considering sprinter rv. best years? years to avoid?

we are getting close to buying our first rv and it will likely be a based on a sprinter van. I want to make sure i dont jump into this without knowing about some well known issue or limitation.

i see the 2006 and older i5 get better mileage and have read up on the black death.

sounds like the 07 and newer v6 is smoother and quieter but has the dpf issues and less mileage.

to find vans i really like it seems like they are 2009 and newer. here is a 2012 i really like the looks of. http://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2012-Winnebago-Era-70X-113567280

i like the newer styling, 7 seat belts, dual rear tires, higher weight and towing capacities, that one has a heat pump and i would think compared to an older one like an 06 it is going to be better in many ways.

i like the idea of an 08 with the gde tune for mileage, more power and egr delete but people seem to want nearly as much money for an 08 as they do a 2012. Is anyone doing that type of tuning on the newer ones? do the newer ones like the 2012 posted above have dpf and egr problems?

i see some of these have a tow rating of 3000lbs and others 5000lbs. i may want to tow a car on a trailer some day along with several passengers. seems like the 20012 above would work well for this.

thanks for the help

I can't recommend year models. I just want to suggest "buy new". I believe that will give you the best experience. After all, if you find the RV that you like (as far as living arrangement), you will keep it a long time. We are at 9 1/2 years with ours and find it everlastingly suitable for our manner of living.

We bought our Sprinter 2500 RV in '03 as a traveling accommodation for my wife after experiencing a spinal stroke. It has served us well as it provides a comfortable vehicle for her on trips both short or long. Best thing for me is it's handling qualities and accessibility to parking as I am not a retired truck driver. Offers excellent mileage.

New is out if my price range. I found a 2012 era 170 with 30k on it for $67k. That seems like a good value.

Seems like my best options are to try and find a solid 2006 for around $40k or a nearly new one for under $70k. Most of the years in between are priced too close to the nearly new price. from you guys I am looking for reasons why the 2012 might be a bad choice since that is where I seem to be headed.

RVs are usually low mileage, so the year difference isn't that important. There are a few variations in drivetrain.
02-03 OM612 (T1N) 5cyl 2.7l diesel: simpler design of peripherals, no resonator, easier to replace injectors (no scan tool required), less prone to LHM.
04-06 OM647 (T1N) 5cyl 2.7l diesel; more reliable EGR, easier access to glowplugs via redesigned manifold, other updates I'm not familiar with.
07-13 (NCV3) two engines available; 3.0l diesel and 3.5l gas, both 6cyl; lower mpg, additional emissions equipment, more power.
14-present; 2.1l 4cyl diesel with 7 speed automatic and 3.0l diesel with 5 speed automatic

People are pretty happy with the I4 2.1l engine so far. It has as much HP as the old OM612/647, and gets about the same MPG.

One thing to keep an eye on is the age of the tires. You might find a 03-05 build that only has 12k miles, and has the original tires. Sidewalls rot, and you should get rid of tires that are 6 years old to prevent blowouts.

Don't forget on 2010 Sprinters you get the BlueTec, this increased MPG, almost to the level of the old i5, w/o all the rattles. I have been impressed with the v6 as smoothness and power goes, but I still come back to the i5 for MPG. I own an LTV and they make VERY quiet RVs. I had a Gulf Stream before and that i5 rattle was a bit much over time.

I think you have the points in time picked out perfectly. 2006 is the best year for the i5s and good MPG. 2012 is old enough to no longer be considered new so that drive it off the lot and loose $40k has already happened. Going older there is a plateau, all the RVs I shop for seem to hold their price for several years after losing their NEW appeal. So going older than 2012 will not save much money until you get real old, like 2006.

The tires are likely not going to be used up in an RV but the warning of age is appropriate if you buy a 2006. I bought some new 2011 tires two years ago for $160 installed. Kept the inner tires and moved them to the front. Will likely swap them this year or next for some more used tires. If you don't drive much, used tires are GREAT. RVs don't drive much.

-Randy

surlyoldbill said:

One thing to keep an eye on is the age of the tires. You might find a 03-05 build that only has 12k miles, and has the original tires. Sidewalls rot, and you should get rid of tires that are 6 years old to prevent blowouts.

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+1 on replacing old tires. Many people get killed each year running tires that 'had a lot of meat still left on the tread.'

Tires are expensive but they're critically important.

2006 was the consensus. I owned a 2006 2500 144" bought bran new. Just bought a new 2014 and 4cyl. 7 speed WOW it's a space ship compared to the 2006. Get a new one!

i see some 2015's with the 3.0 diesel and under 1k miles for around $85k. i dont know if this is considered new or not but it's new enough for me to call new. i was thinking a new one cost more than this. the math here seems to show a new one is only about $20k more than a 2012 with 30k miles on it. I think that is more money than i want to spend but it is temping to just find a new one.

something worrisome is rust. i see some rust under the back door seal of a 2006 that they are asking over $50k for. i will be parking inside and the van will see very little snow/salt so if i get a newer one i think i will be able to keep it nice.

thanks for the help. no one has said the 2012 has some big deal breaking issues. after some searching i found some guys that have some def repair expenses once over 100k miles.

One big thing I lament about NOT doing with the used RV when I got it is having someone put the protective film on the leading edge paint and glass. I got a new car last year and it has a special paint, glass, and fabric protector on it. Makes cleaning bugs and bird poop a breeze.

The technology was becoming available 4 years ago, but it has gotten much better. My concern was I feared if I installed it I would make a mess and the closest professional installer was too far to drive there for a quick quote. Now my formerly perfect paint on the RV has chips and will have fading eventually. My headlights are yellowing and I am looking into sanding them down, yet if I had protected them I might not even be concerned about them now.

There is even protective paint film in a can now at the auto part store. Don't let it get wet overnight! Of course the grass is always greener... Perhaps if I had gotten the film I would now be concerned that I cannot get the bug guts out of the plastic and if I hadn't put the film on I would be able to clean the surface much better or the surface gets all scratched with abrasive cleaning while the paint alone would have been fine.

My biggest fear that lead to my not installing the film is that I would change my mind and despite saying the film can be removed w/o paint damage, I would freak out and try to remove it and then have the ugliest paint and nothing to do but have someone sand it down and start again.

-Randy