John Welte

Thanks Susan for the well written response. You make very valid reasons for going with Oliver. Another member here pointed out the limitations of my present tv, that being a 2017 Ford Expedition EL with tow package. I learned a lot about GVWR, CCC, GCVWR and more. I thought my Expedition would be adequate for the job, but now I am not so sure. We live in Oregon. In a flat state like Florida, it might not be a concern. Of course, the plan is to travel all over the country, and that would include mountains.

That was very useful. It's a lot more complicated than I thought. Thanks for the link.

That's impressive

Mainiac, that's the truth! I have not been impressed with the quality of what I have seen so far.

NancyK, that was our argument for buying a new Subaru too. A two year old Subaru was close in price to a new one.

Do you know how that resale value compares to stick built trailers such as the R-Pod? I assume Oliver trailers are much higher.

I have looked under the trailers and inside cabinets now. We spent about an hour inside an Oliver. Quality was obvious. Thanks.

Good point. Years ago we remodeled our kitchen. I had gotten a new job and my future was looking good. I gave my wife a coupon that I made that said this coupon is good for one dream kitchen. We put in the best drawer slides, a Sub-Zero refrigerator/freezer, the best kitchen faucet, etc. You have a good point. We have enjoyed that kitchen and when we go visit friends and family that went cheap on everything, I am reminded what a wise decision that was. Drawers still slide great 23 years later.

I don't want a slide out either. Thanks for your comments.

That was my thinking too. A corporation built it, whereas Oliver is a family business with their name on it.

I looked at driver's door jam. It lists 7600 gvwr. It does have the tow package. It will be an easier sell to my wife if we don't have to get a different vehicle. I am not sure if I answered your question.

The R-pod is her choice, but I am not excited about it. We don't have inside storage so I imagine it might be a challenge to keep it from leaking. I am thinking of investing in a carport type cover that would protect the Oliver or any trailer we get. I didn't cover our Coleman tent trailer as it had a metal roof. Unbeknownst to me some little holes developed in the roof and damaged the ceiling. Do those metal roof carport roof structures do the job? Ideally it's stored in a garage.

That's the argument I needed. I doubt a stick built trailer would hold its value. Thanks

Hi all, so we haven't ordered an Oliver yet, as my wife is hesitant due to the cost, but it appears that our Ford Expedition could tow a LE2 very easily. It's rated at 6,600 pounds of tow capability. The LE2 weighs about 4,600 pounds if I recall. How would that tv do out west going up our mountains. Is 6,600 pounds the tow ability crossing the plains with a strong tail wind or is that real world towing. A lot of freeways max out about 6% grade here in the west I think. At what point would our tv cry uncle!? I rode my bicycle across the country twice and some grades were up to 13-15%. Could our tv handle that?

I am a newbie so don't know how to respond to individual comments, but thanks for the input. NancyK, besides being hard to find used Oliver's that are a couple years old, I agree with you, just buy new and get the trailer as you want it with your features. Jim Oker, I have looked at Escape trailers, but the double hull construction has me sold. It would be much cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Probably less condensation. Mike and Carol, the resale value looks amazing. We buy used cars when possible as the savings are great with a car that's only a couple years old. That doesn't appear to be the case with Oliver's as they hold value. Carnivore, my wife is more of a tightwad than me, but I see the longer term value. Someone earlier said it's more of an investment and you won't lose money like on a purchase of a mass produced trailer. IL_Travelers, thanks for your comments too. The owner of the one we saw in Oregon was a retired cardiologist, so I see your point. Thanks all for your comments.

Thanks to all who have responded. Maniac, I was looking at new trailers and ones in the lot had issues. The salesman says they all come with minor things to fix, but he said they would fix them. Not reassuring! Our 2003 tent trailer has a particle board underside. I never thought to check that. I will never miss that inspection again. ChrisMI, it will be just my wife and I and possibly a grandchild. One lives in Australia and one is in Colorado, so unlikely that it will ever be mire than three, so for us the Oliver is perfect. I can see the limitations for your family though. Nicky Ray, thanks for your comments. Jim Oker, for me I don't want to have problems with leaking or quality issues, so I am leaning strongly towards Oliver. I had to reinforce a seat back metal piece for the tent trailer in the first year. Particle board flooring and canvas in a tent trailer isn't practical in Oregon.

Hello all, after seeing an Oliver at a campground in Oregon, I am ready to order one. Our financial planner even gave it the green light, but my wife balks at the price tag. Yes it costs more than an R-pod, but being nearly 70 years old, I figure that it's better to buy high quality and maybe enjoy for 10-15 years and be able to sell it for maybe half what we paid for it. That selling value is from my imagination. Suppose we bought her R-pod for $40k, at the 15 year mark I believe it would be worth next to nothing. In short, my argument is that both trailers would cost us 40k in the end. My question is how did you convince your other half to just bite the bullet and go with an Oliver? I did an order sheet with what I wanted and it was about $80k. Thanks for any help.