• RME Gear & Apparel

Anybody experienced with Sprinters?

anderson750

anderson750

I'm working on it Rose
Location
Price, Utah
I have been looking for a deal on a sprinter van to use for our racing. Decent ones are hard to come by at a fair price. I found this one in Denver that is a one owner and talked to the guy today about its history. By the looks of it and my conversation with the guy, he seems take good care of his equipment. When I asked him about the motor replacement at 147K, he said it was due to the #1 cylinder losing all compression. He said the dealer had not really seen anything like that and that it has been great since the replacement. 150K on one of these Mercedes diesels does not really concern me, but I am a little leary of what the life expectancy is on one of these transmissions.

Anybody have first hand experience with them?

http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/5374545116.html
 
Greg

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
I've heard not-so-great things about the older ones, from an independent German car shop owner. He did say the most recent models were a huge improvement though. I'm sure there is a lot better year & model specific out there.
 
glockman

glockman

I hate Jeep trucks
Location
Pleasant Grove
There is a fleet truck sales place about a mile from me. They always have a few out front. I have to look away when I drive by. They seem like an awesome moto hauler.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
 
TRD270

TRD270

Emptying Pockets Again
Supporting Member
Location
SaSaSandy
A company I used to work for started running these for delivery routes throughout the state when they first came out. The first couple they bought had well over 300k on them when I left the company with next to no issues up to that point. If I remember right this was around 04-05
 
RustEoldtrux

RustEoldtrux

RustEoldtrux
Location
Evanston, WY
I thought I saw a Ford badged van with a Sprinter decal on it a few days ago. It did look a lot like the Mercedes / Dodge Sprinter vans. Am I crazy??
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
Greg said:
I've heard not-so-great things about the older ones, from an independent German car shop owner. He did say the most recent models were a huge improvement though. I'm sure there is a lot better year & model specific out there.
Click to expand...

This is good feedback. I read that the older ones were more reliable. Go figure. I sure love their space inside and the MPG they get.

I also heard that the dodge ones were just rebranded mercedes, with only cosmetic differences. Not sure how much is exactly the same between the two and how much isn't, but the dodges are considerably cheaper.

My buddy just picked up a 2016 4x4, and it is sweet.
 
BlueWolfFab

BlueWolfFab

Running Behind
Location
Eagle Mountain
I ran out of gas with the Pitster Pro in Moab one time and some crazy Ukranian in a MB diesel one stopped and we threw it in the back and he took me to Maverick... The had like 300k miles on it and it still seemed to be running good, but that's the only experience I have with one lol
 
Greg

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
sixstringsteve said:
This is good feedback. I read that the older ones were more reliable. Go figure. I sure love their space inside and the MPG they get.

I also heard that the dodge ones were just rebranded mercedes, with only cosmetic differences. Not sure how much is exactly the same between the two and how much isn't, but the dodges are considerably cheaper.

My buddy just picked up a 2016 4x4, and it is sweet.
Click to expand...

Just a little more info, the German repair shop owner mentioned that the models that were a Freightliner/Mercedes joint build were the problematic ones, he mentioned serious wiring issues, engine/injection problems, etc. When Freightliner was removed from the picture and the Sprinters were 100% Mercedes, the build quality skyrocketed. I don't know when the Sprinter became Mercedes-only, but IIRC this guy make it sound like it was 2012-2013's and up.
 
Greg

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
Probably... it was awhile ago that I talked to this guy. I would suggest finding out what year they were Mercedes only and focus on one of those. I would also do as much research as you can, because my information is pretty vague and only from one source. :D I don't have any direct experience, so far as I'm concerned it's all hearsay.

One thing I will say about Mercedes, I worked on a friends wrecked Mercedes car many years ago, repairing the body and engine after his wife rear-ended a pickup and was very impressed. I have worked on a lot of brands in independent repair shops and was very pleased with how the German cars were engineered and put together. Working on them just made sense, the design, build quality and ease of repair really made an impression on me. I would love to own a Mercedes car some day! :D
 
sawtooth4x4

sawtooth4x4

Totally Awesome
Location
Land of East Laytonshire
Greg said:
Probably... it was awhile ago that I talked to this guy. I would suggest finding out what year they were Mercedes only and focus on one of those. I would also do as much research as you can, because my information is pretty vague and only from one source. :D I don't have any direct experience, so far as I'm concerned it's all hearsay.

One thing I will say about Mercedes, I worked on a friends wrecked Mercedes car many years ago, repairing the body and engine after his wife rear-ended a pickup and was very impressed. I have worked on a lot of brands in independent repair shops and was very pleased with how the German cars were engineered and put together. Working on them just made sense, the design, build quality and ease of repair really made an impression on me. I would love to own a Mercedes car some day! :D
Click to expand...
I've had 3 different Mercedes. I've loved them all. And they are always a pleasure to work on.

Sprinter vans are not cheap to maintain. Parts can be very pricy. And they don't fair well with body corrosion. Check them out carefully for rust.
 
nnnnnate

nnnnnate

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Location
WVC, UT
We've got a MB badged Freightliner for a work van. From what I understand MB badges didn't fit well with the "image" of my employer so they were removed and replaced. I can't drive it and have only been in it once to check on some computer stuff but I was very impressed. Its got a long desk installed with a 2 computer workstations. In the back there is a loading ramp for a modular server rack that houses 3 servers, 48 TB worth of "network" storage, backup power, and array of external cameras, and switches to connect it all. There is an AC unit on the roof and a diesel generator mounted in the back. The cab is pretty spartan but while I was scoping it all out I was picturing where I'd put my refrigerator, the bed would go there, TV was already mounted in a good spot.
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top