General Question, New to the Game

I am new to the sprinter van and conversion game. I'm currently in the market for a van, something less than $10,000. For that price what kind of mileage/year would be considered very good?

For example, would 2007 2500 Mercedes Sprinter, 170" with 374K be a good deal for $7,000?

What is your conversion cost budget?

I would say conversion cost would be a 'working budget.' I don't necessarily have a budget, I just have income to slowly put towards a van.

I have 3 kids, a 14 year old, 1 year old and 3 year old. We won't be living in the van full time but traveling out west for long trips over the summer and ski trips in the winter.

Given those factors I don't necessarily have a fixed budget for the conversion, its' more about what my wife will let me get away with bit by bit.

And what is your budget for maintenance and repairs?

A 12 year old van with 374,000 miles could run it quite hefty repair bills if it hasn't been impeccably maintained during its earlier life.

Keith.

I'd like to keep repairs south of $1,000 a year but I'm new so that may be laughable.

Cheyenne said:

And what is your budget for maintenance and repairs?

A 12 year old van with 374,000 miles could run it quite hefty repair bills if it hasn't been impeccably maintained during its earlier life.

Keith.

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Yes.... I second impeccably, and by Sprinter technicians.

kentuckycamper said:

I'd like to keep repairs south of $1,000 a year but I'm new so that may be laughable.

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And will that be DIY or do you know of a shop which specialises in Sprinters?

kentuckycamper said:

I'd like to keep repairs south of $1,000 a year but I'm new so that may be laughable.

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I would forget about it.

kentuckycamper said:

I'd like to keep repairs south of $1,000 a year but I'm new so that may be laughable.

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Is there any vehicle that meets this criteria?

It alone cost ~$175 to get it properly scanned & diagnosed by a Sprinter tech per event...

OrioN said:

Is there any vehicle that meets this criteria?

It alone cost ~$175 to get it scanned & diagnosed by a Sprinter tech per event...

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I spent less than $1,000 on my Transit in last year.

Miss Piggy has been very reliable with only oil/filter changes. No "events". Not as good mpg but significantly less expensive for repairs and required maintenance. I smile every time I buy 6 quarts of Mobile 1 on sale at Costco for under $30. By coincidence the Transit gas engine requires 6 quarts/oil change. Dealer does change with my oil and their filter for under $60. Beats the heck out of Sprinter's $250 service.

Graphite Dave said:

I spent less than $1,000 on my Transit in last year.

Miss Piggy has been very reliable with only oil/filter changes. No "events". Not as good mpg but significantly less expensive for repairs and required maintenance. I smile every time I buy 6 quarts of Mobile 1 on sale at Costco for under $30. By coincidence the Transit gas engine requires 6 quarts/oil change. Dealer does change with my oil and their filter for under $60. Beats the heck out of Sprinter's $250 service.

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Can you post your Year-over-year (YOY) TOTAL COST of maintenance, including scheduled maintenance, tires, light-bulb, etc., including odometer reading for your Transit

Spending $1000 one year, but spending $3000 pre or post, is useless data...

So am I to assume that sprinter vans come with much higher maintenance costs than Promasters?

Oh, yeah...

Thanks for all the info. I appreciate the insight. I'm sure it won't be the last question I bring to the forum.

I’ve averaged about $900 in maintenance for my 2006 T1N over the last couple of years, but that’s mostly parts. I do the majority of my own labor, only took it into shops to have the A/C system evacuated and filled after replacing the condenser, to have tires put on, and State Safety Inspections. If you’re mechanically inclined, have good problem solving skills, and dive deep into this forum, an older Sprinter can be kept running well on the cheap.

Sorry, my comment above was in a moment of desperation, maybe. To be more clear: IF you begin to have issues with a Sprinter, they certainly can become very expensive, very quickly. These modern-day diesels --of any brand-- are far more efficient and cleaner than earlier diesels, but they are also extremely complicated and can be finicky. I suspect that, as far as emission controls --and their electronics-- manufacturers are still in the "figuring it out" phase, though they seem to be getting better at it. Nonetheless, if issues crop up out of warranty they can be scary-expensive. Even normal "A" and "B" service, if done at a dealer, are generally quite pricey, perhaps $800-$900 or more.

OTOH, if you happen to get one that's well made (?) and take care of it religiously, they can be amazing. We purchased a Roadtrek RV (SS Agile) in 2015 and have had pretty good luck with it: one apparently common issue, older-version NOx sensors that failed at around 18K miles, was taken care of under warranty and it's been fine since, though we only use it in warm weather and it now has only about 42K on it.

Though I'd think long and hard about purchasing another new diesel vehicle, our Sprinter has been an amazing experience, in handling, comfort, utility, and efficiency. Still blows me away that a "truck" loaded pretty much to GVWR (8500 lbs, +/-) is definitely NOT underpowered yet still gets just under 20 mpg. It's the first vehicle I've ever had that I can sit in for 8-10 hours if necessary and not get a back or neck ache. At interstate speeds in cruise, it maintains set speed accurately and rarely needs to downshift going up hills.

Hope this gives a bit more insight than my rather flippant comment above (sorry!).

OrioN said:

Can you post your Year-over-year (YOY) TOTAL COST of maintenance, including scheduled maintenance, tires, light-bulb, etc., including odometer reading for your Transit

Spending $1000 one year, but spending $3000 pre or post, is useless data...

Click to expand...

Transit was bought on 1-20-15 and has been driven 30,255 miles.

5-26-15 4532 miles oil and filter change $20.61 labor with my $30 oil for total of $50.61
10-16-15 Detailed for $344.00
10-16-15 Repaired two roof dents for $290.00

2015 Total Maintenance Cost was $684.61

5-10-16 10,592 miles oil and filter change $31.89 with my $30 oil for a total of $61.89
5-12-16 Installed revised windshield drain gutter on recall at no charge.
11-28-16 14782 miles added TPMS sending unit to spare tire $122.39 for part $15 install for a total of $137.39
11-30-16 14812 miles oil and filter change $46.89 with my $30 oil for total of $76.89
12-16-16 15185 miles modify right front wheel location to obtain alignment. No charge

2016 Total Maintenance Cost was $276.17

1-17-17 20546 miles oil and filter change $41.66 with my $30 oil for a total of $71.66

2017 Total Maintenance Cost was $71.66

4-6-18 23014 miles 5 tire rotation by Big O Tires $50.00
8-14-18 24848 miles oil and filter change $61.66 with my $30 oil for a total of $91.89
also reset the TPMS system
8-14-18 24848 miles Recall for replacing rubber doughnut (U-joint) no charge
10-3-18 Detailed $250.00

2018 Total Maintenance Cost was $391.89

1-23-19 27197 miles Replaced the two vehicle batteries. $431.35
12-4-19 30255 miles 30,000 mile service. oil and filter $61.13 with my $30 oil
Front end alignment $119.95
Replace brake fluid $147.18
Check electrical system $187.50
Total invoice after 10% discount $439.71

2019 Total Maintenance Cost was $871.06

So total maintenance costs for 5 years was $684.61 + $276.17 + $71.66 +$391.89 + $871.06 or $2295.39 which is $459.08/year.

No unscheduled failures in 5 years. Included the two details for wash and wax and dent repair.

I buy Mobile 1 pure synthetic oil at Costco when on sale for less than $30.00 for 6 quarts.

I am approaching 3 years of ownership for my 2017 170 4x4. Zero issues with van and total maintenance expenses to date total less than $250. Oil change kit $125, air filter, cabin filter, fuel filter, and windshield wipers add another $125.




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Ah, yes, the other bugaboo, apologies for not addressing this: Mercedes dealers that are qualified to work on Sprinters (and know what they're doing) are few and far between, and as a result are always the cause of the "finger crossing" while on long trips for us. If for that reason and no other, I'd tend toward a domestic brand if I were to be shopping now for a platform for a camper conversion. (Sorry, mother Benz.)

I think OP is looking to buy a van with 374k on the odometer. Discussing maintenance costs of a 3-5 year old van with 30k+ isn’t a good comparison. Anyone with maintenance numbers for a very high mileage van?


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