Some folks nearby had a 2002 Trail-Lite Bantam hybrid
for sale, priced at $950. Looked good in the pictures. I contacted them quickly and went to see it, figuring for that price I couldn't go wrong.
In person, it didn't look so good. The taillight covers were gone, and on one of the
lights the prongs to hold the cover were broken off. The
tires were the original ones that came with the trailer. Both vent covers were shot, and one had cracked apart and allowed water to leak in (quantity and duration unknown... it smelled a bit musty inside). Black plastic was wrapped over that vent, as well as over the
refrigerator vent (cover missing) and the air conditioner (cover missing). Most of the plastic parts around the outside were in sorry shape, including the door hold-back which was broken and the weatherstrips over the screw channels which were half gone. The CD player door was broken. All major appliances worked the last time they used the trailer about 3 years ago, but no guarantees. The
battery was shot. The exterior needed a good scrub, too.
This was a real eye-opener, to see just how quickly a SOB trailer can become decrepit when it's not used and maintained frequently. That $950 trailer needed $1000+ worth of parts and probably could use a roof re-seal on top of all the other labor to replace the parts. No way to know if any major stuff needed fixing, which is a risk. I passed on it. Glad I went to look, though. It's something for me to remember.
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1999 Casita Liberty
2015 Escape 21
Linear Mode
