Fed Up With the RV Standard. Oliver Looks Like the Answer

[John E Davies]

6 hours ago, Cameron said:

oh boy! after i read this i thanked my lucky stars i have an Oliver!!

 

https://www.rvtravel.com/pathetic-quality-rv-dealers-fed-manufacturers-producing-1017b/

That is a scary story, especially the reader comments, but it is no surprise to anybody who has every looked in the hidden areas of a stick and staple trailer. I had a 1988 Nash that was an unmitigated disaster and I vowed to never buy another RV. After that I had a 1990 Sea Ray 270 Sundancer boat, a “premium” brand, that was way worse. I bought “Mouse” after reading about Ollies and seeing them in the flesh. No regrets at all after five seasons.

OTH Oliver still uses mostly the same crappy, built to the lowest cost appliances and suspension parts, though they are beginning to transition to better stuff, gradually. But I doubt that they could sell very many units if they ditched the propane appliances and the base price went up by at least $20k…. 

The only way to get a truly high quality, trouble free RV is to spend $300k on something like a Terranova or a Nimbl. The latter was originally XP Camper, and like so many other niche manufacturers of very high quality RVs, they went bankrupt after three or four years with no warning. It is really really hard to sell real quality here in the USA. Most buyers, bring uneducated and for the most part unmotivated to research the details, want cheap units, three slideouts and electric faux fireplaces. Nothing else matters. Then they cry in the forums when the water pours in and they disintegrate before their eyes on the first trip.

What the RV industry does not want is consumer protection lemon laws and motorhome crash safety standards. It would literally destroy it. I don’t understand why they are completely exempt.

Yay Oliver! I will replace the crap as it fails with better marine grade stuff. The bones - the hull and frame - are top notch.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[johnwen]

10 hours ago, John E Davies said:

Yay Oliver! I will replace the crap as it fails with better marine grade stuff. The bones - the hull and frame - are top notch.

John, FWIW I agree and will rely on the forum for help to get the most out of our camping experiences.  There are quite a few knowledgeable and qualified people, IMO, that give detailed information out to help others.  I certainly wish I had options for decor colors other than what's offered, a/c brands that offer quiet operation with a heat strip, electrical system options, and the list goes on.  Forum reports on quality control are disconcerting in some instances.  We visited production 3 years ago and witnessed much more attention to detail than we did 1 month ago and we realize many businesses are struggling with their workforce stability.   But we are hoping to get that top notch hull and frame before that falls by the wayside.  I want to add that Jason and his service department are a driving force in our decision to put our 1/2 payment down tomorrow.  We love our Casita and will hold onto it for some time in case things don't work out favorably with the Oliver.  But if we can tailor the Oliver to what we want, and I most certainly believe we can, our mid-January delivery of "Bessie"  will be a wonderful day 🙂

[SeaDawg]

@johnwen plan to spend 3 to 5 days, if you can, testing every system. You don't have to stay near Hohenwald.  Go explore some of the very beautiful parks in Tennessee and North Carolina,  depending on season. Use every system, make sure they work, and that you know how to use them. User error is a big problem,  with new systems. 

One of our cousins bought a new VERY expensive coach years ago, about the same time we bought our Oliver. Their warranty list was 100 items long. Ours was 2 items, and I can't even now remember what they were . I just remember the comparison, in our conversation, so I guess ours were minor.  

No matter where you are, Oliver will support you. Just easier if you can go back to the plant, and have a list, if necessary,  early on. 

[johnwen]

Just now, SeaDawg said:

@johnwen plan to spend 3 to 5 days, if you can, testing every system. You don't have to stay near Hohenwald.  Go explore some of the very beautiful parks in Tennessee and North Carolina,  depending on season. Use every system, make sure they work, and that you know how to use them. User error is a big problem,  with new systems. 

One of our cousins bought a new VERY expensive coach years ago, about the same time we bought our Oliver. Their warranty list was 100 items long. Ours was 2 items, and I can't even now remember what they were . I just remember the comparison, in our conversation, so I guess ours were minor.  

No matter where you are, Oliver will support you. Just easier if you can go back to the plant, and have a list, if necessary,  early on. 

We met an Oliver family a couple days ago in South Dakota who picked up their Oliver over a year ago and relayed they had no problems since.  That is encouraging!  Yes, we plan to thoroughly exercise every system/switch/button we can in short order 🙂  and we have no doubt Jason and his team will take care of us!

[SeaDawg]

@johnwen don't know where you are usually located, but I have to say  how much I love the Dakotas. Other than the obligatory stop at Mt Rushmore, lots of people think it's  a drive through.  It's not, as you know, by now.

The Dakota territory has so much beauty and charm. (And, often,  wind!) The people are hospitable, little town campground are neat and clean. It's so different than much of the plains, especially in the  west and east, but lots to see in between. . 

I've been missing my trips through,  last few years, with the pandemic troubles.

Best wishes to you, in your adventures in your Ollie. 

 

[Zodd]

On 9/13/2021 at 11:39 PM, Cameron said:

oh boy! after i read this i thanked my lucky stars i have an Oliver!!

I ran into this video on YouTube and just thought of this thread. His review is honest and good about the quality people are dealing with. Not that Oliver excuses people from regular maintenance and up keep. However, I take a little exception to the phrase "they have to be built cheap and crappy". I think it comes down to his last statement about how we live in a disposable world so buy cheap, expect it to be cheap and buy a new one in a few years. I don't own an Oliver yet though so what do I know. Reading this forum and doing research has certainly changed my mind about having to settle for a poorly built trailer.

 

[John E Davies]

25 minutes ago, Zodd said:

I ran into this video on YouTube and just thought of this thread.

I watched a little of that, thanks for posting., He makes some great comments, I thought it was amusing that he had towed it 3000 miles, that is pretty low for many Ollie owners, we have a few with well over 100k miles and counting. I expect that his crap plastic suspension bushings are trashed already. He commented that the roads out west are rough, I agree 100%, and that is my main gripe with Ollie suspensions, they are not built to deal with that on a routine basis. Why oh why won’t Oliver give us a decent “rough highway” suspension option? 1 1/2” of up travel and no rubber bump stops is just plain silly….

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Kampfirekid]

We’ll, after almost three months since I started this thread, I’m still going back snd forth trying to get my black mold infested travel trailer fixed under warranty.  Then, putting two and two together on Thor’s billion-dollar backlog, and the unavailability of workers, I can’t see ANY good travel trailer being produced from Trailer USA.  I’ve almost decided it’s an Oliver for us, or we’ll give up Camping.  This is the third go-round with a crappy built trailer, and I’m not doing it again.  My problem is an Ollie only sleeps three at best.  I’m still trying to work around this.  I wish Oliver would make a trailer that would sleep four adults.  My order would be in.

[ScubaRx]

38 minutes ago, Kampfirekid said:

I wish Oliver would make a trailer that would sleep four adults.  My order would be in.

Hang in there. I've been told by the higher ups that a longer, wider Oliver is definitely in the works. I wouldn't hold my breath till it's available, it will be at least a couple more model years.

 

[Mike and Carol]

10 hours ago, Kampfirekid said:

I can’t see ANY good travel trailer being produced from Trailer USA.  I’ve almost decided it’s an Oliver for us, or we’ll give up Camping.  My problem is an Ollie only sleeps three at best.  I’m still trying to work around this.  I wish Oliver would make a trailer that would sleep four adults.  My order would be in.

I would like to see a larger Oliver, too!  Before you give up camping take a look at the Intech Terra Oasis.  It’s larger and isn’t a Thor product.  It has a welded aluminum frame and cage.  RVs are only part of their trailer manufacturing, looks like pretty good quality.  Mike

[Zodd]

2 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:

take a look at the Intech Terra Oasis

This has been the other one on my radar as the layout suits us a bit better. So it is a tug-a-war between the layout versus the 100% molded fiber glass (screwed in cabinets just beg to come lose 🙂). Plus the Oliver egg shell aerodynamics for towing. And just the general dislike of having particle board in the trailer. 

[topgun2]

I'd also add that I've never had dealings with a company that is so straight forward and willing to correct virtually any issue that is their "fault" (and even some that aren't their fault).  Maybe its the location, maybe its the Oliver owners, or some combination, but, it is a wonderful company to do business with in my experience.

Bill