You can also get a full size upright piano in a Sprinter. Yes the same piano will fit in a pickup, but it will be out in the weather. I think that settles it, a 25 MPG piano moving vehicle. What more could you ask from a vehicle?

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All Diesel Fleet
1985 R107 300SLD TURBODIESEL
2005 E320 CDI (daily)

LOTS of parts for sale!


EGR block kit
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/355250-sale-egr-delete-block-off-plate-kit.html

1985 CA emissions 617 owners- You Need This!
Sanden style A/C Compressor Mounting Kit for your 616/ 617 For Sale + Install Inst.

Sanden Instalation Guide (post 11):
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/367883-sanden-retrofit-installation-guide.html

I highly highly recommend looking at VWs diesel offering. Either the pumpe duese or the clean diesel are very very very well made engines. The 06-10 body style is a great car too.

Indeed a great opportunity for a knees up

Elsie & Doris Waters - Knees Up Mother Brown / Please Leave My Butter Alone (1940) - YouTube

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Nothing wrong with a Sprinter van, if you need one and can afford one. An HD pickup is on a different planet in it's capabilities over a Sprinter van - different vehicles, totally task-specific. An HD with Cummins gets in the low 20s all day, so I don't see the big difference? He didn't specify which Sprinter, anyway. he may be thinking of the dually. He's all over the place anyway with his rambling choices. He's bailed on this thread anyway too. Just trying to help.

I am in a similar position. Love diesels, have fleet of aging cars and need at least one reliable good car to carry us South for a couple of months each winter.

85 300D has 420k km and is currently undergoing rust repairs. A/C does not work. We have had it for 21 years, but it is no longer a candidate for our long trips. Too many old original parts that could fail while on road far from home.

98 E320 (gasser) is in good shape and has been our LD car. But evaporator went and repair cost is more than car is worth. It has done 202k km. Still runs well, but we need A/C for our main car and I am hesitant in spending $4k+ for just that on a relatively high mileage gasser.

Our other two cars (smart CDI and 350SL) are both good but not as main car.

So, I have also been looking at MB diesels. With all new cars (even our smart and the E320), repairs can be expensive. And all modern cars are complex because everything is computer controlled and even with diagnosis software, hard to troubleshoot. For this reason, any new(er) car I buy will have to be covered by warranty. It may be possible to buy a 2009/10 and still get 3 years of factory warranty. On a new car with extended warranty, that could be 6/7 years. I put a rough value on warranty of $1000/year. Don't know if that makes sense, but it helps in evaluationg MB vs Asian or new vs used.

Regarding VW diesels - My neighbour had a Jetta wagon for 4 years and has had a Golf wagon for 2 years. Both diesels. The Golf has failed several times - electronic problems preventing it from starting. Luckily under warranty but had to be towed to dealer. Shouldn't happen on a new car. VWs do have 4 year warranty in Canada and are a good intermediate choice, but quality, factory backup and service is not like MB.

Regarding service costs. I do most of my own servicing, but on my wife's smart, we have it dealer serviced. It does cost about $200+ each time, but that is just once a year and car gets a good check over each time. We recently had a clutch fail and because of the good service record, MB paid 1/2 the cost despite being well out of warranty.

I narrowed my choice down to GLK diesel or a Subaru Outback. The Subaru can be bought with basic options for a much lowere price, but if you equip the two equally, price difference is not as great. Subaru has shorter warranty period. But I do like the Outback - more room than the GLK, I think.

My problem, is that I would like to sell the smart and keep the E320. But my wife likes her little smart! Either way, we will probably get a GLK 250 despite price. Idea is to keep for 10 years if it still seems good after 7 year warranty expires.

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

Nothing.

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"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

Big fleets are expensive to own, even if they never break down. Adding another one to it by adding the new Subaru or GLK SUV to it should be doable. Other than running on diesel/wheels-tires, some vehicles have little in-common. Variety is a lot of fun, but still will / can cost you a lot.

One car will have to go. The 98 E320 (perfect except for A/C evap) or the 06 smart CDI (only car with working a/c). E320 may fetch $3500 up here where A/C is not as important. smart would fetch about $6k. Maintenance on both can be expensive. Just have to decide which.

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

Graham - Funny, my wife is from BC, so our need for a modern car is for drives north! We will be heading to ON in Feb for my SIL's wedding. We have actually narrowed it down to waiting for the GLK BT to come off leases (and into our price range), the absolutely perfect (in terms of options and condition) used ML, or a new Subaru Forester. We have friends with 2 outbacks and they LOVE them. We sat in one this week, and the sight lines aren't bad.

We like the outback, but the Forester has a bit more cargo room, better sightlines, and with the CVT transmission gets >30 mpg. That makes the cargo space and fuel economy comparable to an ML, but with lower total fuel costs since gas<
The Outback is a but more refined, but the cargo space, economy, and price make us lean towards the Forester.

Subaru also has stellar reliability ratings, a cult-like following not too different from our own MB-oldtimer club, and occasionally provides 0% financing for a 36 month loan. All together that is hard to beat.

RE: sprinter, still have not ruled it out, but we have seen so few that meet our needs listed. We are looking at either a crew or passenger 2500 model, SWB (144"), low roof, and rear door windows are a must! Still like the idea, but like I said, that is a rare beast.
Not in the market for a RV conversion though - those are out of our price range (even used) anyway.
The comments here are very helpful, especially clacker who really nailed the info we were looking for.

It is really too bad that MB forgot how to make a car like the 240D, which could still meet CAFE and safety standards with some updates, but that is a simple, utilitarian vehicle.

Stretch: I love British humour when I understand it which happens about 50% of the time. Thanks for the comments RE: sprinters - the Chrysler like interior is part of what turns my wife off. No real need to worry about rust here in South Texas, though.

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Current Mercedes
1979 maple yellow 240D 4-speed

Gone and fondly remembered:
1980 orient red 240D 4-speed

Gone and NOT fondly remembered:
1982 Chna Blue 300TD

Other car in the stable:
2013 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI / 6-speed MT

I reflect on this too, all too often - like daily. My folks started buying/driving from new, MB diesel cars in the 1960s/1970s, and putting A LOT of miles on them - so they were utility vehicles used as personal trasportation. Damned dependable and cheap transportaion per mile, even when figuring in the large price tags new MBs commanded. So, we had a number of the W123s from new......had no idea MB would go South so badly off in the future......so, really my MB diesels are NOT my Father's 220/240Ds! Mot even close!

If you're ever uncertain just ask - there's many a time here where I really have to pinch myself to remember where I am => although this is the internet I realise that I might as well be a tourist in the US of A a lot of the time. It might not seem like it - but I do really try to tone it down here!

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

First time I skipped the link, but just watched most of it! My Mom & her sisters (large family) used to sing "knees up" when called on to do a skit at family get togethers.

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

It is one of those songs that's kind of stuck around for generations and generations - I'm not sure if you'll ever iron it out of Britishness...

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

I'm all for modernizing....

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Did you just pass my 740 at 200 kmh in a 300SD?????

1978 300SD 'Phil' - 1,315,853 Miles And Counting - 1, 317,885 as of 12/27/2012 - 1,333,000 as of 05/10/2013, 1,337,850 as of July 15, 2013, 1,339,000 as of August 13, 2013



100,000 miles since June 2005 Overhaul - Sold January 25th, 2014 After 1,344,246 Miles & 20 Years of Ownership

I can't speak for the newest Sprinters, but our 2003 Sprinter 2500 high top passenger van nearing 170,000 miles is holding up pretty well. The interior is all plastic for the most part but overall very sturdy and is all Mercedes parts, not Chrysler although you can get most of the parts at a Dodge dealership. We have broken one of the vents, but that was when a 2x4 slid into it under heavy braking. Also, the access panel for the storage area under the passenger seat broke but that was probably because of the ball hitch we put in there that wasn't secured. One of the interior panels in the back broke (pasteboard) but that can also be attributed to not securing the load properly. The stereo system is pretty bad but most stock stereo systems in work vans are.
As far as reliability, it hasn't been perfect but certainly not too bad. We had the alternator go (if this happens, replace with OEM, saw a guy's Sprinter experience electrical issues that destroyed his transmission after replacing his alternator with a crappy generic one) as well as the injection pump (research "black death", caused by an error at the factory) which were the most expensive repairs but at least the black death should not occur again. One problem we had which put the Sprinter into limp mode was the EGR valve getting clogged then failing, which can be attributed to crappy US diesel. That was expensive but from what I have read, running cetane booster through at every oil change or regularly cleaning the EGR valve will prevent this problem. The 04 to 06 models had problems with turbo resonators but that is fixed with a $120 replacement part. The brakes are probably the worst design on the vehicle. They are small for a vehicle of its size and wear out quicker than normal but will stop the vehicle fine. Our mechanic does most of the work on our Sprinter but if you have proper tools (and a good 4 point lift if you want to get under it or do brakes), you could probably maintain it yourself. Of the few things I have done on the van, most were pretty easy such as taking out the headlights to do plastic refinishing, but I had to replace the brake light switch and that was a total pita. The quality of the paint is not very good and I have seen a few spots with tiny rust bubbles so in a Northern climate with salt, you would need to make sure you take proper precautions. If taken care of properly, it should last you a long time, there are 2 Sprinters on ebay right now with high miles, 760,000 in one and 970,000 in the other. We just had the tires replaced and the van was taken in for alignment but the alignment shop said there was no reason to have an alignment done because it was still at factory spec.
The ride is stiff (as to be expected) but isn't too bad unless you are in the back seat going over speed bumps. It handles quite well (you will tend to forget you are in such a large, long vehicle) and has enough power for the highway and passing is possible but a challenge (a fun one at that). It can take corners somewhat but probably could roll over if you push it too hard. It can tow its recommended limit of 5000lbs as well as haul a payload of the limit of 3500lbs with ease but you must remember the brakes. With the van fully loaded with 3500lbs of paper, the wheel clearance did not change much at all so more could go in if you really needed to take more in one trip but as with any vehicle, I wouldn't do that regularly. As a family hauler, it works pretty well but the bench seats could be more comfortable. With little body roll, it is great in the mountains where I usually get motion sickness if I am in the back of an American vehicle. We get about 22-23mpg normally.
My family owns a Sprinter simply because no other vehicle could meet our needs. My sister is disabled and in a wheelchair and the Sprinter works well because we can lift her into the van (either by our own strength or by a winch we have installed and an aluminium ramp) then strap her in her chair in securely using tie downs and the tracks that the 2nd row seat would be if it was in the van. Also, we use it a ton for moving office supplies, furniture, and business records so it does get used as a work van. When we purchased it new in 2004, it was a little over $30,000 and within a year, demand soared an the price went up to $40,000.
I hope this overview was of assistance to someone.

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Current: 1975 450SEL, 83 300D, 88 Yugo GVX, 90 300D OM603 swap, 91 F150 4.6 4v swap, 93 190E Sportline LE 3.0L M104 swap, 93 190E Sportline LE Megasquirt, 03 Sprinter, 06 E500 4Matic wagon.