Airstream Vs Casita...Poll, sort of

SteveH · 04-12-2009, 06:35 PM

Just curious as to why someone would want to buy a small used Airstream vs. a used Casita? What advantages and disadvantages are there? I see right off the bat that the Casita is smaller and less money, but it appears to have a lot less windows and room inside unless I am missing something.

Also, which model of the Airstream is most sought after. I notice that there are alot of these for sale here, why?

3 Dog Nite · 04-12-2009, 06:40 PM

I've been looking for a Casita,Burro,Boler etc. I would gut this & used it as a toy hauler behind my classic MH. I sure would hate to buy an AS just to gut it for this purpose.

Ricky

overlander63 · 04-12-2009, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveH

I notice that there are a lot of these for sale here, why?

Because only Airstream and Argosy trailers are allowed to be sold here.
I just checked the classifieds, and there are 257 Airstream and Argosy trailers offered for sale here, both by dealers and private parties. There are literally thousands of SOB's for sale in RV trader and related sites. I don't see how 257 out of 60,000+ trailers produced is that many.

gregth · 04-12-2009, 07:14 PM

we actually had a deposit on one before we bought the airstream......then we realized that the Casita had carpet on the walls! The head room on the inside is ony 72". We were fortunated tohave changed our minds in time to get the deposit back.

ArtStream · 04-12-2009, 08:16 PM

Steve,

This is a tough question you raise and not anything close to a reasonable poll.

Most members on the Airforums have never set foot in the other brands you mention. Just because the units you mention are ovoid does not mean they are similar.

All the units you mention serve there purpose. You'll have determine what your needs, and purposes are, your pocketbook, and expectations are.

You'll have to do your own homework on this topic and than make a decision.

Get back to us.

Good luck,
Michael

**moosetags** · 04-12-2009, 08:52 PM

I think that Casitas are really cute and I love to see them on the road. The bottom line is if you want an Airstream, you want an Airstream.

Brian

RichHog · 04-12-2009, 10:43 PM

My sister and her husband just picked up their new Casita last Tuesday. We met them at a state park and camped side by side. I think it is 17 ft long. My 72 Tradewind is 25. If you are just two people, retired and want something small to pull and don't want to spend much time in it it's got what you need. When they steeped into the Airstream their comments were, "gee this is big."
However my 72 Tradewind is now 37 years young, has a strong resale value and still looks great. Don't think the Casita being made of fiberglass will hold up to that.

TBRich · 04-13-2009, 01:03 AM

We, too, like the Casitas and thought they were nicely done and so on...but I gotta tell ya, after spending the time in our 19' Bambi we have — as small as they are — the Casitas seem like really small quarters. But if they work for you, they are just fine, and have a huge following. They have their good points and people who have them are as fond of them as we are our Airstreams.

Jim Foster · 04-13-2009, 01:53 AM

We were looking for a used Casita or one of the other small fiberglass trailers to tow behind our '47 Chevy Street Rod when we came across our '17 Airstream Caravel. We bought the airstream and have never been sorry. The others are OK, but our Caravel has so much more room than the others. We have towed it 80K miles with the Street Rod and 60K with our Silverado. It is worth far more than we paid for it in 2000.

Airstreams become "neat old trailers". Fiberglas trailers don't seem to stand up over time.

Just my thoughts and some of my reasons for buying an Airstream. We now have two.

jdthor · 04-13-2009, 05:23 AM

"Most members on the Airforums have never set foot in the other brands you mention."

I have, and own one of the other brands as well as an Airstream. I have a 1999 Casita 13 and a 2008 Safari 23 FB. These two models serve two very different purposes in my household, but both are comfortable and appreciated for what they do for us ("Us" being an older beat-up cop (me), a younger pretty city girl (wife), and a mixed-breed rescue-dog of questionable background, mostly Siberian Husky and German Something, we think.) The two humans have thousands of opinions on the two trailers, the dog has never offered an opinion either way.

I have posted my thoughts on the two trailer brands in other posts on the forum. Bottom line, in my opinion, is that the two are hard to compare, head-to-head.

For example, I own a Ford F-250 4wd pickup and a Mercedes S-Class sedan. The Mercedes cost more than 3 times as much as the truck. But it would be hard to compare the two vehicles in any sort of meaningful way.

Wayne&Sam · 04-13-2009, 05:36 AM

Sam was dying for a Casita- until she saw one in real life. It was the carpeted walls that ruined it for her too.

Ken J · 04-13-2009, 08:12 AM

They are both very good trailers, but have different camping experiences.

Airstream owners are loyal to their units and Casita owners are loyal to theirs

There is a similar comparsion going on over at the Casita forum right now. Casita is a quality unit as is Airstream - my conclusion is - have both! I do...

Ken J.

Ahab · 04-13-2009, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TBRich

We, too, like the Casitas and thought they were nicely done and so on...but I gotta tell ya, after spending the time in our 19' Bambi we have — as small as they are — the Casitas seem like really small quarters. But if they work for you, they are just fine, and have a huge following. They have their good points and people who have them are as fond of them as we are our Airstreams.

We started out looking at the Casitas thinking small is beautiful but then larger became more beautiful.

AZ-JH · 04-13-2009, 10:10 AM

Our good friends bought a 2006 17 foot Casita. They feel the fully-carpeted walls add insulation. I feel that trailers are already insulated and should never have carpeted walls.

I have sat both in their unit and 16 foot ASs. Of course the AS looks sharp inside and out. The AS layout feels roomier overall. Maybe the ASs are wider. The overhead storage lockers in Casita are tiny compared to AS. The Casita is three years old and is already fading some. An Airstream can still look sharp for decades.

Before they bought Casita, I was hoping that for almost the same money they would buy a nice used 16 foot AS instead. There was one at a very good price a while back in the classifieds here and it had the same GVWR as Casita. I sent them the link, but their minds were already set.