. Cranking the slideout back in by hand is a long, slow process.

Slides should be lubricated regularly, but what lube to use is where it gets sticky. But the above I think is a good one to use.

 

[bill0830]

Speaking with a bit more exprience than I started and on my 3rd camper over the years. The first don't count as that was about 25 years ago. We purchased a Pilgrim 5th wheel about 4 years ago. It only had 1 slide, which we thought at that time was plenty, but we soon found that MORE is better. If you get a double slide, where the kitchen table and usually the couch is over one slide and the other slide is usually part of the living room or entertainment room. If you go with the 3 slide, then the 3rd slide is usually part of the bedroom and the bed is sideways and when the slide is out, you have a LOT of room in the bedroom. Of course there are 4 and 5 slideout trailers, but you have to go BIG to get those, probally in excess of 38 feet. We have a Jayco 37 foot 5th wheel with 3 slides and we really Love it.
There are so many different configurations that it would be impossible to say which design is better.
The slides are DC powered, with a manually crank backup. It don't take much battery to bring them in and out, but I would take a look at your DC monitor and make sure the battery or batteries are charged before heading out on a trip. If you hook the AC power up to the camper, you wouldn't have any problems.
At the start of camping season, I'll usually get underneath and give it a nice once over and lub up the screws on the slides and look for wear. Whenever I'm hooking up the water and AC power and I'm under the ground I'll look for any problems. There isn't a reason to lubricate the screw jacks more than a couple times in a season.
Keep in mind, the more slides you have the more weigh you are pulling. Ensure you have plenty of horses to tow one of these monsters around, which is a completely different discussion. :whistling:

 

[molly]

Thanks for all of the replies. Slide outs really increase the roominess of trailers. Sounds like the key to the slides are lubes and batteries. All of your information is really helping us with our decisions on the choice for trailers.

I think that we will be upgrading to a diesel truck. We've decided that we don't want to be limited on the size of our trailer due to the vehicle that will tow it. A 31 foot with slides will probably be pushing our Durango a little hard. It would be better to spend a little more money on the tow vehicle so that we can have more room. Replacing a transmission will cost just as much if not more.

Thank God we have a good marriage! We spend 24/7 with each other as it is and are lost without each other when my Husband goes on a job without me. Then we are in constant phone contact! We are looking so forward to this move. I never want to be stuck in one place with the way the country is going. Luckily in our line of work, we can operate anywhere.

Molly

 

[cassiem]

Thats great Molly, and I couldnt agree more about the staying in one place the way things are going. I think it would be a good idea to get a diesel for pulling as much and as big a rig you will have, although I have seen people towing big rigs with Durangos and Expeditions, etc.. Keep us posted on your house sale and RV purchase!

 

[mailfire99]

So how did yall makeout Molly? Did you end up getting a new camper yet?

 

[mikey]

Keystone makes a good rv. I do like the VR1 design, being aerodynamic. I dont know how much it will help on fuel mileage, but it has to help on wind force.

Molly, if you did end up buying the Keystone VR1, please give us your review on it. Would love to hear how how you like it.

 

[molly]

Moving ahead

Well we're still working on our Condo trying to get it ready for sale. Looks like we'll be here for about 6 more months at least. We tried selling it "as is" with all the materials needed for completion with no luck. Kind of bummed out but what are you going to do? The upside to taking more time is that the VR1 will depreciate a little more and we will save LOL. This will also be in the fall so camper prices will go down a little more.

We keep getting rid of items in preparation to live in a smaller space. Knowing we will be on the road though is akin to moving into a huge place LOL!

Has anyone checked out ebay seller arizonarvoutlet? They have some of the nicest rv's and campers that I've seen on the internet. They are also the most affordable and have a great ebay rating. After we sell our place we plan to take a trip out there.

Every morning I read my MSN page and I am so sad about what is happening to this country and the world. There are so many "hot spots" with crime and economic problems. We will still need to work while we're on the road but with the introduction of satellite computers we can research different areas then email ahead of time before we commit to a destination. I think that there will be a grass roots movement with other people hitting the road for these reasons. For the first 3 months or so we plan on doing nothing but playing though!!:yippie:

We also look forward to chatting with other people on the road and meeting up to share a campfire and exchange stories about our travels. Hopefully we will meet some of you!:10220:

Molly

 

[mailfire99]

Hi Molly!

Sorry to hear about your selling troubles, hopefully that will change for you soon. Its a rough market these days for house sellers.

Sounds like you have a great plan, playing for a few months!! :thumbup1:

Havent looked into buying an rv on the internet, other than research, so sorry, no help on the ebay user.

Glad to hear from you again, stay in touch!

 

[ctfortner]

Yes, there is a plus to it, let the keystone vr1 get some more time under its belt, so when your ready to buy, hopefully they wont be quite as proud of them.

Are yall doing a complete remodel of the place, or just a fix this, fix that kind of thing?

 

[molly]

We are doing a complete remodel down to the wiring. We have the wiring finished complete with a larger panel box. Canned lights with dimmers throughout the entire condo. The marble floors (large tiles) were installed a couple of years ago in a harlequin pattern and ground down for a seamless mirror finish. Our kitchen features one of a kind cabinets, island, pantry, and office area that have 2" thick doors and drawers that were cut from local oak trees. A cabinet guy estimated that they couldn't be made for under $50,000.00. We bartered for them so the only pinch we felt was waiting for them. They are also all done with dowels not nails. We need to apply a finish to them. The jacuzzi tub just went in. New jacuzzi toilet and furniture quality medicine cabinet. Austrailian crystal handled, washerless faucet and designer sink with custom base. New medicine cabinet. New tile throughout the upstairs as well as tile to the ceiling shower area. 3 years ago we put in all new windows complete with a fish bowl window in the livning room. Our condo was pretty chopped up downstairs so we removed a closet and moved a structural beam so it is completely opened up the downstairs. New front and back door. Upstairs closet are cedar lined and designed for more space. A new Trane heating system and ducts/vents were put in 3 years ago. On the outside we re-landscaped the entire court yard and front, complete with 2 peach trees that produce around 1000 huge juicy peaches every year. We also put brick pavers that but perfectly up to the interior marble. New decorative front and back porch lights. Motion sensors for the driveway. I'm sure I forgot some things.

We really over invested thinking that this would be our retirement home. The units are going for up to $70,000 in the park. We are next to one of the most desirable expensive neighborhoods and we couldn't even get an offer. I was pretty bummed out about it but oh well. We'll finish the job and move on.

Thanks for asking, sorry to ramble on.

Molly

 

[ctfortner]

Wow, that is a lot of work. Different times maybe a different result. Its a buyers market these day, I am sure you know, and I imagine it is tough selling a place right now. Keep us posted on it, hopefully things will work out and you can get your new RV and hit the road running. I would like to see you get that new keystone vr1, it is a very nice rig. Feel free to send us some peaches, my wife would be grateful forever

 

[molly]

Here's your peaches! Wish I could send the actual fruit.

Molly

 

[ctfortner]

Well, that is almost as good

Thanks!

 

[mishottie]

Molly, Are you still in the Market for the VR1?

Hi Molly, I was reading your post and thought you might be interested in our VR1 for sale. It is barely used and has only gone on the road about 4 times to our property in Arizona where we keep it part of the year. I absolutely love it and we are wanting to sell it to buy another one - just a different, larger model. We spend alot of time on our Ranch in Arizona and so it is like a second home, which is why we want a little more room, but don't want the hassle of a fifth wheel. It is the model with the two captain chairs and the large windows in the V area - I think its the 297 model - it is a 2007 with the whitewashed cabinets and the cinnamon decor package. We are only looking to get what we owe on it and we have the 5 year extended warranty. We are in California - you can email me if you would like more info at [email protected]. In any event, I recommend this trailer.

 

[molly]

Thanks for the offer!

I havn't posted here for months. Our business took a horrible turn last year and some days I feel like we'll never realize our dream. We still have so much to do before we sell our condo. We have been slooowly moving ahead though. It may be another year or two before we can leave. But for some reason, this past month the jobs have been pouring in. We now have more work than we know what to do with! So with every dime we receive we try to buy something. Last month we put in a new air conditioner! Now we need the convection oven/microwave, dishwasher, fridge (we have a tiny one for right now), drywall and insulation downstairs and fishish the tile and lighting in the bathroom. There are a few other items as well. We also hit a point where we need a good dose of motivation but with every small step forward, we're getting there. Hopefully by the time we are ready to sell, the market for condos should pick up with people wanting to downsize.

Yes, that's the VR1 that I want with the captains chairs and long windows :thumbup1:. It is just gorgeous! I can see pointing it towards the surf and sitting for hours.

I appreciate your post and offer. I'm sure you will sell it in no time. It's a wonderful model.

Thanks!

Molly