Is it worthy to buy used sprinter 2008 3500?

I have read many article that showed why sprinter is better than any other competitors.
Good engine, no breakdown, no defect, good MPG.. many sprinter owner even said that it is easy to run more than 500K miles without any problems.
So I'm about to buy used sprinter 2008 3500 ext hi roof.

However, I saw some sprinter owner's complains in this site and in http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX/.f0d3fd5/ , and I'm worrying about buying 2008 sprinter.

Are those sprinter owners are just mis-fortuned to buy lemon car, or Are there any mechanical defect?

By the way, Can you give me any Tip when buying used sprinter car?
For example, do I have to go dodge dealer shop to inspect the car, or other mechanics are fine before buying it?

Do you know good mechanics located in southern california?

Do I have to go through weight station?

What is the best price to buy used 2008 dodge sprinter 170 EXT Hi roof?
-Now I'm dealing with auto dealer

I'll look forward to hear from you.
Thank you for reading.
 

jmoller99

Own a DAD ODB2 Unit.
If the Sprinter is well maintained (ie. using the prescribed fluids and changing them on schedule, and all other regular checks, as well as using OEM parts), Sprinters are as reliable as any other vehicle. The problem most people have is that they are used to a gasoline vehicle, and many of these people often allow the scheduled maintenance to slip - the Sprinter is not a vehicle you should ever do that with. Finding Gasoline based mechanics is a lot easier than finding a good Sprinter mechanic, especially if you are outside of your normal area (like on a vacation 1000 miles from home).

Very few people have ODBII readers that can really access trouble codes for the Sprinter. Many people also have issues with the service centers that originally sold Sprinters - many of the service personnel have very little hands on experience with them, and tend to just start replacing things when they get error codes to work from.

If you are willing to accept the responsibility of doing most of your own maintenance, and you learn how things work (being proactive about all things in your Sprinter), you will probably have good experiences with your Sprinter.

There are no vehicles that don't break down on occasion, but you can greatly reduce the odds of that happening. You have little control over the fuel you buy (however, I normally only buy Diesel from busy Truck Stops - I know its fresher there), but you can carry spare fuel filters, fan belt and a few of the more common sensors that fail over time - if you have a problem while on the road, you are not stuck trying to find common parts out in the middle of nowhere.

I won't allow the local Dodge dealer (who used to sell Sprinters) anywhere near my Sprinter for normal maintenance service - they only have one person who works on them, and you have to schedule things based on his time. I did let them program new keys for me (only because my DAD unit does not allow me to do that). You may be luckier with your local Dodge service people than I am. I have a Freightliner version (almost identical except for some cosmetic changes), and there are no Freightliner Sprinter service centers anywhere in my home state. Finding a mechanic with the right diagnostic gear that you actually trust may be hard to do.

This forum has a lot of great information in it, and has people who are intimately familiar with Sprinters (some work on Sprinters for a living). I have used it to figure out and proactively address issues before they became problems. If you are willing to make the effort to keep yours up to date (service wise), it can be a worthy vehicle for you.

That said, for some reason or other, Mercedes seems to have problems with the EGR valves on all of the Sprinters ever sold in the USA - I clean mine out every spring with spray SeaFoam (a product that breaks up carbon deposits), and I do my best to avoid letting my Sprinter idle for any length of time (this causes EGR valve clogging).

Use the search feature of this Website - odds are good that what ever issues you have, someone has already seen it and solved it.
 
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jdcaples

Not Suitable w/220v Gen
sprinter8888,

How do you intend to use this 2008 3500? Business/Service, Recreation, something else?

-Jon
 
I will use it for business.
And I'm considering buying it or 2007 cab & chassis with 14' box.
I think 14' box can load more than that.

And the mileage is 130,xxx
 
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If EGR valve clogging is happen, how much cost to fix it?
If I do scheduled checkup, and handle EGR valve well, Can I really run sprinter more than 500,000 miles?
 

jmoller99

Own a DAD ODB2 Unit.
You can buy a new EGR - but they are expensive. Many peoples EGR valve problems stem from allowing the Sprinter to idle for hours on end - they tell you not to do that, it's really bad for all Diesels. Some of the newer Sprinters (2010 and later) have had EGRs replaced a lot more frequently than earlier Sprinters - I don't know why.

My Sprinter had 155,000 miles on it when I bought it. FedEx often drives their Sprinters for 650,000 to 750,000 miles - they also are on top of maintenace 100% of the time. Talk to a FedEx Sprinter driver next time you see one and ask what they think.

The 144 inch Wheel Base (on the T1N - 140 inch Wheel Base - what I have) fits in most parking spaces. The longer ones need to have more room - they are about 3 feet longer - they also hold more. You just have to plan on where you want to park so that you are not in any ones way (not hard to do).

To get an idea about Sprinter parts cost, look at:

http://store.europarts-sd.com/

If you get a Sprinter consider buying either an UltraGauge EM or ScanGuage II to help monitor the way your engine and turbo charger are working as you drive.

I drive mine practically every day (30 mile round trip to where I work) - it has been very reliable.

I can't stress enough that you, as the driver, needs to be aware of how your Sprinter is running (hence you need to be doing as much service as possible). There are a lot of service people who have no idea what they are doing, relative to a Sprinter (some are working at the dealerships that have sold and serviced them).
 
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