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Go Back   PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum > Mercedes-Benz Tech Information and Support > ML, GL, G-Wagen, R-Class, Unimog, Sprinter

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  #1  
Old 05-14-2008, 07:12 PM
daleearl
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Sprinter: To buy or not to buy?

Hi All:

I posted this over in the Diesel Discussion (where I usually hang out) and someone suggested I try over here as well.

I've been spending a lot of time lately looking into getting a new "play" vehicle. Ideally, I'd like it to be a diesel, so I've been playing with the options of an imported or converted VW Eurovan, a domestic pick-up with a massive cap (Ram 1500/2500 or older Ford), or a Sprinter.

Clearly, the Sprinters are superior in size, durability, and performance. Where they fail is in price. That said, I've been looking at used vehicles and just found a nice, single-owner 2005 with less than 50k on the odo. (As an aside, it was fun looking at a newer Mercedes rather than the 1980-85 240/300s I usually look at .)

I've read mixed reviews about what people don't like on these vehicles; everything from bad EGR systems to constant alignment problems to rust issues. Personally, I find the fixed steering wheel on the 2005 quite uncomfortable, but I don't know if that's enough of a reason to get a newer model.

Are there folks here who've had good or bad experiences with these? Are there particular problems that I should look out for when I'm checking out used Sprinters?

Additionally, is there a compelling reason to go for a 2007 with the 3.0 aside from the bigger engine and the better emissions (via the soot trap)?

Many thanks in advance!

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  #2  
Old 05-15-2008, 07:15 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 98
Another approach to the van question

I couldn't afford the price of admission to the Sprinter, so I bought an older Dodge van with a tall pop top and converted it to a camper with a custom ho-made interior, motor home appliances, 360 V8 built to Chrysler E58 police engine specs, seriously heavy-duty 727 TorqueFlite transmission, huge front and rear sway bars, etc. The old Dodge vans are really rather similar to the Sprinter. I have about $10K invested, which I believe is about 1/5 the cost of a Sprinter, but I did almost all the work myself. The thing goes like snot and, thanks to the gargantuan sway bars, corners remarkably flat for such a large vehicle with a high center of gravity.

It works for me.
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  #3  
Old 05-15-2008, 11:00 AM
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Location: Albuquerque, NM USA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by daleearl View Post
... is there a compelling reason to go for a 2007 with the 3.0 aside from the bigger engine and the better emissions (via the soot trap)?
For one thing, more is new than just the engine on the 2007s, as it's a major redesign of the whole vehicle.

FWIW, for the previous inline engines there was the 5-cyl called 270 and the 6-cyl called 320. With the advent of the V-engines, there are now "280" models and "320" models, but they're both the same 3.0 engine with simply different states of tune. Pretty sure Sprinter is in "280" tune.

The biggest benefit to the owner of having a particulate filter is that it eliminates diesel smell in exhaust.

Here's link to Yahoo! Sprinter group: http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/sprintervan/
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  #4  
Old 06-06-2008, 09:32 PM
Banned
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Maryland
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get a Sprinter, thats slick ride, why old fart ford , or dodges, get real car that will last forever and very very un to drive and own
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  #5  
Old 11-30-2021, 03:21 PM
t walgamuth's Avatar
dieselarchitect
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Lafayette Indiana
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Quote:
Originally Posted by retroguybilly View Post
I couldn't afford the price of admission to the Sprinter, so I bought an older Dodge van with a tall pop top and converted it to a camper with a custom ho-made interior, motor home appliances, 360 V8 built to Chrysler E58 police engine specs, seriously heavy-duty 727 TorqueFlite transmission, huge front and rear sway bars, etc. The old Dodge vans are really rather similar to the Sprinter. I have about $10K invested, which I believe is about 1/5 the cost of a Sprinter, but I did almost all the work myself. The thing goes like snot and, thanks to the gargantuan sway bars, corners remarkably flat for such a large vehicle with a high center of gravity.

It works for me.
Sounds like you sneaked in the side door and are happy with the result. Good for you!
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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.
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  #6  
Old 12-01-2021, 12:32 PM
cornemuse's Avatar
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In the last month my brother bought a Sprinter based Winnebago motorhome. Wont say how much it co$t. Very first thing he did was spend $3,000 on rear suspension.

So, I donno, , , ,
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  #7  
Old 12-01-2021, 04:31 PM
t walgamuth's Avatar
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Lafayette Indiana
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I just brought one home today. 08. 70k miles. I am going to get new shocks for it and some sway bar bushings as a starting point. It runs great and is the floor plan we wanted.
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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.
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  #8  
Old 03-28-2022, 10:04 PM
vstech's Avatar
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Location: Mount Holly, NC
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Ok… me again… now into sprinters…

I have 3

I had a 2003 since 2010, and it now has 315K on it… and I blew the motor. My fault, I’m sure… long tow long mountain haul.

Anyway, in a bind, I needed another one, so I bought the first T1N I could find, at a dealer, paid too much, but it’s solid and has less than 230K… 05…

As SOON as I got the 05 home, a local guy returned my call for 1/4 the price… on an 04 with minor engine issues…

So I bought it as well.

So, I now own 3 sprinters… two running, one needs a new heart.

Ask Roy what I’m planning for that one…
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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!
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  #9  
Old 03-28-2022, 10:07 PM
vstech's Avatar
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Mount Holly, NC
Posts: 26,997
Anyway… I haven’t had any alignment issues.

Egr, definitely…

Electrical, definitely.

Rust, most certainly…

And I’m in NC… no salting roads, problems besides rain… leaves, and pollen…

But man do these vans melt…
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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!
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  #10  
Old 10-13-2022, 07:03 PM
t walgamuth's Avatar
dieselarchitect
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Lafayette Indiana
Posts: 38,907
What is meant by melting?
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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.
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  #11  
Old 10-14-2022, 06:45 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by t walgamuth View Post
What is meant by melting?
google sprinter rust and you will see.
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  #12  
Old 04-10-2023, 04:31 PM
vstech's Avatar
DD MOD, HVAC,MCP,Mac,GMAC
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Mount Holly, NC
Posts: 26,997
Wow… not a lot of participation in the sprinter forum…

I bought another one…

A 2011 tall body. With a blown turbo, but otherwise pristine.

I’m annoyed I’m getting one with DPF, but suppose it’s better for he environment.
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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!
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  #13  
Old 08-22-2024, 02:09 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2024
Posts: 2
Let me just say as a Sprinter tech, the reliability on these vans is good as long as you service them on time with a knowledgable Sprinter tech. You can have all the willingness in the world to service them on time, but without someone that knows what they are doing, you may find ownership to be difficult.

I think the most reliable vans for vanlife are always going to be the ones that are best maintained. The other key is to strike the proper balance of features, because the more stuff you put in a machine, the more components there are to potentially fail.

Just my two cents.

Last edited by risto; 08-29-2024 at 11:29 AM.
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  #14  
Old 05-23-2025, 07:54 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2022
Posts: 1
Well, the 2007+ models did feel more refined overall. The 3.0 pulls smoother and the interior doesn’t feel like it was designed by a forklift engineer. But they come with their own gremlins (hello DEF system). Rust is the big boogeyman, for sure — crawl underneath and check everything. And EGR issues are more of a roll of the dice, especially if it’s been babied with mostly city miles. If it were me, I’d go for it if the rust checks out and you can live with the wheel. It's a solid base to build out from, and there’s something kinda satisfying about breathing life into a gently used workhorse. For something built tougher, you might find this interesting too: https://www.truck1.eu/trucks/tippers/mercedes-benz-1824-4x4-palfinger-9001-crane-grue-kran-a1538184.html - Mercedes-Benz 1824 tipper with Palfinger crane. It’s the kind of setup that’s ready for real work from day one.

Last edited by sellnaa; 05-28-2025 at 10:19 AM.
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  #15  
Old 05-23-2025, 09:41 AM
t walgamuth's Avatar
dieselarchitect
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Lafayette Indiana
Posts: 38,907
rust. ... too susceptible.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.
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