Elite, and Elite II values

[Landrover]

 

 

Before I decided to purchase a new Elite II, I was very interested in a used 2016 Elite II. What I learned was interesting, I hadn’t heard of this.  There is no value pricing for used Ott. Nada Rv only shows base price for new and no value for used or priceing for options. I learned that the only way to buy a used Ott would be a cash deal. I checked with several banks, and credit unions. No one would finance a used Ott. I also posed as a buyer at a Rv dealer, and said I had a used Ott Elite II for trade. After the salesman scratched his head and went to the manager they came back and said they can’t take it on trade. They couldn’t get financing for new buyer and there is no present value for used. At this point used Ott are selling like hot cakes and you can get close to original asking price. Which is great. The above hasn’t swayed my decision to buy New.  Ott is the best I’ve ever seen. And it will out last me. Just thought the values were interesting. Something I’ve never seen before.

[John E Davies]

Thanks for the info. It would be really helpful if sellers posted the actual sale price of their used Ollies, not just the asking price. All the asking prices are right up there close to new MSRP but we don’t know how far that number dropped to make the sale.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[Trainman]

We started looking for a used Oliver a couple of months ago and I to did think the used prices were high. When the base Oliver Elite II is $53.995 and for us there are so many options that are standard on this unit we really don't need to add much at all. We don't want Solar and everything that is needed to go with it, in other words we are not Boondocking, I may have to spend a night in the Walmart parking lot, but that's it. I do admit since we live in Texas one will come up for sale, I'm not willing to travel the U.S. just to look at trailers that are high priced when I can get what we want new in the $56,000/$57,000 dollar range. I know by looking at some trailers in person you can probably deal with then on the price, but you can't deal very well on the phone when you have no idea what you are looking at and if all is as they say it is. I would say that most Oliver's for sale are some $5,000/$7,000 too high, I guess they feel that since it takes 3-4 months to get one built it will sell, but for me and many others, 3-4 months is no time at all. Seller's sell there items for different reasons, some will hold out for a higher price and some will let it go for less for other reasons, you just need to find the person who will let it go for what you are willing to pay.

 

 

 

trainman

[Rumline]

For us it was no contest...buying used doesn't save much money and you're stuck with the previous owners' choices for options and colors.  I hadn't considered the financing angle, and that would theoretically hurt resale value, or at least resale-ability.

 

I'm with John though: it would be nice if people would post what their trailer actually sold for so that current and prospective owners have more data about what these trailers are actually worth used.

[Rolayne]

My husband and I bought a used 2017 Legacy Elite II (Hull 166) in June of 2018 for 60k.  It is loaded.  It was and "is" still in excellent condition.  I called USAA today to see if I could get a better interest rate since we have made a full year of payments.  Since our Ollies are not in the NADA, I had to go over with the fiance person all the upgrades on our Ollie, and then she would find something comparable in NADA to add to the used price of $47,000.  After all was said and done, we were able to get the value up a little over $62,000.  So we are refinancing to get that lower interest rate.  It wasn't a rate I wanted -- I STILL wanted a lower one, but it is better.  I will try a couple of other avenues to see if we can find a better refinance rate, but I know it is slim pickings out there.  I just got on here tonight to search FINANCING to see what I could find.  I saw this post about people wishing sellers would put what their used units really sold for, so I thought I'd post our story.  We were the buyers, and we feel we came out well, and our Ollie is still worth more than what we paid for it a year ago; so we are happy to hear that!!

[BackofBeyond]

Did I pay too much for a TT rv, yes, about $30k too much, if you listen to others, or compare competition prices (Airstream excepted). I am I crazy, why would you do that.... its a travel trailer for petes sake. Will I get value for my $$$$ - only time will tell. I was once very satisfied with a 4 season tent, and a good backpack.

 

My Oliver has everything I wanted - and needed,  in a 4 season, self contained TT RV. I am satisfied with my purchase - if I could have found a pre owned unit, I would have seriously considered one, but as we know - scarce as hens teeth.

 

Pricing information would be nice, but in the end it would be similar to the Airstream products - oh you want an Oliver - this is  how much you have to pay....much more than the rest of the market -  ahh exclusivity has its costs.

 

A happy and proud Oliver owner.

 

RB

[Overland]

Looking at the options on some of the used LEIIs for sale, I’d say asking price is about $10k lower than new on average. And many of the trailers that go up for sale are just a year old. Colors are easily changed, most options are easy to add, and the shells and frames are like new for years, unless they’ve been abused.

 

So I think the asking prices are reasonable. But of course if you want a base Ollie, there aren’t that many built to begin with so finding one for sale would be difficult.

 

The financing situation will eventually work itself out and who knows, then we might even see a boost in pricing because of it. But then again, whomever values the trailer’s might not know much about them and lowball the figure based on the rest of the industry.

 

You guys would have a field day with what I’d want to ask for mine to recoup the time and cost of upgrades, lol.  I’ll be putting it up for sale in about 30 years if anyone is interested.

[Landrover]

I think there is one other thing to consider. Values for the Oliver are good new or used. If Oliver travel trailer went to a dealer base, the costs would be close if not more than airstream values. Greedy dealers. I’m glad of the cost savings buying factory.

[Teal]

I am currently buying a used Ollie and since I did not look for financing I  found this discussion interesting. I have always had good luck with preowned things so when a used Ollie with virtully everything I wanted came up I went and visited it and am ironing out the details of bringing it to Canada. Interestingly I did discover that it is virtually impossible to import one or even start the process if the title is not clear of any liens as the first one I looked had a lien. So loans must be available. Anya

[hobo]

Has anyone checked with Oliver to see who they use for new trailer financing?  I believe they do in fact have banks working with them.  Perhaps the same banks would do used Oliver financing too.

 

 

[Raspy]

There are a few things that keep the price of used Olivers up.  One is they are very popular.   Two, Oliver has a waiting period on the new ones.  And three, Oliver keeps raising the price of new ones, so used, at nearly their original price, seems cheap by comparison.   Also, they have a great reputation.

 

The new prices seem high at first glance.  But compared to other high end trailers, like Airstream, not so much.  When you really take a look at all that goes into making an Oliver, and at how they are holding up, they can be looked at as a good deal.

 

In the final analysis, things are only worth what the market will bear.  Right now, everything is working in Oliver's favor.  At the same time that Oliver is striving to perfect their product and build their reputation, other companies are failing through mismanagement, reduced quality, take-overs, or rolling out new products that are not ready for prime time.  Plus, the Oliver LE2 is a trailer that appeals to a wide range of people and not just a trendy few.  Finally, Oliver knows how to do fiberglass as good or better than anyone, and it shows.  They are not just a startup that buys shells form someone else.  They make them and work hard to perfect them.  This is abundantly clear to anyone who takes the tour.

[Galway Girl]

We'll be picking up Hull 505 very soon....and found this discussion interesting.  While we are not financing our Ollie, we did check with our Credit Union and found they would Finance a "NEW" Ollie based on the "Factory Invoice Price with all the options".   They also cautioned us that there was no data in NADA or anywhere else and that it takes time for a manufacturers population to grow large enough for the USED market pricing to be recognized by NADA and other sites.   They said, that selling it Used would be difficult in the future because of high value and lack of financing. (Good thing I have no plans to sell in the near future.)

 

Looking forward to hearing more about actual used prices and would love to see sellers post final sale date, and final price. (Only a courtesy to the community.)

[Raspy]

We’ll be picking up Hull 505 very soon….and found this discussion interesting. While we are not financing our Ollie, we did check with our Credit Union and found they would Finance a “NEW” Ollie based on the “Factory Invoice Price with all the options”. They also cautioned us that there was no data in NADA or anywhere else and that it takes time for a manufacturers population to grow large enough for the USED market pricing to be recognized by NADA and other sites. They said, that selling it Used would be difficult in the future because of high value and lack of financing. (Good thing I have no plans to sell in the near future.)

 

Looking forward to hearing more about actual used prices and would love to see sellers post final sale date, and final price. (Only a courtesy to the community.)

 

I really have no interest in revealing what I sold my Oliver for, or any of the other things I've sold previously.   I agree that it is interesting to someone in the market, but the tools are there already to understand the general market conditions and to watch listed items enough to get a good idea of the pricing.  It really is nobody's business, beyond the buyer and seller involved in the transaction.  And I have no obligation to try to influence any negotiations for anything sold in the future.  When my sale is complete, my interest in the market is mostly gone, and future sale prices are not my business. Market trends yes, but not specific deals.

 

Do your own research.  Make your own deals.

 

If you are interested in a particular model, watch for them to show up in the classifieds.  Look at the year, the equipment list, and general condition.  See how long it takes them to sell and how the asking price may change during that period.  Take into account how rare they are and where they are located. Balance the benefits and problems associated with buying new vs buying used.  This is simple market research that is outside the actual negotiations.

 

Negotiations are not done in public.  The final agreed to price is an acceptable compromise to both parties and has factors that often don't fit a simple chart of market values.  Such as selling to a friend, selling because of health issues, or financial issues.  Sending it to a "good home", or selling it in a hurry.  Again, it's nobody's business but the two parties involved, so keep the negotiations between the buyer and seller.  Don't share the price with the general public unless both parties agree that it is OK to do so.

 

Another annoyance is the demand by people to know "why are you selling it?".   Should I be expected to convince a buyer that it's OK for me to sell something, or reveal personal information, before we can enter into a negotiation?

 

Finally, if someone is interested in buying something from another person, they should attempt to develop a personal connection with that person.  This is the best path to getting more information and getting the best price.  Be polite.  Don't try to low-ball with an insulting offer, take responsibility for your decisions, instead of just scoffing at the price.  For example, instead of putting it down as too expensive, suggest that it is beyond your budget.   Instead of pointing to every flaw and making a big deal of it, simply say you might keep looking for one that will require less work.  Or just share that you prefer a different layout.  During communications, especially with texts, always identify yourself and say hi.  Don't just go to the cold message and expect everyone to know who you are, or care.   I often don't bother to respond to unidentified texts as I think they are rude.  Rudeness doesn't make me want to negotiate.  But if someone identifies who they are and says Hi, I am glad they got in touch.

[Galway Girl]

Raspy - Wisdom in your words! Thanks.