Would you take on this 1999 Casita fiberglass camper renovation?

This 1999 Casita travel trailer is in excellent condition, and Casitas have a passionate following and strong resale value. What would it take for us to renovate/remodel/refurbish this 24-year-old egg and sell it for a little profit?
There's something ugly to me about the term "flip."
It implies the work is cheap, uncaring, and intended to make a quick buck.
But does it have to be that way?
Companion blog post coming soon:
odometerdave.com/
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LINKS mentioned in this video:
www.fiberglassrv.com/
Specific "crazing" thread featured in video:
www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...
#casita #casitatraveltrailer #rv
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Thanks for watching and safe travels!
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[@OdometerDave]

Have you ever thought of renovating an older RV? If so, why? What was your experience like? Thanks for watching! - Dave

[@johnnyreb8030]

No. My wife and I have done three and we are done. The market is going down, people are broke and the prices are going way down.

[@loriweber5808]

Dave this is great! So helpful! You’re so smart and articulate and talented!!

[@OdometerDave]

Thanks so much, Lori!!!

[@johnnymoran180]

Keep the drains clean in your windows, and no leaks!

[@monaaguayo3594]

I really enjoyed watching your video. 🤗

[@ElainefromMaine]

The video helped a lot. Thanks

[@OdometerDave]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching! - Dave

[@swishh55]

Thanks for the great video! Very informative. I have 2 I need to replace.

[@OdometerDave]

Thanks for watching!

[@scottw.8871]

I owned an '88. Be glad you didn't buy it. Even that one was made better than the one I owned. All the window openings were cut a tad too big and I didn't notice it until moved across country. It leaked everywhere. No place to get warranty work done. Axle was very under rated and broke on me. IMO, anything over $5k would have been too much for that thing. In '89, mine was $7700 out the door.

[@OdometerDave]

Haha! Thanks for that perspective, much appreciated. I'm glad we didn't end up buying the Casita because we just recently bought a trailer that fits us a lot better. It still needs a ton of work, but not as much as that little Casita needed (in my opinion, anyway). Thanks again for watching and commenting! - Dave

[@johnqpublic9074]

ANY fiberglass trailer has things that usually need doing. Resealing windows with Butyl, fiberglass repairs, etc.

[@Funkgun]

Probably for the best to be honest. I kinda feel that is too narrow a margin still. That 9K ish price would have been perfect. 11K is just a tad steep for a flip. good price, just not enough you make for the work you'd have to do on it. I just got done with a reno on one. mine was a 16 Scamp. I even have videos of me working on it on you tube. They take a lot of time and money seems to be more than expected for sure. Also for anyone who does buy one, remember that some states there is a register fee too. Colorado will bake another 1K or so out of you depending what you bought it for. anyhow, ace review.

[@OdometerDave]

Thanks for the kind words, I'll check out your Scamp videos! Good reminder about registration fees and taxes, too... and insurance... there's definitely a cost of ownership to consider with any RV. - Dave

[@BUILDYBUNCH]

If you're still in the market. Take a look at Bigfoot travel trailers. Similar to the Casita, but larger.

[@OdometerDave]

We just bought a Vista Cruiser, but I'm hoping to check out the Bigfoots one day. They're rare in the Chicago area. Thank you for the suggestion, they look really good. - Dave

[@bigpapaporsche1]

What are your thoughts about the Front A/C units? I am looking at one of these now , its very dirty! The owner thinks it is a 2005. BTW, we have previously owned, in descending order, 2018 Pleasureway Ascent, 2016 Oliver Trailer, 1989 Airstream 25, 1996 Jayco Pop Up, 199? Starcraft. As you can see we are not Rookies. Our driving reasons for looking at a Casita are DownSizing in both terms of SIZE and COST.

[@OdometerDave]

What did you think of the Oliver?! Unfortunately I don’t have enough experience with Casitas to have an opinion about the A/C units. Other than that it was pretty loud in the 2021 unit we rented. But it worked great! Thanks for watching and commenting and let me know how your quest pans out! -Dave

[@johnnymoran180]

I like my front a/c, never used it yet, but way less expensive to replace, and no huge hole in the roof. May not be super efficient in a hot climate, but I'm not going camping if it's above 80 degrees.. 😂

[@guyh.4553]

Casita are built solid, I think that they are all easy fixes. $12K is a little steep. Not smart on not picking it up. I am a total fan of the Boler style. My mom & dad had a 13 ft Ecco and it was SOLID

[@OdometerDave]

I definitely don’t regret the decision to pass on this one, but only because I’m too tall to be comfortable in it! Thanks for watching and commenting! - Dave

[@crabber9368]

I've never understood why they made them with only a 5'10 or so headroom

[@OdometerDave]

Yeah, if Casita's were just 2 inches larger in every direction, it would make them much more appealing to me.

[@stuartstuart866]

My biggest fear would be rotted floors

[@OdometerDave]

Mine, too, absolutely! Casitas are mostly immune to that, but I've learned that it's still possible. Thanks for watching and commenting, Stuart! - Dave

[@johnnymoran180]

Casita have a solid fiberglass floor but the osb floor in my 93 was in bad shape. A 1/2 piece of plywood, and laminate lock together floor and 1/4 round made it like new.

[@johnnymoran180]

* The osb sits on top of the fiberglass bottom, but mine got weak right down the middle where it was always walked on.

[@stuartstuart866]

@@johnnymoran180 It got weak because of moisture or repeated foot traffic?

[@johnnyreb8030]

Think long think wrong. The last Casita I flipped I cleared $5500.

[@OdometerDave]

That’s fantastic! What year/model, etc.?

[@johnnyreb8030]

@@OdometerDave 2017 sprit deluxe. It had been setting several years. I got all system working properly and buffed out exterior. And cleaned EVERYTHING! Remember to put it back like the factory did it. NO hacks and things you want. If it needs, new axel and brakes too. Don't sell it until its right. There's enough ebay rip off people out there flipping.

[@OdometerDave]

That is excellent advice! We looked at used trailers where the owners had made very "personal" changes/mods and it really turned us off knowing we'd need to undo them.