Should I buy a 2006 Sprinter

We want to buy a 2006 Leisure Travel Van. It has only about 13,000 miles on it. We will be traveling in the South West and doing a lot of off road camping in national parks. After reading some of the posts on this site about mechanical problems that even the trained technicians can't diagnose, I am concerned that we could have a mechanical problem a hundred miles from a repair shop. Should we be concerned about taking the van in the back country?

Don't worry,be happy. I just purchased an 2006 and looking at a trip out west this summer from fl.I believe there a solid van that when maintained will go far.

A lot of owners here have thousands of miles of trouble free mechanical problems. As long as good maintence was and is done you most likely have nothing to worry about.

Save travels.

Two years ago we purchased a Roadtrek 2007 SS Agile (on a 2006 Sprinter chassis). We were also concerned about the potential issues but we called an expert (Dr. A a.k.a. Andy Bittenbinder). His comment was the 2006 would be an heirloom - driven & maintained properly you will be able to pass it to your grandchildren. The 2007 and newer Sprinters has a lot more emissions equipment and more potential failure modes.

This forum is a great resource to lesrn about potential problems and correct them before they leave you stranded. Read some of the posts from frequent contributors to learn all you can (sailquik's posts have been helpful to me but there are other regulars that also provide great information & advise).

Best of luck with your vehicle search!

Even cars and trucks fresh off the lot can have mechanical problems, like every F250 my family's logging company ever bought. If it's in good running order to begin with and you drive it gently you shouldn't have any problems. An 06 should already have the resonator replaced.

Thanks all. Your responses are encouraging. We will try to make a deal on this 06 Leisure Travel Van or some other 06.

I had a few problems early on, like a SCREEM that hated freezing weather, but in the last 9 years I had to replace one turbo hose that was getting soft and my glowplugs. Neither problem prevented the van from running.