Re-Sale The Power Of A Oliver - Fiberglass RV
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Old 10-28-2015, 11:45 AM   #1
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Trailer: 2015 Oliver Legacy Elite II 23' 6"
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Re-Sale The Power Of A Oliver

Well folks , I sold my Oliver & I really did like that trailer. Now looking back that little voice in my head was spot on when telling me its re-sale value will keep me from having to hear my wife say " I told you so " . For those of you who are thinking of sending me a PM asking what it sold for. I got what I asked. Because of the timing & condition it was still in both me & the buyer were very satisfied with the very quick sale. Would I buy a Oliver again ? In a heartbeat if they sold a larger model with enough living space that would work for my wife. Now having owned a Oliver , it will be kind of hard going to another brand. I do know one thing, if I could talk my wife into letting me drop another fifty grand on the 18'5' Oliver for only my use (fishing/camping) it would be on order as we speak.
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Old 10-28-2015, 12:18 PM   #2
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They now make a huge 23' 6" Oliver.
BTW the great resale is not unique to Oliver, most fiberglass trailers will match it some will do even better.
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Old 10-28-2015, 09:59 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by floyd View Post
They now make a huge 23' 6" Oliver.
BTW the great resale is not unique to Oliver, most fiberglass trailers will match it some will do even better.
Floyd ... I have owned a Scamp & a Casita, they were both nice trailers. I almost purchased a Bigfoot but our travels just happened to bring us to the Oliver factory first. After owning a Oliver, I doubt very much if any other fiberglass travel trailer now on the market today would do even better. With no disrespect or brand bashing if you take any other used fiberglass trailer in the same condition (good or not) with the same length, same overall standard/upgrades .... you will get a higher percentage return on what you originally paid when purchasing a higher end trailer like the Oliver. Why ? in the example of the Oliver, its hands down the best made fiberglass trailer now available & the fact so few have been made certainly helps inflate the re-sale when one does come up for sale. I do not say this because of its high price, its the Oliver design and Quality of construction both in the double wall shell & the standard features inside and out.
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Old 11-10-2016, 08:05 PM   #4
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Thanks John Cole! That is exactly the reason I bought my Ollie. I went to the factory and watched how they made them and was very impressed and I believe they will hold their value better than any trailer made today. And if they don't already have a "Cult" following I'm sure they soon well. I believe they use the very best materials and hardware available today without using spacecraft hardware! LOL Keep up the good work OLLIE!
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Old 11-10-2016, 09:03 PM   #5
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Floyd ... I have owned a Scamp & a Casita, they were both nice trailers. I almost purchased a Bigfoot but our travels just happened to bring us to the Oliver factory first. After owning a Oliver, I doubt very much if any other fiberglass travel trailer now on the market today would do even better. With no disrespect or brand bashing if you take any other used fiberglass trailer in the same condition (good or not) with the same length, same overall standard/upgrades .... you will get a higher percentage return on what you originally paid when purchasing a higher end trailer like the Oliver. Why ? in the example of the Oliver, its hands down the best made fiberglass trailer now available & the fact so few have been made certainly helps inflate the re-sale when one does come up for sale. I do not say this because of its high price, its the Oliver design and Quality of construction both in the double wall shell & the standard features inside and out.
While I agree that the Oliver is a nice trailer, its purchase price new actually prohibits it from matching the resale as a percentage of purchase price over time. Oliver's recent price increases may support resale but they can't sustain the increases at a sufficient rate. I have a 12 YO trailer which can command nearly 80% of its original purchase price, I have sold 30 YO trailers which commanded more than 250% of the original purchase price.
Actually experience shows that when measured by percentage of original price paid, entry level fiberglass trailers do best on resale.

All fiberglass trailers do well, especially when bought a few years old and kept for a few more. In fact these lower priced trailers often cost nothing at all (or less) to own for five years.
The R.O.C.E of these trailers is really hard to beat, and will continue to be so.

Still it is clearly safe to say that a new Oliver will prove be in the same general league as other fiberglass trailer resales . This makes it a very safe buy and along with its fellows HEAD AND SHOULDERS above its stick built competition.
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Old 11-10-2016, 09:22 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by john in Illiinois View Post
Thanks John Cole! That is exactly the reason I bought my Ollie. I went to the factory and watched how they made them and was very impressed and I believe they will hold their value better than any trailer made today. And if they don't already have a "Cult" following I'm sure they soon well. I believe they use the very best materials and hardware available today without using spacecraft hardware! LOL Keep up the good work OLLIE!
I would think that Oliver buyers would be as satisfied as I have been with my purchase, so why would resale be a concern?
Having the best should be a reason to keep it.

My fiberglass trailer will be sold in my estate or bequeathed to one of my children...Also it has already paid for itself multiple times in travel savings. To give it away right now would be to realize a profit.

Opulence is nice but, but longevity and resale runs strong throughout the genre from the stark "Hard Tent" versions all the way up to the ones with a bathtub and surround sound.

VIVA Fiberglass!!
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Old 11-10-2016, 09:57 PM   #7
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Buying a trailer because of it's predicted resale value seems absolutely ridiculous to me.

Why buy a trailer based on whether you might, or might not make money on it? Buy it for the fun you'll have, the experiences, the memories you'll retain, the places you'll see and the friends you'll meet. Why buy it hoping someone you'll probably never meet, in some far off future that may not include you, likes it? Crazy. If you like it and want it and can afford it, get it and enjoy it to the fullest.

Debating about what its potential value may be to a stranger, some number of years form now, and letting that be the determiner if you buy it or not, is a sad way to decide on your future fun. Besides, if you like it and see how it is just what you wanted, somebody else later, will like it too, when you are not in a position to enjoy it any more. In the end, is the value just resale or all the fun experiences you and your loved ones had with it? If the real value is the experiences, why worry about resale?

Also, items that have been loved and cared for are always worth more in the end.

So if you use and and take care of it, the value will always be higher than if you never really liked it and just let it sit and deteriorate. Those values are not related to the brand as much as the love.
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Old 03-28-2017, 03:28 PM   #8
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Fun & resale together go into the decision making process

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Buying a trailer because of it's predicted resale value seems absolutely ridiculous to me.

Why buy a trailer based on whether you might, or might not make money on it? Buy it for the fun you'll have, the experiences, the memories you'll retain, the places you'll see and the friends you'll meet. Why buy it hoping someone you'll probably never meet, in some far off future that may not include you, likes it? Crazy. If you like it and want it and can afford it, get it and enjoy it to the fullest.

Debating about what its potential value may be to a stranger, some number of years form now, and letting that be the determiner if you buy it or not, is a sad way to decide on your future fun. Besides, if you like it and see how it is just what you wanted, somebody else later, will like it too, when you are not in a position to enjoy it any more. In the end, is the value just resale or all the fun experiences you and your loved ones had with it? If the real value is the experiences, why worry about resale?

Also, items that have been loved and cared for are always worth more in the end.

So if you use and and take care of it, the value will always be higher than if you never really liked it and just let it sit and deteriorate. Those values are not related to the brand as much as the love.
I agree to an extent with the fun-factor being a main decision point. But if you know you'll be in/out of the ownership in X amount of time (2 years or 20 years) and you'll need to resell it, the name brand and quality go a long way in providing some confidence that you can recoup some capital spend. Brand/quality also goes a long way toward your enjoyment too. For us, it's not one or the other, or another. It's a lot of factors that go into a decision to purchase... primarily the fun-factor, but also the value and planning down the road on what you can get back for it to upgrade to another fun-factor (or emergency funds). We just sold an Arctic Fox for almost 80% of its new price value after 8 years of use. It was kept up and that helped sell it for the asking price. Those who are loyal to that brand (and there's a lot) go out of their way to get it, or something that people perceive will retain its value. We liked it of course and that was our main decision point, but we also knew there is a loyal following, so that helped the decision that we could get a return if/when we needed it. Now we have 80% value back we can put toward our next fun-factor! Maybe an Ollie. Regardless of how well some not-so-great quality RVs are taken care of, they will depreciate faster than those of better quality that are given the same care. The info's out there (NADA, RV Trader, or Craigslist, etc.).
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Old 03-28-2017, 04:58 PM   #9
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The secret might be to buy a pre-depreciated unit and do some minor fix up.
The rate of depreciation tapers off with age many times.
I bought a 2006 Travel Supreme 38 foot 5th wheel for $17,000 and used it for a year as temporary living quarters before I retired and sold it for the same $17,000.
Originally it sold for $84,000 and depreciated $67,000 someone else's money.
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Old 03-28-2017, 06:00 PM   #10
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That's great! Multiple years' depreciation vs. a single year (and either beginning of life, middle, or end) is a big difference of course. But sounds like you found the sweet spot on that one. We could have held on to our Arctic Fox another year or two, but the depreciation trends were one of a few reasons we decided to pull the trigger to sell sooner. (We also anticipated a lull in our RVing the next couple of years, so being without it isn't such an impact, and that made a decision to sell sooner vs. later easier. Plus we wanted to downsize anyway.) You get to 10+ years on some brands and the nose dive starts to kick in. Maybe unfair, but sometimes it's psychological what some people see on paper for an age that causes them to turn away... or on the flip side, when it gets "vintage" is causes them to pay attention.
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Old 04-10-2017, 06:46 AM   #11
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Interesting topic.

I personally feel that with equal track records and equipment, buying anything with a proven good resale value is better than buying one with not so good. Simply put, there likely is more of a market for one than the other. Therefore one will demand a higher price and be easier to sell.

When we purchased our 2002 Casita in 2011, we could have gotten a brand new "stick built" for just a few thousand dollars more. The SB would have been much more fun for the actual camping experience simply because it was roomier. And had more bling. (Towing experience is quite a different topic, as is upkeep.) Ironically that particular year and model SB is selling for much less than ours is worth now, according to classifieds.

FWIW, when going through the books, manuals and paperwork, I found a "Bill of Sale" where the previous owner had purchased it used a couple of years earlier. He paid $500 less than I paid him. And I paid market value according to classifieds at that time. Now 6 years later the classified prices for an equal year and model as ours is about the same as I paid.

Someone with deeper pockets may not be interested in all that.

We went into a Oliver Elite II , during "Show of Homes" at the GE&H rally.
WOW! The fit and finish was outstanding. As were the amenities. More room too! And if we were younger, or even now had a lot more disposable income, one just like it would be seriously considered.

Time will tell how their resale values hold up. Although on a % basis they are likely doing as well or better as, say, Casita and Scamp

Whatever the case, we are totally sold on the FGRV for our purposes.

k
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Old 04-10-2017, 07:09 AM   #12
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I'm on my third Escape, both prior units sold for what I paid for, including delivery. Basic economics, supply and demand determines price. High demand, low supply, plus, the Canadian dollar allows almost a 25% discount, something other domestic fiberglass trailers are not offering.
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Old 04-10-2017, 07:49 AM   #13
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I agree with Floyd that entry-level trailers generally have the best long-term resale. There is less value to lose and fewer things to go wrong, for the same reason a 15 year old luxury car doesn't cost much more than a 15 year old mainstream model.

Short-term, it's harder to say, because there are so many variables of location and season, but molded fiberglass in general has a significant advantage over most other build types. Escape seems to have a particular advantage at the moment- reputation, exchange rate, and long wait times for new all factor in.

Most trailers- Oliver included- take some initial hit on depreciation from new, especially when the cost of shipping or travel to pick it up is included. I know some will argue it's a vacation and discount it, but I believe it should be included for two reasons (1) it is not a vacation for all, and for others it may not have been their first choice of destination, and (2) shipping costs are factored into the sale of all conventional RVs, so there ought to be a true apples-to-apples comparison.

Very conservatively, I could sell my Scamp for 150% of my (gently used, 4 years old) purchase price, and with minimal investment, optimal timing, and good marketing, more like 175%. It helped that I purchased in the fall as the weather was turning cold and that I found a local unit that was not being marketed online. While that may give some personal satisfaction, I have no plans to sell. The true best deal is always the one that meets your needs for the long term and never needs to be resold at all.

Of course, life has a way of throwing curve-balls. New, well-used, or hitting the elusive gently-used sweet spot, molded fiberglass- Scamp to Oliver, and all in between- is the best choice for the least pain (financially, anyway) when life happens.
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Old 04-10-2017, 08:13 AM   #14
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What Floyd said......yes, but part of the reason is likely that entry level trailers and their lower cost appeal to people who want to try our RVing or are somewhat cash poor and are looking to spend as little as possible. Most (not all) repeat buyers will upsize. There are, however, some buyers who have seen a particular model that would not be classified "entry level" and skip the entry level all together. Again, what Floyd said about all fiberglass trailers; they all hold their value if maintained properly.
A couple of years ago I visited the Oliver factory in September. I could have purchased the 23.6 Elite and they promised me a December delivery date. I could have paid cash for it with all the options I would have wanted. But for multiple reasons that I not state here, I opted for an Escape 5.0TA to replace my previous trailer. Didn't get it until the end of the following May. The Oliver is constructed very well, but looks a bit like a hospital operating room inside. The double wall construction has benefits, but also negatives. I understand that Oliver owners love their trailers and exhibit the same loyalty to them as Floyd does to his Scamp, but their "love affair" with Oliver doesn't mean that Olivers are better than any other FG trailer. I think my Escape is perfect for me, but that can be said by different owners of different brands.
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Old 04-10-2017, 08:26 AM   #15
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hey harley,

Which escapes have you owned and what are the pros and cons of each.
They certainly seem to be a popular item!

Thanks,
kip

Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
I'm on my third Escape, both prior units sold for what I paid for, including delivery. Basic economics, supply and demand determines price. High demand, low supply, plus, the Canadian dollar allows almost a 25% discount, something other domestic fiberglass trailers are not offering.
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Old 04-11-2017, 06:36 AM   #16
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You guys are flogging a dead horse. When the time comes that I have to give up my 86 boler (health issues) it will break my heart and you can't put a value on that!
Now if you don't like RV-ing and are just looking to flip for money, honey you are on the wrong page I hope.
Boler/egg lover till death or really bad health do us part!
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Old 04-11-2017, 08:45 AM   #17
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Originally Posted by Vivian L View Post
You guys are flogging a dead horse. When the time comes that I have to give up my 86 boler (health issues) it will break my heart and you can't put a value on that!
Now if you don't like RV-ing and are just looking to flip for money, honey you are on the wrong page I hope.
Boler/egg lover till death or really bad health do us part!
HI Vivian,

Glad you are enjoying your Boler.

Looking at he topic of this thread. Suggest it is about RESALE VALUES.

Most participants here likely do enjoy camping with our eggs. However. If and when it comes time to move up or down, it be nice to have a unit that will sell quickly and for top dollar. Life and needs change.

This makes for a nice "Fireside" type discussion.

Thanks
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Old 04-11-2017, 09:54 PM   #18
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You guys are flogging a dead horse. When the time comes that I have to give up my 86 boler (health issues) it will break my heart and you can't put a value on that!
Now if you don't like RV-ing and are just looking to flip for money, honey you are on the wrong page I hope.
Boler/egg lover till death or really bad health do us part!
Vivian, It was a pleasure to meet you and all of my Boler fiberglass cousins at the 2015 Eggfest Ontario. I was the fellow with the sweet dog and the Oliver travel trailer. I was amazed at how well the venerable Bolers held up over the years and can only hope my Ollie does as well.

It is not about "flipping" it's about enjoying what we have for as long as we want and if the time comes (for various reasons) being able to easily sell and not realize the same financial loss that other types of travel trailers suffer.

GO FGRVs!!!!!!!!!!
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Old 04-12-2017, 12:11 AM   #19
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Originally Posted by Pete View Post
It is not about "flipping" it's about enjoying what we have for as long as we want and if the time comes (for various reasons) being able to easily sell and not realize the same financial loss that other types of travel trailers suffer.

GO FGRVs!!!!!!!!!!
Pete, well said! It's sad that some individuals fail to realize this, and worry more about the "financial investment value" rather than the "enjoyment return."
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Old 04-12-2017, 06:45 AM   #20
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I also agree with Pete. We wanted quality and durability that could be enjoyed for many years, which is why we ended up with a FGRV. Sometime in the distant future we will sell but it's not something we think about... too busy traveling and camping! Mike
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