Bye, bye Ollie

We will miss you

Sunday, 28 January 2024

Yesterday Frieda and I said goodbye to Ollie as she was driven away by a new owner from Alabama.

So why did we sell?

In December, oldest son Bill graduated from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA and he and his family moved to Williamsburg, VA — just a quick seven hour drive from our home here in Tennessee. And this April, youngest son Brian and his family are moving from Silverdale, WA to Pearl Harbor, HI — not exactly an RV-friendly destination!

Our primary goal for owning a travel trailer was to be able to visit family and the reality now is that none of our parents, kids or grandkids is in a location where traveling with an RV is either necessary or practical. So we decided better to take advantage of a high resale value now rather than have Ollie sit largely idle and depreciating.

Will we miss her?

Yes, we already do. But an RV is an expensive luxury that comes with all the trouble and hassle of owning a boat or airplane. And knowing that for the next few years at least that we won’t be able to use it anywhere near as much as we did the last two years, best to put that money toward other means of travel.

Would we buy an Oliver Travel Trailer again?

Yes, but probably not a new one. When we selected the Oliver, we did so because of a strong reputation for quality. Unfortunately, it took the two years we owned her to work out several kinks and bugs that we just don’t think we should have had to deal with at that price point. So while I believe Oliver Travel Trailers is among the best of the RV manufacturers, the industry in general has a lot of quality control challenges and Oliver, while better than most, still has some room for improvement.

As for the Legacy Elite II in particular, it was an ideal first travel trailer. Small, feature-rich, and easy to tow, it was a great way to get into the RV lifestyle without being overwhelmed. And the size was perfect for getting into even the tightest campgrounds.

So I think the new owner did the right thing. Look at new ones, but buy a late-model used one and save some money and let the original owners work out the kinks.

What’s next for Oliver’s Travels?

I’ve enjoyed the creative outlet for writing and we aren’t done traveling. We just won’t be traveling in an RV for at least a few years.

For now, I think I’ll continue to do occasional travel-related posts when we make interesting trips by other conveyances.

Thanks for following Oliver’s Travels!