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Old 11-06-2010, 06:56 PM   #1
daviki
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Laredo 5er 25RK Used have questions

Well, first, I want to be open about this, we would like to find a 5er that is a few years old as the depreciation we see on them really takes a hit the first couple of years. Also, we are not full timers, matter of fact, we will use the unit probably only a few weekends and maybe a week here or there so were trying to keep the cost down.. It is for just my wife and I. So, Saying that..

We live in Tennessee and have found a 2006 Laredo 25rk that the One owner says has only been used less than 12 times. We are going to go look at it tomorrow and from what we know, it has the comfort package and the upgraded Air. From what we can see the only other option would have been the hide-a-bed that it does not have.

This forum has been great in giving me things to look for and pointers which I really appreciate and Kudo's to all the folks that chime in, new folks like us do a lot of reading before we post and with all the info on the forums I already feel like I have a much greater knowledge than I did this morning :-)

I see quite a bit of talk on hitches and front caps so I'll start here. We have a GMC 2007 (new body style) 2500 hd Crew Cab with the 6.6' bed. Gas with the tow package We have the big engine with the 6speed trans with Tow Haul mode. We have it all pre-wired with the factory brake controller and wiring.

The owner says he has used it with a non slider hitch with a similar truck. I see the front of the 5er has indents in the fiberglass although from about 08.09 it seems more drastic. Interesting enough when I talk to the Keystone dealer/service center will not even install a slider on anything period. There are other dealers that will install the slider if I really will need it.

At this point I guess I'm looking for past and present owners of the Laredo Line for their comments as well. I'm not sure where the Laredo sits in the line but it seems from the list that it's proably a mid line. So is this a good 5er to start with?

I look forward to any comments, suggestions and questions you may have for me....

Thanks
Dave, Nashville Tn.
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Old 11-06-2010, 10:10 PM   #2
Festus2
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Dave in Nashville:
First of all, welcome to the forum and glad to read that you have picked up some ideas from browsing through the various posts.
Secondly, I think that you are on the right track with regard to the size of your RV. For just the two of you and the limited amount of use that you will get from it, the year, model and size all seem like a good fit. Your tow vehicle is certainly adequate for that size unit.
If you can afford to go with a slider hitch , that would probably be a wise decision. You probably have read on here that some folks have had no difficulties with a regular hitch while others favour the sliding type. Having a slider will give you "peace of mind" as well as greater flexibility when turning tight corners. If I were to replace mine, I would seriously consider an auto sliding hitch.
The Laredo falls into the mid-priced section of the Keystone line up.
As a guide when going through the Laredo, you might want to download the Pre-
Delivery Inspection checklist found on Flyguy's - one of the forum moderators - home page. Even though your unit is pre-owned, it will come in handy for you. If you need help accessing this PDI Checklist, let us know and we will help you.
Hope this helps some.
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Old 11-07-2010, 04:55 AM   #3
daviki
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Festus2, thanks for the welcome seems like there are some real nice folks here. Also, thanks for the heads up for the pre-delivery checklist that seems like a great idea and I'll take that suggestion for sure.

Over the last few month my wife and I have visited many dealers in the local area and have seen some real nice units (new) and we were on the edge for a while.. but as we kept exploring we would also watch CraigsLIst and other publications on used units and have been out to see a couple and the ones we have seen have been spotless. With the economy we feel that if we can find a real good unit and help someone out by taking it off their hands that we would both win out of the deal. WE felt 2 or 3 years old was not really that old and hopefully would have had the bugs worked out of it by now.

As for size, your right, we had a hard time finding a smaller size unit and we gave size alot of consideration and the 25rk seems like it will fit our needs.. if in a few years we want to get out more we won't get so hurt in trading up either.

This forum and a few others have been helpful, but they are also eyeopening with regards of problems and frustrations which at times make me think twice if this is what we really want to get in to, there seems to be some real issues with some and honestly it does not matter which manufactuer you look at they all have their problems.. one way or another.

As for the dealers and warranty work, well I am sure the warranty compensation is no where near the $100 per hour the shops charge but then again neither are the auto makers warranty payment.. it' just frustrating for the customer (the coach owner) to be in the middle. We have previously owned 2 different motorhomes one was great, the other it was the motorhome from downunder as my wife would say and we finally worked out that the company bought it back just before we filed suit.. that motorhome was well over $100,000 and we could not put 2500 mile on it over the course of 18 months.

I will go back and revisit the slider hitch option, it's really not that much more ... I'd say the difference in about $900 with out and $1200 with so, I know another local dealer that will do a good job with it, as mentioned a manual slider will be there if we need it.

I do not know if anyone out here can comment, but what we have found was the 2006 25Rk and the asking price is $15,000 and it has all the standard options for that year plus the larger air unit and I believe the comfort package was a standard. In talking to a few dealers that unit would cost us about $24,000 new from RV wholesalers according to their sales person. So if anyone has any comment on the price range I'd love to hear from you.....

Keep the suggestions and comments coming I can use any and all the help we can get :-).

Dave
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Old 11-07-2010, 05:24 AM   #4
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Welcome to the forum Dave! Please don't let the negative posts upset you, I am active on many forums and you can see the same thing in each of them. Do your homework before you buy. I assume that this trailer is being sold by a dealer. Here's something to consider concerning used trailers; if the previous owner took good care of it then you would think that any bugs that were there were found and corrected (not always the case but a possibility), also if you can get the previous owner's name and contact information I think it would be a good idea to talk to him about the trailer. If the dealer won't give you that information and won't deal with you on a hitch, then maybe you should walk away and keep on looking and let the dealer know that is what you intend to do! Good luck with your search and remember that it's your money and you don't have to spend it, and make sure that the dealer knows that too!
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Old 11-07-2010, 07:28 AM   #5
Ruffus
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Question Used Trailer

Dave
I'm sure you have checked the price through NADA or Blue book to see if it's in the ball park?
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Old 11-07-2010, 08:52 AM   #6
KanTC
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RE: Used Laredo 25RK Questions

Welcome to the forum Daviki,

I agree - if you're fortunate enough to find a well-cared for unit - buying used, 2-3 yrs old, is wise for all of the reasons you mentioned.

We have a 2010 Laredo 265RL, and love it! We've owned both lower & higher priced, larger & smaller, and also by other manufacturers... this is our 2nd Keystone. The 265RL is very similar in size to the 25RK you mentioned: less than 30 ft over-all length, with 1 slide-out; the bedroom/bath area is the same in both units. There's only 2 of us also & we're very pleased with the size.

We have the same 6' 6" truck bed length, and purchased a (manual) slider hitch with our first 5th wheel. Although we've never "needed" to use the slider, we're glad we have it... just in case! Generally speaking, the added cost of a basic slider hitch (vs a non-slider) is usually cheaper than the cost of repairing damages to your truck!

The PDI checklist is a great tool whether buying new or used. If buying used, the (original) tires would be also be something to consider. If the 25RK you mentioned was built in late 2005/early 2006, it's possible that the tires could already be 5 yrs old.

As far as trailer price is concerned - in addition to the NADA values, do a Google search for "Keystone Laredo 25RK". There's a few shown on dealer lots across the U.S. & although those may not give a true price comparison for buying from an individual, the ads have photos which (at the very least) would be helpful for comparing the model. I couldn't find a 2006 brochure, but here's the 2007 (dated May 2006), which may be helpful too.

http://media.rvusa.com/library/07_Laredo_FW.pdf

Good luck with your search,

Terri, the co-pilot [& DH Kevin]
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Old 11-09-2010, 12:37 PM   #7
rjsurfer
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We have an 08 245rks which we purchased new for $20k, so $15k for an 06 is a bit high. I'm thinking new ones could be had for even less now.

Get the manual slide as others have suggested, when we check in at a campground I just pull the lever and place it in the extended position as a rule. No big deal, this way I can make any turn necessary to get in my spot without worrying about crushing my cab. Peace of mind is worth an extra few hundred bucks for a manual slider...

Sometimes I'll even extend the slider when I start looking for a gas station, they can be tricky sometimes, they look like an easy in out at first but when you commit you can get stuck.

Best of luck.

Ron W.
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