New Ollie owners

[CW.]

Greetings,

My wife and I are the new owners of hull #962 (LEII), we bought it from Coach and JoJo last fall. 

We are coming to the Oliver family after being long time truck campers. Having a TC gave us the flexibility to also tow a trailer for toys and the like. Last summer we decided to change direction and sold the trailer, toys, TC, and pick-up. All summer long I watched the classifieds and waited. Back in Oct we drove to Missouri to look at a 2023 LEII but passed on it. Not long after Coach and JoJo posted their '22 LEII for sale. They had recently completed the Truma A/C conversion and as many of you know, Coach knows how to trick out a closet. So, we couldn't pass it up. 

This forum is amazing, both in terms of educational information and give and take between members. I enjoy going down some of the rabbit holes you all have created 😉

We look FWD to many years of Oliver ownership and the memories that come with it. 

Cheers!

Craig and MaryLou  

[ADKCamper]

Welcome to the family! Let the adventures begin 🙂

 

[Mike and Carol]

Craig and MaryLou, congratulations on your Oliver and welcome to the group!  You’ve got many adventures ahead.

Carol and I are both graduates of Leavenworth High School.  Carol was born and raised in Leavenworth and we go back often to visit family.  Small world!  Mike

[MAX Burner]

@CW.  Craig/MaryLou - congrats on your new acquisition of Hull #962!

 @Coach and JoJo have passed along a wonderful example of an OTT to y'all, and you can make your mark on it by participating in these forums.  As you already know, there's a huge compendium of information and experience from thousands of forum participants that await your searches for operating procedures, fixes, upgrades, and modifications.  

Welcome to the Oliver Family and we all look forward to your descriptions of "next adventures"!

Cheers!

[Patriot]

@CW.
Welcome to the forum, and wishing you many happy miles and smile traveling with your Oliver!

Cheers! 
 

Patriot🇺🇸

[johnwen]

Welcome Craig and MaryLou!  MAX Burner is so right about all the info found in this wonderful forum.

Happy Trails,

Wendy & John  

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Hi Craig and MaryLou, welcome to the group.  Congratulations on getting your new to you Ollie.  We did the same, and couldn’t be happier.

[HDRider]

Welcome -  Travel far, travel wide, and travel safe. 

[Jim and Frances]

Welcome, welcome, welcome!  You won't find a nicer and more supportive group of folks.  Enjoy your new Ollie!

[RodgerS]

Hello, don't know anything about the 2023 LEII that you passed on or the owners, but I am curious to know why you passed over it, assuming not confidential. The reason for my question is I will likely be purchasing an LEII later in the year and am just beginning to start my research again after a 2 year hold. I recently was informed of an older than 2023 Oliver via the forum, but it is a bit ahead of my buying schedule, seemed priced a bit high though I was probably wrong, and am still relearning about the upgrades Oliver has made over the recent years and the options available.  Thanks

Edited May 15 by RodgerS

[CW.]

On 5/15/2024 at 2:43 PM, RodgerS said:

Hello, don't know anything about the 2023 LEII that you passed on or the owners, but I am curious to know why you passed over it, assuming not confidential. The reason for my question is I will likely be purchasing an LEII later in the year and am just beginning to start my research again after a 2 year hold. I recently was informed of an older than 2023 Oliver via the forum, but it is a bit ahead of my buying schedule, seemed priced a bit high though I was probably wrong, and am still relearning about the upgrades Oliver has made over the recent years and the options available.  Thanks

Its a good question and am happy to answer.

The 2023 LEII we looked had a composting toilet and although those that have them swear by them, we are experienced and comfortable with managing regular black tank/toilet setups.

The '23 LEII also had the top tier solar/Lithium battery/inverter package. As you know, that is a significant additional cost and as expected the sellers asking price reflected that. We aren't off grid campers and have owned several campers that didn't have solar capability so we just couldn't justify the cost for the benefit. 

None of the accessories that the owners had were included in the sale. If I recall, they were moving to a 5th wheel and were keeping all of their accessories.

Lastly, and hardest to quantify is the fact that it seemed to me that the '23 LEII wasn't meticulously maintained. For a unit that was +/- 1x years old, it showed some wear. I suspect it may have been stored outside.  

In the end, we ended up with a meticulously maintained base model unit that came with all of the accessories. The previous owner had Oliver Service perform to the Truma Aventa Eco A/C conversion w/ CP control and add the aluminum storage basket. He also did a GREAT job designing and installing shelves in the closet, an upgrade that greatly maximizes that space. 

Hope this helps. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.

Craig

 

[RodgerS]

That's a great response.  I think it is always valuable to trust your instincts. 

And important that opinions/decisions are fleshed out a bit. 

Similarly, two "parters" have been looking at buying a gyroplane that has experienced two major issues in the first 5 hours of flight training in that gyro. One of the men asked me if that gyro could be a Lemon since I fly a similar model by that manufacturer.

My response was that I am not aware of any 'Lemons" produced by the manufacturer, either based on my experience or based on discussions in the rotary plane forum.

Further discussions on my part with the person representing the seller resulted in my finding out that the plane had been sitting in the hangar for a year and had not been flown. In my opinion, that accounts for the problems. Planes have to be flown regularly.

Similarly, diesel and gas engines on RVs have to be used regularly, and so do the tires. RV tires are great examples of tires that often look NEW on the outside but have seriously deteriorated on the inside from lack of use. When the tires are rolling, some lubricants inside are able to keep the tire in good condition. Not rolling means no internal lubrication. (as I understand it). 

Enough said I think.