Looking into first Sprinter, would like input

Need to buy a work van for my home theater/home automation business but really will have 3 uses for it.
1. work van
2. mobile office
3. weekend fun mobile (camping, getaways)

I would love your input on vehicle selection.

USES
Early in 2018 I'll be driving myself with main tech that I'll be doing some more training for and using the back as a mobile office about 50% of the time (MacBook for Internet probably via Verizon phone hotspot), maybe (just maybe) mobile printer, if not too much trouble with my purchased vehicle an additional monitor.

South Texas area so will soon need some air conditioning/air flow.

Will be taking occasional weekend camping trips with family (wife and 2 young boys) and want to use it.

So we won't do anything permanent for shelving etc.

MY THOUGHTS
Want the 170" high roof. Drove the 2017 6-cyl and 2016 4-cyl and both seem great.

Either their Worker or Passenger vans would be what I would look at if not wanting to do custom window work on a cargo.

Some of the dealers have a 2016 4-cyl passenger with A/C unit and upgraded heater and lots of upgrades for $10,000 discount...except not the stronger alternator and extra battery package or security system, both of which I assume I'll need.

1. Would you go with the "new" 2016 off the lot?
1a. If you are familiar with that year/motor do you like dislike? why?
1b. Would you prefer to look at something used to customize more?

2. Do you know of any good Sprinter mechanics in North Houston?
3. Do you have any experience with either of the two MB dealers in north part of Houston?

Thanks for your time.

I've got the 2016 2500 170 inline 4 cylinder and love it. Everything is insulated, which keeps it warm in the winter here in Canada, and not too hot in the summer.

I've designed it such that every component I have is strapped in tight using heavy duty Erikson straps on the floor D-rings. I have a queen size memory foam mattress and Zinus frame with 16" clearance for storage boxes beneath. A Theford toilet with floor mount, strapped in for redundancy. A 54" Husky Premium cabinet and workbench strapped in to the floor against my 3 rear seats in the crew cab. Redundant strap attached to the wheels and the chair in case the primary strap fails. Espar d2 heater installed in front of the driver side wheel housing. A small foldable table I can setup, with a chair or seating I made at the end of the bed. I can use this for my mobile office using Verizon hotspot when I'm in the USA or my phone when in Canada. Able to work anywhere. Every weekend my family and I go camping, normally up in the mountains. My son sleeps underneath the bed. Fully stocked with food that does not require refrigeration. A Yeti 1000 from Costco, powers my lights, electric 1500w water kettle, laptop, USB powered equipment. Two types of burners: butane single pot burner and an Opitumus isobutane burner when visiting much higher elevations. We carry our dogs with us as well. Placing their large dog cage on the crew seat, taking only two out of the three seats. Strapped in for safety.

If we need to transport large materials, everything can be unstrapped and taken out in less than 20 minutes.

Love the inline 4 cylinder engine. It's taken is from sea level in Vancouver Canada to Pikes Peak in Colorado without any issues. Not a speed demon, but this vehicle is not meant to be either. Very reliable. I think it would fit well with what you are trying to do. Unable to answer your other questions though. I gave you much more information than you asked for, and hopefully gives you and others some ideas.

For your mobile business, you could setup TV and stereo system inside the van, showing your customers the possibilities. High speed internet would enable streaming demonstrations using devices such as FireTV, Apple TV, ROKU etc. Fix all that up against a wall, and you'll still be able to go camping with your family.

Good luck and all the best.

Thanks for the reply. Man reading that has me excited.

...would love to see some pics too if you're willing.

...and I'm absolutely jealous of your mountain activity. oh how I long to get back into the mountains.

...maybe fall of 2018 after I put some miles on the van paying for some of it first.

QUESTION:
Did you buy yours with minimum packages and add some things yourself? For example this one I'm looking at doesn't have anywhere to connect straps etc. (as far as I remember), since it's a fully floored/walled passenger van.

...that and a few other minor details makes me wonder if I should go with entry-level 2016 4-cyl (or 2017 6-cyl--please weigh anyone), and customize it a little bit more myself.

...this bargain of $10K is hard to think about turning down though.

From what I have been reading it is likely that the 4 cylinder diesel will never be available again in the USA/Canada. There are those who really like the combination of the 4 cylinder diesel and the 7 speed transmission.

If you decide that you really want the 4 cylinder diesel Sprinter, in North America leftover stock may be your only option. I guess that Mexico might still have the 4 cylinder. I haven't researched that.

Have fun.

vic

Be sure to drive a Transit. Does not have the prestige of a Sprinter but is a viable alternate. All brands of vans have advantages and disadvantages. I have owned both.

The old NAG1 5 speed gearbox on a new Sprinter does not downshift automatically so manual shifting is required to reduce engine load and provide better mpg. I do not miss the Sprinter 5 speed. Do not miss the manual shifting. Transit 6 speed is a much better transmission. The reports on this site give a strong positive to the 4 cylinder Sprinter with the 7 speed automatic.

As a reference my Sprinter with a 2000 lb conversion got 18.5 mpg with the V6 diesel. The Transit gas Ecoboost with a 2000 lb conversion gets about 15.5 mpg. There is a considerable difference in scheduled service costs between the two vans. There are a lot more service locations for a Transit. There is a major difference in performance.

The sprinter 4cyl and 7sp is an excellent powertrain.
We lived with ours from sea level in California to over 9,500 feet in Colorado, it always delivered well into the 20MPG range and never had me feel like I needed more.

We now require 4wd and I’d pay $10,000 EXTRA to have the 4cyl and 7sp instead of the (only choice) 6cyl and 5sp.

Go with 4 cyl. I had all 5,6 and now 4cyl i love it i have 175k on my 2015 4cyl with zero problems 0 best sprinter ever made.

srt4ny said:

Go with 4 cyl. I had all 5,6 and now 4cyl i love it i have 175k on my 2015 4cyl with zero problems 0 best sprinter ever made.

Click to expand...

glad to hear! That's what we're picking up in 2 weeks. Gonna drive it home from NY.

crhambrick said:

Need to buy a work van for my home theater/home automation business but really will have 3 uses for it.
1. work van
2. mobile office
3. weekend fun mobile (camping, getaways)

I would love your input on vehicle selection.

USES
Early in 2018 I'll be driving myself with main tech that I'll be doing some more training for and using the back as a mobile office about 50% of the time (MacBook for Internet probably via Verizon phone hotspot), maybe (just maybe) mobile printer, if not too much trouble with my purchased vehicle an additional monitor.

South Texas area so will soon need some air conditioning/air flow.

Will be taking occasional weekend camping trips with family (wife and 2 young boys) and want to use it.

So we won't do anything permanent for shelving etc.

MY THOUGHTS
Want the 170" high roof. Drove the 2017 6-cyl and 2016 4-cyl and both seem great.

Either their Worker or Passenger vans would be what I would look at if not wanting to do custom window work on a cargo.

Some of the dealers have a 2016 4-cyl passenger with A/C unit and upgraded heater and lots of upgrades for $10,000 discount...except not the stronger alternator and extra battery package or security system, both of which I assume I'll need.

1. Would you go with the "new" 2016 off the lot?
1a. If you are familiar with that year/motor do you like dislike? why?
1b. Would you prefer to look at something used to customize more?

2. Do you know of any good Sprinter mechanics in North Houston?
3. Do you have any experience with either of the two MB dealers in north part of Houston?

Thanks for your time.

Click to expand...

I live in the same area as you(north Houston, thenWoodlamds). There is a awesome sprinter repair shop in Spring,he does FedEx repairs and maintenance as well.

As far as the two north Houston dealers the woodlands store notably better. It's a privately owned dealership as opposed to a nationwide chain. They actually care about service!

I Have had several sprinters and can't think of a more versitile van. I have had three of the V6 vans with great luck, and one 4cy van as a loaner a time or two. Really liked that one also. Have you driven one?

Also check out MB of Georgetown in Austin, they usually have great inventory,

On your electrical power needs, try to purchase 12 VDC to XX VDC power supplies and simply use the
main battery.
Maybe add a solar cell or two to keep that main battery up.
If you are not constantly converting 12 VDC to 100 VAC and then back to XX VDC to power your computer/
monitor/printer, and if you plan to drive somewhere nearly every day, you should have no problems.
I have a fridge/freezer that can run for 24 hours and not take the starting battery down.
It has a 12 VDC power supply.
All of my laptop computers have a 12 VDC to whatever the input voltage on the computer needs.
Cuts way down on the electrical power needed.
You can also add a house battery bank pretty easily if you find you are using more power than the
onboard system can develop.
Will your "training stops" be at places where you can plug into 120 VAC 60 Hz. shore power?
Add a small circuit breaker box and a pass thru for 120 VAC and then plug all your electronics into
that shore power source when you can or when you will be working for longer periods of time without
driving your van at all.
Hope this helps,
Roger
P.S. Get the OM-651 4 Cylinder + 7G-Tronic 7 speed transmission. It's by far the best power train ever
in MB/FL Sprinters!

Awesome stuff so far. Thanks for all the input.

I've drive both 2016 4 and the 2017 6.

I've been in a Transit but not driven one yet.

Here's what it boils down to for me currently.

I prefer a diesel but don't require one. I prefer a Sprinter and would also prefer to go new so I at least have 36K of miles under warranty should any issues arise. Time out of commission will be annoying but $5K+ of repairs would be painful.

There are some used 2016 sprinters that would save me about 10K but they are out of warranty so that concerns me a bit.

The Transits of course would be cheaper on repairs and I'm sure could get a good year-end deal on a new one with a few more bells and whistles but the mid roof is not tall enough for me to stand up in and the high roof is so high I feel like it'd be a wind sail (but might drive one just to check). Also, the price savings really won't be significant it would only be the potential maintenance issues that would possibly be cheaper.

I need to setup a website which details my build, and then I'll take photos and post them.

One of my criteria when choosing a Sprinter was Bi-Xenon headlights, the 170 with a crew package, and definitely the inline 4-cylinder with 7-speed transmission. Anything extra was a bonus to me. Then had my corporate Mercedes dealer here in Vancouver search their inventory across Canada. I would have preferred roof rack rails, a tow hitch and heated seats, but alas, it didn't come with those features. When driving at night, the bi-xenon lights are so nice and light up the sides of the road - it's almost like driving during the daytime. Now that it is winter and below freezing in Vancouver, the van is ice cold in the morning.

The Espar D2 was installed by Thermo King of Vancouver (amazing quality of installation), and I turn it on a couple hours ahead of going into the van. No need for the heated seats. A toasty warm of 75F.

Sprinter SS said:

I live in the same area as you(north Houston, thenWoodlamds). There is a awesome sprinter repair shop in Spring,he does FedEx repairs and maintenance as well.

As far as the two north Houston dealers the woodlands store notably better. It's a privately owned dealership as opposed to a nationwide chain. They actually care about service!

I Have had several sprinters and can't think of a more versitile van. I have had three of the V6 vans with great luck, and one 4cy van as a loaner a time or two. Really liked that one also. Have you driven one?

Also check out MB of Georgetown in Austin, they usually have great inventory,

Click to expand...

What is the name of the Sprinter repair guy in Spring? I'd love to give him a call.

crhambrick said:

What is the name of the Sprinter repair guy in Spring? I'd love to give him a call.

Click to expand...

Sprinter Specialist. +1713805197



Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Thanks but you’re missing a digit on that phone number

Found the extra digit...it's a 7.

I spoke with him. He was very helpful and informative.

Reuben at Sprinter Specialist is a great resource. He knows sprinters and does not sugar coat anything. He sees the best and worst of maintenance on vans as he takes care of the FedEx overflow maintenance....

When do you get your new van?

You will not be disappointed with the 4cyl powertrain. I drove the 4 and V6 back-to-back and the 4 cylinder powertrain felt more refined than the V6 rig, almost like it was a newer generation vehicle. It's probably mostly in the transmission. I also noticed less turbo lag in the 4 cylinder due to it's twin turbo (one small turbo for quick spooling) arrangement, although the V6 does make more torque overall.

I've been averaging 24-28 MPG but do get the occasional out-layer in the low-30s.