Reliability questions

[Iwantasprinter]

It seems to me that MB has some reliability baggage when the media writes in general. I'd be interested to read about your experiences as owners. Do I want a Sprinter as a Class B camper van, or, should I look at the Ford Econoline or the GM vans as base vehicles for the conversion? Anybody with experience driving both? The idea of owning any of these makes me jump with joy.

[Altered Sprinter]

Originally Posted by [LEFT

Iwantasprinter[/left];1583]It seems to me that MB has some reliability baggage when the media writes in general. I'd be interested to read about your experiences as owners. Do I want a Sprinter as a Class B camper van, or, should I look at the Ford

Econoline

or the GM vans as base vehicles for the conversion? Anybody with experience driving both? The idea of owning any of these makes me jump with joy.

Hi wannabe I want a sprinter
At the end of the day it will be your call on what you purchase?
I'd personally look at the long term benefits over a five year period and also as to how many miles your going to do! and or if it is a primary vehicle or for just camping , depending on your finances.
Sprinter'sare cheap in the U.S you get value for the dollar, on all models especially with the campers .
Australian

Sprinter's

are fully imported direct from Germany no

mod's............................................. ..........

done here with the exception of add-on options
Overall Our

Sprinter's

are 98% trouble free , where we have full options of van configurations and engine and gearbox options, DCX decided to limit the Sprinter to two engines and one auto transmission , next years model lets hope all options will be available to you
The negativity of the media on the Sprinters is more from owners not doing the right thing with the sprinters, DCX brings them in and reassembles them for the local Market thus employment of Americans gives Chrysler the tax break it needs " local content production" or the fully imported Sprinter would cost more. the down side is they have done something to them that has caused issues in the past! This was a DCX decision not Daimler-Benz.
As the

Sprinter's

are new to the U.S even now due to the low sale numbers, they will increase in sales as both Ford and GM start to import the UK Transit's and

Iveco

commercial units etc If per say as an example Toyota bought in the Hi ace and Renault brought in their vans then the U.S market for local content would collapse at an alarming rate so politics are involved to protect the local manufacturing auto related industry. especially in Canada! where it's bigger than Detroit, and is so dependent on employment in this sector as to two hundred thousand loosing their jobs over the last three years, in the auto related manufacturing sector.

Sprinter's

are a commercial van not specifically designed for Passenger configuration! The Suspension is hard , and very direct in comparison to the soft setup that Americans are so used to, as European roads vary in condition and as to climatic changes the suspension has been set for these conditions, not soft but firm the only safe alteration is a three way shock setup system normal, sports and i can't think of the latter? adding a bigger anti-sway bar will not overall improve the ride, in fact the opposite may occur where the ESP becomes defective because of the change thus increasing the chances of rollover which could result in a law case against the operator.
Over the Christmas break I'll run full specifications on the new Generation sprinters from engine capacity through to auto trans and body changes along with the major safety improvements that are now standard, so keep tuned on this as there is some really great news to read on one site, save you guys the time of sorting out fact and Myth

In conclusion If your looking for safety as the primary objective then the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is the only option , no other vehicle in it's class can match it.
If on the other hand your looking for a model with the toys , moon roof upgraded stereo and digit gadgets then a local unit will offer more for less bucks... pimp my ride Dude and watch the thing fall to pieces, in a short time. Mercedes/Dodge add-on options do not come cheap by any means of the imagination .
Just remember the oil changes are now 16 thousand miles apart, Fuel returns on both the older 5 cylinder and the Brand new rebuilt V 6 heavy duty Diesel that will eat feed on any type of fuel will return the same mileage of between 26 to 30 miles to the gallon campers about three miles less due to weight configurations, , with out being bias no US SUV type truck has the capability of getting past 15 miles to the gallon for the same class of vehicle, That I'm aware of ? just on fuel savings half of your repayments if on the never never are contributing towards the purchase. Oh! it rocks hey and just remember the V6 has it's own separate set of cams for each cylinder bank, and the twin in-line series-Turbo units! One for the road and one for the SUV you just left in it's own wake of self destruction as a dinosaur, of yesterdays technology.Keep a look out for the new info on the brand new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. OK I'm biased a little bit sorry guys But I can't help it as I love my Mercedes.
Richard and a happy Christmas to all on Sprinter-Forum.com sprinter06bem_051.jpg

[Iwantasprinter]

Thanks for the reply Altered Sprinter! Hope all is well with you and yours "down under." I plan to use the van for most of our out of town trips, as we stay in hotels anyway when travelling to family (don't want to intrude), sporting events, etc. So, I am talking about US interstate travel mostly. I won't use it as a daily driver, but I will HAVE to take her out for exercise at least every weekend, even if a drive around town. I have a 2000 Honda Odyssey with 97K miles on the odometer so it's just getting broken in. I can continue to use that and my 95 Ford T'bird for our daily drivers here in Montgomery, Alabama. So, the plan is to make the van the primary long distance travel vehicle. With the Honda, I am used to and prefer the firm, European (if you will) ride that is afforded by the Odyssey. I'm sure I'd get along well with the Sprinter. Believe it or not many of my vehicles have been foreign made (including a British Ford (Mercury) Capri, a german-made Opel, and a german-made VW Rabbit.
When I purchase a vehicle, safety is the number one consideration I make. All others are secondary to that. Only the best rating from the US Gov and Insurance Institute test ratings is what I look for. In this day and time, you can do that and still get a fine vehicle. As to the Sprinter, it seems to me that a vehicle, such as the Sprinter, that can be converted into a camper vehicle without removing the integral metal roof and replacing it with what is essentially a fiberglass boat hull attached by fasteners, would be infinitly safer in case of a rollover. On the way to Birmingham (ALA) last week, on the interstate at 75 mph, I spied a Sprinter in the sales lot of a large RV dealership. Judging by their website, it was probably a LeisureVan conversion. I tried to call them today but they are closed for the holiday. I'm starting to do the price comparison thing. Hope you have Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

[Altered Sprinter]

Iwantasprinter
You more than welcome, the sprinter has top end safety rating fro front end and side impact, rear is no better than any other make rollover technology Mercedes were the first to introduce this as standard well in advance of European mandates which the U.S is part off via the European justice commission fro transparency of which I was part of as an independent non biased arbitrator I was I think actually biased towards some companies Benz and oil companies but never told them.
I had a new VW Passat Station wagon in 1976 loved it front wheel drive went through the snow as if it was Christmas only I kept getting the front boot seals caught up in tangled bits of wire so replaced three off during the first twelve months, dam I paid for them thinking it was not a warranty issue, silly me had Mercedes ever since along with god know how many other makes.
You have me British made Ford Mercury Capri??? Have to tell you these are Australian made exports unless your talking early sixties model Capri and they were not Mercury
First Picture is the Australian Mercury Capri (FORD)
19854663F.JPG

The following one was British, also manufactured here in Australia with the Cosworth engine from the late sixties to early seventies.

frontal34.jpg
Out of curiosity which one have you! It's not so funny when some parts of the US were importing British makes due to diplomatic postings, same down here as to the US Military service personal importing some of the rarer US models into S/Australia for Wommera Nuclear and Long range guidance Ballistic missile testing systems for the Australian and US Navy long time ago.
PS the New Super extra long Sprinter has the Glass roof made by Westella
It's stronger than metal in a roll over situation seems they don't crush as much or bend like metal.

My bets are you will eventually purchase a Dodge Sprinter, but time will tell , they are a very reliable unit safe and economically sound when it comes down to the cost of maintenance over a five year period.
In the Mean time I hope and wish your immediate family a Jolly good Christmas as we have only one more sleep to go Aussies cheat! We have Christmas a day early and I know I have a neat treat in wait for me and My Sprinter coming on Santa's Sprinter tomorrow morn.
Richard

[Zach Woods]

Howdy Iwantasprinter -

Richard contributed a lot in answer to your question.

Here is my back-up / extension of his post.

I have driven both Sprinters (my Airstream Sprinter Westfalia) and Ford Econolines (and other US makes/ models).

Facts:

The Sprinter will get better mileage than any and all full-size American spec vans.

American spec vans with the right engine / transmission / chassis packages are specified to tow more and offer more hp / torque / non-turbo low-end get up and go.

The Sprinter is a safer van all around than the US competition. If nothing else it is a newer design.

My opinions:

Complaints appear frequent due to resistance to new / competing / foreign vehicle. Complainers say more than the satisfied owners - just the way the web and the "water cooler" tend to work.

Parts / service / accessories are more expensive and less common in the US for the Sprinter than for the US options. This should change over time.

Buy the Sprinter and maintain it properly - it will outlive and outperform (in all but the dragstrip and cheap repairs categories) the US options.

Zach

[Iwantasprinter]

I had a '72 Capri like this pic I Googled off the net, except it was yellow. Manual 4 speed and the 2000 cc, carburated, straight 6 engine. (I'm not sure the upload feature worked for me). It was the first car I paid for, though it was used when I got it in '76. Now that I'm middle-aged, I can relate to that lyric in the John Cougar Mellencamp song, Jack & Dianne, about "the thrill of living." There was plenty of that in those days. Althought the wiki listing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_Capri for Capri says it was german-made in Cologne, I am not so sure that is correct. It does admit that car had the Brit engine. I have visited a Capri forum or two, and the guys on there talk about that generation of Capri was actually a British-made Ford. It was branded as a Ford there, and imported into the US by Ford and not really re-badged as a Mercury, but was sold at Mercury dealerships (Ford-Lincoln-Mercury) because the Mustang was already being sold as a "Ford", hence its Mercury connection. Sounds like some of this Sprinter rebadging? The picture that Altered provided shows the F-O-R-D on the hood, but on mine it had C-A-P-R-I, if memory serves me. The other picture is the next generation.

[Iwantasprinter]

correction, actually it was an inline 4 cylinder. Had it had a 6, I probably wouldnt be around right now.

[Iwantasprinter]

http://www.hvidberg.com/capri.htm
A link to many Capri clubs if interested. In fact, I probably had a german-made one. Anyway, it's history.

[Altered Sprinter]

Originally Posted by Iwantasprinter

http://www.hvidberg.com/capri.htm
A link to many Capri clubs if interested. In fact, I probably had a german-made one. Anyway, it's history.

Good thing you did not get into the serious V6 it had very touchy rear end switch back, even with a half ton anti-sway bar and drag links, when you floored it the C,A,P,R.I----V----F.O.R.D was awsome for talking a walk on the wild side-sideways mind you if it had an east west engine it most likely would have went forward more often Just Jokeing
And Zack your right on the Sprinter I think a large lot of the issues on the Sprinter are from those who are some-what biased towards a almost perfect vehicle man I can mubble in the Jungle
Richard
PS I ate too much over Christmas and had to go back to work today! Big mistake, :D