97 Casita problems???

[AJnK]

Or maybe I should say "trouble spots".... I will be looking at a '97 17 ft casita and was wondering what typical "weak spots" or " trouble areas" might be typical? After 18 years do the floors go soft? Or plumbing start to leak? or....... ? Thanks, A J

[Tom Trostel]

A J,
You should join Casita Travel Trailer Forum. Very active forum with many more owners of the brand posting.

Casita Travel Trailer Forum

[mary and bob]

We bought a well cared for '96 Casita 17 4 months ago and spent the winter in it. Did some quick maintenance right after purchase, serviced the wheel bearings, inspected the brakes, added a high mount stop light, and headed south for the winter. Only a couple minor issues; slight water leak around the radio antenna, small leak on bathroom faucet, couple cabinet hinge pins fell out and screws loose and a cabinet latch was broken. Otherwise no problems. They are heavy on the tongue, had to buy a bigger tow vehicle so got a 2012 Dodge Ram pickup.

[AJnK]

I'll do that.

[AJnK]

Thanks Mary and/or Bob for the reply. I was hoping to find a liberty deluxe, but the sellers says it is a SD, but by the pics it looks like FD. I'll find out tomorrow. Tell me.......... what bed configuration do you use/like most on your Liberty?

[mary and bob]

We keep the rear bed made up all the time, same as we do with our Uhaul. In the Uhaul we used 5" foam with a 3" memory foam topper, mattress pad and standard sheets. The previous owner of the Casita put memory foam on top of the original cushions and enclosed it all in the cover of a futon mattress. We found this to be quite comfortable as long as the bed was warm, otherwise the memory foam became quite hard. Full size mattress pad and sheets fit good. We spent the winter on the coast of Georgia near Brunswick. Like most of the country it was cooler than normal so we had an electric blanket on the bed. Would turn it on an hour ahead, so we would get into a nice warm bed, then turn off the blanket. Have heard that Southern Mattress in North Carolina makes a mattress to fit the Casitas. Considering that, but heard they are in the $800 price range. Although we like our Uhaul camper and don't intend to sell it, the Casita worked much better for longer term camping. The bathroom of course was a big plus, as is the side dinette, more storage, and hot water. We know the previous owners who only had it for a couple years and feel we got a good deal at $7500.

[AJnK]

OK... so you use the bed as a double, not a king or twins.

[mary and bob]

Originally Posted by AJnK

OK... so you use the bed as a double, not a king or twins.

Exactly. We did look in another Casita, not sure what model, that had the longer rear side seating that would go into twin beds. The owner had modified it for those beds to be wider. Then they came and looked at ours and the wife commented she like ours better. Ours has the shorter rear dinette that with the table down is a double bed.

[Perryb67]

You should also check out Casita Club.

Somewhere here is a checklist you can use when purchasing a FG camper. Perhaps someone will chime in with the link.

Enjoy,

Perry

[AJnK]

I think the one you looked at was an Independence with molded in 30 inch wide twin beds. .... and a smaller table and floor under the table.

[kootenaigirl]

Here is the buyers checklist
The Fiberglass RV Community

You definitely want to check for soft spots/ rotten areas in floor as that is a major project. Also fridges are expensive so get them to have put it on several hours before, propane is best if that is how you will use it as it can be finicky in older trailers. Also go through all the taps etc and check for leaks and that everything works as it should.

The Fiberglass RV Community


Good luck, let us know how you make out,

[larryf]

Originally Posted by AJnK

Thanks Mary and/or Bob for the reply. I was hoping to find a liberty deluxe, but the sellers says it is a SD, but by the pics it looks like FD. I'll find out tomorrow. Tell me.......... what bed configuration do you use/like most on your Liberty?

We like the twin arrangement, no climbing over one another in the middle of the night. We also modified ours for 28" bed width instead of the factory 24", the pictures of my mods will be posted in a week or so on the Casita Forum.

[AJnK]

Exactly what I was thinking. My wife and I both get up from a few to several times a night. The twin arrangement seems optimal. You know..... sometimes I wake up grumpy.......... but if at all possible, I'll let her sleep. Not to mention the possibility of 6 or maybe more people at the table for a good game of "Can you help me".

[AJnK]

Thanks for the link Kootenaigirl, I printed it out to take with me. And GOOD advise about the floor and frig. The add says "clean" and in good condition, and he told me over the phone that everything works. I'm getting excited.

[AJnK]

The add said "clean"....... it was a clean title............ not so the trailer. Several items donated along with the trailer..... several cans of stew and soup, apparently several years old. Air mattress, misc boards or doors, some broken stuff on the trailer, and no real verification of gas appliances working. BUT..... I feel good about the whole deal, basic camper very sound. Just needs a good scrubbing and a few minor repairs.

[kootenaigirl]

As long as you feel you a good deal and are happy that is what's important.
Please post pics when you have time.
Happy camping!