Gfmucci
Member
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2025
- Messages
- 6
- Reaction score
- 4
A friend bought a 2 year old Sprinter conversion with ~50k miles for ~$100k. Before purchase she spent several hundred dollars on an inspection. All was good, or so she was led to believe.
She drove it out west from the east coast and lived in it for several months during the late summer/early fall. Good so far.
On the way back east, the engine made all sorts of noises until it quit on the interstate. She had recently had it fully serviced at an authorized dealer. She had it towed to a dealer luckily a mile away. Verdict: Needs a new engine, $22,000. Fortunately it was covered under warranty.
A month or so later, she discovered moisture. Taking it to a nearby recommended repair location, they discovered black mold, several leaks, one at the water pump and one at an improperly installed shower drain. They told her the leak likely occurred well before her purchase based on the nature of the damage. The bill? Around $15k. She has Roamly/Progressive, but damage not covered. Repair duration 3 weeks. Total interior tear down.
So, to help all future purchasers of a used van conversion, what could an individual have done differently to avoid all this expense and aggrevation? She seems to have done the right things.
She drove it out west from the east coast and lived in it for several months during the late summer/early fall. Good so far.
On the way back east, the engine made all sorts of noises until it quit on the interstate. She had recently had it fully serviced at an authorized dealer. She had it towed to a dealer luckily a mile away. Verdict: Needs a new engine, $22,000. Fortunately it was covered under warranty.
A month or so later, she discovered moisture. Taking it to a nearby recommended repair location, they discovered black mold, several leaks, one at the water pump and one at an improperly installed shower drain. They told her the leak likely occurred well before her purchase based on the nature of the damage. The bill? Around $15k. She has Roamly/Progressive, but damage not covered. Repair duration 3 weeks. Total interior tear down.
So, to help all future purchasers of a used van conversion, what could an individual have done differently to avoid all this expense and aggrevation? She seems to have done the right things.
