Getting ready to do this

[Majnoon]

Hi folks,

 

My retirement date is coming up at the end of April and I'm getting ready to pull the trigger this week on a new Legacy Elite II. I started off looking at Airstreams but got very discouraged when I started reading about quality issues (floor rot, popped rivets etc.). Most of the other TT's I see out there are a joke with regards to quality and drab ugly decors.

 

Then I came across Oliver on one of the forums (I think it was Airforum) and went to to the website. At first I wasn't too keen on the stark white interior but as I read more about them and how you all raved about them, I found myself yearning for one. Staring at the ceiling at 2 am the other night I made up my mind. Nothing else seems to come close. I love the ground clearance, ample storage and it looks like it's built to last which I need since I'll be giving up my apartment & full timing, mostly on BLM & NFS land. It actually reminds me of some of the Aussie caravans I was lusting after on Youtube.

 

Are there any other full timers out there? I'd love to hear from you. Is it spacious enough? My tow vehicle is a new Ram 2500 diesel (remember the Airstream I was going to buy?) so I doubt if I'll even feel it towing back there. I've already used up all my vacation for the year so I won't be able to visit the factory but everything I've read and seen seem to dispel any concerns.

 

Thanks, Jim

 

P.S. (Majnoon - means 'crazy' in Syrian, my grandfather's name for me growing up)

[rideandfly]

Jim, Welcome!

 

Congrats on your upcoming retirement and Oliver purchase.

 

First time we saw an Ollie was during a camping trip on the Blue Ridge Parkway around 2010. The couple invited us in and we loved the Ollie interior.  The couple we purchased our Elite II from lived in the Ollie 6 months, while they completed work on a house in FL. Our Ollie is in great shape and shows no signs of being lived in full time for 6 months. They also lived in a fiberglass sailboat for eight years. Your RAM will tow the Ollie easily.

[Mike and Carol]

Hey Jim, welcome.  Ask a lot of questions - there's a great deal of experienced Oliver owners here.

 

Our journey is much like yours.  We looked at Airstreams for a couple years and ended up with an Oliver for the same reasons you did.  We don't full time, but we've got over 7,000 miles on ours since we picked up this past May.  We just finished a 30 day trip and space was never an issue.

 

Mike

[Try2Relax]

Welcome Jim,

 

The one thing I always say is, know yourself and your limitations.  These trailers are easy to lust after and in my opinion the build quality is second to none.

 

We too looked at and researched Airstreams, and came away disappointed with the quality issues. We purchased our Elite II used last Feb and hauled it cross country this summer and loved it.

 

We are no where near retirement so hopefully will be able to enjoy it for at least 25 years, which it should handle fine with minor upkeep.

 

The know yourself part is that I would never refer to it as something I live in, it's always been something we live out of, whether that's sitting outside on BLM land or base camping from it to anything interesting within a 100 mile radius.  We got it used because the previous owner purchased based on its quality and longevity, after owning other trailers, and sold it at less than a year after realizing that using it as a "home"  while doing onsite work, after work what he really wanted was recliner to relax in,  so he went back to a 26' trailer with a fireplace.

 

Congratulations on retirement and good luck with your decision and purchase, if not the factory, be sure to see a trailer in person in your area.

[Commanche]

Welcome Jim,

 

Wonder how many Ollies were sold because the buyers were considering and reading the Airstream forums. It was always, check the floor for rot, not a good selling point. We also got steered to the Oliver website from the Airstream forum.

 

There is no indication what part of the country you live, but click on the "see a Ollie" up top, and I bet there is one you could look at within a couple hours from your place.

 

Stan

[Majnoon]

Thanks Randy, good advice. I bought a van a while back and was able to live in it for several weeks out west hiking, traveling,  adventuring and meeting new people. This was going to be my retirement (part timing) in a van. I guess you haven't lived until you pooped in a bucket out in the middle of nowhere... Anyway, I spent the last 3 years looking everywhere on Zillow in the US where I might want to settle down after retirement. Nothing ever really did it for me except Colorado was the closest I came to finding Shangrila but alas it wasn't until my van adventures that what I really wanted was to live 'everywhere'. I stayed in some of the most gorgeous places this past summer in that van, from Maine to Wyoming and down to New Mexico(using up all 5 weeks vacation plus weekends) convinced me I needed to do this full time. That's when I ditched the van and bought a truck. Wanderlust is my fuel. If I was in my teens today no doubt I would be diagnosed with ADHD. I live outside of Cleveland Oh, which has fueled my desire to get away. Just turned 58, I love my alone time but I also enjoy meeting and talking to strangers, or is it just strange people?

 

Looking forward to meeting and talking to other Ollie owners in the future.

 

Jim