Why I chose an Oliver

[tumbleweed]

I was NOT looking for a new trailer when I saw Billy and his Oliver 'gathering' at Quartzsite last month but was curious and thought I could glean a couple of 'mod' ideas! Billy (from the factory) let my friends and I wanderer and explore the Olivers to our hearts content.....that sneaky devil!! The more I explored, the more impressed I became. I really love my Casita, I've done a lot of mods to it with help of friends and just about got it perfect for me BUT.. as I'm fulltiming in it, I saw that the double pane windows and day/nite shades would keep interior more comfortable,full power jacks and easier to use hookups make setup quicker, slideout battery, propane and tire covers make mx easier: I sold my self! Base $ on the Casita and Base Oliver are comparable but the options that are AVAILABLE on the Oliver made the choice easy. I had to do the mods to my Casita to upgrade and while sometimes enjoyable, sometimes not so enjoyable. So now I'll have more to FISH!!!

[Oliver Travel Trailers1571927901]

Billy appreciates your kind words. But, don't let the boss know that it's not our "hard work" that sells them. It really sells itself as you learned. It's not what everybody wants but, there are plenty of people that do and so here we are.

 

Speaking of fishing, what type do you prefer? Here in Hohenwald, TN I have the "Buffalo River" just 50 yards in front of my porch. With the "TVA" dam's all over the place there's lots of channel Kat, S/L/M Bass, trout streams and something called Souger,sawger??? I don't know how to spell that one. Maybe Mountainborne can help me out there?

 

Anyway, plan on staying a few days on our "dime" when you come to pick up your unit. Bring a rod and We can point you in a direction.

 

Thanks for your support and part in the "Oliver Legacy".

[bugeyedriver]

We all have different journeys while selecting our trailer. Having just finished that quest myself, I'll share a bit of my thought process. I started from zero experience and my quest went something like this:

 

1st - What were my needs and how would I likely use the rv? I will mainly travel solo, with a small, 13 lb furry companion, Oscar. At times in the future we'll invite a grandchild along to share goodtimes with and build lasting memories.

 

2nd - Cost factor - what was my top limit? While I could to go up to the Airstream Bambi, I like to cosider my own personal cost effectiveness, or "bang for the buck" factor. I tend to be conservative in my spending patterns. I prefer function and quality over flash.

 

So I was leaning towards an efficient, quality product that I could easily see myself in for 1 to 4 week sojourns. While cruising the internet on my quest I discovered the world of the Fiberglass Egg Campers and fell in love with the non-pretentious, friendly community of travelers that seem to get so much pleasure from their Egg-wanderings. I feel that Oscar and I will feel right at home. The frontal areas of the Eggs and the gw is smaller than the Bambi, so I thought they'd tow better.

 

3rd - Basic needs - Indoor cooking and shower = mandatory! A/C a must have as well.

 

4th - Weight limit - My TV is a new Tacoma Double Cab, short bed 2x4 with a towing package factory installed. Towing limit 6500 lb. Being one who prefers an extra margin of safety, I imposed my own weight limit of 4000 lb.

 

So I saw myself mainly in the Casita - Oliver worlds. With the shower requirement, I felt a 13 footer would be too small for some of my longer anticipated trips. I eventually narrowed it down to the 17 foot models of the Casita or an Oliver. My initial favorite floorplan was the Casita FD with the captains chairs, but after realizing there would be no sleeping space for the grandchild, I settled on the Casita SD or Oliver with their similar floorplan and configuration flexibilities.

 

I requested brochures from both companies . . . I spoke to reps from both companies . . . had positive thoughts for both companies. Both families desire to produce a great product their customers will enjoy for many years.

 

5th -But I needed to touch and feel before I bought. Casita put me in touch with a proud owner in my area and an Oliver happened to be passing by my home over the holidays and Jim Oliver invited me over to see his trailer. I liked both, but in the end I went with the Oliver even though more expensive, for the following reasons . . .

 

1- Non carpeted walls of the Oliver, while not as warm and cozy as the Casita, would be better for my granddaughter's respiratory ailments.

2- My prowess with making modifications to suit specific needs is minimal. I'd hate to have a nice trailer interior interrupted with my "workmanship" if you can call it that.

3 - Oliver offered a more extensive list of options, and on top of that, Jim said he'd even add more option if I had any. I had a unique list, and he has accomodated every item.

4- I felt my personal "bang-for-the-buck" matrix was maximized with Oliver.

 

6th - Company and brand longevity. Will they be there in the future? While Casita wins out in the "How long have you been making trailers?" contest; but Oliver Technologies has a long manufacturing history which leads me to belive they will no be a flash-in-the-pan rv maker. I deemed them tied in this area.

 

ANYWAY..................that was my personal rv quest. I'll be picking up my "WONDER-EGG" on March 10th and bring it home to the Hill Country of Texas. I hope to be at the Bluebonnet Rally in Bandera, Tx early April so Oscar and I can start making new friends in the FGRV world.

[bugz]

Since we are first time trailer owners our opinion might not matter as much as others but I still wanted to share the reasons we bought an Oliver. We were not actively looking for a trailer but we did think it would be nice to have one someday. They just seemed so expensive though and I am fairly frugal by nature so spending a lot money just didn't make sense to me based on what I would end up with. Towing was another issue as we only have a Jeep to tow with. I knew if we got anything at all it would probably have to be a pop-up tent trailer or a tiny fixer-upper trailer.

 

As fate would have it however I happened upon the Oliver trailers on a vacant lot right next to my office. They looked so tiny on the outside so I just had to see what they could possibly fit in there! I stepped inside and was just blown away. Everything was so well thought out and efficient. It had everything I would ever want in a trailer and more. It was truly as if I had given someone the detail of my dream trailer and Oliver built it just for me. It is not cheap but I believe it is worth every penny and then some.

 

Oliver customer service is second to none and that is probably the most valued part of owning our Oliver. We were not treated as customers but as new members of the Oliver family. Maybe that sounds a little corny but it is the truth. Oliver is a good company run by good people. I wish them nothing but the best.

 

Sincerely,

 

Lisa Hewus (bugz)

[SeaDawg]

When I saw Bugz's post today on "Why We Chose an Oliver", I was reminded of this older thread with a similar title.

 

To be simple, we chose the Oliver based on value, longevity, and workmanship. We believe that it is a truly innovative product based on the tried and true molded fiberglass trailer history of many wonderful brands.

 

After looking at many, many trailers, stick built, aluminum cage, and molded fiberglass, we were convinced the Oliver was the best choice for us.... especially for the long run.

 

Perhaps the moderator could merge these two threads....

 

Sherry