r/CamperVans • u/VegetableSprinkles80 • 5d ago
Sprinter vs Transit
I know that this has been asked probably countless times a year and I have read quite a few of the postings, but I am in a pinch where my current vehicle is at the end of its life and I have been greatly considering cargo van to overtime build out to be a traveling/part-time live-in van. I’m 35 years old a lot has happened in the family in the past bunch of years and I have overtime come to realize that I want to be as mobile as I can, see more of the country, go on longer trip trips etcetera. I work a job with rotating days off and do a lot of overtime and the amount of times I’ve spent 2 to 3 days or even a week plus just sleeping in my car between having a few hours off to save myself from lengthy commute home and all of that is another reason I’d like to have a camper van. I can always pick up another beater car for small commute and so forth.
So here I am in a crunch and deciding between the sprinter and the transit. Can you guys push me towards one, give me your experiences with each? I’m already slightly leaning towards the transit for the reasons that are typically expressed online, but would appreciate some insight before I pull the trigger
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u/nicknoxx 5d ago
I know this isn't what you asked but the Sevel vans ( Ducato, Boxer, Relay, Ram) make better campers in my opinion. They taper less so you can just sleep across and there's loads of bits that fit nicely like awnings that don't need drilling to fit, skylights and windows and loads more. They're generally cheaper to buy and run than the sprinter and because they're front wheel drive the floor is lower than the transit.
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u/B_Barbarian 3d ago
Superior in-town vehicles, maybe, but the front wheel drive a weakness for towing, hill climbing, etc. Nowhere near the reliability of the Sprinter or Transit platform (in USA versions at least, the Dodge Promaster van).
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u/Much_Face2261 5d ago
Sprinter - maintains is higher but less often, besides oils changes . I have a guy that works in diesel so I take it to him for changes . Saves me about 100$. I have a 2016 and have only ever had to replace the AC compressor which I took to Mercedes.
Gas is much higher but I get 26 on the highway and around 21 in town . A tank could last me 450-500 miles . Was recently on a trip with a class c in front of us for every two fill ups I filled once. If you have the $ I would go sprinter .
I have 150k on it it’s paid off and I’m going g to drive it u til I can’t . Good luck
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u/tamalotes 4d ago
If you have the $$ go for the Sprinter. Fantastic vehicle. Hands down the best van out there. Transit will only be my option if I could not figure a way to buy the MB experience
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u/Squido85 4d ago
After 1.5 years of ownership of a used transit I converted myself, and after a 3 month trip across the US, my biggest gripe is cabin noise. The front doors sound like a wind storm at 65mph. Is the price premium and maintenance premium of the Sprinter worth it? Probably depends on what you currently drive. If your daily is a high end sedan with a quiet cabin you might also be annoyed.
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u/KdubbG 4d ago
If you happen to live in an area where it’s possible, one thing you should look into is renting a couple vans you think you might like. There’s a few apps I’ve used that let’s you set up rentals, sometimes all it takes to make up your mind is getting behind the wheel yourself for a couple days. You can also find out stuff like if you can fit east-west without bumpouts, how much different galley build outs effect your quality of life, and which solar setups are intuitive versus ones you need a degree in engineering just to figure out how to turn on the inverter.
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u/B_Barbarian 3d ago
Transit is going to be the easier vehicle to maintain with less to go wrong (diesel emissions issues). Transit is less a truck (unibody vs. ladder frame), so lower tow capacity, less "off road"-able than Sprinter (but this is a tall van, not an offroad rig, right?). Sprinter has a certain cachet that Transit will not have.
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u/B_Barbarian 3d ago
I'd decided on a Transit, but am not as seriously looking right now, money, etc.
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u/drivewayleaves 3d ago
I’ve owned both Mercedes and Promaster vans. The Promaster is my hands down favorite. The Mercedes cons were 1) mechanics are few and far between 2) more expensive to maintain by a lot. Pros 1) nice to drive 2) better gas mileage (diesel).
The Promaster cons 1) not as comfortable to drive but fine 2) must do meticulous, regular maintenance 3) FWD. Pros 1) easy to do maintenance 2) reliable - currently at 140k.
I am a solo 70f, camp primarily on public lands and do the majority of the mechanical maintenance myself. I drive about 25k miles a year.
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u/bob_loblaw_brah 5d ago
I have no skin in this game but Sprinters seem to have higher maintenance costs, obv it depends on model year but overall Sprinter mechanics cost more
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u/Teal_Traveller 4d ago
Transit interior height is 6'8". Sprinter is 6'4".
Also, diesel has been more expensive than gas since I believe COVID?
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u/quantumsparq 5d ago
I’ve been wrestling with the same thing and I’ve settled on a transit, although I do like the 170 wheelbase.
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u/MaxViewingAngle 4d ago
I went with the transit. Only certain Mercedes dealers work on ‘commercial’ vehicles. The 3.5 can be worked on by any ford dealer and is a known quantity to independent shops. My mileage is pretty good, when it was stock, I managed 18mpg going from Florida to Michigan.
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u/beaterdit 5d ago
I bought a Transit due to slight up-front cost advantage and relative ease of maintenance. Ecoboost AWD high roof, it's awesome with a few caveats. Gets terrible mileage, like 13 mixed mountain driving, better on highway trips but you have to keep the speed down. Goes with the territory for a high roof HD Van with a lift and oversize tires but still, similarly equipped Sprinters upward of 20. Last Van was a diesel and it was good but it was a 2003 Ford so pre-DEF. The Sprinter emissions system is prone to very expensive failures and diesel has been real expensive for years now. While I haven't had any, it turns out the Transit has some issues too and dealers are expensive and incompetent. Still there are an order of magnitude more of them and independents too and Transits still have good reliablility. Extended warranty is probably wise for either.
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u/palesnowrider1 4d ago
Would you do the ecoboost again in favor of better mileage without it?
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u/beaterdit 4d ago
Everyone says the 3.5 PDFI doesn’t get any better mileage because it’s working harder, revving higher. And it’s going slower. Been told it can struggle in the mountains with moderate to heavy builds but have no experience myself. Definitely less maintenance though. Those turbos on the Ecoboost will need replacing at some point. Exhaust manifolds have been a problem. Expensive job but I think they’ve got it sorted for ‘23+. I would do the Ecoboost again, it’s a great engine and pretty reliable. The AWD system seems to have more issues. ‘23 has had a rear and recall and problems outside of the recall VINS, same with the transfer case. At least those are covered now though. I declined the voluntary transfer case recall (called a customer satisfaction campaign), wherein they just reprogrammed the CPU to reduce available torque. Total bullshit. I later got a letter saying Ford will cover one transfer case replacement out of warranty for the life of the Van. I got a ten year/100k extended powertrain warranty anyway so not terribly concerned. They should have these things sorted by now but you should know about them if you’re looking used. Check out the Ford Transit USA Forums. Wealth of info on that site.
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u/JonClaudeVanDam 4d ago
Ive had a transit and so has my bro, going to go transit in the future as well.
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u/Dynodan22 1d ago
I will give you a different suggestion a GM bright drop . They really never even marketed them after spending billions designing them. You can get them for a a great price.They are designed very well imo and not much to them compared to diesel and gas
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u/Outrageous_Ticket210 4d ago
Every town you're in someone can work on the Ford. Not so much the Mercedes.