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Ollie reliability question


Dwainkitchens

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I watched a few videos of Airstream owners having lots of little things break and go wrong. I am definitely leaning toward an Ollie, but was wondering if this is typical on an Ollie.  Thinking of paying a good price for a TT and then having rivets pop out sounds scary.  I know there will always be issues, but have you Ollie owners found most things reliable?

Thanks!

Dwain

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Comparing Airstream to Oliver is apple to oranges.  Completely different products, manufacturing, construction, business philosophy, etc.  I’ve had no reliability issues.  Normal wear and tear, my inverter performs inconsistently but everything else works as it should.  Mike

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Texas Hill Country | 2016 Elite II #135 | 2020 Ram 2500 6.7L

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We've had a few VERY minor issues. Oliver has very promptly helped us diagnose and fix all of them.

Super impressed with service at Oliver and couldn't be happier with our trailer.

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2019 Legacy Elite II #488 - Delivery July 24, 2019
2018 F150 Platinum SC SB EB - Leer canopy

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We're 13 years with the same Ollie.  Normal wear and tear, replacement of auxiliary items.

We take care of our Ollie. It takes care of us. 🙂

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.


        
 

 

 

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Oliver - like all manufacturers - is subject to the reliability levels of its suppliers - and unfortunately almost all of them are now owned by the same company.  However, Oliver is one the best, if not the best, at covering issues with installed systems, as well as dealing with anything else that may be of issue. 

If  I had a gripe - I would tell it, I don't, 2 + years down the road, I don't have anything to complain about, and have praise for the service end of the Oliver business. 

Have  there been some unsatisfied owners - perhaps - but the vast majority either haven't been on this forum or FB, to tell it, and in their place are plenty of others that will support the Oliver quality story. 

I don't have an issue recommending Oliver products. 

Happy trails.

RB

Cindy,  Russell and  "Harley dog" . Home is our little farm near Winchester TN

2018 Oliver Legacy Elite II - 2018 GMC 2500 Duramax 

"Die young - As late as possible"
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I have owned a small handful of RV’s, including an Airstream that I bought new as a factory order.  I do not presently own an Oliver, but wish I did.  
 

Over the years I bought each of my RV’s new, and every one was purchased with the thought being that they were the best I could get irrespective of price at the time I bought them.  
 

Sadly, however, the Airstream was the worst of the lot BY FAR when compared to the others I have owned.  The company had no quality control whatsoever, their management lacked integrity, and buying it was the worst decision I ever made.  And I’m not talking about little problems.

 

I cringe every time I read someone mention Airstream in the same breath as Oliver.

 

Carry on...

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We have owned our Elite II a little over a month now, so I can't report on reliability.  I will say this:  Each day we step inside our Oliver, we marvel at the workmanship and care that went into her construction.  Each new day of exploration amazes us with a new discovery of "wow" details; things you won't find in mass produced RVs.  The Oliver is obviously built to last and the attention to detail is like none I've ever imagined - and I'm a self-professed perfectionist.  The fact that there are so many long-time Oliver owners and the OTT holds it's value well was enough to convince me.

Since venturing into RV camping in 2009, we have owned three RV's - an inherited Nash travel trailer (not bad for the price; but we hated the layout), an entry level Keystone Cougar 5th-wheel (spacious, but Just plain too big), and a Leisure Travel Vans (formerly Triple E - Canadian built) Unity luxury B+ class motorhome (gorgeous design, but we found motorhome camping wasn't right for us).  As noted, our RV experience is not lacking in variety.  I will admit, none of these three were below our expectation of "you get what you pay for"; the Mercedes Sprinter chassis of the LTV was the only unreliable (bad) memory.  However, none of these would compete with Oliver for quality, value, and superb customer service.  The folks at Oliver care about each and every trailer they build and will go out of their way to insure customer satisfaction.  Simply said: Oliver cares about their product and their customer.

And to think we were seriously considering "looking" at Airstreams.  So glad that didn't happen!  

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Ray and Susan Huff

Elite II Twin "Pearl" - Hull#699; delivered December 7, 2020

2013 F350 6.7l diesel Super Duty 4x4 long bed crew cab

1UP-USA Heavy-duty bike rack

2017 Leisure Travel Van Unity Twin Bed (sold)

AZARCAIDNVNMOKORTNTXUTWAsm.jpg

 

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No matter what any one of this body of owners tells you there will always be that lingering feeling that since we own one we must be in love with it.  No matter how much we say that we are unbiased the fact remains that we still own an Oliver.

Don't take our word for it - schedule a factory tour and see and feel it for yourself.  Or, at the very least, schedule a visit with a current owner near you to take a look.

Bill

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2023 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5EB FX4 Max Towing, Max Payload, 2016 Oliver Elite II - Hull #117 "Twist"

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4 hours ago, topgun2 said:

No matter what any one of this body of owners tells you there will always be that lingering feeling that since we own one we must be in love with it.  No matter how much we say that we are unbiased the fact remains that we still own an Oliver. 

Don't take our word for it - schedule a factory tour and see and feel it for yourself.  Or, at the very least, schedule a visit with a current owner near you to take a look.

Bill

And I'd like to add . . . . after you have taken the Oliver factory tour (or watch the video here and other Youtube videos) and experienced an owner tour, visit several RV dealerships and do an in-depth comparison: 

  • Don't let the "skin deep" beauty influence your comparison
  • Get below the surface and see how much "care" goes into building the other brands
  • Open cupboards and drawers 
  • Inspect the wiring, plumbing and other mechanical construction
  • Crawl underneath and take a look
  • Bounce up and down on the entry step

. . . . . . . etc. etc. etc 

As you make comparisons, focus on the usefulness, practicality and durability of the construction and features of each trailer based on how you plan to use your trailer.

Compare used unit prices, (currently, these may be inflated due to Covid RV demand)

Include trailers of various price and degree of luxury

If you are a spreadsheet person (Me), record your observations for a thorough evaluation.  Calculate depreciation at 1, 5 and 10 years.

You don't have to simply take the word of devoted Oliver owners; seeing is believing.

Edited by Ray and Susan Huff
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Ray and Susan Huff

Elite II Twin "Pearl" - Hull#699; delivered December 7, 2020

2013 F350 6.7l diesel Super Duty 4x4 long bed crew cab

1UP-USA Heavy-duty bike rack

2017 Leisure Travel Van Unity Twin Bed (sold)

AZARCAIDNVNMOKORTNTXUTWAsm.jpg

 

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Before we found Oliver, we drove to Elkhart and toured every manufacturer. We were in Elkhart for a full week and walked away with a large box of brochures. We attended several large RV shows in Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. I toured the Airstream factory in Jackson Center on three occasions. In all this I didn’t see the quality that I was looking for. Being a mechanical design engineer (form follows function) I saw a lot of both design mistakes (personal opinion) and assembly mistakes. The very first time I saw an Oliver I knew that I had found what I was looking for! When we took the plant tour we were even more positive and placed our order that day! Now going on four years of ownership the problems seen are the same as with every other camper manufactured. Oliver is bound by the available appliances which as noted before are not the best quality. Within reason there is no other choice in appliances. Also, for what it’s worth (a lot by the way) Oliver service, overall experience is second to none, period!

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2017 Elite II, Hull #208

2019 Chevy HD 2500 Duramax

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"Calculate depreciation at 1, 5 and 10 years" says the Huff's . Or just accept it.... An RV - is not an investment for appreciation.  But then, in 10 years - Ollie will still be good as new - and that is something to appreciate. 

Happy Trails

 

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Cindy,  Russell and  "Harley dog" . Home is our little farm near Winchester TN

2018 Oliver Legacy Elite II - 2018 GMC 2500 Duramax 

"Die young - As late as possible"
ALAZARCACOFLIDMTNVNMOKORTNTXUTWAWYd56201

 

 

 

 

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We have two full camping seasons under our belts now with our Elite II, and we’ve only had a couple minor problems with things that are out of Oliver’s control.  We had water in the backup camera lens (Oliver sent a replacement next day and it was an easy swap out), and a gasket on the bathroom fan cover came loose and needed replaced.  Everything else still works as new.   We shopped around for several years, going to RV shows and dealers comparing trailers, and were very close to purchasing an Airstream Nest, but found a lot of articles and web posts about huge problems with the Nest (Airstream has since discontinued the Nest).  Once we did a visit with another Oliver owner and then did the factory tour and saw how they were built, we were convinced.   The Oliver company and people have all been great to deal with.   When the family name is the company name, it makes a difference.  

Edited by FrankC

 

 

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Dwainkitchens:

I did a lot of research over 3 or 4 months looking at four fiberglass RV manufacturer's as well as various airstream models. This research included comparing different options of each company.  I also talked to various owners of each brand as well as reviewing the web site of each company to see what options each could provide. To compare each, I set up a spread sheet of the criteria I was investigating so I could easily make comparisions. One of my criteria items was ease of towing each trailer, where Oliver has the advantage. My research brought me to the conclusion that an Oliver Elite II was the RV for me. 

I was unsure if I wanted to purchase a new or used Oliver Elite II. I decided to try finding a used Oliver and over time this past fall I found 4 Oliver's on the Oliver classified forum only to lose out to other people who purchased them before I made my decision. (Many used Olivers on the forum are sold in less than a week, some in only 1 or 2 days). After losing out on buying these used Olivers, I was ready to place an order for  a new Oliver and wait a full camping season for it to be manufactured with the options I wanted. Other manufacture's do not have the available options that Oliver has. About the same time as getting ready to place a new order, I found my used Oliver, that included all the options I wanted on my trailer, in the Oliver classified forum. I called the owner within 1 hour of it being posted on the forum and immediately agreed to his purchase price. Afterwood, I found out that I was the first of 6 people who contacted the owner on the first day it was advertised. Oliver travel trailers sell fast, which is proof of people knowing the quality of an Oliver trailer. I am happy to say that I now a proud owner of a 2018 Oliver Elite II trailer. Bring it to Maine from Michigan proved my research was valid.

Dwainkitchens - If the size of the Oliver meets your needs, I am sure you would not regret buying an Oliver, a trailer that will certainly last a lifetime and then have a very good resale value afterward. I recommend that you go visit a Oliver owner and see for yourself the quality built into these trailers. Even though my Oliver is a 2018 unit, you would swear that it looks brand new. Oliver quality in their manufacturing can not be disputed. Go see one for yourself prior to deciding.

Edited by dewdev
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2018 Oliver Elite II, Twin Bed, Hull #354 

2024 RAM 1500, 4 x 4; Gas. 5.7L V8 Hemi MDS VVT Torque; 3.21 rear axle ratio

Maine 

 

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3 hours ago, BackofBeyond said:

"Calculate depreciation at 1, 5 and 10 years" says the Huff's . Or just accept it.... An RV - is not an investment for appreciation.  But then, in 10 years - Ollie will still be good as new - and that is something to appreciate. 

Happy Trails

 

I wasn't suggesting an Oliver trailer appreciates, but I get what you're saying 😇  For the most part, an Oliver trailer depreciates much less than other RVs, with the exception (maybe) of today's market where demand is high and supply low (where the majority of RVs are rushed from factory to dealerships with less than stellar quality control to meet increased demand).

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Ray and Susan Huff

Elite II Twin "Pearl" - Hull#699; delivered December 7, 2020

2013 F350 6.7l diesel Super Duty 4x4 long bed crew cab

1UP-USA Heavy-duty bike rack

2017 Leisure Travel Van Unity Twin Bed (sold)

AZARCAIDNVNMOKORTNTXUTWAsm.jpg

 

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On 1/22/2021 at 8:20 AM, Dwainkitchens said:

Thanks everyone for your responses.  Your responses confirmed what I thought.

Thanks again!

If you no not mind, where are you located?

Maggie & Bryan | Arnegard, ND | 2020 LE II "Twins" Hull #665 | 2021 RAM 2500  6.4L HEMI Gasser  4dr  6.5' bed

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