anybody got a diesel sprinter

I have 4 of them. Ugly, slow, expensive and upgrade the seats. Wonderful fuel mileage, tons of room. My favorite is the long-tall version. I'm 6'2" and stand between the roof reinforcement comfortably. I wish I could afford more. Be careful with maintenance and keep records. We dropped a timing chain under warranty and I hear the bill was over 20k for the new lump.

good rig.

great mpg.

great hauler.

some reliability, paint issues.

pm dem.

Chris rig is what got me started on the idea.

Thanks for all the feedback. I'm shopping for one right now....

I had a 2005 for almost three years and put almost 150,000 miles on it. The only mechanical problem I had was the differential went out at 70k and was replaced under warranty. Almost two months ago it was in an accident (damn uninsured drivers!!) and came out of the wreck really well. The bodyshop owner remarked that it was built like a tank. While it was in the shop someone saw it made me an offer on it... so... now I have a new 2008 Sprinter! It's a completely different vehicle than the 2005 I dearly loved. The 2008 is a lot more comfortable, the doors are heavier and better attached, it's a lot quieter, and it's huge. Just the other day I fit an R100GSPD, an R1200RT, a Triumph Bonneville, and a Honda Shadow in her. It was snug but nothing was touching and after everything was covered with blankets they traveled well. I really love these vans.

That'll buff out

The latest cycleworld has that exact bike featured - built for the US Military at the moment, but the manufacturer is looking at a private version in a year or 2.

mitt

link

http://www.hdtusa.com/

specs:

0-60 mph (106 kph), 9.3 sec
Gradeability: 60% (32 degrees)
Turning Radius: Less than 7 feet
Maximum Speed: In excess of 100 mph.
MinimumConstant Speed: Less than 3 mph.
Fording Depth: 24 inches
Fuel Mileage: 105 mpg @ 45 mph (Tested)
Range: 630 miles @ 45 mph

mitt

Sprinter parts:
Europarts SD

and

Berry Dodge for other parts..

Pay attention to the doors, they can get out of alignment and if you don't realign them you might have problems in unexpected places.

Look for posts by Sherpa, maybe send him a PM.

He's got a sweet Sprinter rig.

go to www.fastenal.com we sell used dodge sprinters, rams and Straight trucks

peace
patrans

www.fastenal.com we sell used fleet vehicles including Dodge Sprinters

Here is the review that I wrote when we (Ohno and Sas) first got our 2003 Sprinter. Make sure that you check out the latest addition at the very end.

Here is the original review.

We just took delivery of a Dodge Sprinter 140" High top van yesterday. Thought I would toss out some first impressions and a few questions.

We had several criteria for buying a Sprinter. The main reason was that we needed a way to transport my daughter’s wheelchair which weights 450 lbs. The second reason was we wanted to transport our family of five plus two others, car pooling, soccer and family trips. The third factor was getting something that got decent fuel economy. The Sprinter, after reading most of the posts here, seemed like the ideal vehicle.

First impressions

The good
- The engine has plenty of power to get up and go.
- Excellent forward view.
- Unbelievable headroom.
- No carpet, my five year old spilled his Coke five minutes after being in the Sprinter.
- Handles extremely well.
- Good fit and finish but very Teutonic.
- Slower vehicles in the left hand lane move over in a hurry when you come up on them.
- Did I mention the headroom.
- Much better use of space compared to domestic vans.
- Too tall to go through McDonalds drive thru, we’ll be healthier.
- A head turner.

The bad
- Huge blind spot on the right hand side.
- Rear doors squeak and rattle.
- Seating in the way back is pretty rough. As my daughter put it. “It feels like we’re on a boat in rough water.”
- No carpet.
- Passenger seat doesn’t slide forward or back.
- No tilt on the steering
- No rear speakers
- Crappy front speakers
- The Dodge grill and badges have to go. The hood thankfully have a cutout for the Mercedes emblem.

Overall
We drove a variety of different vehicles from Eurovans to Chevy Expresses trying to make up our minds. The Sprinter has those vehicles beat in terms of space and fuel economy. In terms of amenities you can really tell that the Sprinter is meant to be more of a work horse than luxury liner. That doesn’t mean that without the right options it can’t become one. But for a mid $30,000 vehicle little things like rear speakers, an extra power jack, *arm rests on the seats, parabolic mirrors and maybe a little more noise reduction should be standard. We figure that we have another $2,000 to invest before the our “iVan the Terrible” becomes a luxury liner.

The above was the first blush. Almost five years later we have a certain love/hate relationship with "iVan the Terrible." Figure that all repairs are going to cost you an arm and a leg. From transmission fluid changes to brakes – everything seems premium. The van has only 70K on it and we've had some major repairs. An example: The water pump went out and the connectors to the radiator and air conditioning broke so suddenly you're looking at over $1,500 in repairs. It also hurts to pay more for diesel these days than plain old gas. It wasn't that way 5 years ago.

The problem is there is nothing else out there that even remotely comes close to doing what the Sprinter does. It's easy to drive. With the right tires in handles great in snow. There is so much room you won't know what to do with it all.

I haven't really looked at the latest versions but have heard some of the later ones have problems too.

Not to sound like a broken record but contact Steve Prokop...that f'er has everything including a Sprinter that has been converted into an RV/bike hauler by Sportsmobile.

wow these are only getting 21 to 23?

the 5.4 in my e350 ext.gets 17 to 18 . and with some tuning and exhaust work i think i can 20 mpg out of it.... and will pull a trailer down the road. and its not a dog. we use it for camping and bike commuting to .
or what ever. it will handle a gs in it with a windshield off or down...

you sure it only gets 21 to 23?
beside head room i think the e series is better. and much cheaper. i wanted one but glad i bought what i bought.

Since my last post in this thread mine has been on three camping (riding) trips including a long weekend to the Mojave.



Because of it we get to bring all our crap to places like this:



It is great. We did blow a turbo resonator on it in Palm Springs. Replaced with a billet unit from the aftermarket.

I still love this dang thing. Hopefully it will continue to be the shit.

No used springters there...only fasteners.

I searched "sprinter" and it corrected my spelling to "printer".

yes, 21-24 is all they get..
and you can stand upright if your less than 6'5" tall.

Glad you like your Ford. The E350 we had with a 351 would never get more than 14.. and that was babying it. Pulling something? 4-8 depending. We used to put 100k+ miles per year on them with chicken catching crews all over the south.. (yes 100 thousand miles per year )

With the 7.3 Powerstroke in an E350 you can get 16-19 on the highway, regardless of whats befind you.. Thats what we swapped the crews over to.

notgonnahappen.com with the gasser

My buddy has had his for going on 2 years. I nagged him until he got one.
He sais it is the best tool he has bought. He uses it for his home theater installation business. Short gears, running around these hills, loaded to the teeth, and it still gets 21 mpg. No maintenance issues either.
Has the world's worst stereo speakers though...Man they sound bad.

I picked up a used 2005 140" wheelbase, high roof Dodge Sprinter about two months ago. Had about 120,000 kms.. Cleaned it out (see the "before" pictures), and then had the walls and ceiling insulated and finished with Kemlite (white "pebbly" impervious material). Also put in a new floor, new partition with sliding door, big honkin' ramp, 1500 watt power inverter, a cabinet for oil & aerosols, tie down bars, and coat & helmet hangers (see the "after" pictures).

Plan to use it to haul my race bike and camping gear. From time-to-time, I might haul my friend's bike as well. So far, so good. When I got it, I only had to replace the rotors and fix the side mirror. Gets just over 20 MPG. Thought it would get better mileage (like around 26).

When I get photos of all our gear in the van, I will post again.

Before




Spent about 9 days using a heat gun and varsol to clean out the black "gunk" that the previous owner had sprayed inside the van. I don't know what that shit was, but it was ashphalt-based and a PITA to remove.


During







After