WHERE TO BUY THE SPRINTER?

[theSprinterGuy]

I promise you that will never happen here in Georgetown Texas. You get to talk directly with Dave, the "Sprinter guy"

www.sprinterguy.com
dave@sprinterguy.com

Originally Posted by billwilson

Where NOT to Buy:

Laguna Niguel Mercedes

Wanted to see a sprinter
Drove over
no parking on the lot
found a spot
a salesman yelled at me HEY, no parking
found another spot
Hiked in
had to interupt 3 sales guys,
Asked them "hey, want to sell a sprinter" , they grunted
and pointed me to another office
When to other office
walked around twice
one guy in the back, did not even acknowledge me on my second lap

walked out
walked past the three salesguys
hiked back to car

was dressed in button down and khaki's

tried calling manager three times
only got VM, no one live ever picked up

YMMV

[Eagles]

We did a custom order through Costco and got a great price.

The only problem we had was the order for swivel seats. I guess it is tricky getting that option added to a custom order. When the van arrived, there were no swivel seats. We purchased a passenger side swivel seat and installed it ourselves. It isn't as good as the factory swivel seat but it's fine. If this had been ordered through SMB the price would have been higher but the swivel seats would have been factory.

[bluesprinter]

Getting the swivel seats is tricky. I had to order without them, and then after the order was placed, the salesman put through a change order to include them. Didn't quite understand why it was done that way, but that's how it was done.

[bluesprinter]

As for options, here's what mine has (model year 2011) (I think this is the final list, but that's at home and I dragged this out of an email to SMB; if it's off it's just one or two minor items):

Model M2CA144, Paint: Vanda Blue, Uph: Leatherette black
CF4 Suspension w/H.D. Frt & Rr Stab
CT1 Vibration Absorber
D03 Roof – High
D93 Deletion of Cargo Partition (Standard)
E46 12V Power Outlet – Drv Seat Base
ED5 Parametric Special Module
ER0 Pre-Installation for Radio
EZ8 Parking Aid System FRT&RR
F66 Glove Box Lockable
FJ1 I/P Hinged Lid-Center Stack Bin
FK3 Chromed Trim Radiator Grill
FZ9 Keys –Two Additional Masters
H21 Windshield – W/Filter Band
H22 Defroster – Rear Window
JW0 Rear Backup Alarm
L05 Daytime Running Lamps
RL5 Wheel Light Alloy 6.5JX16
STB Sale to Body Builder
SZ7 Seatback Map Pocket – driver
SZ8 Seatback Map Pocket – passenger
T12 Sliding Door – Two Stage Opening
T74 Assist Handle – Sliding Door
V93 Wood Floor, Delete
VA7 Storage Net in Hinged RR Doors
W17 Window – Right Sliding Door
W70 Privacy Glass
W78 Window RR Door w/Wash-Wipe
PH3 Rear Heating Package I [this will be deleted]
PA 1 Premium Package
G68 Exterior Mirror – Power/Heated
MS1 Cruise Control
SB1: Comfort Driver’s Seat
SB 2 Comfort Passenger’s Seat
PL1 Interior Lighting Package
LB9 Illuminated Exits
LD0 Overhead Cntrl Panel w/2 Lamps
L63 Light – Load Compartment
PA2 Accessory Package
F46 Headlamp washing system
JA5 Light and Rain Sensor
LG0 Head Lamps – Bi-Xenon – U.S.
L16 Fog Lamps
PD1 Multi-Function Wheel/Display Package
CL4 Multifunction Steering Wheel
JK3 I/P Cluster Pixel Matrix
PP1 Security Package
FY1 Security Alarm
RR7 Tire Sealant and Portable Air Compressor
SH7 Airbag, Driver/Passenger Thorax
SH9 Airbag, Driver/Passenger Window
Y10 First-Aid Kit
PT1 Trailer Hitch Package
E40 Wire Harness – Trailer w/7 Poles
Q24 Trailer Hitch
PH6 Cold Climate Package
F49 Electrically Heated Windshield
H15 Heated Co-Driver Seat
H16 Heated Driver Seat
Destination and Delivery

[windguy]

Originally Posted by Eagles

We did a custom order through Costco and got a great price.

The only problem we had was the order for swivel seats. I guess it is tricky getting that option added to a custom order. When the van arrived, there were no swivel seats. We purchased a passenger side swivel seat and installed it ourselves. It isn't as good as the factory swivel seat but it's fine. If this had been ordered through SMB the price would have been higher but the swivel seats would have been factory.

wow, this thread got resurrected from the dead. cool.
thanks for your input. good to know you can do a deal through Costco.
maybe not having the swivel seats installed at first was a blessing in disguise.
I heard that MBenz was making SMB do both swivel seats at one time, not allowing them to do only the passenger seat. I would prefer a passenger only swivel leaving the driver seat always in the drive position. plus with cabinetry or a sofa behind the seat there's isn't much room for it to swivel anyway.

[windguy]

Originally Posted by bluesprinter

As for options, here's what mine has (model year 2011) (I think this is the final list, but that's at home and I dragged this out of an email to SMB; if it's off it's just one or two minor items):

thanks for sharing your options list bluesprinter
I need to get back into doing my sprinter and conversion research.
I've kind of put things off to the side after spending too much time pouring over this stuff.
It's very contagious

[gregowski]

Hi windguy -

You ask "Can you work a better deal with a local dealer for the van or is it negligible?
Does buying your van and bringing it to SMB for the conversion affect your pricing in any manner?"

SMB seems to charge $44-45K for the base EB/LB van with "options package A". As I've posted already on the Sprinter Forum (see http://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6384), we bought a new 2008 144" high-roof Sprinter from a Chrysler dealership in May 2009 for $30K (with 22B options package, and including 8.16% tax), MSRP was ~$40K. We had originally been looking for a used 2007, but we found out shipping cross-country to us would be an extra $2000, so that added cost...

We negotiated price on a Sprinter like this:

- researched all the dealers in the country listing an under-75,000 mile 2007 Sprinter 2500 cargo van through ebay and autotrader, autos.aol.com, commercialtrucktrader.com, etc.
- checked the prices through Edmunds TMV pricing (make sure to include roof options!)
- sent all dealers a fax saying "you are one of 12 who has a van like what we're looking for. here's the Edmunds price - what can you do for us?"
- dealers responded with offers
- we then worked off lowest offers and asked dealers to compete
- then we took the details of all our offers to our local Dodge dealerships and said, what can you do for us for a brand-new 2008?
- end result was we got a brand-new Sprinter 2500 hi-roof 144", customer-preferred and cargo packages, for $30K

Of course, it could have been just good timing - the dealer we went to had ten cargo vans sitting on his lot, and from another post in that thread, seems like financing with Chrysler may have just been running out.

As far as options for the conversion go, I'd put in my vote (if buying new) for:
- factory paint color, if you want other than white (MUCH cheaper than aftermarket)
- PT1 trailer hitch & wiring prep package, if you anticipate using this at all
- SZ7 & SZ8 storage nets for rear of driver & passenger seats, VA7 storage net & compartment in rear doors
- FZ9 extra keys
- SR8 & SR9 swivel seats
- W73 step bumper
- T85 & T86 rear assist handles
- PC1 cargo package, or just YK3 cargo tie-downs (if you're hauling motorbikes at all)
- PS1 heavy-duty suspension package (if you anticipate wanting all the goodies and making it heavy)
- KP2 SCR tank in engine compartment (more space for underbody fresh/gray/black tanks this way)

YMMV, but I'd also think of solar panels on the roof (could fit up to 4 on an EB/LB) and camper windows/Fantastic Fan rather than generators, roof A/C and/or high idle option. Solar panels and windows are cheap compared to engine overhauls.

More to think about!

Greg

[windguy]

thanks for your reply and info Greg. very interesting.
for some folks, getting their van directly from SMB has some advantages, especially if they are financing the vehicle and conversion. the delivery and convenience factor help too, more so if they are from out of the area.

in our case we'd prefer to buy the van directly from the source, a MBenz dealer.
but as you mention, doing your homework and seeing what offers are out there is an excellent approach and makes good business sense.

our plan it to buy the van and then do a full scale mockup, most likely out of plywood.
then go camping and take trips so we can see how the design works. we won't have any extra windows but we can pretend. some of the other conveniences like a stove, sink and fridge can be rigged up for a close representation. since we really want to customize this van for our particular use and requirements, this seems to be the only way to determine what will work hopefully avoiding some of the design pitfalls that you can run into. if this was a 2nd or 3rd generation van for us then it would be way easier to decide on the design features with more confidence. the engineering side of me says "test, test, test before building". we just need to stop dreaming about this and go ahead and do it before we croak.