Ford Transit or Mercedes Sprinter
Hi Team, I would appreciate your thoughts on the Ford Transit or Mercedes Sprinter in a small class C. Big difference I see is the Sprinter having a higher GVWR and GCWR. Other than higher GVWR...
Forum Discussion
I have not owned a Sprinter, but I am subscribed to a number of groups (the View Yahoo groups, for example) and read a lot. I read about a lot about Sprinters and very expensive repairs.
From what I've read, you buy a Mercedes Sprinter, you pay Mercedes prices when it comes to parts and service. Here where I live (Austin), there are two places that service Sprinters. However, not all Mercedes dealerships service Sprinters, nor do many Freightliner places. I could not find service on a Sprinter between Austin and Dallas or Houston.
Fords? Virtually every Ford dealership has a Transit on their lot, and parts/knowledge is relatively easy to come by. $8000 gets me a new (not reman) I-5 engine if I do something stupid (like putting DEF in the diesel tank), while on a Sprinter, that will be easily double that. (Of course, labor costs will be more as well.) I can fairly easily order Ford parts and just pick them up the next day at a dealer, or have them shipped. Mercedes? The parts are going to have to cross the pond, most likely.
This isn't to say the Sprinters are bad, unreliable, or anything like that. They are decent, and have more GVWR than the Transits. However, they command a price premium.
Of course, it would be nice to see Ford stick the EcoBoost engine into the cutaway models, because this would be extremely nice come higher elevations.
From what I've read, you buy a Mercedes Sprinter, you pay Mercedes prices when it comes to parts and service. Here where I live (Austin), there are two places that service Sprinters. However, not all Mercedes dealerships service Sprinters, nor do many Freightliner places. I could not find service on a Sprinter between Austin and Dallas or Houston.
Fords? Virtually every Ford dealership has a Transit on their lot, and parts/knowledge is relatively easy to come by. $8000 gets me a new (not reman) I-5 engine if I do something stupid (like putting DEF in the diesel tank), while on a Sprinter, that will be easily double that. (Of course, labor costs will be more as well.) I can fairly easily order Ford parts and just pick them up the next day at a dealer, or have them shipped. Mercedes? The parts are going to have to cross the pond, most likely.
This isn't to say the Sprinters are bad, unreliable, or anything like that. They are decent, and have more GVWR than the Transits. However, they command a price premium.
Of course, it would be nice to see Ford stick the EcoBoost engine into the cutaway models, because this would be extremely nice come higher elevations.
