Gave money to charity, got a trailer

[TTaM]

My wife and I had been throwing around the idea of picking up a travel trailer for the last year. We wanted to stick to the light fiberglass trailers so we didn't need to buy a bigger tow vehicle. We took a trip to the midwest this year and ended up going to the Scamp factory. That visit, plus a visit to Glacier National Park this summer spotting some "cute" trailers, my wife was ready to pull the trigger. The plan was to put a deposit down on a new one by the end of the year.

There is a charity auction by me that runs every other week selling vehicles donated to a veterans association. My wife is in grad school and spends much of the weekend studying, so I'm always looking for an excuse to get out of the house. Well, a few weeks ago there just so happened to be a Casita on the block. As the bids went up, it was stalling well below market value, so I started bidding. High bid was mine, a trip to the bank for a cashier's check later, and it was towed home.

Its a 1997 16' Casita Liberty Deluxe. The plates on it expired in 2003, so its been off the road for a while, but it was at the very least under a carport because it appears to be in fairly solid condition. I'm sure it will need some work, but for what I have into it, I'm not too worried.

First thing was to get new tires, as they were all the originals from 1997. Now I'm going through it testing systems and cleaning it. Everything appears to work, though I'm still waiting on parts to test the water heater.

I'm looking forward to no longer sleeping on the ground!

[Raz]

Nice find. Looks like a 16' deluxe? Obviously very well taken care of. New tires, grease the bearings, adjust the brakes. I'd check for leaks around any holes in the shell, windows, lights, vents etc. Sealants do dry out over time. Take care of it and you'll have a trailer for life.

[Jon in AZ]

I also scored mine mainly by being in the right place at the right time. Well done! Enjoy.

[Vicki Hale]

How exciting and congrats to you on that terrific camper!

[WaltP]

Well done. The outside looks to be in very nice shape, hopefully the inside matches.
Looks like it has AC but not the furnace?
It and you would benefit from bringing the waste system up to modern standards. That's a fun project and not too difficult. I've done it on two '90s casitas and it's really worth doing.
Welcome to the fiberglass world. Lots of good friends to meet here.

Walt

[Rzrbrn]

Beautiful! We really enjoyed our Casita. Keep us posted as you make modifications or renovations. Well done indeed.

[redbarron55]

Originally Posted by WaltP

Well done. The outside looks to be in very nice shape, hopefully the inside matches.
Looks like it has AC but not the furnace?
It and you would benefit from bringing the waste system up to modern standards. That's a fun project and not too difficult. I've done it on two '90s casitas and it's really worth doing.
Welcome to the fiberglass world. Lots of good friends to meet here.

Walt

What is needed to bring a 1997 Casita up to modern waste standards?

[WaltP]

Originally Posted by redbarron55

What is needed to bring a 1997 Casita up to modern waste standards?

Two major mods.

1. Replace the rubber p-trap from the shower with a Hepvo valve. No more forgetting to open the gate valve every time you take a shower. Casita now does that on all new trailers. You could also replace the p-valves on the two sinks with Hepvos and never need the pink stuff again.

2. Combine Black and gray tanks into a single 3" bayonet drain valve , the way all trailers are configured these days. Makes the stop at the dump station a whole lot easier.

I did those mods before Little House Customs started marketing their kits, but hopefully the kits are still available. I spent most of one Pineknot Rally under my Casita working on that mod.

Walt

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by TTaM

My wife and I had been throwing around the idea of picking up a travel trailer for the last year. We wanted to stick to the light fiberglass trailers so we didn't need to buy a bigger tow vehicle. We took a trip to the midwest this year and ended up going to the Scamp factory. That visit, plus a visit to Glacier National Park this summer spotting some "cute" trailers, my wife was ready to pull the trigger. The plan was to put a deposit down on a new one by the end of the year.

There is a charity auction by me that runs every other week selling vehicles donated to a veterans association. My wife is in grad school and spends much of the weekend studying, so I'm always looking for an excuse to get out of the house. Well, a few weeks ago there just so happened to be a Casita on the block. As the bids went up, it was stalling well below market value, so I started bidding. High bid was mine, a trip to the bank for a cashier's check later, and it was towed home.

Its a 1997 16' Casita Liberty Deluxe. The plates on it expired in 2003, so its been off the road for a while, but it was at the very least under a carport because it appears to be in fairly solid condition. I'm sure it will need some work, but for what I have into it, I'm not too worried.

First thing was to get new tires, as they were all the originals from 1997. Now I'm going through it testing systems and cleaning it. Everything appears to work, though I'm still waiting on parts to test the water heater.

I'm looking forward to no longer sleeping on the ground!

Nice find. Hope the black holding tank is not only 5 gallons like our 86 was. If so then it could be changed to a larger one. Looks like you can have many nice times in this one.

[beerster69]

I'm always in the wrong place at the wrong time. But, someday...

[Motoboss]

Nice find! We were mulling over a fiberglass trailer and happened to go by one with a for sale sign on it just 3 miles from the house, a 2001 Casita Spirit Deluxe 17.
A quick inspection and a trip to the bank the following day and it was ours. You never know what fate awaits but karma has a way of working things out. Yours looks to be in better shape than ours!
Congratulations!

Ron

[WaltP]

Ron
I have a somewhat similar story.
A good friend was looking for a used Casita, having seen and liked mine.
At some point I stepped out of a nearby restaurant after lunch and found myself looking across the highway at a 13' Casita with a for sale sign on it.
He and his wife have now thoroughly enjoyed their little house for several years.

Walt

[Motoboss]

You never know when things will happen. I told the Wife it was a sign we were ment to have a Casita!

Ron