Oliver owner wannabe

[KfSmit]

I own a Casita and have camped solo for two years. I think I’m ready to look for an Oliver Legacy Elite II upgrade by August.  Any advice for how to scope out a used one would be much appreciated!!  I’m presently living in Texas. I hope to find something be with twin beds - with upgrades. Which ones are the most valuable? 

[Shawna and Scott]

There is an Oliver Travel Trailer for Sale Facebook page. Oliver also suggest listing the trailers for sale on the usual RV trader sites. 

Good luck with your purchase.

[topgun2]

10 hours ago, KfSmit said:

Which ones are the most valuable? 

Any that are in good condition!

Bill

[dewdev]

I think the Facebook page is perferred as you are then dealing with the owner themselves and not a sales firm.

You can also check out the new Oliver Sales and Service companies that have been brought on board. You can find them listed on the OTT web page.

Good luck.

[Patriot]

On 6/16/2024 at 9:55 PM, KfSmit said:

I own a Casita and have camped solo for two years. I think I’m ready to look for an Oliver Legacy Elite II upgrade by August.  Any advice for how to scope out a used one would be much appreciated!!  I’m presently living in Texas. I hope to find something be with twin beds - with upgrades. Which ones are the most valuable? 

Before plunking  down between $60 and $80,000k depending on the YM you find:
If I were looking for a used Oliver, the first thing I  would want to see is a detailed spread sheet of what maintenance was performed by who and when? This would include receipts for the work completed. If you are not familiar with travel trailers maybe hire a reputable RV inspector to check everything. Kinda think of it as purchasing a second home. 

These trailers are not overly complicated machines, but they do require a fair amount maintenance and care. I would suggest you take a look at the owners manual for the year model you are considering in Oliver University. This will give you a great start on what owners should be inspecting and maintaining. If you find a used well kept Oliver, you may want to call the Oliver Service Center and see if they have a record of maintenance on the Hull#. Of course this forum is full of really valuable information and a great group of owners to help you with your decision on purchasing new or used. Ask away!

When we purchased our Oliver new in 2020, our sales rep told us that the twin bed model is their most popular model/best seller. 
Four years later as of yesterday we took delivery of Hull #634.

We are convinced Oliver is the best Travel Trailer made and are grateful to own one.

All the best with your decision and happy hunting!

 

 

Edited June 19 by Patriot

[jd1923]

Lot less value without a solar package, or at least pre-wired. I read at some point they stopped pre-wiring when solar was not purchased. On the other hand, if you are only going to hook-up then no solar could save you money. Batteries less important since LiFePO has gotten much cheaper. I would not have purchased ours last year without this upgrade and we got a very good used price from a prior owner who lives in our hometown and delivered it to our driveway with cash-in-hand!

[MAX Burner]

8 hours ago, Patriot said:

We are convinced Oliver is the best Travel Trailer made and are grateful to own one.

@KfSmit - FYI, Patriot is spot on with his description and how you might consider going forward with an acquision, IMO.

If you're considering a used OTT, its service records are key.  However, they could be meaningless to you unless you "know" the Oliver.

Suggestion:  Read these forums from old to new.   Learn how they're laid out by topical areas.  Focus on the "Mechanical and Technical Tips", "Oliver Modifications",  and "Towing an Oliver".  Take your time, mull over issues, problems, and fixes that others have solved.  Go back to the oldest posts you can find.  Read them.  Study.  Understand the common challenges and opportunities many of us have experienced with this rig.  You'll be amazed.  The knowledge you'll gain from this endeavor will be priceless.

After scanning these diatribes, you'll be able to examine service records, owner upgrades, and modifications and be able to make sense of them and determine if they were done correctly or not after surveying that particular rig.  Depending on your background and experience with RV's, a certified appraiser would be money well spent.

The "bones" of an Oliver are strong, as mentioned earlier, they are not over-complicated -- but they do require an understanding of routine maintenance to remain functional and safe while towing and camping.

We've probably put north of 7k miles on ours since the first of the year - Casablanca has behaved remarkably.  This is a consistent underpinning of the brand.  They're tough.  But they need attention - not neglect.  Take care of your kit - it will take care of you.

Do not hesitate to reach out to the owners on these forums and ask questions, seek advice, and know that you'll receive sound feedback.

Good luck in your search and enjoy every moment of it - the right unit will come along at the right time, I'm sure of it because we did the same thing you're doing now 3 years ago, brother!

Cheers!

[jd1923]

1 hour ago, MAX Burner said:

... If you're considering a used OTT, its service records are key.  However, they could be meaningless to you unless you "know" the Oliver...

Or you could just fall in love with it!

We found ours of all places, on a local Craigs ad after we had just sold a Bigfoot Class-C. I showed the ad to my wife and said, "Let's go look, just to see. There's no way we're going to pay that $$,$$$ for a TT, but let's go look to see."

Turned out we put $10K down within 48 hours and had it delivered in a few days! I've purchased near 100 total in old cars, trucks, motorcycles, dirt vehicles, trailers, a half dozen homes and even 20+ fine acoustic guitars...

We have LOVED all of them! 😂

[jd1923]

God Bless America and the fact with our meager means we can have so much in life! Vote 2024. 😂

Edited June 18 by jd1923

[Bryan in NC]

21 hours ago, dewdev said:

I think the Facebook page is perferred as you are then dealing with the owner themselves and not a sales firm.

You can also check out the new Oliver Sales and Service companies that have been brought on board. You can find them listed on the OTT web page.

Good luck.

There are private sellers on RVTrader.com as well.  I just looked and there are a few used LE2s for sale now.

Edited June 18 by Bryan in NC

[Ollie-Haus]

If you like to dry camp and boondock, I highly recommend the larger lithium package if you can find one with that option. Many have chosen to upgrade to lithium after the purchase and it's much more functional and seamless to get one with that system already installed from the factory. Not having one isn't a deal breaker, but it will save you a lot of work adding lithium later. Good luck. Do check the Facebook Group "Oliver Travel Trailer for sale". There are some good listings there. https://www.facebook.com/groups/OliverforSale

[BoondockingAirstream]

We have a 2019 27 foot Airstream and a 2019 Oliver Elite II.  One has to go. Which?  It all depends...

The 2019 Airstream has ALL of the Off the Grid Appliances.  Bought off the Airstream Dealer's Lot, new.

The 2019 Oliver Elite II has ALL of the Off the Grid Appliances. Bought from original owner three years ago who had cancer and wife did not like the Travel Trailer Experience.  A common problem as we become older and health may become a factor. Worked out for us as it was listed for sale on the Oliver Forum and we bought the trailer in less than 24 hours at full asking price.  It is a wonderful trailer.  You have good advice on this Forum.

Each has their limitations:  The Airstream need Upgrade Expenses TO: Six inch lifted Axles and Upgraded wheels to 16 inch and 16 inch Michelins.  It is longer and wider than an Oliver.  It has lots of open space in the Aisles.  It has a lower Center of Gravity for stability.

The Oliver Elite II has the SAME Clearance as the Lift Kit Airstream. The Oliver Elite II has as standard the 16 inch wheels and 16 inch Michelin Tires. The Oliver has a higher center of gravity.  The Airstream and Oliver Elite II are similar in... WEIGHT. Tow perfectly 'on the ball' behind our 2016 F350 4x4 Diesel.

Our Airstream and Oliver Elite II have ALL of the upgrades... Solar is important. Appliances are Propane and/or Electric plug in.  The Storage in the Oliver Elite II and the longer Airstream are... about the SAME. The Oliver storage is FANTASTIC.  The Airstream storage is about the same with 8 feet 6 inches wide and the Oliver is 7 feet even, if I check.  Nothing wrong with being a Compact Oliver as it is a Go Anywhere Travel Trailer. Airstreams are limited, not from an experienced OTG Travel Owner... but length creates a dragging rear bumper, even with the 6 inch lift and 16 inch tires.

Oliver Elite II is a Do All travel trailer.  If you are a RV Park traveler, it does not matter.  Oliver's and Airstream Trailers are great for Hookups and RV Parks.  Oliver owners are eager to assist and give advice.  The more options... Solar should be #1... and get everything that catches your attention. We have everything in our Airstream and Oliver Elite II. They cost about the same off the lot.  

[Half Fast Hugo]

All good advice above! We bought our 2021 LE II off the FB Oliver Travel Trailer for Sale page. Drove from MN to TX to pick it up from a private buyer. It only had 900 miles of towing on it which I really liked and was stored inside. We were ready to sign a contract for a new one and had chosen all of the options we wanted when the pre-owned one with the exact same options we were looking for came up. I would say to really understand what you want to do with it so you can figure out what options are most important to you. Pre-owned ones come up on the FB page but they can go pretty quick and you may have to drive to get one. Of course, there's always the new options from a dealer that may be closer to you. Good luck on the hunt!

Edited June 19 by Half Fast Hugo

[HDRider]

Just curious, were you camping at Norfork lake in Arkansas last year?

 

We met a fellow that sure sounds like you

[KfSmit]

Thank you to all of you who have replied.  This is all great information, especially the info about seeing the maintenance records and spec sheet.  I have rv’d for over 50 years with my husband and bought the casita after he passed.  I have used it extensively for the past two years, putting a ton of miles on it.  So I think i have proved to myself that i am capable and able to maintain an rv and will use it.  Onward and upward!  

[HDRider]

5 minutes ago, KfSmit said:

Thank you to all of you who have replied.  This is all great information, especially the info about seeing the maintenance records and spec sheet.  I have rv’d for over 50 years with my husband and bought the casita after he passed.  I have used it extensively for the past two years, putting a ton of miles on it.  So I think i have proved to myself that i am capable and able to maintain an rv and will use it.  Onward and upward!  

Oh, you ain't a fellow.  

[MAX Burner]

2 hours ago, HDRider said:

Oh, you ain't a fellow.  

An easy mistake, Jeff - I know, because I've done it myself...  No worries, all good.  HA!

[Geronimo John]

On 6/17/2024 at 8:08 AM, jd1923 said:

Lot less value without a solar package, or at least pre-wired. I read at some point they stopped pre-wiring when solar was not purchased.

For someone that's not a DIY capable, then there is some reduced value for the wiring that is no longer provided on all newer trailers. Older ones have wiring between the solar entry (Hidden in front of the Max Fan) run between the hulls over the roof to the street side storage area.  But I seriously doubt that OTT would have also eliminated the pathway to do so.  Why?  Service still needs it when an owner wants to add solar.  Also, more than a few owners have run electrical wiring between the hulls for varius purposes in several places. 

I'll be posting on this topic after I do just such a run this summer for a Houghton mod

GJ

[jd1923]

You all know I'm quite DIY-capable. However, I looked at the value in our older used hull in that it had two solar panels mounted on top, the cabling routed, the Blue Sky solar charger and Xantrex 2KW inverter all integrated and installed in working order. I have not yet had to change a thing there. Someday soon I will add lifepo4 batteries and need to reset the charging curve and perhaps later add another panel and/or a DC-to-DC charger. I did add an EMS that was not standard back in 2016.

It's not easy working in the basement area of the Oliver. It's not like working on a truck where you can get it up on a lift to access many repairs. Always leaning into the basement openings is not at all fun. I have sore arms and rib muscles from leaning over that ridge for the mattresses! Think of getting under the pantry and behind the battery bay for this kind of solar/inverter installation, let alone the run to the roof. Buying the right used unit can be very helpful.

Recently we had a hairline crack in the LP line to our Atwood furnace. I believe it was due to two frame welds breaking underneath and then pushing them back up to weld (LP lines attached to the frame). I removed the LP T-fitting below, but there was no way to remove the entire line without removing the furnace. My arms would not even fit through the opening behind the furnace. My plan was to cut off 2" of the copper LP line and somehow re-flare it under the body. I had to push the line from above, front side of the furnace and then pull from underneath, repeat that and repeat that until I achieved the required length below. It was amazing that I got my tubing cut-off and flaring tools between bottom hull and the aluminum frame. A whole lot of patience and about 2 1/2" hours later the job was done. (Would have been happy if that was the only thing I accomplished all day yesterday!) Wow, a big to-do is now off my list. 😂

Very happy not to do a solar/inverter install from scratch on our Oliver! I did that in a Bigfoot Class-C in 2020. There I could drill down, standing on a flat roof, down into a wall cabinet, through a race to the battery bank down below. Ran inverter connections under the truck through the chassis frame... Not on an Oliver.

You should see how OTT installed the Dish Satellite on our hull. They did not go through the upper hulls front to back (dish up front and TV in the back). They ran the cables down, visible in closet to the basement area below, then runs towards the black tank and follows the drain all the way to the rear basement, then up to the attic. There must be 60 ft of coax with multiple connectors. It's like they added it after the build, not an option integrated to their build process.

The Oliver is a great TT that's not real easy to work on for major upgrades (but will keep doing so as needed)!

Edited June 19 by jd1923
typos