Imagine XLS21BHE

[LtColBuckRobley]

Anyone out there own this unit? I'm considering purchasing one and I'm down to it and the Passport 239ML. The GD is about 2k higher and I'm wondering if any owners can tell me if they've had good luck with it and would buy it again.

[huntr70]

I sell both of them, the Imagine and the Passport.

The GD is built much better, which is why it is more money.

Keystone does not have the underbelly with heat, or laminated rear walls. No ladder, aluminum rims are optional, no power tongue jack. Etc, etc....

[LtColBuckRobley]

I sell both of them, the Imagine and the Passport.

The GD is built much better, which is why it is more money.

Keystone does not have the underbelly with heat, or laminated rear walls. No ladder, aluminum rims are optional, no power tongue jack. Etc, etc....

I know the Passport offers 14" tires and 10" brakes. Is this the same on the GD? Or are they 15 and 12?

[pilotpip]

Take a look at the keystone owners forum. Their warranty support seems to be on the opposite end of the spectrum of GD. While watching the snow fall last night I counted at least 5 threads within the last month of people complaining about basic warranty stuff (window/roof leaks, electrical issues, etc) being denied by keystone/thor.

The Rockwood Minilite/ Flagstaff microlite might be something you want to take a look at several floor plans with murphy beds. Reading their forums, it seems they fit somewhere between GD and Keystone, but Forest River stands behind their product much better than Thor.

[LtColBuckRobley]

Take a look at the keystone owners forum. Their warranty support seems to be on the opposite end of the spectrum of GD. While watching the snow fall last night I counted at least 5 threads within the last month of people complaining about basic warranty stuff (window/roof leaks, electrical issues, etc) being denied by keystone/thor.

The Rockwood Minilite/ Flagstaff microlite might be something you want to take a look at several floor plans with murphy beds. Reading their forums, it seems they fit somewhere between GD and Keystone, but Forest River stands behind their product much better than Thor.

I love the Rockwood 2509S and Flagstaff 25BRDS. The price is the problem. Right now those run in the 25K range OTD whereas Passport is around 19 and GD around 21 out the door.

[Jking46]

We owned a Flagstaff hybrid before buying our Imagine 2800. It was well built and trouble free during the 3 1/2 years we had it.
Our Grand Design has been about the same. Possibly even better built.
Friends had a Passport. Started delaminating less than 4 years old. Numerous other problems. They now own a Grand Design Imagine.

[LtColBuckRobley]

We owned a Flagstaff hybrid before buying our Imagine 2800. It was well built and trouble free during the 3 1/2 years we had it.
Our Grand Design has been about the same. Possibly even better built.
Friends had a Passport. Started delaminating less than 4 years old. Numerous other problems. They now own a Grand Design Imagine.

i've heard a lot of people saying things about he better build quality on the GD. Are you talking mainly about quality control stuff or better materials on the unit overall? If that's the case any examples?

[Jking46]

Check the insulation. GD has much better r factors.
Check the ac. GD starts with 15000btu units. FR and Keystone start with 13500 btu.
Cabinetry is much higher quality in GD than Keystone, and the equal to Flagstaff.
As for assembly quality, I'll say this...
When we did the PDI for our Imagine, the tech said he would much rather prep a GD than any other brand they carried because they come in nearly perfect. Other brands not nearly so much.
Hope this helps

[pilotpip]

Parts are all the same. There are really only 2 manufacturers of things like ovens and refrigerators. I haven't really looked at an XLS because the floorplans really don't have what we're looking for. Right now, we're torn between the Rockwood 2509S and Imagine 2400BH, leaning towards the imagine for a number of reasons.

The imagines do seem to be better insulated, but there's a good thread on here discussing the R ratings and the liberties they take with them. The finish quality is a little better on the imagine than the rockwood, but the rockwood has a lot of extras that I'd add later (maxfan, vent covers, wifi booster) I like the shorter size of the rockwood, and the murphy bed is appealing for a couch when stuck inside on a rainy day. The wife likes the separate bedroom, and I like the larger tanks on the imagine (we dry camp quite a bit during hunting season).

They all have issues. Everything is a compromise on an RV. You're balancing weight, durability, and cost. Durability is usually the part that suffers because you're already inducing an earthquake every time you go down the road. Based on the horror stories I've heard, and the research I've done, there is absolutely no way I'd buy a product made by Thor (Keystone). Grand Design has had some well documented issues on certain imagine models (2800BH) with axles and leaf springs but it seems that everyone has been handled by GD. For those that have had issues with their dealer, they suddenly go away when GD gets involved. Buy once, cry once.

[Jking46]

I would caution against the murphy bed. I'm still on the Forest River Forum and the complaints about the murphy bed are about the same as the ones on this forum. Very uncomfortable and supposedly you can't use a topper or the bed won't fold up.
Not trying to sway you one way or the other. We were well satisfied with our Flagstaff and nearly bought a 2706 ws instead of our Imagine. We considered them equal in most areas. The heavier tongue weight of the FR was a big factor as I was towing with a Ram 1500 at the time. Another consideration was the floor heat ducts vs the wall and cabinet ducts in the GD. Those metal registers looked like toe stubbers and dog hair catchers to us.