Knowing what you know now... would you buy the same Sprinter today?

Panzer Kaptin

Haulin' Mass
I'm looking at an '04 w/ around 100k miles on it. Had it inspected by a knowledgeable Sprinter mechanic and it was given an excellent bill of health. No maintenance records, though. Very clean overall. Going to be about $16k to buy it.

I have tried to read a lot here and become a knowledgeable buyer. Lots of great info and great help already!

Should I get a pre-'04 OM617 Sprinter, or an '04+ with the updates?

Or... steer clear of T1N's altogether?

Would you buy the same Sprinter you have today, knowing what you know now?
 

chads

Member
I have a 06 and thought the updates usually are pretty much done last year before the next model changeover.
I can't speak on the 04 but like the 06.
Chad
 

Turbo John

New member
I'm looking at an '04 w/ around 100k miles on it. Had it inspected by a knowledgeable Sprinter mechanic and it was given an excellent bill of health. No maintenance records, though. Very clean overall. Going to be about $16k to buy it.

I have tried to read a lot here and become a knowledgeable buyer. Lots of great info and great help already!

Should I get a pre-'04 OM617 Sprinter, or an '04+ with the updates?

Or... steer clear of T1N's altogether?

Would you buy the same Sprinter you have today, knowing what you know now?
Yes I would in a second because it made the best work truck I ever owned...could not imagine working out of van or even a box truck......they are awesome trucks...
Now that I dont have that business....I am still glad I kept it......I was offered 18k last year for the truck and I said forget it..........the guy went to 20k......I still would not take it because what would I replace it with?..........this Sprinter is way better than a pickup with a top on it...

I use it as a daily driver........people always want to borrow it to move things...I am stopping that all together now........of course they dont want to pay you anything for the use either....so thats the negative thing........"Hey Can I borrow your Sprinter this afternoon for a couple of hours?"
 

Altered Sprinter

Happy Little Vegemite
I bought my van new in 2005, it has exceed all exceptions as to total reliability.Would I buy another! YES but not the NCV from 2006 through to 2011.
I'll wait for the brand new updated Sprinters for July/August 2016
In the intern I did by another Fleet vehicle as a stop gap measure due to my antics off road.Sister And Brother from VW.currently Crafty VW is ahead of the Mercedes, especially with engine HP.
No I did not part with my Tin-In -A- Can! Or is it a Can-In -A-Tin?.:rolleyes:
Richard.
 

photogravity

Former Sprinter Wannabe
Yes, indeed. My Sprinter is a 2002 model. I like that I do not need to "code" the injectors should they need to be replaced in the future. I like simplicity.

If it's simplicity and reliability you're after, the OM612 Sprinters are hard to beat.
 
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Well Yes I would buy a Sprinter again. I have an 06 tall long passenger van that had 500k
on it at purchase the motor was swapped out at about 450k now has about 60k on motor
runs like a champ on steroids. This van is so handy in my antique business hauling furniture
and lumber and making deliveries. My last vehicle was a Dodge 2500 diesel great truck loved
the 4x4 but hated putting things in and out of the bed. So now I'll convert the sprinter to
a dry camper (duel purpose) to better serve my needs. Buy a sprinter they are great.:cheers:
 

david_42

Active member
I wouldn't buy the auxiliary heater, but other than that, I'd buy the same again. I'm coming up on 92K and my first brake job. I have a bad glowplug and one of the turbo hoses broke, but not bad for almost 10 years.
 

SullyVan

2005 T1N Conversion
Without a doubt. One of the best values out there. Why does it just keep going and going? If you can afford to keep filling the tank up and do regular maintenance, it is crazy how well these things work.

Ready to hit 190,000.
 

MillionMileSprinter

Millionmilesprinter.com
Yes I would buy another Sprinter and yes, after looking for a passenger model for a friend, that sounds like a fair price, as long as it's in decent shape.
 
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robbin

Member
Ordered my 2004 3500 tall 158" as soon as pricing and options came out (October 2003 as I recall) and I still love it as much as the day I took delivery. I purposely waited for the 2004 model change and have always been happy that I did. Definitely would buy another if something happens to mine. Otherwise I plan on driving this one for a long time to come.
 

L8RSK8R

2006 2.7 Mercedes 2500
Wish I'd purchased the long wheel base. But overall, only issue which pissed me off....rust/poor paint job.
 

israndy

2007 LTV Serenity
I LOVE LOVE LOVE mine, I agree with what was said earlier, stay away from the early NCv3s, I did drive one and they are quiet, but the T1N is enough not like an old diesel for me. No black smoke, or horrible smell. And I can run BioDiesel if I want, or Pemex diesel.

The new one's with the extra safety features are interesting, but I already bought a new Volvo for those, and I may just buy a MobilEye to add some of them to the T1N.

It may take me the rest of my life to wear out this one at 10000 miles a year, so I am not looking to upgrade just yet.

-Randy
 

Turbo John

New member
Does an '04 w/ 100k for $16k seem like a reasonable price, and a solid choice for model year?
I have an 04 Model and I turned down 20....so yes its the right price.


There is a guy that specialize in Sprinter sales near me.......he gets over 20k for every T1N he has on the lot and many of them have 200k plus

He paints them and cleans them up and sometimes will put an engine in......I asked him how many miles on this or that Sprinter........typical reply: " I dont know and I dont care"....

He offered me 9k for mine and I laughed......it would be on the lot the next day for 23k:thumbup:
 

Cole

OUTLAW SPRINTER!!!
Just to offer a counter view point on pricing. I paid $6k for my 2004 270K DUAL SLIDER 3500, cruise, power windows, locks, 7 day espar timer, heated seats, freshed up paint, etc.

I think that as these vans get "too old" for many of the contractors to use in their business the prices will start to fall as more used vans hit the market. I'm not in that business, but I talked to several sellers when shopping for mine that said they were losing contracts because they required a 10 year or newer vehicle. So they were looking to dump their 10+ year old Sprinters.

Since 02-03 seem to be low import years I don't think this has had a big effect on the market yet. But now in 2014 where the larger imported numbers of the 2004 vans start to come into play that may start to fill the market with used vans.

Just a thought.
 

surlyoldbill

Well-known member
Just to offer a counter view point on pricing. I paid $6k for my 2004 270K DUAL SLIDER 3500, cruise, power windows, locks, 7 day espar timer, heated seats, freshed up paint, etc.

I think that as these vans get "too old" for many of the contractors to use in their business the prices will start to fall as more used vans hit the market. I'm not in that business, but I talked to several sellers when shopping for mine that said they were losing contracts because they required a 10 year or newer vehicle. So they were looking to dump their 10+ year old Sprinters.

Since 02-03 seem to be low import years I don't think this has had a big effect on the market yet. But now in 2014 where the larger imported numbers of the 2004 vans start to come into play that may start to fill the market with used vans.

Just a thought.
I get questioned about my van all the time, people can't believe it's 11 years old, they think it's a brand new model because they haven't seen very many before. Little do they know it has been redesigned twice since it was new. I sometimes worry that people will think I charge too much when I pull up with the unusual van with a mercedes grill. When they ask, I always disclose that it's more than a decade old and I've had it for about 7 years.

Some fleets may automatically dump vehicles when they reach a certain age or mileage, so we might see more. Mixed blessing on fleet vehicles, they are maintained regularly, but are also driven abusively by employees.
 

autostaretx

Erratic Member
Yes, with no qualms whatsoever...
... and i'm really "trapped" in the T1N Fan Club, since the 118" (truly short) wheelbase is perfect for our needs.
A "medium" (the current North American Market "short") is just too long.

--dick
 

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