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Dodge Sprinter van

I am contemplating a purchase of a used Dodge or Freightliner Sprinter Van for my business. I have heard claims of 24 mpg with the 5 cyl. Mercedes diesel they come equipped with. I am planning on using it as a camper and towing a 5000 lb tandem cargo trailer with it (actually a 7500lb loaded to

5000 lbs.). I really like the fact you can stand up in one of these vans. Does anyone have any real world experience towing with one of these rigs? dodge.com/sprinter
Reply to
Steve Peterson
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I, also wanted a Sprinter until...a bud of mine that works for Dodge told me not to. They are the biggest Sprinter dealer in Oh. He said: Lots of electrical problems and no two seem to have the same harness. The seem to have a lot of other problems and people have brought them back at gunpoint...literally. What does "more vertical miles than horizontal miles" mean? They do look cool though. I got a 1 ton Ford extended and am thrilled with it.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

Tom Thanks for the heads up. I found a forum for the Sprinter.....not much for electrical problems but the brakes seem to be noisy and the pads eating rotors seems to be a popular topic. I see Chevy came out with a Duramax in a van and it is quite a bit cheaper than the Sprinter. My 2000 Chev HD 2500 Pickup with a 5.7 is getting 10-11 mpg with a pop up camper and the cargo trailer in tow. The 3.73 gears seem to be just about right for 65 MPH. Even at that rate I am afraid it would take a long time to offset the $30,000 purchase price of a newer diesel van. Steve

Reply to
Steve Peterson

They are a PIA to get parts for and they eat front brakes and bearings like candy. The wiring harness is a JOKE. The engine is about the only solid part in the entire vehicle. The outfit I worked for switched to them. They seem to spend a LOT of time in the shop. two days a month has been the fleet average for 15 vehicles. They are now switching over to Ford F 350 service vans.

Reply to
Steve W.

Very typical for a mercedes produced commercial. When they work, they work well. When the don't, they're HELL.

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Reply to
clare at snyder.on.ca

They aren't a whole lot better - My Boss bought a 99 E250 van for me, and the overall reliability has been good.

If you don't count the two transmissions (8K miles and 90K) that didn't totally fail (No 'Hook Time') but I had to limp in for rebuilds, and the 'Twin I-Beam' suspension that chews up front tires at a prodigious rate from the scrubbing action of the camber changes.

Why they don't scrap that stupid Twin I-Beam system and go to either standard A-Arms or struts I'll never figure out.

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Reply to
Bruce L. Bergman

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