Benefit of Oliver over Class C Motorhome

[jo79RI]

Hello;

 

Can some of the Oliver owners expand apon the pros and cons of an Oliver, compared to a Class C Motorhome?

[Overland]

The most obvious pro is cost (provided you consider your tow vehicle as a daily driver that you'd purchase anyway).  Second is the ability to leave the trailer behind and travel around parks and cities in a reasonably sized vehicle.  Third would be the ability to go places without having to break camp and set back up at the end of the day.  Most places we visit, we stay three or four days, sometimes more.  While it's not too terrible to set up camp with an Ollie, it would still get old.  

But for me, the main advantage is longevity.  If taken care of, I think an Ollie can last you 50+ years.  An RV will start to feel old and outdated after 10.  And you can't just buy a new truck and swap out some cushions to make it feel new again.  

 

[SeaDawg]

My rving experience started with a 1976 or 77 class c. Belonged to my parents.  Spent a long summer in Florida in it. It met my needs. My parents sold it later, as i was the only one in the family who used it much. It's another vehicle to maintain, even if you don't use it much.

Since then, my husband and I have delivered a number of them to alaska,  and rented class c's in other places. including New Zealand. 

Some of the pros are also cons. C's are wider, so more room, but trickier on narrow roads that we love and frequent. The Oliver follows the truck footprint. 

Class c is like a rolling billboard when you're struggling with a strong crosswind.  High flat sides made for a miserable drive across the Dakotas for us one year in May. Truly miserable . Lousy gas milage,  even if keeping it on the road isn't a struggle. But, pro, that height gives extra headroom for the overbunk. And headroom everywhere. 

Build quality. Even brand new, out of Elkhart, everything rattles. I carry bits of cardboard, foam, and a small toolkit to tighten and repositon misaligned hinges and latches .

House battery compartment on the c's we've delivered is usually fairly open,  under the step.. Collects dust, mud, and crap. Not great. 

Slides are nice, til they don't work, or because you can't go to bed because you can't open the slide in a beautiful,  but tight space . No slides on the Olivers. No slide gap draft, no maintenance. 

The typical c roof is tpo or epdm rubber. Oliver is gelcoat fiberglass, solid, and not really susceptible to uv degradation. Yes, you'll need to reseal openings, but that's it,  in an Oliver, beyond clean and wax. 

Parking. With the Oliver,  We can drop the trailer, and explore in the 4x4 truck. Exploring is much, much more difficult in a class c, even a shorty. Or, impossible. We know. Been there.

Bathroom. most class c have a separate shower,  with, skylight. Great shower experience,   for a few  years. I've yet to see one that's properly caulked and waterproof.  I'll take the smaller  marine bath in my ollie any day .

Class c, Exposed plumbing, low unprotected tanks. lack of insulation, leaky seals at slides,  fabric bottom instead of mouse proof fiberglass, dust everywhere from little openings in the class c's, even without slides. Rattles drive me crazy. Stuff stored in the ollie probably rattles, but i can't hear it,   because I  am in the truck.😃.  And, none of the above applies to my Ollie. Except a bit of dust through vents. 

We drive class c vehicles every year or two, delivering to Alaska.They're a great way to get from a to b, but I'd never buy one. 

A better comparison would be Ollie to class b+. Or class b. Done that, too.

The one big thing i do love in every class c we've delivered is the oven. I  personally really love that. Especially since I'm cooking in cold May in Canada,  often .I  do love oven dinners, and muffins and bread, when it's rainy/ sleeting or just crappy cold. I've learned to live without it, 12 years in our Oliver. I  can adapt, for the solid trailer that I  have loved for 12 years .

That said, I'd  challenge any class c to match the appearance and solid carriage of my Ollie,  12 years in . We have the original shorty, so a lot of people think it's too small. For us, it's perfect. Every rv lives big outside,  which is where we live 

Sherry