trumpetguy Posted June 8, 2017 Share Posted June 8, 2017 The Oliver family includes some of the most savvy, talented folks I know of. Engineers, mechanics, pharmacists, electricians, etc. so I can think of no better place to pose this question...if I wanted to start driving rather than towing what is the best RV on the market. Serious comments please. I know some will say trailer only and that is fine for most. I am just exploring options due to some health issues. A few caveats. Mercedes Sprinter Chassis, twin beds, lots of windows, molded fiberglass? Is there one out there, four person dinette, one slide is ok. I know about the Winnie's and Itasca class A versions but the quality concerns me. let me hear form the Oliver crowd. Current 2007 Airstream Classic Limited 31 2015 Oliver Legacy Elite II (Sold) 2016 Ram 2500 HD 6.7i Cummins turbo diesel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chixter Posted June 8, 2017 Share Posted June 8, 2017 We looked at and test drove a Renegade Vienna out at Fretz the day we saw the Ollie. Seemed like a nice coach, good finish 1 slide. There was another mfr there with real nice interior no slides. The name gets by me....a family run line Duncan or something. We decided that + toad = 2 much yen. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenLukens Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 Go drive a Sprinter, to me they are undrivable, uncomfortable, and too small. But these were our final choices https://leisurevans.com/unity/floorplans/ http://www.tiffinmotorhomes.com/content/allegro-2017 My leg kept knocking the Sprinter gear shift into neutral... Poor design killed that one for us. So we stuck with the Mercedes Benz ML350 Bluetec as our really comfortable and decked out tow vehicle and bought the Oliver. I can drive this car in comfort all day, just like the Tiffin. I loved our Pace Arrow back in the day, just got tired of trying to park in a cramped parking lot just to go shopping. 1 Happy Camping, Reed & Karen Lukens with Riffles our Miniature Poodle 2017 Oliver Legacy Elite II Standard, Hull #200 / 2017 Silverado High Country 1500 Short Bed 4x4 Past TV - 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML350 4Matic BlueTEC Diesel Click on our avatar pic above to find the videos on our Oliver Legacy Elite II Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra1169 Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 If you want to drivable counterpart to the OTT look at Coachhouserv.com. It is premium priced but you get what you pay for. Being an Airstream Interstate owner this is the direction I would go if I was to do it over. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donbob3 Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 Take a look at Bornfreerv. Closest thing to an Oliver. Only fiberglass MH with roll bars. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John E Davies Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 Would this motorhome be for Eastern type, full hookup camping or do you desire good clearance and the additional capability of AWD/ 4WD? Most motorhomes are complete disasters underneath, in terms of grossly inadequate departure angle and "low hanging fruit". You probably are aware that the Sprinter chassis is finally available with a great factory 4WD system. Any other chassis would need an aftermarket conversion. John Davies Spokane WA 1 SOLD 07/23 "Mouse": 2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeandGerri Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 I would seriously consider the Born Free...it is a premium rv that holds a good value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trumpetguy Posted June 9, 2017 Author Share Posted June 9, 2017 John. Most of our camping is East coast with either full or partial hookup. We found that the Wild West is not our cup. Florida state parks in cool weather and Blue Ridge Parkway in Summer. I put 500 watts of solar on the Airstream and scarcely have need of it. Health is determining more of my life choices now. Love the camping experience and just looking for a way to keep moving. Current 2007 Airstream Classic Limited 31 2015 Oliver Legacy Elite II (Sold) 2016 Ram 2500 HD 6.7i Cummins turbo diesel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Try2Relax Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 I would second Leisure Travel, in Canada, until deciding on going the trailer route, these to me seemed the most well built after all the research, they are pricy and are a wait to get if looking at new. Although I'm not familiar with Born Free. Randy One Life Live It Enjoyably 2017 F350 6.7L SRW CC LB 2015 Oliver Elite II Hull #69 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free2Roam Posted July 28, 2017 Share Posted July 28, 2017 When we were trying to decide between driving or towing, we were looking at the Leisure Travel Vans, Roadtrek, Coach House, and Born Free. BF was removed from the list when we came across this tidbit : http://rvdailyreport.com/industry/out-of-cash-born-free-shuts-its-doors/ Angela 2017 Legacy Elite II Standard 2006 Chevy 2500 HD Diesel 4WD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators SeaDawg Posted July 29, 2017 Moderators Share Posted July 29, 2017 The closing of Bornfree makes me very sad. I lived in Iowa for 8 wonderful years. My Florida company, in the 80s, bought a conversion Bornfree as a demo van for our product. Great vehicle. About vans, etc, no one has mentioned Sporstmobile, tx and ca. We saw one at the Tampa rv supershow last year. Built on the Mercedes 4,X4 chassis, kind of Spartan inside, but everything we need. It would,in my opinion, be a great tow and fun vehicle, leaving our ten year old Ollie at a safer cg ... And exploring beyond. We don't need a lot. It was, with an outdoor shower and diesel stove, no oven, a minimal solar setup, around 100 k So, as yet, we don't own one. But someday, possibly. It can tow our Oliver, and then some. And, no worries on the small roads. Don't think this would be the op,'s choice . Conversion vans do not have the pano windows. Not the big beds. . Reed, why did you not like driving the sprinter van? Which year? Sberry 2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4 2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12 Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes.... 400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries . Life is good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenLukens Posted July 29, 2017 Share Posted July 29, 2017 Hi Sherry :) The Sprinter wasn't comfortable to sit in for long periods because it sits you up totally straight, where I prefer a small tilt in my seat for comfort. Then my knee's were hitting the dash and the stick shift, knocking it out of gear too many times on our test drive. You just can't beat an SUV for comforting the old bones... 1 Happy Camping, Reed & Karen Lukens with Riffles our Miniature Poodle 2017 Oliver Legacy Elite II Standard, Hull #200 / 2017 Silverado High Country 1500 Short Bed 4x4 Past TV - 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML350 4Matic BlueTEC Diesel Click on our avatar pic above to find the videos on our Oliver Legacy Elite II Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trumpetguy Posted July 30, 2017 Author Share Posted July 30, 2017 Just his past week I saw a Coach House Platinum II . What a great looking unit. If and when I need to change from towing to driving my home away this brand will get a closer look. We just returned from the best trip ever. Dry camping at Mount Pisgah on the BRP. This trip was everything our previous trip there should have been. The Trailer, and tow vehicle performed perfectly and my new Andersen wdh made hitching up so easy. More on that in another post for those of you who remember my rants against Andersen when we had the Ollie. Solar was great when the sun was out and my Honda 2000i took up the slack on cloudy days. AC was never needed because the highest temp was only 74 during our stay. For now the AS has extended my camping years and for that I am grateful. 4 Current 2007 Airstream Classic Limited 31 2015 Oliver Legacy Elite II (Sold) 2016 Ram 2500 HD 6.7i Cummins turbo diesel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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