Wanderlodge Gurus - The Member Funded Wanderlodge Forum

Hi All,

Was browsing for BB's and noticed a nice looking unit on Mr. Oliver's
site. Is Mr. Oliver's a respectable dealer? Does he stand by his sales?
Unit looks good, but looks don't tell the story.
Thanks alot.

Dan Thomas
Central PA
Wannabe

Hi All,

Was browsing for BB's and noticed a nice looking unit on Mr. Oliver's
site. Is Mr. Oliver's a respectable dealer? Does he stand by his sales?
Unit looks good, but looks don't tell the story.
Thanks alot.

Dan
Thomas
Central PA
Wannabe




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FWIW-

Call me a skeptic, but when I see a coach that appears nice priced
aggressively-especially at a dealer-I get skeptical about what the
hidden whammies are. I like the Mr. Oliver's web site because he
posts lots of good pics, I window shop there all the time, and I have
studied the coach on there now. A couple things that struck me as
odd on this particular coach-

It has 11R tires...didn't PT's have 12R's? Mine does.

Ad says rebuilt motor, but the engine compartment pic doesn't look
much like it has been overhauled

It appears to have a permanently-mounted external vertical generator
exhaust. Nice feature, but I found out firsthand that an unvented
vertical exhaust can cause excessive backpressure in the gen engine

That being said, someone spent a lot of money on this coach doing
updating & upgrades, so it may indeed be very nice. I have never had
any dealings with Mr. Olivers, so I cannot comment on them
specifically, but just remember that the great deals usually end up
being not-so-great. That is about as cheap as I have ever seen a
PT40 advertised, and it has been on his site for weeks. The true
great deale get snapped up quick.

Scott Forman
86 PT38
Memphis



--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "bingomaster05"
wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
> Was browsing for BB's and noticed a nice looking unit on Mr.
Oliver's
> site. Is Mr. Oliver's a respectable dealer? Does he stand by his
sales?
> Unit looks good, but looks don't tell the story.
> Thanks alot.
>
> Dan Thomas
> Central PA
> Wannabe
>

Speaking about great deals-- Parliament had a 1990 SP with less than 50,000
miles that
I saw advertised in this months FMCA classifieds for $40k-45k?

I don't know if this is the same one but, when I saw the ad my reaction was WOW.
If it
sounds to good to be true, it probably is.

Does anyone know about this? The link to the one on their site follows

NH-Bill 1983 FC "Coach"

http://www.parliamentcoach.com/PREOWNED/...OSPECS.htm

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Scott Forman" <sforman@...> wrote:
>
> FWIW-
>
> Call me a skeptic, but when I see a coach that appears nice priced
> aggressively-especially at a dealer-I get skeptical about what the
> hidden whammies are. I like the Mr. Oliver's web site because he
> posts lots of good pics, I window shop there all the time, and I have
> studied the coach on there now. A couple things that struck me as
> odd on this particular coach-
>
> It has 11R tires...didn't PT's have 12R's? Mine does.
>
> Ad says rebuilt motor, but the engine compartment pic doesn't look
> much like it has been overhauled
>
> It appears to have a permanently-mounted external vertical generator
> exhaust. Nice feature, but I found out firsthand that an unvented
> vertical exhaust can cause excessive backpressure in the gen engine
>
> That being said, someone spent a lot of money on this coach doing
> updating & upgrades, so it may indeed be very nice. I have never had
> any dealings with Mr. Olivers, so I cannot comment on them
> specifically, but just remember that the great deals usually end up
> being not-so-great. That is about as cheap as I have ever seen a
> PT40 advertised, and it has been on his site for weeks. The true
> great deale get snapped up quick.
>
> Scott Forman
> 86 PT38
> Memphis
>
>
>
> --- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "bingomaster05"
> wrote:
> >
> > Hi All,
> >
> > Was browsing for BB's and noticed a nice looking unit on Mr.
> Oliver's
> > site. Is Mr. Oliver's a respectable dealer? Does he stand by his
> sales?
> > Unit looks good, but looks don't tell the story.
> > Thanks alot.
> >
> > Dan Thomas
> > Central PA
> > Wannabe
> >
>

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Scott Forman" <sforman@...>
wrote:
>It has 11R tires...

1983 PT had 11Rs as standard equipment. I have never heard of Matador
tires however....

Looks like someone spent a lot of money on this one at some point in
its history. Lots of changes over a 'stock' 83 PT. I suspect the
202K miles scares lots of folks off.


Mike Bulriss
1991 WB40 "Texas Minivan"
San Antonio, TX

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Scott Forman" <sforman@...>
wrote:
>
> FWIW-
>
> Call me a skeptic, but when I see a coach that appears nice priced
> aggressively-especially at a dealer-I get skeptical about what the
> hidden whammies are. I like the Mr. Oliver's web site because he
> posts lots of good pics, I window shop there all the time, and I have
> studied the coach on there now. A couple things that struck me as
> odd on this particular coach-
>
> It has 11R tires...didn't PT's have 12R's? Mine does.
>
> Ad says rebuilt motor, but the engine compartment pic doesn't look
> much like it has been overhauled
>
> It appears to have a permanently-mounted external vertical generator
> exhaust. Nice feature, but I found out firsthand that an unvented
> vertical exhaust can cause excessive backpressure in the gen engine
>
> That being said, someone spent a lot of money on this coach doing
> updating & upgrades, so it may indeed be very nice. I have never had
> any dealings with Mr. Olivers, so I cannot comment on them
> specifically, but just remember that the great deals usually end up
> being not-so-great. That is about as cheap as I have ever seen a
> PT40 advertised, and it has been on his site for weeks. The true
> great deale get snapped up quick.
>
> Scott Forman
> 86 PT38
> Memphis
>
>
>
> --- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "bingomaster05"
> wrote:
> >
> > Hi All,
> >
> > Was browsing for BB's and noticed a nice looking unit on Mr.
> Oliver's
> > site. Is Mr. Oliver's a respectable dealer? Does he stand by his
> sales?
> > Unit looks good, but looks don't tell the story.
> > Thanks alot.
> >
> > Dan Thomas
> > Central PA
> > Wannabe
> >
>

Bim sold his 91 coach directly to another LSB member. The one on Mr.
Olivers site currently is a modified 83PT40.

Mike Bulriss
1991 WB40 "Texas Minivan"
San Antonio, TX



--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, Wallace Craig
wrote:
>
> I dealt with Paul Davis when buying my present coach and he handled
the transfer of my 85 WL to Phil Corpus. I will not impune Mr.
Davis's character; having said that I would be sure to have the coach
inspected from top to bottom by someone who knows what they are doing
(Ralph Fullenweider). I have not look at his site lately; could the
coach be one owned by a gentleman named Bim Burt. If that is the coach
it will be in good shape. You may call me direct if you wish; 817
360-8051 for information.
>
>
> bingomaster05 wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> Was browsing for BB's and noticed a nice looking unit on Mr. Oliver's
> site. Is Mr. Oliver's a respectable dealer? Does he stand by his sales?
> Unit looks good, but looks don't tell the story.
> Thanks alot.
>
> Dan Thomas
> Central PA
> Wannabe
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Wallace Craig
> 95 WLWB 42
> Azle, Texas
>

I purchased my coach from Mr. Oliver's (owned by Paul Davis). It's a very small dealership that only handles used RVs and other equipment. He usually focuses on the more high end models, mostly. (Prevost, Wanderlodge, Newell, Country Coach, Monaco, and the other 'better' brands -- I'm a little surprised to see a Fleetwood among his current listings.)

I purchased my coach from Mr. Oliver's (owned by Paul Davis). It's a very small dealership that only handles used RVs and other equipment. He usually focuses on the more high end models, mostly. (Prevost, Wanderlodge, Newell, Country Coach, Monaco, and the other 'better' brands -- I'm a little surprised to see a Fleetwood among his current listings.)

My coach was purchased sight unseen -- but I was able to discuss the coach with the previous owner (who had traded it in at a dealer in Oregon, who "wholesaled" it to Mr. Oliver's). The photos on the Mr. Oliver's web site were a fair representation -- but photos sometimes make things look a bit better than they are. This is not a criticism of Mr. Oliver's, it's just a factor that film (or digital camera) under the bright 'flash', etc. tends to make some things look cleaner, or less worn than they might in person. Just be aware of that tendency. Interestingly, I didn't like the color of my coach in the photos as much as I do in person. The photos are taken by a professional photographer who has learned to photograph RVs very well. The photo array on the Mr. Oliver's web site should be an example to other RV owners as to what a complete photographic documentation of an RV might be.

Mr. Oliver's does do one interesting thing (if you can stand to wait), if a coach doesn't sell as quickly as he'd like (after about 4 or 5 months) he'll put it up on eBay with a no reserve, very aggressive price. I was able to buy my coach through Mr. Oliver's eBay auction at a very satisfactory price.

If at all possible, you should go and see the coach -- and test drive it -- but as far as I'm concerned, I got a fair deal, and there was no misrepresentation of the
coach. Paul Davis is fairly knowledgeable about Wanderlodges (but I did get a couple of incorrect bits of info, quickly resolved on this list) -- and he wasn't aware that my coach had a "safe" located in a rather non-intuitive spot.

When I went to get my coach, I spent the afternoon with Paul Davis going through all the systems (this was my first RV ever) and we went out for a practice drive. The next morning, I headed off, driving from near Ft. Worth/Dallas via Denver to Northern
CA.

Note. There was a member of this list who had a dispute with Mr. Davis. I discussed the comments repeated on this list with him, and about all I can say about it is that there are two sides to the issue -- and that you can't please every one.

If I were to buy another RV, I'd certainly consider getting one from Paul Davis at Mr. Oliver's.

BTW, the "Mr. Oliver's" name comes from the antique (or just old) farm tractors that the dealership also handles. The name reflects the "Oliver" tractors he often has in stock. I note that he handles a rather eclectic range of vehicles and equipment.

Pete Masterson

'95 Blue Bird Wanderlodge WBDA 42

El Sobrante CA

"aeonix1@mac.com"

On Feb 11, 2008, at 10:38 AM, bingomaster05 wrote:

Hi All,

Was browsing for BB's and noticed a nice looking unit on Mr. Oliver's

site. Is Mr. Oliver's a respectable dealer? Does he stand by his sales?

Unit looks good, but looks don't tell the story.

Thanks
alot.

Dan,

My experience is similar to Pete Masterson. I bought my current coach from Paul Davis. I had an 84 FC, then an 86 Newell. Being in the DFW area, I shopped Mr. Olivers for years. He likes to sell coaches, but like most dealers, he's not going to offer you much for a trade. Major components will be checked for proper operation, but don't expect a new-dealer PDI.

We looked at several coaches about a year ago. He had the 2000 LXi listed for $65K more than on his eBay ad. I discovered the difference by accident, offered him the eBay price and bought it for that. No trade, just a straight-out deal. He lists his coaches aggresively and doesn't normally discount a lot.Like other mom and pop dealers, he runs on a pretty thin margin, I think. Routine maintenance is done on sight. Heavy mechanical and chassis work is done a few miles away. Body work is done in Southwest Dallas.I will bethere Wed or Thurs picking up my coach. If youwant me to look it over more carefully..or anything in particular, let me know.

If the engine was an in-frame rebuild, the engine compartment might not look any newer. Other big potential expenses would transmission and generator.

I'd look for water leaks, air leaks and rust if I was interested in it.

Used coaches will have more problems and repairs than new..and no matter who the dealer is, you will haveunpleasant surprises. I don't think Paul would intentionally try to cheat anyone, but don't plan on bringing the coach backfor"warranty" work within the first month. He'll treat you fairly, but he won'tfix your coach free just to keep you frombeing unhappy.

Brad Barton 00LXiDFW
bbartonwx@...

---

To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
From: bingomaster05@...
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:38:59 +0000
Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Mr. Oliver

Hi All,

Was browsing for BB's and noticed a nice looking unit on Mr. Oliver's
site. Is Mr. Oliver's a respectable dealer? Does he stand by his sales?
Unit looks good, but looks don't tell the story.
Thanks alot.

Dan Thomas
Central PA
Wannabe

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