The sprinter is a beautiful vehicle. But, knowing you, you're not about to shell out over $15K for a decent example.

I faced the same situation about three years ago when my 1989 Dodge B-250 was near the end of its economic life (due to ongoing necessary repairs and marginal emissions).

I decided on a 2002 or 2003 Dodge B-2500 van.

Yes, I already know they are a POS.......not worth crap.......yada, yada, yada.

But, I found a 2002 (two years ago) with a legitimate 35K on the clock that was an Au Bon Pain delivery van. Very clean with a couple of issues that were relatively easy to solve. DB on e-bay wanted $4K which he was not going to get. After visiting the van and checking it out a bit, I offered him $3300 CASH and not a penny more. Actually, he did rip me off for another $80. for a temporary registration to get the vehicle out of NJ, but that was it.

I spent about $1K on various odds and ends including a set of steel shelves and some electrical switches and a blower motor. It's turned out to be a fine vehicle for what I need. The fact that it gets 14mpg on a good day is somewhat irrelevant because I only drive it about 3K per year.

So, yes, a Sprinter is fantastic. But, I'm laughing all the way to the bank with the POS Dodge.