Info on Dealer & Casita?

[Colorado Keith]

Hi, I'm Keith- Recently moved to southern AZ & looking for a Casita or Scamp. New to trailer ownership. Has anyone had any experience with "Tom's Camperland" in Mesa AZ? They have a 2010 Casita Freedom Deluxe for $15,995. "Dealer Certified" whatever that means. Fair price? Any suggestions, advice? It will be my first trailer if I decide on it. Thanks !

[Perryb67]

Originally Posted by Colorado Keith

Hi, I'm Keith- Recently moved to southern AZ & looking for a Casita or Scamp. New to trailer ownership. Has anyone had any experience with "Tom's Camperland" in Mesa AZ? They have a 2010 Casita Freedom Deluxe for $15,995. "Dealer Certified" whatever that means. Fair price? Any suggestions, advice? It will be my first trailer if I decide on it. Thanks !

Casita sells direct, so "Dealer Certified" has nothing to do with Casita Travel Trailers that they approve.

Search or go to Classifieds and see what other Freedom Deluxe's have sold for.

Enjoy,

Perry

[Casita Greg]

The Casita factory ONLY sells direct to consumers. They do not have a "network" of dealerships, or any authorized dealerships for that matter, which sell their trailers. Any RV/trailer dealer with a Casita on their lot either bought it from someone who already previously owned it, or else took it on as a trade-in. As far as it being hyped as being "Dealer Certified," well to me anyway, that's just some marketing shtick that has no meaning in reality.

While it may sound like a reasonable price, I'd be very careful to first check it over real well, particularly to make sure all the appliances, lights, and systems functions as they should. Such things like checking the fridge for all 3-way operational capabilities, and make sure that the furnace, A/C unit, Propane furnace if so equipped, etc, are all up to snuff. Just remember, when you drive it off the lot, you own it! And with it, any problems as well. Very few places will warrant anything once you drive it off the lot. Caveat emptor.

[Jon in AZ]

“Dealer certified” could mean anything. It probably means they claim to have checked out all the systems, and there may be a dealer-based limited warranty, which you’ll want to read carefully.

Price is higher than typical private party sales given the year, but that’s expected at a dealer. Do some checking of the classified archives on this site and at www.fiberglass-rv-4sale.com to get a feeling for a fair price and make an offer if the trailer is what you want. Negotiation is part of the dealer experience. Factor in dealer add-ons like doc fees as well as state and local sales taxes. (Note that if you purchase a used trailer from a private party, AZ doesn't tax the sale.)

Do insist on hooking up the trailer and verifying proper operation of all the systems. Any dealer-based warranty is of minimal value once you leave the lot, really. Warranty work will require returning to the dealer, an inconvenience at home and no help at all if you're on a trip.

I have no personal experience with this particular dealer, but they’ve been in business for many decades, so you can probably check online reviews and BBB ratings.

[Bob & Jackie C]

Originally Posted by Colorado Keith

Hi, I'm Keith- Recently moved to southern AZ & looking for a Casita or Scamp. New to trailer ownership. Has anyone had any experience with "Tom's Camperland" in Mesa AZ? They have a 2010 Casita Freedom Deluxe for $15,995. "Dealer Certified" whatever that means. Fair price? Any suggestions, advice? It will be my first trailer if I decide on it. Thanks !

Hi Keith,
Our 2012 Casita Spirit Deluxe came from Tom's Camperland, Mesa,Az. It was used and needed some serious cleaning-up inside. Keep shopping as $15,995 seems pretty high. This is a good time of the year to find one at a fair price. Find someone in your area that knows casita's to go with you to check it out.
Best of luck,
Bob C

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by Colorado Keith

Hi, I'm Keith- Recently moved to southern AZ & looking for a Casita or Scamp. New to trailer ownership. Has anyone had any experience with "Tom's Camperland" in Mesa AZ? They have a 2010 Casita Freedom Deluxe for $15,995. "Dealer Certified" whatever that means. Fair price? Any suggestions, advice? It will be my first trailer if I decide on it. Thanks !

Southern AZ this time of year is usually a little more expensive with all the snow birds coming in. April to May they get cheaper. If the dealer is a good one they may have a little higher quality RV's than buying from a person that is hiding something wrong with it. Check it out closely. If it is a good one it won't last long on the lot. Some of the dealers may give you a 30 day warranty for you to check things out. If you buy it then stay in the area a couple of days and stay in it. Have them put propane, water, etc and show you how to use all the appliances, dump tanks, etc. Dealer certified usually means they have checked all items out to make sure they work. Take it to a car wash and wash it to see if anything leaks. Price is a little high but sometimes a better quality unit is worth a little more. I'd offer less and see what they do. If you want to pay $12,000 then offer $10,000 and see if they'll come down at all. Good luck.

[steve dunham]

We recently sold our 2013 Casita 17ft SD . It had most of the available factory options plus several others added by LHC .
The trailer was in excellent shape and we parted with it for $ 16,500
The dealers price seems high to me so I would keep looking
Check the Casita forum’s for sale section
Of the three fiberglass trailers we have owned , the Casita was the best value overall.

[thrifty bill]

Of the three FG trailers we have owned, I would rate the Casita last. It’s all about floor plan. They make a fine trailer so if the floorplan suits you, great!

[jerrybob]

Price seems a bit high. Dealer certified is an interesting term. Is the dealer willing to add a warranty to that certification? Certification means nothing really....maybe one of the sales people looked inside before closing the door? Be careful.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by jerrybob

Dealer certified is an interesting term.

I don't know. Dealer certifies that the unit is indeed a trailer?

[glens2422]

I would agree that seems like a high price. You should check the https://www.casitaforum.com/ in their classified section for additional choices. We will be putting our 2017 Casita Liberty delux up for sale in about a week. Its pretty well equipped and we will list it for $18,700. It is also in very good condition and we are including the hitch, sway bar and many other extras. Usually if there is a persistent problem you can spot it with a thorough inspection of the trailer.

[Jon in AZ]

I wouldn’t call it meaningless if it includes some kind of warranty. The OP lives in-state, so returning for work in case a shake-down campout reveals issues is possible. This dealer has been in business 4 decades and has an A+ BBB rating. One review mentioned a 30-day warranty on a used trailer, which was honored for some repair work. No personal connection, just did a little checking.

As to price, based on looking at some classifieds I’d put its private party value in the $12-15K range, depending on condition, options, and accessories. Arizona has a year-round RV market, so not so much off-season discount. Proximity has value.

And there is this: it’s a Freedom model, which is fairly uncommon. If the OP is particularly looking for that model, it’d be worth checking out IMO.

[glens2422]

Just checked Casita forum classified and they have a 2011 spirit delux for $14500 in Fla. Several others that are listed also.

[KevinOlene]

What's your size needs and newness (made up word) requirements? There are a few on Facebook marketplace or craigslist for Tucson, as low as $9500. Just an idea...

[Colorado Keith]

Thanks to everyone who replied regarding my initial post. Lots of good advice and much appreciated. Lots to ponder after reading everyone's opinions & ideas. Still looking

[JaxDan]

For a 2010 the price is probably negotiable. Casita trailers seem to reach a floor in price and hold so the value depends on condition. Just like buying a boat you could find a surveyor to check it over. It may be worth the cost and give some leverage on when you negotiate the final price.

When you buy a house it is usually offer pending survey. I went with a home inspector and made a good choice to walk away from the deal once. Probably the best $300 I ever spent.

[akreese]

For what it's worth, I called about this same trailer in October when I was passing through Phoenix. We were staying at a location that put us about an hours drive from the dealer in Mesa so I called to ask if the trailer was still available since we were short on time and did not want to make the drive unless it was still available. The person answering the call said she "didn't have access to that information" and would have to have a sales agent call me back. What??? When I finally received a call back from a sales person he confirmed it was still for sale but unfortunately we were unable to see it before we had to fly out. Living in Alaska, I have been looking online at Casitas and Bigfoot's for about a year and I can tell you that in my experience the reasonably priced Casitas in good to excellent condition sell quickly. The fact that this one is STILL for sale makes me question whether the trailer has issues or is simply overpriced. Also, based on the web site photos, it appears to be a Spirit Deluxe and not a Freedom Deluxe as advertised, which also impact the price. Therefore, caution and a thorough inspection by someone very familiar with these trailers may save a lot of trouble down the road.

[Betty2]

Check out our 2011 Scamp.similar to casita.we looked at several casitas before deciding on the Scamp.its great but due to family growing we need a larger rv.price posted here is 15k and we are in san Diego

[FlyGuy]

Unless it's LOADED with options, $16k is quite high. I picked up my new, 2010, 17' Spirit Deluxe at the factory in August of 2010. Out the door, I paid ~ $18,400 which included MOST of the then available options AND, un "upgraded" WDH installed on my Toyota Sienna! Either do some SERIOUS negotiating with the dealer or, walk away. Remember, we're going into winter; the dealer could well wind up having this sit on his lot for months.

[Azhammer19]

Member since 2012

2008 Casita for sale Yuma, AZ
Reasonably priced and negotiable
Freedom model.
Used very little.
Always covered.
Adult owned
Non smoker