During my research and looking at sprinter vans, I've seen Diesel engine mileage up to 900,000 miles. I've been under the impression that Diesel engines last a long time (that's why our trucking industry uses them), but what is a reasonable amount of miles to buy used? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Diesel engine life span?
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Generally speaking, few engines make it to 900,000 miles without some major work having been done.
So they could be good for another half-million if that work was done, or they might be ready for the scrap-yard.
But to answer the question, the overall mileage should be somewhere in line with the age of the vehicle...within reason.
A ten year old Sprinter with 250,000 miles would not be un-heard of, but a ten year old Sprinter with 50,000 miles is suspect, as is one that has 600,000 miles in that 10 years.
Maintenance records are gonna be VERY important for these. Insist on them. And run a car-fax or something similar, and if you get to the tire-kicking phase of the deal, you need to have a mechanic (who is familiar with the vehicle make and engine) to go over it and drive it, to have some idea of what you are buying.
Generally speaking, few engines make it to 900,000 miles without some major work having been done.
So they could be good for another half-million if that work was done, or they might be ready for the scrap-yard.
But to answer the question, the overall mileage should be somewhere in line with the age of the vehicle...within reason.
A ten year old Sprinter with 250,000 miles would not be un-heard of, but a ten year old Sprinter with 50,000 miles is suspect, as is one that has 600,000 miles in that 10 years.
Maintenance records are gonna be VERY important for these. Insist on them. And run a car-fax or something similar, and if you get to the tire-kicking phase of the deal, you need to have a mechanic (who is familiar with the vehicle make and engine) to go over it and drive it, to have some idea of what you are buying.
MrNoodly
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wagoneer
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If I were to look at sprinters #1 RWD #2 inline 6. Pre 2006/with windows. I went with a 1995 Dodge cummins 3/4 ton I fully expect it to reach 500k I am furious about maintenance. Mercedes used to make a great inline 6.
My only real exposure to Sprinters was when I camped with some friends who had an older one and it worked well for them, mostly.
We had to replace the water pump, and the parts were not in stock anywhere in a fairly large city, so the pump had to be shipped from who-knows-where, and it took three days just to get the water pump and gaskets. A special tool was needed to remove the fan and pulleys, so that created another delay.
But we got all the work done in about 2 days and it's been running well ever since, as far as I know.
I've heard from other sources that if a breakdown occurs, and parts are needed, it can be time consuming and expensive to get the van repaired. My advice would be to buy the very newest Sprinter you can afford, and keep money in the bank in case an expensive repair is ever needed.
We had to replace the water pump, and the parts were not in stock anywhere in a fairly large city, so the pump had to be shipped from who-knows-where, and it took three days just to get the water pump and gaskets. A special tool was needed to remove the fan and pulleys, so that created another delay.
But we got all the work done in about 2 days and it's been running well ever since, as far as I know.
I've heard from other sources that if a breakdown occurs, and parts are needed, it can be time consuming and expensive to get the van repaired. My advice would be to buy the very newest Sprinter you can afford, and keep money in the bank in case an expensive repair is ever needed.
B and C
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IIRC, the Mercedes 5 cylinder diesels were held in high regard regardless of which badge was on them. They are getting pretty long in the tooth though. Personally, I wouldn't have one, hard to find someone to work on it and parts aren't cheap.
Hmmmm? Sounds like maybe a Transit would be a better way to go for price and parts availability. My desire is a hightop whatever I get and of course dependability (of course everything breaks down at some point and to some degree). Thanks all for being my sounding board!
OkieDreamer
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When Freightliner was bought by Mercedes and they started putting their motors in Freightliners it was a disaster. The Freightliners that had the Detroit engines in them were the ones getting bought. It's an old thought to think of Diesels being super dependable. Yeah back when they were all mechanical and fuel mileage was no object they were but that was way back in the day. Today not only do they have computers and sensors, they have a complicated and expensive to maintain re burning system that requires DEF fluid which adds to the cost of already higher fuel costs. I wouldn't buy one for dependability, I wouldn't buy one for fuel mileage, i would buy one for torque, pulling a heavy load.
wagoneer
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That's a great combo 4tb is a tough motor, all those bread trucks,,, wow. I went with the inline six only because I got tired of the racket/noise I did have a step van with a GMC /chevy 350 and loved the available working space on the motor. I don't like Glo-Plugs.
Spaceman Spiff
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4BT parts are getting hard to find and expensive.
OkieDreamer said:
This!
I had many power stroke trucks until the 6.0 and addition of EGR and associated issues. I also had Cummins 5.9 and loved it (still have that truck with over 350k mikes).
I had a 2017 sprinter with v6 and DEF.
Pulled good but had constant sensor problems. Drank DEF fluid.
It averaged 16 mpg. Big whoop!
I got out of it (for many reasons, the sensors mainly but also hated the tiny bath and propane gen). Anyway Went to a gas promaster and now get 15-16mpg. Since I don’t tow much I’m happy with gas motor convenience and not limited to diesel repair mechanics.
My rear bath is much larger and gen uses the gas tank from van.
I can buy gas anytime anywhere - don’t have to find propane station.
Like OkieDreamer says;
Unless you need the pulling torque for heavy loads. Why bother with diesel these days?
You can get similar fuel economy and much less hassles with gas.
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I read here, and have seen elsewhere, statements that diesels are hard to find someone to work on.
I don’t know where that comes from, quite honestly, and beg to differ, being on my second Dodge Sprinter van with a MB Diesel engine since 2007.
My 2006 had 193,000 miles on it, was faithfully maintained, serviced all over the country, and still running great until an accident took it one year ago, when I got a 2007 with 56,000 miles.
Peterbilt, Freightliner, and many private shops can and do work on these, with a MB dealership only as a last resort.
A well maintained unit with modest miles for its age is a good investment, in my experience and opinion.
They get good mileage, and a life of 500,000 miles or more is expected with good care.
I don’t know where that comes from, quite honestly, and beg to differ, being on my second Dodge Sprinter van with a MB Diesel engine since 2007.
My 2006 had 193,000 miles on it, was faithfully maintained, serviced all over the country, and still running great until an accident took it one year ago, when I got a 2007 with 56,000 miles.
Peterbilt, Freightliner, and many private shops can and do work on these, with a MB dealership only as a last resort.
A well maintained unit with modest miles for its age is a good investment, in my experience and opinion.
They get good mileage, and a life of 500,000 miles or more is expected with good care.
Pleasant Travels
Well-known member
There was a brief period where diesels benefitted from the new technologies, until the other newer technologies were imposed on them by government. I am speaking primarily of the 1994-2006 5.9 Cummins, the 1995-2003 7.3 Powerstrokes, the 2001-2007 Duramaxes, and the 5cyl Sprinters.
During these years, there was no DEF fluid gumming stuff up, and all of these designs (if maintained properly) were reliable and long-living.
Redesigned to burn the new fuels imposed by government was what caused the famous problems with the 6.0 and 6.4 Powerstrokes, and even the 3.0 Mercedes V6s that came after the 2.7 5cyl.
As has been said, when buying a used diesel van or truck, previous maintenance history is key. If it can't be proven,...it never existed. There is a unique paradox of maintenance that usually occurred with commercially driven vehicles, especially the Sprinters;...if it was owned by an individual, such as a freight contracter owner/operator like the Fed/Ex independent "partners",...the vehicle may not have been abused or driven as hard as an mere employee of a large corporation who has no ownership stake in the vehicle, but because the owner drove it easier and was always counting pennies, they tended to skimp on maintenance and not always keep up timely on what should be regulalry scheduled check-ups and routine oil changes and such. Whereas the larger corporation might have a well staffed mechanics garage for attending to the vehicles and even get them up on a lift more often just for occasional inspection and preventative maintence schedules,...the drivers who were just poorly paid and maybe poorly trained young bucks who didn't a crap, drove it like they stole it and couldn't care less if something broke.
All that said,...as long as the vehicle has been driven by sane people who took care of them,...diesel motors tend to last AT LEAST twice as long as gas motors. Thus, if you think 100,000 miles on a gas powered vehicle is the most you can consider before regarding it as "high milage", simply double that for most diesels. (This absolutely DOES NOT apply to the Ford 6.4 hunk-o-junk. If it lasts as long as a gas motor, you lucked out.)
I had been looking for a 1999-2003 Ford E350 with the 7.3 liter Powerstroke. I ended up finding a nice 2006 Chevy Express 2500 with the 6.6 Duramax with 231,000 miles on it for just $4200. It had been used rather gently by a family run locksmithing company. It never hauled a heavy load and had simply been in-town driving. I live in the Phoenix area,...so no rust issues. I had my mechanic buddy check it out with me for any hidden signs of trouble, and he gave it a good bill of health. These normally sell for about $6000-$8000. It needed some minor attention to the a/c system, but that's it. I'm quite happy. I have seen many of these with over 350,000 miles on the odometer, some over 500,000. I'm confident mine will double its current odometer reading before any serious motor issues. The transmission? Meh,....we'll see.
During these years, there was no DEF fluid gumming stuff up, and all of these designs (if maintained properly) were reliable and long-living.
Redesigned to burn the new fuels imposed by government was what caused the famous problems with the 6.0 and 6.4 Powerstrokes, and even the 3.0 Mercedes V6s that came after the 2.7 5cyl.
As has been said, when buying a used diesel van or truck, previous maintenance history is key. If it can't be proven,...it never existed. There is a unique paradox of maintenance that usually occurred with commercially driven vehicles, especially the Sprinters;...if it was owned by an individual, such as a freight contracter owner/operator like the Fed/Ex independent "partners",...the vehicle may not have been abused or driven as hard as an mere employee of a large corporation who has no ownership stake in the vehicle, but because the owner drove it easier and was always counting pennies, they tended to skimp on maintenance and not always keep up timely on what should be regulalry scheduled check-ups and routine oil changes and such. Whereas the larger corporation might have a well staffed mechanics garage for attending to the vehicles and even get them up on a lift more often just for occasional inspection and preventative maintence schedules,...the drivers who were just poorly paid and maybe poorly trained young bucks who didn't a crap, drove it like they stole it and couldn't care less if something broke.
All that said,...as long as the vehicle has been driven by sane people who took care of them,...diesel motors tend to last AT LEAST twice as long as gas motors. Thus, if you think 100,000 miles on a gas powered vehicle is the most you can consider before regarding it as "high milage", simply double that for most diesels. (This absolutely DOES NOT apply to the Ford 6.4 hunk-o-junk. If it lasts as long as a gas motor, you lucked out.)
I had been looking for a 1999-2003 Ford E350 with the 7.3 liter Powerstroke. I ended up finding a nice 2006 Chevy Express 2500 with the 6.6 Duramax with 231,000 miles on it for just $4200. It had been used rather gently by a family run locksmithing company. It never hauled a heavy load and had simply been in-town driving. I live in the Phoenix area,...so no rust issues. I had my mechanic buddy check it out with me for any hidden signs of trouble, and he gave it a good bill of health. These normally sell for about $6000-$8000. It needed some minor attention to the a/c system, but that's it. I'm quite happy. I have seen many of these with over 350,000 miles on the odometer, some over 500,000. I'm confident mine will double its current odometer reading before any serious motor issues. The transmission? Meh,....we'll see.
