Sprinter Mileage/Things to Look For? - Help a youngin'

[riggyk]

Hey Guys and Gals,

So here's the skinny.. I'm looking to buy a used Sprinter (2006 Dodge 3500/MB sprinter van. Clean 5 cyl. 2.7L turbo diesel.)..... most likely on Craigslist and was curious on a couple things, if you'd all be so kind:

1) The first is on mileage. Now I know that there is no blanket answer to this question, but what is a realistic expectancy out of these things? I've heard 300K all the way up to 1Mill. I get that maintenance and care dictates the outcome and extends the lifespan, and a Turbo Diesel engine will likely outlast the body, but I'm just curious if this is too high to go after? 

http://erie.craigslist.org/cto/5683311182.html

I'm using it to live in temporarily to save some money and travel on the west coast. No major hauling, just dwelling and traveling down the coast. Me and some basic belongings, that's about it.

2) Assuming this is a feasible mileage, can anybody either offer some person tips or point to a reference on what to look for when checking these things out? I know pretty little about cars in general so I'm kind of in the dark here. Any basic tips on what to look for as indicators of overall quality and health status would be helpful, in addition to some sprinter and model specific thoughts also. I'm going to scrounge up a mechanic and bring he/she with me but wanted to see if anybody had thoughts.

I could get a decent deal on this and it's close to home, so assuming it's not a red flag in terms of mileage (this is subjective and variable I'm sure), I'm looking to nail down the things I need to in order to feel better about taking the next step.-- Any help?

 

[cyndi]

riggyk! Welcome to the CRVL forums! There's acoupleof sprinter owners the board, I'm sure they'll offere advice when they check in. we have a lot of really knowledgable mechanic types that will be able to offer specifics, too. In the meantime, you may want to peruse some earlier threads about sprinters
https://vanlivingforum.com/search/?...9303737fff369009e7&sortby=lastpost&order=desc

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips & Tricks" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[wagoneer]

23k per year probably highway miles perhaps ex courier. My only argument with sprinters is the body to motor size. I had a 1986 Benz wagon with the inline 6 that was a super great combo, my current cummins is working very well and i do recommend the 12 valve 2nd gen motor.

 

[riggyk]

Ok.. I'm not sure what's actionable from there. I"m bringing a mechanic with me and intend to take it somewhere with a proper computer. - Based on your comment, are there any body-to-motor specific issues to assess in this instance or are you just speaking very high level?

 

[akrvbob]

It's like you said, the engine might be good for that long, but everything around it is just a typical vehicle and will wear and fail. The front end won't wear better in a Sprinter and will cost MUCH MORE to repair! That's true of everything on the entire vehicle!!

You put the Mercedes name on a part and the price doubles or triples, plus it isn't common vehicle and may be hard to find parts. Finding, shops to work on them can also be very difficult. There aren't that many Mercedes dealers, and many of those do not work on the Sprinter.

I'd buy American--a chevy Express with 5.3 V8. Parts and service are everywhere in every small town in the country. It's going to cost so much less to maintain and repair there is no way the better MPG of the Sprinter will ever make up for its extremely high repair costs.

You can buy a good used Express with 100,000 miles and put a high top on it for less than a used Sprinter with 300,000. The Express will , average 17 mpg the Sprinter maybe 22. That 5 MPG will never make up for the extreme amount you will be paying for repairs.
Bob

 

[wagoneer]

To clarify my comment, 3500 sprinters are big and heavy. I respect the Mercedes mechanics and motors in general though pricey. A more robust
motor and I would consider one. The first thing my dad said about buying a car was buy A'mercan. You are able to work on sprinters, just a different mind set.

 

[DannyB1954]

what is a realistic expectancy out of these things? I've heard 300K all the way up to 1Mill.

What I do is look for old vehicles for sale. If a brand of vehicle has been around for a while and it runs forever, there should be lots of them for sale with high mileage. If there are only a few, it could have cost a fortune in repairs to get that many miles. With most vehicles you see a lot with 200k, a few with 250k, and very seldom anything above. 

My personal opinion of diesels out of warranty is they are a big gamble. It may run a log time, or it may fail and the cost too expensive to repair. So you pay top dollar for the vehicle because it is a diesel, (with the idea it should run forever), then if anything goes wrong you pay top dollar because it is a diesel to repair. Fluffery during a sale is not enforceable. Someone can say this will go another million miles. That is fluffery. Ask the person if they will warranty any repairs for say the next 50,000 miles. you will get an idea of how reliable they really think it is. 

If you do a web search of Sprinter problems, you can get an idea of some of the costs to own.

 

[wagoneer]

young man take all this with a grain of salt,we have all had different experiences with different vehicles. that's what makes us strong EXPERIENCE. you must find your own and learn your own experiences that is some of the fun of living.

 

[highdesertranger]

I will say this I have worked on hundreds of Mercedes. if you can't fix whatever goes wrong with it yourself, stay away. Mercedes are over engineered like most stuff from Germany. nothing is simple. believe me. highdesertranger

 

[29chico]

What I would be looking for in a Sprinter van is another brand of van.   First: Chevy/ GMC, then Ford & last in the US made van category: Dodge.   Any of the US made vans should be so much cheaper to keep running that the better fuel economy of the Sprinter becomes moot.

 

[riggyk]

Thanks for the feedback everyone, this is really great. Maybe a bit more on my end could help but i DID just go check out the van and have some feedback:

So some context on me:

1) I don't plan on driving this thing forever/into the ground. Maybe for 2-3 years tops. I get it... you want to take the extra time, calculation, energy, and proper homework to get a decent vehicle that saves on future headaches.. but I'm not i need of perfect because:
2) To me, at this juncture, I'm putting weight on time. IE I'd like to find something in my wheelhouse in the next 2-3 weeks.

So here's my feedback on the van:

It's a tough call. Why? - Solid price.. but it's not a perfect scenario and from what everybody here has been telling me, I could do some better research. It's in pretty good shape, but it seems like it was just recently painted over with some rust spots. Nothing terrible, or even that noticeable, but it's definitely got some little small rust spots in random places. A little bit in the motor as well. There's also 2 holes in the floor, like legit actual 2 inch circumference holes in the floor, formerly used for some kind of HVAC purposes per the owner.

So the guy who meets me was the owner's brother and didn't have a ton to offer in terms of specifics. Said the truck ran well and was solid, but needed air pumped out of the breaks and needed a bit of break work. Also said that everything else was in operating condition. The interior had some chunks missing from the floor but it was very clean. All-in-all it's a tough call. It's a pretty decent vehicle for what I need but I feel I could potentially do better. Also he didn't really have much to offer in the way of service/maintenance records other than "it's had it's oil changed".

So here's the question and where I need yallzz help: I'd like to go a sprinter style route, what kind of brand would be the top place to look? Chevy/GMC? Do they even make sprinter style vans? It might be easier to just go that route..... go for X brands, and here's the best places to look for them outside of craigs list. I basically want to save myself the headache of dealing with a money and issue pit, but need to get something soonish. Any thoughts from here guys?

 

[introverting]

Hi, riggyk. No, Chevy/GMC do not currently make a hi-top van. As Bob said, though, you could buy one and have a hi-top added by a third party. Other vans currently marketed in the U.S. with hi-tops are the Ford Transit, Dodge ProMaster, and the Nissan NV-series. All 3 models are fairly new, so if you can find a used one, expect to pay a chunk of money for it. I recently found a used vehicle dealer in Mount Joy, PA that sells used vans and box vans. The company is called Routemaster and their web site is: www.theroutemasters.net. I can't tell you if the company is reputable, though.

 

[wagoneer]

I believe most if not all hightop vans were outsourced back in the day companies like Braun and other van conversion companies

 

[riggyk]

Guys,

I found a van and the dealer is willing to let me bring her over to the Benz dealer for a proper inspection... but there's two types, one just high-level safety stuff, the second a full blown diagnostic check, $390. - Is that fair market price? That seem normal? Not cheepin' here but just curious.

 

[riggyk]

http://www.diversifiedautosalesllc....eveland-OH/8095437/BuyHerePayHereDetails.aspx

 

[romeosierrabravo2]

I think the sprinter van argument is about standing/ stretching space for some equivalent cost. The gas powered chevy's or ford's are more common, yet can also get expensive to repair. The cummins diesel will go 300K before overhaul, the gas rigs not near as far. I think it depends how many miles vs camping. I prefer a sprinter for stand up room tho don't travel much. Hopeuflly less travel will mean less repair.

 

[AngryVanMan]

It's sort of a captive market, at least in the US if you buy a Benz (even a van) you're going to usually pay luxury prices for everything, including an inspection. Maintenance records are worth their weight in gold for an MB because if the previous owner has them, they probably paid gold prices for them at the dealership! Listen to Scotty Kilmer!

Why Mercedes Are Money Pit Machines -
Scotty Kilmer

Why Not To Buy A Mercedes -
Scotty Kilmer

Not even all MB dealers can work on the Sprinter. That said, I think overall they are a pretty damn nice van, but sheesh do they come with a lot of unwanted baggage in the after-sale support department. Locally you might be able to find a good independent MB mechanic, but travelling? Ehh...

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I drove a sprinter for a few years off and on for the old company I worked for. He set it up as a mobile estimating office for doing estimates in the winter after a house burned down. I thought it drove and handled great.

I was going to buy a sprinter until I looked into the repair costs and lack of repair facilities. It wasn't uncommon for people to be stranded for a month waiting for parts and repairs because there are only so many service bays that can work on them. Even for a 2 to 3 year venture, you could run up some serious repair bills. But it sounds like you made up your mind on the Sprinter so going forward I'd try and get the maintenance records for it. At 175k miles a lot of repairs could be coming up if not previously done. A rear end and transmission could set you back over half the cost of the purchase price. If you can't get any repair records, I wouldn't want to take the risk.

Good luck, hope it all works out though!

 

[riggyk]

[font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]So I went to take a high top sprinter for a test run today, and though it was a great vehicle, I had a bit of a sudden realization whilst driving the sucker: I think it's too big and impractical for living in the bay area. - Not to say it can't be done, but when I really take a step back and think about it... do I need all that space? I'm one guy and will plan to be traveling and hitting the beaches and whatnot nonstop, so what's the use in pimping out all that space just to sleep and hang out for a little bit, at best? I don't know, maybe I'm going down the wrong path but... if I plan to crash with a friend while I job hunt (temporarily) I'll obviously need to pay to park the vehicle somewhere, and a sprinter might be a pain to park in public parking ramps. THAT and once I get a corporate gig, who's to say where my job parking might be? Might be in a parking ramp as well.[/font]

[font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]My push-back is... man when I look at the econoline headroom it kind of makes me shutter and feel claustrophobic, but I think over time, if maybe I get a small roller chair or something to navigate around in the back, it won't be so bad. In the end maybe it just incentivizes me to spend less time in the van, which is the whole point anyway. That and I assume I can find an econoline for half the price with potentially better reliability and swifter ability to park/navigate the bay area[/font]

 

[riggyk]

So now shifting gears to a cargo van... would something like this be too old? - Obviously maintenance and all that and how the van was used is important but I'm just curious as to how to shift my thought process on how to filter/look for a cargo van?

https://buffalo.craigslist.org/ctd/5769094141.html