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Old 01-12-2019, 05:11 AM   #1
LtColBuckRobley
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Passport 239ML

Anyone out there own this unit? My wife and I are considering purchasing one and we are down to it and a Grand Design Imagine XLS21BHE. The passport is about 2K less and I'm leaning in that general direction, but want to hear from anyone who has had experience with it.
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Old 01-12-2019, 06:40 AM   #2
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Originally Posted by LtColBuckRobley View Post
Anyone out there own this unit? My wife and I are considering purchasing one and we are down to it and a Grand Design Imagine XLS21BHE. The passport is about 2K less and I'm leaning in that general direction, but want to hear from anyone who has had experience with it.


I have a 2017 passport 239ml. I don’t think they changed much since. It has been a great camper so far. Probably had it out 10-15 times the past two seasons and have yet to have an issue. It pulls great behind my ram 1500.

It does appear that the grand design is a little more upscale than the passport but the layout is the same.

Not sure what price you are getting it for in your area but if your willing to travel I would give Holman rv in Batavia Ohio a look. You could have a 2019 passport for under 17 grand.
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Old 01-12-2019, 07:07 AM   #3
LtColBuckRobley
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I'm looking at Evans in Petersburg IN. 16995 for Passport and 18995 for Grand Design. Like the looks of Passport better as well as seating areas and placement of TV. But Grand Design seems to be made better.
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Old 01-12-2019, 07:29 AM   #4
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But Grand Design seems to be made better.
Just be aware on making your choice that all the manufacturers use exactly the same components in their trailers. $2k of better build may be difficult to find. JM2C!
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Old 01-12-2019, 07:36 AM   #5
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The trailers appear to be very similar and much of the materials and construction process are very similar. GD uses wood rafters, Keystone uses galvanized rafters on the Passport line. Which is better ??? That's much the same as which came first, the chicken or the egg... We could argue it for years and not find the answer....

I'd suggest you look "UNDER" the trailer and see what you find. The Passport has 14" wheels which means 10" brakes and limited capacity to upgrade the tires without buying new wheels. That would leave you with the 10" brakes and no way to upgrade them without changing out the axles. I don't know what's under the GD trailer. If it's 15" wheels and 12" brakes, I'd make that a major factor in my decision.

Other than the "running gear" (if both have 10" brakes and 14" wheels/tires) it essentially boils down to which color and fabric selection appeals to you. They are, for the most part, very similar in other aspects.
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Old 01-12-2019, 07:33 AM   #6
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I’ve had 2 passports. The 1st was a 238ML. Both were good rigs with little to no problems. I’ve heard Grand Design builds good rigs too. Let us know what you decide.
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Old 01-12-2019, 07:56 AM   #7
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Passport does have a new SL series. Check out the 239ml SL. It looks to be a little more upscale at the same price.

https://www.holmanrv.com/New-Invento...a-Ohio-5934146
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Old 01-12-2019, 10:51 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by LtColBuckRobley View Post
Anyone out there own this unit? My wife and I are considering purchasing one and we are down to it and a Grand Design Imagine XLS21BHE. The passport is about 2K less and I'm leaning in that general direction, but want to hear from anyone who has had experience with it.
Me and the wife just purchased one in December from Halterman's RV in Burlington WA, 18,000 out the door.
Used it once so far and love it, again only used once so not a lot to go on. It does have the 15 inch wheels so not sure if there is much difference between this and the grand design, happy hunting!
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Old 01-12-2019, 01:35 PM   #9
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I've heard some people complain about the build quality on the Passport and the difficulty of getting Keystone to approve warranty repairs. Those are probably my biggest concerns but overall I like the unit a little better overall, especially when you factor in the lower price.
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Old 01-12-2019, 02:13 PM   #10
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I've heard some people complain about the build quality on the Passport and the difficulty of getting Keystone to approve warranty repairs. Those are probably my biggest concerns but overall I like the unit a little better overall, especially when you factor in the lower price.
I will say this, i would invest in a ladder for the bunks if you have kids, my 5 year old son used the back of the dinette to boost himself up to the top bunk and after his 500th trip he managed to break the wood strip they have on the very top, it has about 4 or 5 button heads covering some screws into a piece of wood. easy fix with some wood glue, the only reason it gave way was they just missed the wood with one screw and when he stepped on it it gave way, everything else seems ok, I'll let you know after my son has had a chance to stress test everything else.
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Old 01-13-2019, 09:04 AM   #11
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We sell both, very silimar build and layout. Personally I like the Murphy bed in the GD better. The GD also has much more insulation in the roof and floor (sidewalks are the same). I think the GD is worth the extra money, but if the cost is your major deciding factor, the Passport is a nice unit.
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Old 01-13-2019, 09:15 AM   #12
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We sell both, very silimar build and layout. Personally I like the Murphy bed in the GD better. The GD also has much more insulation in the roof and floor (sidewalks are the same). I think the GD is worth the extra money, but if the cost is your major deciding factor, the Passport is a nice unit.


Is this the same in that SL series? I notice that they are now extended season when the earlier models didn’t have this. I would assume they have done something to insulate it better but may be wrong. Something I wish mine had but I don’t believe was offered just a couple of years ago.
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Old 01-13-2019, 09:23 AM   #13
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Is this the same in that SL series? I notice that they are now extended season when the earlier models didn’t have this. I would assume they have done something to insulate it better but may be wrong. Something I wish mine had but I don’t believe was offered just a couple of years ago.
Yes, they did not change the insulation levels. Most of the changes are cosmetic. The Grand Touring is now GT, they eliminated the Elite. On the GT you now have molded front caps, and several changes to the interior.
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Old 01-12-2019, 04:11 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by LtColBuckRobley View Post
I've heard some people complain about the build quality on the Passport and the difficulty of getting Keystone to approve warranty repairs. Those are probably my biggest concerns but overall I like the unit a little better overall, especially when you factor in the lower price.


Most rigs in that price range and even a lot above are built about the same. A very detailed delivery inspection will help. Make sure the dealer has good reviews on service and not just sales. A good dealer will interface with Keystone and be able to get things fixed if needed.
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Old 01-12-2019, 05:43 PM   #15
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Happy with our Passport 238ML ( similar unit, mainly just no Murphy Bed) which we purchased used in late 2017. I would buy another Passport if I were looking. I would think the Grand Design is a good unit also, but, only you can decide if the decorating and additional features along with perceived quality is worth the $2000. I believe the 238ML is about 500 lbs lighter. I read this forum and learned a lot, there are different opinions but they explain why they have those opinions. I just looked for the common ideas or thoughts and ran with it. I upgraded wheels and tires before I ever hit the road. We decorated the inside to our liking. Last year was our first year and we hit the road for numerous trips, about 4,000 miles and we camped in it over 30 nights. All the responses before mine have good information and accurate from what I have learned.
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Old 01-13-2019, 07:49 AM   #16
LtColBuckRobley
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I have heard many people mention upgrading tires. Roughly how much are we looking at to do that? Where would be a good place to have them bought and installed? I noticed on the dealer website one of the two units for sale already had a the spare on it in their pictures. I'm assuming there was a problem with one of the original tires. Kinda scary.
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Old 01-13-2019, 07:56 AM   #17
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I have heard many people mention upgrading tires. Roughly how much are we looking at to do that? Where would be a good place to have them bought and installed? I noticed on the dealer website one of the two units for sale already had a the spare on it in their pictures. I'm assuming there was a problem with one of the original tires. Kinda scary.


I did not upgrade the tires on my 238ML but did on the 2810BH that replaced it after 2 seasons. I had a blowout on the 2810 with the OEM tires. I went to the next higher load rating Carlisle Radial Trail HD tires. Never had an issue after that.
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Old 01-13-2019, 09:16 AM   #18
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Originally Posted by LtColBuckRobley View Post
I have heard many people mention upgrading tires. Roughly how much are we looking at to do that? Where would be a good place to have them bought and installed? I noticed on the dealer website one of the two units for sale already had a the spare on it in their pictures. I'm assuming there was a problem with one of the original tires. Kinda scary.
There was a comment from someone who says they own a 239ML and that it had 15" wheels and tires as OEM. That is a departure from the Keystone website specifications for the trailer. Keystone advertises 14" load range D tires. If they have changed the actual tires to 15", then you will have the capacity to increase to LRE tires (assuming the wheels are rated for 80PSI). That does leave the question of what size brakes are on the trailer? Did Keystone "only change the wheel/tire assembly? Or did they upgrade the axles to also upgrade the brakes from 10" to 12"?????? While it is "out of sight/out of mind" for most buyers who are looking at "bling", when you tow the trailer off the dealer's lot, you "inherit" a multitude of "sub-par/barely adequate" systems.... A smart shopper takes all of that into account BEFORE signing on the dotted line.

The last thing you want is an unpleasant surprise of finding after that first tire problem that not only do you need to upgrade tires, you also need to buy new wheels and if you want to stop that rig, you also need to upgrade the axles to gain sufficient brakes to "be safe".....

Many buyers of new RV's couldn't tell you if their trailer "belly" is covered with coroplast, Darco or if there's actually "no cover on the belly".... There is a thread (about a year old now) where the owner contacted Keystone to ask why his trailer belly cover was missing. Their response, "Oh, take it back to the dealer and let him report it to us." .... I believe that Keystone finally did pay to install his "missing parts" but to think he actually "bought it and towed it home without looking"........ That's a mistake I'm sure he'll never make on any future RV purchases...... Don't join his "club" whether you buy the Passport or the GD trailer.
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Old 01-13-2019, 05:44 PM   #19
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You asked about wheel cost. I bought mine preowned so I wanted my 238ML to be equal to or better than the way they get delivered. I knew that going in and considered that when I agreed to a certain price for mine. Bought the better Good Year tires and put them on the newer style aluminum wheels all for about $650. Sold the white metal OEM wheels with the OEM Chinese doughnuts on Craigslist to a guy that just needed some basic wheels and tires for $150, so it was not to bad. As with many others on this forum, I believe in safety and proper preventative maintenance.
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Old 01-14-2019, 11:47 AM   #20
LtColBuckRobley
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You asked about wheel cost. I bought mine preowned so I wanted my 238ML to be equal to or better than the way they get delivered. I knew that going in and considered that when I agreed to a certain price for mine. Bought the better Good Year tires and put them on the newer style aluminum wheels all for about $650. Sold the white metal OEM wheels with the OEM Chinese doughnuts on Craigslist to a guy that just needed some basic wheels and tires for $150, so it was not to bad. As with many others on this forum, I believe in safety and proper preventative maintenance.
Joe
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2014 Passport 238ML

Is this the kind of thing that most dealerships will do? Or do you typically have to go to an actual tire store/service center for this? Do most of those kind of places even do an install on a travel trailer?
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