Have to Start all over again

[paulj1966]

Lasted 6 Months full time on the road, Totaled my 2007 Ford E-150 now looking to start all over again saved some of my stuff but now looking for a new van received 7500.00 for my old van looking for something different def a high top this time I know you guys and girls out there can help I am looking at a  2006 Dodge Sprinter Van 3500 Super High Ceiling 158-in. WB really nice shape for the year was well taken care of but im not sure of the diesel has 128,385 miles on it there asking 7000.00 for it I have heard these sprinters are really reliable and there is alot of room to really build out with it has a 2.7L  L5 DOHC 20V Turbo Diesel can I get your opinion on this please.

Thanks,  Paul

 

[closeanuf]

You didn't hear how reliable Sprinter vans were on this forum.  People are constantly warning about how expensive they are to get worked on and the fact that VERY FEW mechanics will work on them.  I'm sure others will chime in so don't do anything too quickly.  It's your money, but you asked for feedback.

 

[Canine]

I worked for a company that had purchased a couple of Sprinters. They are super awesome when they work, but a super nightmare to repair and maintain. The diesel motors are super fussy, too. They have to be tuned just right or they suck. After the massive waste of money and time they've had to put into those two Sprinters, they went back to Chevy Expresses.

I've never heard of anyone saying that a Sprinter is easy to repair and get parts for.

 

[John61CT]

Sprinters make a **lot** of economic sense given either of the following conditions.

A. Lots of money in the bank to invest up front, buy at low mileage, well under 30K, and sell long before 100-150K depending on your driving style, kind of roads, salt etc.

Great resale value to hipster suckers if you kept it looking cherry. You may get 5-10 years at well under 50¢/mile or $3000 a year total running costs even doing no work yourself.

OR

B. Expert DIY-wrencher (with diesel experience) or a desire and way to get to that point. Buy a bargain beater (under $10,000) and stay on top of its needs yourself.

Your costs per mile / year may be more than above, and you'd need to find a real sucker to recoup resale value, but hey, lots of fashionable living space for small money up front, right?

If neither of the above scenarios describe your use case, run away from Sprinters, and diesels in general in the US market anyway.

 

[DanoT]

Dodge/Chrysler dealers no longer work on Dodge Sprinter vans so you have to go to a Mercedes Dealer. Mercedes Dealers are only found in large cities and some do not work on Vans or give appointment preference to commercial vans.

 

[QinReno]

On another thread, someone also mentioned the high cost of having service done at Mercedes dealerships. FWIW, CamperVanKevin just got a high-top Dodge Promaster van, and has been building it out. You can check his considerations in regards vehicle choice.
https://www.youtube.com/user/gotmildew/videos

 

[John61CT]

Most Mercedes dealers are not qualified to do serious work on them.

Many of them their garage entrance are too low for a van to even fit.

Frequent the Sprinter forums and asking for reco for repair shops is frequent, and very often the only good answers are many hundreds of miles away.

If you need to flatbed there, the tow can cost more than many here spend on their whole rig.

Which is the main factor behind the logic of my post above.

 

[Canine]

The company I worked for paid thousands to have a Sprinter hauled 180 miles from one big city to another, then had to pay a lot for the repair, then had to pay thousands more to have it hauled back. Then had to start the process all over again the next time it broke down. This is not a confluence of unusual circumstances that led up to this utterly ridiculous logistical nightmare.

 

[ChezCheese:-)]

Everything I have read and heard says Sprinters are not reliable and that getting someone to work on them is very difficult. I know someone who has one and, for instance, when the GPS went out (again) on her newish Sprinter, the nearest place to get it fixed is in a city an hour's drive from here.

Even on the sprintersource forums, people complain of "destination anxiety", as in, will the van actually make it to the destination without problems.

For this reason, as well as cost, we chose a Chevy Express. Any garage can work on them (and will) and it won't be at Mercedes rates. I didn't want us to be up in northern Canada and have a fuel pump (or whatever) go out on us and no way to get the part of have it fixed.

 

[steamjam1]

For a budget of $7000, you should easily be able to find a hightop equipped late model Ford or Chevy. Outdoors season is over so prices of these vans have been going down.

 

[Jack]

Stay encouraged, Paul!  I know you've got to be itching to get back on the road since you've already had a taste of it, but as someone who hasn't hit the road, or even bought a van, yet, one of the best pieces of advice I've taken on board is that patience is rewarded when it comes to buying a van.  The right one will come along.

Sprinters were at the top of my list for their fantastic ride and spacious interior.  I love a smooth, comfortable ride and the Sprinter has it.  But, it was removed from my list of possibilities completely because of everything folks here mentioned.  It was the common theme everywhere I went.

I'm sorry to hear about your van and I hope you were able to come through it without any serious injuries.  That's a traumatic experience!  If you don't mind my asking, how did your van build act in the accident?  Anything fly around making dangerous projectiles?  As someone whose gone through that experience, do you have any warnings or suggestions for certain parts of the build?

 

[Nissi]

Consider a used Nissan NV3500 Cargo Van.... love our 2012.