Would you recommend a sprinter van

Would you recommend a sprinter van...if not why.

  • YES all the time there great vans

    Votes: 367 50.9%
  • On ocassions

    Votes: 145 20.1%
  • Rarley if ever

    Votes: 22 3.1%
  • NO

    Votes: 112 15.5%
  • Maintence and parts are too exspensive

    Votes: 149 20.7%
  • Overly complex control systems

    Votes: 115 16.0%
  • Lack of qualified service centers and mechanics

    Votes: 152 21.1%
  • Aftermarket support small

    Votes: 65 9.0%
  • Not built for heavy duty service

    Votes: 36 5.0%

  • Total voters
    721

220629

Well-known member
Information:
Any time that a member responds to a poll it brings the thread back to life. That is how a post with an ancient date can pop up in the first page.

********

My opinions haven't changed much since 2012. Well, for T1N's. More modern NAS aka NAFTA diesels with their more complex emissions systems are a different animal.

I added a couple updates.

This thread seems about 50/50 for or against. In my mind that isn't a great ratio for a prospective buyer..
First let me say that although we are pretty tame and very civilized as vehicle forums go, we can still be a tough crowd. Adding to that, those who are against tend to be more willing to share their displeasure than those who are happy. You should visit the forums of any vans you're considering and look for similar threads. You may find that 50/50 is pretty typical.

The lack of plentiful dealerships/repair facilities can be a definite negative. I think that basically the Sprinter is as reliable as other brands and maybe even more reliable in some ways. There have been many over 400,000 mile Sprinters reporting here and other forums. Another negative which probably relates to the lack of repair facilities is that I think often what could be a readily repaired problem gets magnified because they go around the horn to resolve it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's easy. I figure many things out, but without Doktor A and other true professionals on this forum keeping me on track I'd be lost at times too, many times.

For 4 years now I have been passing a 158 T1N which is often in a private driveway. I noticed that the back doors had that terrible looking rust drip. The body was looking worse than mine. I was actually tempted to stop and offer to give the doors a 10 minute Magic Eraser and Orange Hand Cleaner restore process, but decided that might seem a bit creepy. I no longer need to worry about that because that T1N is gone. What is there now is a shiny new looking 170 NCV3. That's a pretty good testament to Sprinters.
20190421 Update.
There is now a nice shiny black Ford Transit parked in that driveway. :bash: I can say that I'm still driving by to see it while in my 2004 with 328,000+ miles on the clock.


Anyway, I really like my 2004. It has been very reliable given the miles it has already and continues to clock. If anything happens to this one I'll look for another. I am not known for giving rave reviews because I wouldn't want to lead anyone astray. Everyone needs to make their own decisions. vic

Added:
I did find a replacement. A 2006 2500 HC Freightliner passenger model. I'm happy with that one too. Unfortunately being a hoarder I kept the 2004. Few people really need 2 ea. Sprinter vans. Having both a cargo and passenger model is handy though.
:cheers: vic
 
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hepcat

Just an old guy...
A thread that's been running for eight years is pretty impressive.

Unfortunately there was no poll for "Yes... and no." I guess that's "on occasions."

I'm a relatively new Sprinter owner... I bought an '04 T1N with 105k miles, upfitted as an Airstream Interstate in April of '19 from an RV dealer in Georgia. I was dubious, but it was SUCH a killer deal I couldn't pass it up no matter who the upfitter was or what van it was on.

I came from the Ford e-series van world, having had one '92 passenger conversion I bought new in '93 and two B-Vans, (a '94Airstream B190, and most recently a '95 Coachmen RD19 that I had when I bought the Sprinter.) All of the Fords were relatively low-mileage vans; the '95 Coachmen only having 66k on it despite being 24 years old. I'd bought it with 26k on it and put 40k miles on it in four years. My Sprinter experience is only now 6k miles on an aging T1N, and while I'm still working through some deferred maintenance issues in the moho upfit, the van itself has been reliable. It does have some minor rust bubbling around holes cut in the body by the upfitter. I'll have that taken care of by a local body shop in the next couple of months.

So... what brought me here is that I found at low mileage 2014 Sprinter upfitted by Great West vans into a moho, and I'm researching whether I am willing to give up my T1N for the NCV3 platform. As B-vans go, the layout on the NCV3 upfitted coach is perfect for what I want/need, the upfit of nice quality, and the best part is that it's not the overly complex and ridiculous electronics builds you see in the 2018 and up coaches. The RV parts can be serviced on the road by the owner. Not so with the new vans. Anyway...

So I started researching the NCV3 vans, and posted a thread in that forum asking about whether they're really the maintenance nightmare they seem to be from reading threads here. I've concluded a couple of things. First, the T1N is an aging platform, and is experiencing the same kinds of issues all aging platforms experience. Fortunately, mine had significant age-related mechanical work done at 100k miles by a Freightliner dealer before I bought it, including a new turbo. Those completed repairs were in the $5,000 range. BUT I didn't have to pay for it, and I have a reliable van now; at least until something else breaks. But to contrast that, the Coachmen's E250 chassis needed a litany of repairs in the four years I had it; electrical issues, ball joints, full service belts, fluids, hoses, brakes and rotors, tires, and tuneup in the 40k miles I drove it... about $2500 vs. all of the maintenance that this Sprinter has needed in 100k miles (I have the receipts from the original owner probably totalling close to $10k.)

Secondly, the T1N and the NCV3 have so little in common that they may well have been built by different manufacturers altogether.

Looking at the T1N's maintenance history over it's 15 years, I'm concerned about the ongoing maintenance expenses of owning an NCV3 van, and frankly even the on-going maintenance expenses of owning a T1N. I'm capable of doing much of my own maintenace and I have for years. I don't want to have to do that any more, and I want a reliable van as I travel quite a bit, in all seasons. I'm fortunate in that I have a couple of REALLY competent local shops who regularly do my PM work...and which is why I'm comfortable traveling extensively in old vans. I have a lot of work done pre-emptively to avoid failures on the road. I never had to stop on the road and have any work done on the '95 Coachmen with the sole exception of the "house" battery failing shortly after I bought it. I'm having the T1N's engine oil analysed as I write to see how the engine is doing with 111k on it and 6k miles on the oil.

So... with my short period of ownership, I'm still on the fence about whether or not I could recommend a Sprinter even though I'm impressed with my '04 T1N in many ways... my experience with the T1N so far has been climbing the learning curve, and mostly positive, but I think I'm going to take a pass on the NCV3 coach and look for either a Promaster or Transit-based B-Van for my next coach. I'll update this if and when there's anything TO update.
 

rv-sprinter

07 Winn View 23J - 06 T1N (NAFTA)
The Poll needs another choice:

Yes - but only if you can do most of your own maintenance/repairs/upgrades.

Otherwise you better have deep pockets to pay someone. :2cents:
 

Graphite Dave

Dave Orton
I just told my daughter in law to look at the new Dodge cuz the front wheel drive thing
Where does she live? How much weight in back? Our local UPS tried to use a Promaster. Driver liked it but could not delver to some locations due to lack of traction on muddy roads. Had to wait for dry days. Might have been due to heavy rear loads? They also had transmission failures. Putting a minivan transmission in a large van may not have been a wise choice. The Promaster was removed from the route.
 

220629

Well-known member
Where does she live? How much weight in back? Our local UPS tried to use a Promaster. Driver liked it but could not delver to some locations due to lack of traction on muddy roads. Had to wait for dry days. Might have been due to heavy rear loads? They also had transmission failures. Putting a minivan transmission in a large van may not have been a wise choice. The Promaster was removed from the route.
Another factor is whether you plan to tow.

My observation is that the front wheel drive designs pack a bunch of components into a small space. That dictates that drive components need to be downsized to fit. A rear drive vehicle has that separate large component called a differential. Not to mention that the trailer tongue weight may help with towing traction. It just makes more sense to me to have RWD for towing.

If towing isn't in the equation, many owners do find that the Dodge Promaster works just fine. The squared off vertical sides design is reported to make RV conversion a bit easier for installing cabinets and interiors.

:2cents: vic
 

BryannayrB

New member
I use this van for a work vehicle (home repairs) I enjoy the comfort and space for the tools and supplies I need however, at 63 yrs old I have done more maintenance and repairs on this van than any other, PERIOD. Parts are mostly available but it has gremlins living nearly everywhere... water pump HP fuel pump, starter, EGR valve (2 times) all pulleys and hoses
Transmission vibration, more electrical issues than I can mention, brake issues bearing issues , multi switch.seat belts and on and on. If I can go more than on month without a repair I feel lucky. At only 140K for 05. If I couldn't do most of my own work I'd be into this 20-25K. If you love challenges and are into research and wrenching buy one. If your an everyday Joe RUN... Experience is a bad teacher, it gives you the test first then the lesson
 

Motero

New member
BryannaryrB Just took the words out of my mouth. If you can do your own repairs you will be a happy sprinter owner. If you have to pay a shop or even the dealer, You had better be really rich. Just this year I have done $5K in parts getting a low mileage 08 sprinter back to operational condition. It would have been $20k+ in labor, for every thing that I have done.
 

asimba2

ourkaravan.com
I feel conflicted in responding to this poll.

Would definitely recommend - 4 cylinder diesel NCV3 Sprinter
Probably recommend - V6 diesel NCV3 Sprinter
Not yet recommend - Gas or Diesel VS30 Sprinter

I am quite certain Mercedes-Benz will fix the concerning problems on the VS30 Sprinter. Some of it is related to the growing pains in a new South Carolina factory -- paint issues, assembly quality, leaks, etc. They have to fix these because paint drips on a $60k van are not acceptable.
Others are engineering problems (the poorly weather-proofed modules in the A-pillar, the transmission coming out of gear in cold weather), unsafe lane departure system, etc. These are resolvable issues, so I have not lost hope on the VS30.

The competition, namely the Ford Transit are looking appealing. The 2020 interior and exterior updates look great, the 4 cylinder twin turbo diesel engine is a great option, and the new AWD system offers a lot of things the Sprinter system does not, and at a much lower price.

So would I recommend a Sprinter--"it depends." So far my 2016 4-cyl Sprinter has been fantastic.
 

BuiltMFG

New member
Experience is a bad teacher, it gives you the test first then the lesson
Words never spoken so true. I'm looking at sprinters now and this thread is very helpful. Is there a preventative maintenance thread anywhere based on year/model?
 
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Overvand

'20 144" HR 4x4
The competition, namely the Ford Transit are looking appealing. The 2020 interior and exterior updates look great, the 4 cylinder twin turbo diesel engine is a great option, and the new AWD system offers a lot of things the Sprinter system does not, and at a much lower price.

So would I recommend a Sprinter--"it depends." So far my 2016 4-cyl Sprinter has been fantastic.
Don't think for a moment Ford hasn't had their issues with the Transit. They have a poorly designed windshield cowl that, with the slightest debris, becomes obstructed dumping water right on top of a computer module. They have a driveline/u-joint issue that they have no re-design solution for, only to keep replacing the part. Worst of all, new, less than 3 yr old, vans are having severe body corrosion problems.

I stick with Sprinters for now.:smilewink:
 

Graphite Dave

Dave Orton
Don't think for a moment Ford hasn't had their issues with the Transit. They have a poorly designed windshield cowl that, with the slightest debris, becomes obstructed dumping water right on top of a computer module. They have a driveline/u-joint issue that they have no re-design solution for, only to keep replacing the part. Worst of all, new, less than 3 yr old, vans are having severe body corrosion problems.

I stick with Sprinters for now.:smilewink:
Agree about the windshield issue. On early model years the air cleaner filter box was poorly designed. Water from the poorly designed cowl would drip on the air cleaner box and then get sucked into the box from the joint. A recall replaced the poorly designed box for all models except the 2015 Ecoboost. Guess what I have. I have a garbage bag wrapped around the box to keep out the water.

The Transit had a rubber donut design front "U-Joint" that was inadequate. First they had a recall to replace the donut with a stronger design. After 30,000 miles they replaced the first design with the new design. Now they have a second recall that replaces the rubber donut entirely with a standard U-joint once you have 40,000 miles on the vehicle.

I have a 5 year old Transit that has never been garaged in California. Paint looks like new without any rust spots. It is a color and not white so that may be a reason it has not rusted.

If you read the posts on the Transit web site you will see that reliability appears to be significantly better than a Sprinter. That has been my experience. Had 08 NCV3 for 5 years with several major reliability issues. None with the Transit in 5 years.

Have no regrets buying the Transit. Much better vehicle IMO.
 

glasseye

Well-known member
I have 150k trouble-free miles on my 04. Best driveability and utility of any vehicle I’ve owned in 50 years of nothing but vans.

If it encountered serious $$ issues now, it would be a Transit that replaced it, despite my long term dislike of several F*rd E-series units. :idunno:

Current small displacement diesel vehicles are too complex and irreparable by normal humans.

IMHO.
 
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