Sprinter Curious

[Retired In Motion]

Depending on the area, there may be several independent mechanics that are qualified to work on a Sprinter (and other German and/or Euro vehicles). This is the case in the Seattle area. Also, taking your vehicle to one of these shops for maintenance does not void your warranty:

The Magnuson-Moss Act of 1975 states - Federal Law Prohibits any dealer from implying or denying routine warranty service because scheduled routine maintenance was performed at an independent facility, Title 15 Chapter 50 sections 2301-2312 US Federal Code.

[eddyturn]

Yes, you can get work done at other shops but none around where I live. Also, if you do need warranty work done, that's MB service I would think.

[sierraskier]

Originally Posted by rallypanam

I was also Sprinter curious. Bought one, sold it a few months later. Thankfully kept my E350.

Wanna share any more detail?

[rallypanam]

Originally Posted by sierraskier

Wanna share any more detail?

Short answer? Don't think it's tough enough, 4x4/limited slip dif inadequate for my use.

[xseal]

Very helpful thread. I was on the fence b/t a 170 4x4 sprinter and a 155 6.0 Quigley Chevy. Went with the latter. CCV high top deposit down, calling SMB north for deposit next.

[OurayMark]

I too was quite worried about trading my HD truck (Pickup with Alaskan Camper in my case) for a unibody 4x4 SMB Sprinter. But after a year I can say we love the height, fuel economy and reliability of our new Sprinter. It is very comfortable on long highway trips and gets us into even gnarly forest service camping areas. We had one minor repair issue and a local shop handled that easily for us, as we are a long way from a Sprinter dealership. We don’t however use the Sprinter for rock crawling, and would not be comfortable recommending it for that purpose. . (We have a built up Jeep and mountain bikes for rock crawling.)

[whwv]

You definitely need to consider how you use it. I had the same dilemma, choosing between a new GMC van with the duramax and a quigley conversion, used E350, or Sprinter. I was coming from a Tacoma with a Four Wheel Camper so I was used to decent off road capability. I knew the Sprinter would never be as capable as a modified Ford or Chevy van, but the question was, did it matter? My van is primarily used for getting to a ski resort or trail head from the bay area. In the summer, I have some secret camp areas which are off some beat up forest roads, but it's not exactly the rubicon. In the winter, I'm parked at a sno-park. When I took a realistic look, I decided to maximize my comfort and 90% of that is on pavement. I also preferred a stock 4x4 system over a conversion. So I picked the Sprinter and am very happy with my choice. If I used the van for serious off road, I would have chosen something else. It goes 20k between oil changes and I haven't had a single problem with it. Eventually, it will go to Agile for some suspension upgrades, but it drives so well on the road currently that I'm not in a major rush.

[Taylor3633]

Originally Posted by whwv

You definitely need to consider how you use it. I had the same dilemma, choosing between a new GMC van with the duramax and a quigley conversion, used E350, or Sprinter. I was coming from a Tacoma with a Four Wheel Camper so I was used to decent off road capability. I knew the Sprinter would never be as capable as a modified Ford or Chevy van, but the question was, did it matter? My van is primarily used for getting to a ski resort or trail head from the bay area. In the summer, I have some secret camp areas which are off some beat up forest roads, but it's not exactly the rubicon. In the winter, I'm parked at a sno-park. When I took a realistic look, I decided to maximize my comfort and 90% of that is on pavement. I also preferred a stock 4x4 system over a conversion. So I picked the Sprinter and am very happy with my choice. If I used the van for serious off road, I would have chosen something else. It goes 20k between oil changes and I haven't had a single problem with it. Eventually, it will go to Agile for some suspension upgrades, but it drives so well on the road currently that I'm not in a major rush.

This is exactly the reason I am considering a sprinter: same uses as you describe above. Living in the mountain west I find I taking long, high mile trip between destinations, and while our camp spots are often off of the beaten path, they almost never require low range to access.

[Fitz]

Ditto the above comments. Our 2016 Sprinter just turned 35k trouble free and comfortable miles and we are very happy with it. We have had much more capable 4wd vehicles in the past but so far the Sprinter has taken us everywhere we have wanted to go.

[NavyNuke]

Also considering changing from the E350 to a Ram Promaster. Budget and use don't really need the heavy duty nature, and wife wants the headroom.

Use as a motorcycle camper and weekend trip rig mostly.