I haven't heard much from people whoactually OWN a sprinter.
"Seems like the perfect van with stealth, high top etc.", i totally agree. My sprinter has more room than my first college dorm room.
"I drive a 2015 Sprinter every day for work (used to drive a 2012) and can tell you that a month doesn't go by without some warning/service light coming on, requiring a trip to the Mercedes dealer ($$$$$). " I've driven a sprinter for 6 or 7 years. My first one, a 2002, I bought with 310,000 miles. It needed an egr valve and thermostat when I bought it. I paid $7,500 for it, spent $1,800 to replace the egr valve, service the transmission, and other stuff. I then drove it 85,000 miles, during which I had the exhaust system fall off (I put it in the back, went to a shop and they welded it back on), boiught new tires, new battery, and changed my own oil about 8 times. Then I sold that good running van for $2,500.
"They're also ridiculously expensive to purchase, register, insure, etc. " I don't know where you heard this, it's simply not true.
"I would add that they appear to be quite susceptible to "frame" and body rust here in the NE". Don't know about "frame" rust. My 2002 I bought in Michigan, where they salt the roads heavily, didn't appear to have any frame rust (I was under it regularly). It had body rust, especially around the windows. Once a year I'd touch up the rust spots, and after 4 years it didn't seem to be getting any worse. This is a commercial van, not a luxury vehicle.
"We have a 1993 Ford Club Wagon E350 and I tend to think it will still be on the road after the Sprinters are just a memory." I'd put money on that one! I'd also bet that 99% of the 1993 Fords have been melted down years ago. Personally, I'd advise someone planning on traveling and living in a van NOT to get a 1993 Ford for that purpose.
"I have previously read up on these over the net, seems like a common theme is repair, repair repair." That's the problem with the internet. Someone has lots of repair issues so he's all over the internet whining. The rest of us are driving our vans.
"My stepvans are significantly roomier, (even the short ones) and I can get 'em with a diesel,..." Not sure about the room. My sprinter is 16.5 feet from the partition to the back door, 6'4" tall. But you've got me on driving with the door open, I can't do that! However, can you drive 80 mph?
"Plus the big one for me is that the Sprinter is a high maintenance vehicle" Mine haven't been.
"I'd like a Mercedes...But again it's simply $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$"
My 2014 sprinter cost just about $50,000. It calls for oil changes every 15,000 miles. It's the most popular commercial van in the world. It didn't get to be that way because it breaks down once a month. My 2014 sprinter has 35,000 miles. I had one trouble code, and that was to call for a software update. That did irritate me, but it was no charge, and I got my oil changed at the same time.
Sprinters are great vehicles. There are plenty of used ones with 125,000 miles for 12-15k. I would have gotten one of those, but I figured any used sprinter van I buy will have been driven by someone who doesn't own it.
Yes, they rust, but for commercial use, if it's driven 50,000 miles / year, in 10 years it will be rusty with 500,000 miles and ready to retire. Mercedes makes luxury cars and commercial vans, and they're different. At the mercedes dealership, most customers are millionaires and they don't care about the cost of an oil change. For service, I think the dealership might not be the best choice for a sprinter.
Having said all that, if I were to do it over, I'd look hard at the Ford Transit. It's a clone of the sprinter, as are all the others. It's American made, and they have a better dealer network than Mercedes. One big factor for me was mileage. My 2002 got 25 mpg (driving 63 mph, 70 pounds of air in all 4 tires). My 2014 gets 27 if I try hard, 23 if I cruise at 70-75.
I'll be at the RTR in a few days, so you can stop by and check out my sprinter.
