I'll be glad to add my perspective, for what its worth. Just a bit of background, I currently own a 2005 T1N with 137K miles. I'm the second owner and bought it with 21K on it in 2007. It's a passenger that I use as a weekend warrior for trips with a bed in the back and simple floor plan. I've driven vans since 2000 when it was really uncool. I work for an outdoor education program and we use Ford 15-passenger vans to pull trailers and haul students to various locations from New England to the Florida Keys. Over the last 20 years, I've probably logged close to 300-350K miles between work and personal vans. I owned a Dodge Ram conversion van before my current Sprinter. All of this to say, I'm certainly no expert, but can provide some feedback for those considering a Transit or Sprinter. Lastly, I'm 5'11" at about 155 pounds with no physical ailments. I'm not necessarily reliant on comfort items, but I do pay close attention to details that affect functionality such as ergonomics.
Over the years, I've learned to wrench on my Sprinter (thanks to help from this forum and really generous local Sprinter mechanics) to allow me to be more self reliant. In the past 3 months I've had to replace the glow plugs and water pump (which has been a super bummer), but other than that, the van has been relatively reliable.
For my work, we used to have two Econoline E350s. One diesel and one gas. They would both pull trailers and haul students okay, but driving them was a chore. They ended up getting very expensive to maintain. We replaced the diesel with a 2016 Transit medium roof with EcoBoost. Then in 2018 we replaced the gaser with a low roof Transit with EcoBoost. Both replacements were very welcomed!
My take on the Transits we drive.
Pros- Awesome power. Pulls a full van and super heavy trailer no problem because of the EcoBoost! I'm surprised at how peppy the engine is. Very carlike. The seats are really comfortable. Passenger seats can recline slightly. Quiet to drive. Water bottle holders will hold a full size nalgene bottle. Several cup holders and bottle holders available. Easy to get in and out of being lower to the ground. Very comfortable to drive over long distances and has no problem cruising at 75-80mph. Good sound system overall. Good bang for the buck. Relatively inexpensive for what you get. Really nice to drive this van.
Cons- The 2016 has had several driveshaft recalls. Dealing with the Ford dealers even for warranty issues has been a real pain (at least the three different I've gone to). Lengthy wait times and several follow ups after repairs. Note the 2018 hasn't had any recalls yet and hasn't been in the shop other than oil changes. The sliding door on the medium roof is a pain to close. We've broken two handles (or I should say students have trying to slam it shut). Come to find out, there is such a tight seal in the vehicle, you must crack a door or window for the slider to close. This is a real pain with students constantly getting in and out. The door armrests are hard plastic which wears on you on long hauls. The seat armrest ratchet is a pain having to reset it each time you get in the van (compared to the 'set it and forget it' in my T1N). Very poor MPG (about 10-12 for fully loaded and pulling trailer) but this works okay for our program because by the time we need to refuel, people need bathroom breaks. The van clearance is really low. When loaded, we've bottomed out on fire roads several times. Lots of blind spots, especially in the low roof. The low roof with seats in it is really hard to see out of the back windows (compared to my T1N). The higher roof is better viewing, but still more blind spots than my T1N. Tire sizes are really hard to find replacement for exact sizes.
My Sprinter (T1N)-
Pros- While the network of mechanics is less than Ford (for long road trips) when I need work on the van, the dealerships are much more reliable and a better experience to work with, although labor is certainly more expensive. The driver and passenger seats are comfy to me. I did retro fit the door armrest with a pad to eliminate the hard plastic rest. I love the seat armrest that you can dial in the height and forget it. Great mpg although I normally get less than most people rave about (I get 19-21 depending on ambient temp and how fast I drive). Easy to move from driver seat to back. Great viewing (no real blind spots). It sits higher and has a commanding view of the road. The clearance over the ground is fantastic. I have no problems going on fireroads and I love that. Seems reliable and pretty easy to work on. I can crawl underneath due to height.
Cons- My T1N is loud and noisy to drive even with thinsulate and soundrproofing and a great sound system
I can't really drive it over 70 without feeling like the engine will blow it revs so high, so it makes long trips even longer going 5-10mph slower. Limited cup/water bottle holders (I really wish it had better options). Its a rust bucket. Limp home mode scares the hell out of me. Its happened two times which doesn't seem like a lot in the time I've driven it, but when it happened, I was on an interstate driving 70. I was able to pinpoint the issue and resolve, but it has me gunshy now that I travel with my family as opposed to just traveling solo.
My overall take-
I know I've left off both pros and cons for both vehicles and it isn't probably super helpful to compare a T1N to a Transit, but there are some items that transfer over to the new sprinters (LHM) and ground clearance that I think are helpful. I did get a chance to drive a new VS30 Crew for about 5 days while my glow plugs were getting replaced. The first thing I said to myself was "wow, this drives much like a Transit". So the VS30 was smooth and quiet and comfy. Steering was great and ergonomics seems really well done (except for the seat armrest ratchet!) ugh! And now you have to special order the 270 degree rear door hinges, bummer.
For me I think about what I'd replace my T1N with a lot more now that it is 15 years old. My take is that the Transit is a great bang for the buck. If I was going to keep the van for about 5-7 years, I'd probably get the Transit. Although the fit and finish isn't quite as nice to me as the Sprinter, I think the value it provides is really good. But I keep my personal vehicles a long time and while I'd love to replace my T1N with a new Sprinter in a couple of years, they are just really expensive now. It isn't in the cards for me financially, but it is a solid vehicle and if I could afford either, I'd probably go with a Sprinter since I tend to keep vehicles for the long haul.
I hope this helps.
Best,
Tommy