Newbie, wants your opinion, what to buy!

I'm give serious thought to purchasing an Sprinter for several uses.

1. I think I want a passenger van so I can use to take golf trips with my whole crew and to cart kids and grand kids around in.
2. I want to make it somewhat of a "modular" camper. Yank the seats out put in a bed platform, maybe little galley but retain the ability to put seats back in when going back to #1. Camping would be light use, warm weather no off roading.
3. Also do a little amateur auto racing, how about towing? Is that a possibility?

I have seen some used passenger vans in the 24k range that I would like to stick around if possible.

Give me all your thoughts. Which series, engine, etc

I go through the same questions.

One path is a 170 ext version, which is fairly long and has the potential ability to have 6 seats + a fair amount of space behind the seats for "stuff".

There is a fairly dramatic fall off in the ability to tow once you reach the 170 ext size van. Basically the weight of the body is consuming more and more of the weight / tow capacity, so by the time it is this long, towing any significant weight is really restricted. When I add up the weight of what I would want to put inside, it essentially has no spare capacity to tow anything. It is a real rolling warehouse though.

Consider a 3500 (dually) type for the extra weight / tow ratings for your application, which pretty much means the 6 cylinder engine.

I have mixed feelings about the ability to routinely remove and install seats. It seems like a good idea, but I would like to make this easy on my wife and daughter to use as well. The seats start to feel heavy when you are 60+.

My idea at the moment is to have a van with enough seats for everyone, and tow a falcon toy hauler trailer for more significant amounts of stuff (bicycles, etc). it has a ramp, so everyone can roll their own stuff up by themselves.

The van will ideally still have some items, for example I need power for work related stuff, a very simple bathroom, small fridge and would like to retain the ability to haul plywood if possible.

On any given day I go back and forth between the various van brands and even a silverado 4500 4 door pick up truck.

The downside of a trailer is that I cannot park it at the house, so I would need to rent a location for it.

I agree with Harry. You don't want to be moving around DOT approved seats. They are HEAVY and hard to move. I recently saw a cool fold-up seat someone installed in the back that seats 2 or 3 and when not needed, folds to the wall into about 12" of space. A 170 (not extended) is managable for parking and has plenty of room to do everything you want without having to swap out modules or seats.

I have similar needs, except I'm not hauling, with a modular build with a three person bench seat getting removed and reinstalled. My solution is an engine hoist (I have one, but they can be purchased very reasonably), where I strap the seat with one nylon strap to pick it up and the legs of the host slide right under the van and I can drop it right in place- reverse operation to remove. It takes under five minutes and doesn't require me to lift anything except the handle to the hydraulic cylinder, very easy. The bed platform removes fairly easily (eight bolts) but I generally leave it in place and have room to haul up to five bikes and other gear under the bed. I needed a 4wd, so the only engine option was the V6, which I've been happy with. At least for the first 30K.

Nunataq1955 said:

I have similar needs, except I'm not hauling, with a modular build with a three person bench seat getting removed and reinstalled. My solution is an engine hoist (I have one, but they can be purchased very reasonably), where I strap the seat with one nylon strap to pick it up and the legs of the host slide right under the van and I can drop it right in place- reverse operation to remove. It takes under five minutes and doesn't require me to lift anything except the handle to the hydraulic cylinder, very easy. The bed platform removes fairly easily (eight bolts) but I generally leave it in place and have room to haul up to five bikes and other gear under the bed. I needed a 4wd, so the only engine option was the V6, which I've been happy with. At least for the first 30K.

Click to expand...

170'Wheelbase? Did you buy new or used?

Cline said:

I have seen some used passenger vans in the 24k range that I would like to stick around if possible.

Give me all your thoughts. Which series, engine, etc

Click to expand...

Since you are buying used, I would worry less about whether the engine was V6 or the 4-cyclinder and more about maintenance history and current condition. I have a 2017 2500 Crew 170" with the V6 and I'm happy with it. From what I've read the 4 cylinder has a great transmission that overcomes any concerns about the grunt of the 4-cylinder, and the 4 cylinder gets better fuel mileage, so I would probably be happy with that as well. For my needs (with a modular rather than full time camper approach) the 2500's lower cargo capacity with 8,550 pound GVWR and 5,000 pound towing capacity has been fine.

I got the 170" Crew with 1 bench seat, and added a second bench seat for a total passenger capacity of 8. With both bench seats installed, I still have 8 feet of cargo space behind the second bench. There is 11 feet of cargo with 1 bench, and 14 feet with both benches removed.

My customization is towards a modular camper because I use the vehicle for cargo transport, passenger transport, and camping. I used the Adventure Wagon RUV kit with a MOAB (bed platform) to get the basics in place, added a Trail Kitchens galley with water/sink/stove, and am currently adding my refrigerator "module" (my son is designing an 8020-based removable case/cabinet for an Isotherm Cruise 130 liter (4.6 cubic foot) 12 volt refrigerator in his high school engineering class). Last major piece will be a fore-aft seating fixture/storage module to go just aft of the driver's seat on the driver's side.

elemental said:

Since you are buying used, I would worry less about whether the engine was V6 or the 4-cyclinder and more about maintenance history and current condition. I have a 2017 2500 Crew 170" with the V6 and I'm happy with it. From what I've read the 4 cylinder has a great transmission that overcomes any concerns about the grunt of the 4-cylinder, and the 4 cylinder gets better fuel mileage, so I would probably be happy with that as well. For my needs (with a modular rather than full time camper approach) the 2500's lower cargo capacity with 8,550 pound GVWR and 5,000 pound towing capacity has been fine.

I got the 170" Crew with 1 bench seat, and added a second bench seat for a total passenger capacity of 8. With both bench seats installed, I still have 8 feet of cargo space behind the second bench. There is 11 feet of cargo with 1 bench, and 14 feet with both benches removed.

My customization is towards a modular camper because I use the vehicle for cargo transport, passenger transport, and camping. I used the Adventure Wagon RUV kit with a MOAB (bed platform) to get the basics in place, added a Trail Kitchens galley with water/sink/stove, and am currently adding my refrigerator "module" (my son is designing an 8020-based removable case/cabinet for an Isotherm Cruise 130 liter (4.6 cubic foot) 12 volt refrigerator in his high school engineering class). Last major piece will be a fore-aft seating fixture/storage module to go just aft of the driver's seat on the driver's side.

Click to expand...

Great info! I was on youtube last night and saw a company in Oregon that sells a bench seat the folds to make a bed.

I wish the seats were lighter since I remove one bench maybe 1 or 2 times a month. I leave the 4 person seat out permanently, so I don't have to deal with that. I'm getting tired of moving the 3 person seats. I have been just bear-hugging them in and out but a 2 person bench would be ideal (4 in my family). I wouldn't want to risk my family in a non-DOT approved seat though. Not sure what would happen with insurance in the event of an accident (injuries).

Here's what I did.

Was looking at 4-door pick-ups but bought a used 170 passenger (not extended) instead. Removed and sold the 4 passenger bench seat because it was nearly impossible to manage. Installed two Toyota Sienna reclining captain's chairs using an adapter plate bolted to six of the factory seat provisions for some limo-like comfort for road trips. I can still put two 3-person bench seats if I need to haul more people. Normally it's set up for four people and I can safely and securely haul tools and stuff I used to put in the open bed of my pick-up.

In the space behind the captains seats I built a expandable/removable bed along the driver's side and still have room to haul my motorcycle when I'm out exploring solo. Folding up the bed a makes room for two motorcycles. For more than that we drag a motorcycle trailer or smallish box trailer for better weather and theft protection (just watch your tongue weight and towing capacity - 5,000). I tend to keep it in the "solo-moto" configuration for quick escapes and so I can easily pull over for a very comfortable nap or a quickly dismount the bike for a ride.

Sleeping-wise I can just squeeze a twin-size Walmart air mattress across the van in front of the captains chairs and another in back. A little short for adults but great for kids.

Having tinted windows all around allows me/us to enjoy the views and I don't typically park/camp where we'd need to worry about flashing anyone. Windows makes cold weather camping kinda chilly but the views are worth it and way, way better than a tent.

YMMV on building cabinets and a kitchen, but I decided to forgo a fixed galley, opting instead for a small butane stove on a folding table inside for quick meals and then moving stuff outside whenever I'm cooking a full meal or have others with me. What helped me decide to nix the kitchen/stove set-up was the realization that I really wanted to be living "outside" the van and not "inside". Endless hours looking a truly awesome "builds" is fun, but keeping it simple at first and learning what and where you want things will save you a lot of time and money in the long run.

I can provide more details if you or anyone else is interested.

Enjoy your adventure....