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Old 10-12-2010, 02:24 PM   #1
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WHERE TO BUY THE SPRINTER?

Sorry to ask this question if there is another thread that addresses this

My wife and I are in the design stages and we're leaning towards a Sprinter EB.
Does it matter where you get the Sprinter prior to the SMB retrofit?
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?

One thought was to buy the van first and make a full mock up prior to finalizing the design.
Wondering if others have done this to make sure that what you design on paper is actually user friendly. I visited SMBW for a tour when passing through the area and sat in the Lopez Hauler they had in the showroom. I personally found that there wasn't a whole lot of leg room between the gaucho couch and the galley cabinet and that was without a table.

I've got a ton of other questions to ask but I promise to spoon them out slowly
Thanks!

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Old 10-12-2010, 05:50 PM   #2
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Re: WHERE TO BUY THE SPRINTER?

I tried to get a better price when I bought my van. Turns out SMB buys more vans, so they get a better price than I could get.

And it was easier to just place the order through SMB, let them get the van, upgrade it and then pick up the finished product.

Mike
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Old 10-12-2010, 06:49 PM   #3
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Re: WHERE TO BUY THE SPRINTER?

If I remember correctly, Alan told me that he buys through a dealer in Anaheim. That would be in your general area. I am on the south end of the Sacramento metro area (Elk Grove-Wilton). There is a dealer on the NW side of the metro area (Rocklin), 1 hour away from me. I will ask them how close they can come to the price Alan can get the vehicle for, as it helps a lot when it comes time for warranty service if you bought the vehicle at the same location.

Doing a mock up with cardboard is a great idea!
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Old 10-12-2010, 09:59 PM   #4
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Re: WHERE TO BUY THE SPRINTER?

Although Dave Graham is in Austin (Mercedes of Georgetown) he has a great blog and has posted a 2011 MY Sprinter Options guide:

http://mbgtown.wordpress.com/m-b-sprint ... e-2011-my/

There are little things like the folding hand brake option so that you can swivel the front drivers seat (if you get swivels). Of course, there are some options that aren't available to folks here in the US.

He also gives folks who are working with SMB Texas special deals; I'm not sure if he does this for folks getting their SMBs done in CA or IN. He can do out of state sales although I imagine the shipping costs might wipe out any savings. There is also the local dealer thing to consider as well.

In reviewing the SMB Sprinter options sheet I found some things that I wanted were missing so I'm glad to have found the above guide.

HTH

RL
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Old 10-13-2010, 12:05 AM   #5
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Re: WHERE TO BUY THE SPRINTER?

Great input guys, many thanks.
Will be curious to see what Tom's local MB dealer says.
The link that Rick provided to the MB dealer in Texas is very interesting. Helpful blog.
Seeing the window stickers online is very cool.
Are these vehicles selling at or below MSRP?
I guess it partly depends on which dealer you work with.

So the next logical question is what options are folks getting?
the ones that order vans from available stock are limited as to what is pre-ordered, options and colors. The ones that special order can be more selective but have to wait what seems like four or more months, which I'm okay with.

there's a whole lot of decisions to make in this process and it's mind boggling not to mention expensive. buying my first house was quick and dirty compared to this and I'm just getting started
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Old 10-13-2010, 05:09 AM   #6
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Re: WHERE TO BUY THE SPRINTER?

tell Dave, ''K9 sent ya'', and he will beat any dealers price, regardless if you plan on getting it converted or not!!!!!
Dave Graham
512-930-6158 - direct line
dgraham@mbofgeorgetown.com
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Old 10-13-2010, 05:31 AM   #7
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Re: WHERE TO BUY THE SPRINTER?

Quote:
Originally Posted by windguy
Sorry to ask this question if there is another thread that addresses this

My wife and I are in the design stages and we're leaning towards a Sprinter EB.
Does it matter where you get the Sprinter prior to the SMB retrofit?
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?

One thought was to buy the van first and make a full mock up prior to finalizing the design.
Wondering if others have done this to make sure that what you design on paper is actually user friendly. I visited SMBW for a tour when passing through the area and sat in the Lopez Hauler they had in the showroom. I personally found that there wasn't a whole lot of leg room between the gaucho couch and the galley cabinet and that was without a table.

I've got a ton of other questions to ask but I promise to spoon them out slowly
Thanks!
As far as a mock up.....invaluable...... Again, I thank Paul for doing a mock up for me, as we found a major problem, the toilet area was to small!!! viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5357
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Old 10-13-2010, 07:12 AM   #8
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Re: WHERE TO BUY THE SPRINTER?

Hey K9!

when we gonna see build pics???

bw
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Old 10-13-2010, 10:16 AM   #9
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Re: WHERE TO BUY THE SPRINTER?

thanks K9. awesome dogs. how many burgers do you get if you go through the drive thru?. Actually not sure a Sprinter can make it through a drive thru. Do you leave one dog out of the kennel for security purposes or is the massive barking emanating from the van enough of a deterrent? That van probably starts rocking when someone walks by from your pics it looks like you did your homework on your design. I'm with BW, let's see more pics

funny about the toilet area not having enough room. that's exactly what I'm worried about.
may look good on a paper design but when you actually sit on the can you realize you goofed.
When I visited SMBW I checked out the small shower/toilet stall setup in a finished Sprinter and sat on the can (seat down and shorts on of course) and it's pretty tight for myself, 6'-2". Showering in there is out of the question for me even while sitting on the can so I'm thinking of using a portable toilet in the shower compartment so it can be removed to shower. That's the only way I can make this thing work for me. Well, I'm getting into design issue I was going to poll folks later and wanted to concentrate first on where to get the van and what options to order or find a van with. I think the fast idle is a must based on the input regarding idle problems. Not sure about the rest of the options.

Thanks guys!
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Old 10-13-2010, 01:13 PM   #10
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Re: WHERE TO BUY THE SPRINTER?

Quote:
Originally Posted by windguy
thanks K9. awesome dogs. how many burgers do you get if you go through the drive thru?. Actually not sure a Sprinter can make it through a drive thru. Do you leave one dog out of the kennel for security purposes or is the massive barking emanating from the van enough of a deterrent? That van probably starts rocking when someone walks by from your pics it looks like you did your homework on your design. I'm with BW, let's see more pics

funny about the toilet area not having enough room. that's exactly what I'm worried about.
may look good on a paper design but when you actually sit on the can you realize you goofed.
When I visited SMBW I checked out the small shower/toilet stall setup in a finished Sprinter and sat on the can (seat down and shorts on of course) and it's pretty tight for myself, 6'-2". Showering in there is out of the question for me even while sitting on the can so I'm thinking of using a portable toilet in the shower compartment so it can be removed to shower. That's the only way I can make this thing work for me. Well, I'm getting into design issue I was going to poll folks later and wanted to concentrate first on where to get the van and what options to order or find a van with. I think the fast idle is a must based on the input regarding idle problems. Not sure about the rest of the options.

Thanks guys!
My research found the shower to be the least used things in rv's .The toilet will be used(a lot) more than the shower. Have you considered the recessed shower pan in the floor. They will do the trick when you need a shower. I could not get that, due to my batteries and gen in the rear,I have a custom slide out shower viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5616&start=0
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