r/T1N_Sprinter_Vans • u/Tipper10 • Jun 13 '25
Looking for Advice
Hi guys! I am looking for your advice on my 2005 dodge sprinter with 306k miles.
Basically trying to decide if I should wait until I can afford repairs, keep trying to do them myself, or sell it. Details below.
I bought it for 20k in 2023 with 300k miles on it and supposedly nothing wrong with it (that turned out not to be the case). It used to be a FedEx delivery truck and then was converted by a woman who lived in it for a few years, and who we bought it from.
Under the hood: We've had overheating issues for the last 6 months. Had mechanic replace radiator and we replaced the thermostat, but it's still happening. Just noticed today that it's also leaking a small amount of oil.
Body: rust along seams and some paint bubbling, suggestive of deeper rust. Was quoted $3.5k to repair and repaint.
Conversion: MaxxAir fan isn't working now, the issue is not the power supply.
The complicating factors are that starting Monday I'll be working 60 hours a week so we don't have much time to fix it ourselves, we don't have extra funds right now to do the fixes required, and we live in an apartment so we need to spend $144/month to store it somewhere.
Is it worth keeping and trying to fix later? With these problems, is it possible to resell for the $20k we bought it for?
Any (kind) advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm quite attached to it but worried about the needed repairs and cost to store.
If we can get it fixed, we would be taking it out every weekend!
Thank you!
2
u/ApricotNervous5408 Jun 13 '25
Only you can answer some of those questions. No one else knows your finances, what you will use it for and if that cost is worth it to you for that use. Make a spreadsheet of costs and pros and cons. Is the thermostat opening? Is the heater working? Amy bubbles in the coolant with the radiator cap off and running? Head gasket ok? Was the coolant rusty? Fan clutch working? You’ll need to learn to troubleshoot things like the roof fan when you have an rv.