Author Topic: NGC: Sprinter? (Read 6788 times)

Peter from Sch'dy · « **on:** August 31, 2015, 07:20:32 AM »

Good Morning,
Been thinking about getting a dually diesel Sprinter for camping and long haul motorcycle work. Anyone know anything about these things? What're their dirty little secrets?

Best,
Peter

https://albany.craigslist.org/cto/5175105976.html

Murray · « **Reply #1 on:** August 31, 2015, 07:41:43 AM »

In the rest of the world they are sold as a Mercedes Sprinter has been around many years a search should get you onto the right forums.

Guzzistajohn · « **Reply #2 on:** August 31, 2015, 07:50:22 AM »

I drove one nearly 200K in a former job. Only problems was the AC compressor crapped out (expensive parts) and the idler pulley on the V belt jammed up and stopped working. pretty dependable van, the space was great! Bitch in a crosswind. 18 MPG all the time.

Scott of the Sahara · « **Reply #3 on:** August 31, 2015, 08:10:52 AM »

The 2500 is better on tires. The 3500 with Dual rear tires eat through those special sized tires quite a bit sooner than the 2500. I just replaced my original tires at 63,000 miles and 10 years. I bought mine new in 2005, and have had hardly any problems to speak of. 2.7L 5 Cylinder gets me 20MPG city driving and 25MPG long haul highway driving. Mine is the Long Tall version. I use it for my Heating Air Conditioning business.

Chuck in Indiana · « **Reply #4 on:** August 31, 2015, 08:15:07 AM »

I looked at them for a while before deciding on my dinky van. One of the things on the Sprinter forum was electrical.. to be sorted only by a Mercedes dealers computer, and expensive. Really kool vehicle, though.. if you have a use for it and a really big garage.

MGPilot · « **Reply #5 on:** August 31, 2015, 08:19:57 AM »

Son & daughter-in-law are musicians. Have put about 140k miles on Sprinters, each year for several years now. No consistent issues. But on occasion, they've had to wait 2+ weeks for parts to come from Germany.

Antietam Classic Cycle · « **Reply #6 on:** August 31, 2015, 09:09:04 AM »

I plan to replace my trusty, crusty Eurovan with one in 2016. Mine will be 2006 or older, 2500, 118" wheelbase.

My brother bought a very nice (green) 3500 about a year ago and made the long trip from MD to OR dragging a cargo trailer, zero issues and 20 mpg. He has already upgraded to 16" wheels and larger tires, has a manual trans. and complete 4wd system to install.

travelingbyguzzi · « **Reply #7 on:** August 31, 2015, 09:09:37 AM »

I have driven a 06 Sprinter as a Surveyors vehicle for 160K miles. The electricals and ABS sensors have always constantly lit up the dash even tho nothing seems to be wrong. ( it is supposed to have TC and every time I spin a tire it thinks something is wrong). I ignore it. Get MPG in the low to mid 20s.
Lots of road noise. They are definitely built to a price point.
The body is showing a lot of surface rust around stone chips, etc.
The turbodiesel is pretty peppy, no complaints about the drivetrain. Make sure your air filter is CLEAN or the turbo will suck so hard it collapses a very expensive rubber intake hose.
Mine has the last factory cassette deck in the state of WA. At least I can listen to Paul Simon.

Bill Lovelady IS
Eskimo Spy

travelingbyguzzi · « **Reply #8 on:** August 31, 2015, 09:11:08 AM »

Also consider that they are so tall that they may not fit in a parking garage.

Antietam Classic Cycle · « **Reply #9 on:** August 31, 2015, 09:17:39 AM »

Something my brother told me, don't know if it's true or not. Any color other than white will have thicker paint and better rust resistance. Red, green, blue, etc. are applied over the white during assembly. Seems to have some merit - "colored" ones seem to have less issues with rust. <shrug>

LowRyter · « **Reply #10 on:** August 31, 2015, 09:31:59 AM »

For better or worse, I've noticed that Ford and Dodge have come out with completely new van designs. I think Dodge is a FWD work van (Dodge used to have it's own Sprinter when they were part of Mercedes). The Fords look totally new and RWD. Both available with diesels.

I've not heard much about either one. They look roomy.

rocker59 · « **Reply #11 on:** August 31, 2015, 09:46:12 AM »

Keep in mind that they're also sold in The USA as Freightliners and can be serviced at any Freightliner dealership.

http://www.freightlinersprinterusa.com/

Freightliner Trucks is a division of Daimler Trucks North America.

Dilliw · « **Reply #12 on:** August 31, 2015, 09:52:59 AM »

Why do German cars/trucks/etc have such problems with ABS and the idler pulley? These aren't exactly new technologies!

And if your ABS codes out it cuts off your cruise control??

Antietam Classic Cycle · « **Reply #13 on:** August 31, 2015, 10:10:26 AM »

Quote from: LowRyter on August 31, 2015, 09:31:59 AM

For better or worse, I've noticed that Ford and Dodge have come out with completely new van designs. I think Dodge is a FWD work van (Dodge used to have it's own Sprinter when they were part of Mercedes). The Fords look totally new and RWD. Both available with diesels.

I've not heard much about either one. They look roomy.

The Ford has been around in Europe for decades, constantly evolving. The Dodge (actually sold under the "Ram" brand) is a revised Fiat Ducato. I'm hoping that many Sprinter owners will trade in for new Transits or ProMasters, so there will be more Sprinters to choose from at a better price.

Guzzistajohn · « **Reply #14 on:** August 31, 2015, 10:17:38 AM »

Quote from: travelingbyguzzi on August 31, 2015, 09:11:08 AM

Also consider that they are so tall that they may not fit in a parking garage.

Mine was 9 ft.

rboe · « **Reply #15 on:** August 31, 2015, 10:18:24 AM »

We were looking at Sprinter based RV's for a while. Lurked the forums and found that the intake manifold was prone to cracking (no idea of the frequency, could be very rare - but it seemed to common enough on the forums) and it would go into limp back mode.

Thing is, dealers are not that common. I was very attracted to the whole concept; the interiors were well done. Mileage was great, lot's of good points. But when it came down to it, for any engine and chassis issues having a Ford or Chevy seemed like the better idea. RV's are just too big to schlep to the nearest dealer if that dealer is a state over.

I've had a couple friends buy used Sprinter vans with many miles on them. Seem to be holding well so far. No rust issues in AZ. :)

Mark West · « **Reply #16 on:** August 31, 2015, 10:56:25 AM »

I have a Sprinter based RV, 2011 3500. It drives great for being 25ft and weighing god knows how much. Get about 13.5MPG average but it can vary a lot depending on speed, wind, etc.. I only have about 15k miles and zero problems so far.

I've upgraded the anti sway bar and will upgrade the rear shocks soon. for RV use, the sprinter chassis is about maxed out as far as what it was designed for so these types of things help a lot.

Also would be nice if the fuel tank was a little bigger. In bad conditions, the range can be <300 miles. Naturally that only applies for RV use.

blackcat · « **Reply #17 on:** August 31, 2015, 11:20:24 AM »

A friend of mine purchased the RV a year back, site unseen (she has too much money) and quickly decided she didn't like the thing. So with about 3,000 miles on the clock it was shuffled off to some dealer on consignment and someone got a very good deal on the vehicle.

BRIO · « **Reply #18 on:** August 31, 2015, 12:28:51 PM »

The sprinters were maintenance hogs and the OM642 V6 diesel was prone to failure. The oil seals in the turbo would go which was a labor intensive job. The five cylinder one was durable and less problematic. They also rust like nothing else. I drove the Ford Euro transit for the Danish postal service in the early 2000's. It didn't drive as nicely as the sprinter but was more durable and took the abuse. I also drove the Ducato (Ram) and the Iveco Daily Turbo. The chassis felt soft and the interior was cheap but the engines were solid.

Overall I'd recommend the Ford for piece of mind.

Peter from Sch'dy · « **Reply #19 on:** August 31, 2015, 02:30:17 PM »

Thanks for the helpful information. These things appear to be like my Ducati experiences where about 50% of them are good reliable machines. Good to hear which to avoid.

Thanks Again,

Peter

LowRyter · « **Reply #20 on:** August 31, 2015, 04:50:51 PM »

adding more fuel to the fire, I saw a new Nissan van today, not the one built on the pick up frame but a smaller one, that might be FWD by the looks of it.

Dang. All these new vans and Ford must have a two or three new ones. This is all Euro tech stuff? Only GM has the traditional (very old) vans. Interesting stuff.

Antietam Classic Cycle · « **Reply #21 on:** August 31, 2015, 05:05:00 PM »

Quote from: LowRyter on August 31, 2015, 04:50:51 PM

adding more fuel to the fire, I saw a new Nissan van today, not the one built on the pick up frame but a smaller one, that might be FWD by the looks of it.

Yes, front wheel drive, Sentra based IIRC. You can buy the Nissan with a Chevy bow-tie on it as well.

nobleswood · « **Reply #22 on:** August 31, 2015, 09:44:48 PM »

I bought my 2007 9' tall, turbo diesel with 190K on it, a couple of years ago. I get 20mpg to 24 mpg, it hauls all my building tools, can load 10' long material with no problem & I can stand up in it.

For me it is a great van & enjoy driving it. It's not my V11 but still easy to drive considering how large it is.

I had the alternator die on me & used the local Freightliner dealer to fix that, which I felt they charged too much for. Since then I have found my Local Mr Tire will work on them.

One of the things that sold me was that FedEx use them & drive them to death. On EBay FedEx were trying to sell their old models with 400K+ miles for around $10K. So if they consider the $ / mile to be worth it, I considered it worth the investment.

Good luck

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Author Topic: NGC: Sprinter? (Read 6788 times)