Back from the dealership, Ford/Chevy vs Sprinter

Veik wrote:
Sprinter is obviously more expensive.

Besides the apparently better gas millage on Diesel, are there any other advantages?
Expensive repairs? Parts and Labor at Benz more expensive?

You'd have to do a LOT of miles before you got anywhere near getting the original investment back from increased mileage.

As was mentioned previously, the Ford or GM chassis can be fixed or have maintenance work done nearly anywhere. The Benz, not so much.

The Sprinters are supposed to handle better. I drove one, but don't recall for sure. Probably true. Their cab comfort is the best of the 3. Their seats often swivel, which makes for a more versatile layout when camped.

That said, we went with the Chevy, saved a lot of money, and have the comfort of easy access to service places.

In addition to serviceability, look at the cargo carrying capacity of the Sprinters vs the Fords. Calculate the weights of 'likely to take' items for a trip. For us ... the Sprinter couldn't handle it.

Please use the search engine on this C and also the Class B forum to find comments about Sprinter service. It seems to be a big issue for some and not so much for others. It is what kept us from buying a View. Call a few MB dealers in your area and ask if they service Sprinters, then ask if they service Sprinter motorhomes. The deal breaker for us is apparently not an issue for a lot of people, and that is the large distances between authorized service centers in many states in which we travel. It is not a problem near our home, but when you look at the Sprinter website and put in "service" and notice, for example, not a single one between Kansas City and Denver or between Amarillo and Albuquerque, that is a lot of miles to be towed in case of a break down. So, we went with the Ford based unit. Every county seat has somebody that can work on a Ford or Chevy. I know others contest this point, but my concern was validated for us when visiting with a Sprinter based fellow camper that told us about being towed over 200 miles for warranty repair when he broke down. These MB based units are incredibly cool and reliable, but they are mechanical and mechanical stuff does have problems.

Also, check out the required A and B service for Sprinters to keep the warranty in place. It ain't the local Quick Lube.

we have a 2007 leisure travel van, its like a winnie view. 32k and have not needed a dealer. in our opinion yep they cost more but last longer get great mpg ,and are worth it. I,ve never met a MB guy who didn,t like theres.

Gas is cheap. At least for now making a pricey diesel not so much of a good choice.

You can get a Ford or Chevy repaired almost anywhere in the country. Not so with a MB. Also. As soon as you walk into a MB dealership, the $$$$ appear. Some previous discussions about the MB RV's indicate tha not all MB dealers will work on them. You might check locally and see what your local MB dealers say.

Enjoy your travels.