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e-Casita travel trailer |
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Our 1998 third-hand 17-foot
Casita Freedom Deluxe travel trailer Configured just the way we wanted it, we found our used Casita travel trailer via the internet in September 2002 and bought it sight unseen from 444 miles away. This is the story of finding our third-hand Casita. After needing to find and ER in the spring of 2002 in the middle of Arizona at midnight, it was time to move-up from a tent and sleeping on the ground. I looked into a small motor home. Another motor to feed, an expensive (at that time in California) registration to pay, and a fortune for insurance. Parking it would be a hassle. I carry my tools in my 4runner daily, so I would have to always remember to put them in another this vehicle before every trip and remember to return them at the end. But a trailer might be a good way to way to go. I went to the web and did my research. When we first thought of getting a trailer, it had to be small and light weight to pull behind the 3rd hand Toyota 4runner. Having grown up traveling by travel trailer in the 1970s, I was not thrilled with the maintenance problems of the stick-built trailers my family had. What appealed to us was the fully-enclosed fiberglass and light weight construction along with the stream-lined curves of the US made trailers reminiscent of the classic Airstream trailers. I had seen the Casita ads in Trailer Life magazine and have seen Scamps and Burros during our travels. I did a Google search. Casita and Scamp were the two that seemed the best. I requested info from Casita and made my list. I found the Casita Club Forum and began to look. Casita referred us to one nearby: a 17 footer with roof a/c and a big dent on the shroud. Since we've seen lots of the shrouds along the highways through the years and the big branch catching appendage, we didn't really want that option. Overall, it seemed like a good product. Carolyn thought it was too big until later when we saw a 13 foot Trillium; thus 16 feet seemed like a good size. On a late summer trip to the Southwest, I found a couple of likely 16 footers along our route to investigate further. The first, a 16FD, was immaculate and well cared for. Not the floor plan we wanted, but close. The next day, we viewed a 16SD as it was being towed away. It wasn't as nice, but we still got a look. I called about the first and it had sold two hours before... A couple of days later along the road, we saw one parked with its tow. We assumed it was a 16 since it had closet air, but after getting a peek and commenting to the owner that it seemed larger inside than the two we just viewed. We were told that it was a 17 with the closet air. Aha, just the ticket! After returning from the trip and figuring that Labor Day is the end of the summer and trailer season I checked the Casita Classified. Someone had found several Casitas on another web site and posted the link. One was at Youngs RV in Lancaster, CA, and sounded worth checking. I e-mailed them and inquired about the features. They e-mailed me back. I asked about the a/c. It was in the closet. I made and offer. They accepted and would hold it a week until we could come take a look. Glad we went through a dealer for the first one. It was fully checked out and ready to roll, complete with new OFD-compliant LP tanks, and a new high-end deep-cycle battery. Though I had beefed-up the suspension on the third-hand 4runner (with matching color and trim, I should add), it was just not enough and it nearly lifted the front wheels off the ground. Youngs was able to install a weight distribution hitch to get things off to a good start. While it sat there, a man came up who had been looking told us his disappointment that he didn't act when he first saw the Casita. Another couple drove up from San Diego without calling and was disappointed that they were too late. The dealer's receptionist was amazed at all the calls they received regarding this trailer. The Casita adventure begins. And what an adventure that first trip home became! To get a feel for pulling (it's been twenty years since I last pulled anything) we took the back road over the hill from Lancaster to Tehachapi and down the hill to Bakersfield. Our first stop was to take a look at the Tehachapi Loop. After a short hike, the Casita bathroom was sure handy! We started down the hill toward Edison with our new to us Casita. All of a sudden, we heard sirens... in the rear view were flashing red and blue lights. Oh, oh! We pulled over and a low-speed chase with a small brown car whose driver had a big grin was driving 25 mph chased by four patrol cars followed by the command SUV. They went on by and we continued down the road. Just a mile later, that same small car was now driving just as quickly up the hill with the same patrol cars in chase. The driver was having a ball! Thought that since he was sooo slooow driving, I should block the roadway at the road cut, but since I wasn't sure I the Casita was covered by insurance, I just pulled to the side before proceeding to the roadblock a 100 yards further as the driver's friends stood watching him disappear from behind the barricade... It was uneventful from there: we stayed at the Orange Grove RV park in Edison for the night. Our 33 feet left lots of room on their 80 foot pull through. The Casita pulled like a dream as we drove the back roads from Bakersfield north toward Fresno and along the Sierra Foothills to home the next day. |
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Features of our third-hand
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