anybody got a diesel sprinter

Depends what you want to do with it though. Camping in a E350 sucks by comparison. There is something nice about being able to stand up and put your pants on.

I don't dislike the Fords at all. I have serious Quigley lust. I just think they are different animals. Try putting 5000lbs in an E350 and driving it over 14K passes in CO.

ok only 5000 pounds? try pulling a 28 enclosed foot trailer with as 5000 pound 51 caddy in it with a sprinter. 5000 pounds in the back of the e350 is nothing for weight. done it... should have taken pictures of a machine take out i did last year.. probably had closer to 10k in it of solid steel conveyor rollers in it coming back from Georgia. 8 foot long by 6" diameter..
as for camping.. i sit or sleep when i am inside. change clothes sitting on the seat or cot. if standing up is a consideration ...
1500.00 can get you a high top installed higher then your sprinter.
http://sampsonfiberglass.com/10352.html

still under the cost out lay for your sprinter.

how about service on the road? the ford i have has 180k on it. been the whole east coast, was in salt lake city with it for speed week last fall..
if i did have a problem my how much easier was it for me to get a major part. how much cheaper? and not just pads and rotors.
i looked at sprinters there was no way i could not buy the ford when i broke it all down. they were a fad that is passing..
with diesel being higher and the cost out lay for the van being more, I would never recover my cost of driving the van 30k a year.
not that they are not a good idea,, they just don't work like the ford.
they sold 8500 units last year .. up from 2009.. the low numbers should tell you something. when they sold sprinter to DHL FEDex UPs those were their boom years .. why did those companies not keep buying them? well other then dhl....
it is apple to apples .. i like the sprinter in theory just in reality..

Here's mine. I'm looking to trade the 20" chrome wheels for stockers.


here's the order of things
- install chocks (desperately needed!), condors on the way
- install sleeper bench
- ultimate mx hauler for the hitch
- fold down cots in the back for the kids
- gas can rack mounted on the back.
- Some cabinets
4 bikes, sleeps 4 ftw! (well that's the goal)

Will be picking one of these up next month. V6 is better than the I5 in the older Becker we had.


The interior is being done by these people....http://www.creativemobileinteriors.com/

------- Sprinter is short for "Sprint Her" back to your dealer before you get too far away for needed repairs. Not many SprintHer dealers outside major cities, not every MB dealer can work on SprintHers and probably don't want to with an inline 5 cylinder and no doghouse for Her access. Got 6 foot articulated arms with eyeballs?

Sort of like don't take your harley any farther from home than you want to push it back

I bought a used 2004 Sprinter (for cheap = no resale value, $ broke owner) with a 3/4" thick file folder of all the repairs and regular service records, looked like most everything had been worked on and tons of new parts....usual trans flex plate, driveshaft, injector black death with broken retaining bolts, new cylinder head, sliding door, turbo and tube, trans rebuild, then torque converter again, tie rods, '''just your usual everyday T1N stuff ".....everything taken care of already, nutin to go wrong, ride her out for the long run....shortly there after a rod divorced itself from a piston and punched holes in both sides of the block and oil pan @ 123K miles. Rebuilt motors were $7500+ so I looked for an verifilable good used engine that I could hear run...gave up after one year and sold it to a guy who's going to try an ebay mystery motor. Last I heard it's still not running.

Anyone thinking of buying one of these T1N money pits and likes to destroy his vacation time/living should go to sprinter.com and read all the nightmares stories like....
MB recalled every car with the 5 cylinder DIESEL when the engine's harmonic balancers were falling off taking radiators, trans cooler and PS lines with it, sometimes the crank also. MB did not recall any Sprinters with the same motor and didn't stand behind their engineering. Not the type of company I will do business with.

P.S. There was/is a company that tried using MB diesels in aircraft and went bankrupt several times because of those engines...you know, too many engine failures, too many crashes, too many people killed/crippled....the "new $500,000 Cessna 172" is using a much modified/really totally redesigned motor based on this. Glad I learned to fly with Continentals and Lycoming engines.

I have owned every shape/make/fuel/drivetrain of american made. I have been driving to the races in a van for a very long time and have more miles across the US than most long haul truckers.

I just bought a Sprinter 144" low roof and only have 1k miles on it so far. What I do like is the room inside, quiet ride, price for a van with a diesel engine and Mercedes Benz financing and vehicle warranty . I have owned a Benz on and off since 1988 and never had a problem with a dealership on service and warranty work .

You can see photos of the interior we just finished yesterday on the Van thread.

With that said my most favorite vans so far , 2009 GMC Savana Cargo AWD , 2006 1 ton Ford Extended Diesel 2wd, Quigley Ford Diesel Regular wheelbase 4wd ( owned two) All were cargo vans and fully loaded with wall/headliner covering and carpeted floor .
I will let you know about the Sprinter when we get back from Daytona.

Best of luck for Daytona JN3n! Would like to follow your racing, what's your number?

There and back in a brand new SprintHer should be expectable..

Pls keep us informed long term

I just built one on the MB site, high top 170" with some of the usual desireables, bout $44K, local dealer had one, drove it - rather than discount one they offered a free extended warranty, mandatory checkups not included or the extended warranty is void. WTF

Morale of the story is that I'd like to hear what the mandatory scheduled checkups cost.....BMW gets their $ one way or another, just the kraut way.

Now wait a minute....giving BMW a black eye over a sprinter just doesn't seem right:huh

It's the money similarity the Germans bring to the table: BMW = Bring Money Wallet

I'd take a BMW any day over a Mercedes Bendover car, only in full warranty though. Both built a reputation as $2000 cars for a reason. Maintenance cost can be brutal

I ride with a MB dealer tech, said he's never seen a brake job for less than $2200 and that was years ago when I mentioned spending $300 for new aftermarket ventilated, crossdrilled, slotted rotor upgrade for my Chevy van.

Love my Sprinter! Over 60K no issues. MPG: 22 - 24 @ 65/70 Towing - 16.5

I'd look into the legality of requiring checkups to keep a warranty valid. I recall reading years ago (maybe on the SEMA site?), that in order for a mfg to require you to get the vehicle serviced (oil changes, valve checks, etc) by them to maintain your warranty, the cost must be covered also.

I'd drop to my knees and say thank you prayers immediately.

Yes T1Ns get better mpg than newer Sprinters, in the Rockies my T1N cargo would get passed by semis and busses while climbing over high passes

My 2005 t1n has just turned 190k. So far it's needed three charge temp sensors, all replaced under warranty before 30K. These are the only things that have thrown a code and required immediate attention. It's averaged 21 mpg since new and hasn't used enough oil between changes (10K intervals) to ever need more.

Maintenance items since new have been oil and filters, one serpentine belt, front and rear brakes, rear shocks, and a few master control switch assemblies before I figured out to change the flasher control relay at the first sign of a turn signal issue. I replaced the glow plugs this fall as a precaution, and replaced the seven year old battery as it was having trouble starting the van below -15f. Transmission services and diff oil have been done every 90k.

Oh, and I recently had to change a ball joint and tie-rod.

That's not bad by any standard- so it would appear that at least some t1n trucks hold up. The paint used on these things IS terrible- bordering on criminal negligence terrible. Every minor chip leads to rust, especially on the white ones, and I have had to have my van repainted to mitigate the rust issue. I drive my van daily and still really like it for its room, fuel economy, and civil driving characteristics. I plan to keep it 'till it won't run anymore.

By way of comparison my ford f250 just gobbled up its engine this weekend at 110k. I don't know why yet, but it had oil and coolant, and was running fine until it was turned off. Now it's seized solid. This same truck has needed fuel tanks, fuel pumps, headers, brake booster(s) and lots of fuel injection repair.

Not all American cars are gems.

Not all sprinters are lemons.

60,000/+ and no issues...Love it!...

Is it pregnant?

I can't tell what it is, but if its one of those Renault things, I guess it gives new meaning to the term 'bastard child'

I thought it was more of an escape pod.

I'm pretty sure TooFast considers it a parts runner.

Uh oh.... wonder if its got its mother's face.

Sure earns its keep when ya need to haul something...

They swallow a GS whole... A legal width ATV will fit right in between the wheel wells too.



But they aren't afraid to spite you at a moments notice, either.