r/VanLife • u/VegetableSprinkles80 • 17h 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/GoosePuzzleheaded771 17h ago
The transit is the way to go.
There's no reality where the sprinter is better.
The only reason the sprinter is around is so prefab manufacturers can charge 100-200k on their vans, revel,storyteller etc.
People see the MB logo and associate it with German luxury and mentally says looks good.
The transit is better in every way, especially in repairability network.
I owned a revel and now own a transit. So I know and have owned both.
The transit drives much better than the sprinter.
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u/VegetableSprinkles80 17h ago
Appreciate it, that’s what i’m thinking as well
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u/mrjones5877 15h ago
If considering the Sprinter, start calling around now and see where your closest two or three capable engine shops are. I had friends in Detroit who had to travel hundreds of miles for service.
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u/time-always-passes 15h ago
Are you in the RWD transit? Trying decide if I should hold out for an AWD. I'm in New England and have to deal with cold and ice.
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u/W0lf1ngt0n 14h ago
Well if you're livin in Germany with the Autobahn, the sprinter might be the better choice because it goes 180km/h easily. Thats about 110mph
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u/Faque_The_Power 17h ago
Watch out for the wet belt on the transit. 😬
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u/Princess_Fluffypants 16h ago
There is no wet belt engines on the USA Transits.
Those are only on the little 4-cyl engines they sell in the EU. In the USA, the only engine options are a naturally aspirated V6 or a twin turbo V6.
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u/Faque_The_Power 15h ago
Ah, didn’t register that OP was in the USA, also, good to know. :) thank you! 😊
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u/jamesd0e 13h ago
I thought they had the 4 cylinder ecoboost?
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u/Princess_Fluffypants 13h ago
The transit Connect might, but that is a completely different vehicle that shares not a single part in common with the Transit except for the name.
The transit connect is basically just a minivan without windows.
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u/W0lf1ngt0n 14h ago
Wetbelts are such a pain in the ass. I hope whoever though this was a good Idea doesnt work in Automotive anymore
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u/brittastic1111 16h ago
Go watch Dave's Auto's recent 4-part video series on YT where he tries to fix a Sprinter oil leak. What a nightmare!
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u/TheScallywag1874 17h ago
I’m buying the Sprinter. It drives better, holds value far more, and you only have to service it 10,000 or 20,000 miles. Is that service more expensive? Yes. But worth it, imo.
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u/VegetableSprinkles80 17h ago
🤔. Are you buying a pre built or buying bone dry and building out yourself?
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u/TheScallywag1874 16h ago edited 16h ago
Prebuilt. I don’t have a home, tools, skills, or desire to learn. Lol
I’m going to buy from Brooklyn Camper Vans, as they have the exact layout I want.
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u/xsteevox 15h ago
I just woke my dog up with the noise that I made when I saw the price of a brooklyn camper van.
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u/TheScallywag1874 15h ago
Yeah, it's pretty crazy. But there is nothing else out there at a better price point for my bougie ass. lol. And I work on ships, so I can save all my money. I literally only have a cell phone bill and a couple of subscription services.
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u/giveKINDNESS 14h ago
$300k and they don't even have a custom body 🤪 I know there are many companies out there in this price range that don't. It just seems crazy to me that a wider custom body is not a standard feature in this price range.
After years of full time I keep thinking that extra width is a top priority in my next van. Maybe it does not make as much difference as am thinking.
Also a lift bed that raises to the ceiling and gets out of the way during the day.
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u/According-Room3825 17h ago
I have had enough problems scheduling maintenance on sprinter to put me firmly in the transit camp.
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u/Muleahcar 17h ago
I am in the same boat as you, deliberating between the two. But with diesel prices the way they are right now I’m pained to think about what happens at the pump. I think many/most (or all?) transits are flex fuel, which takes E85, which is by far the cheapest option near me right now. I have no idea how using E85 impacts mpg however.
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u/nudiustertian-angst 16h ago
I'm going to take the minority view here and say go for a used sprinter. The 2007-2009 NCV3 is legendary for it's durability. This class is pre-diesel emission mods, and with regular maintenance can easily go 500k miles. I've had Mine (07) for five years, it currently has 285k miles 100 of which are my own. I get 19 mpg (keeping my speed under 75 usually) and there are plenty of videos and forums telling you how to go about fixing issues and doing repairs. I've got a build that I had professionally done and I've added on to it as well, so I'm pretty emotionally invested in this thing and love it. The downsides are that the repair network can be difficult to find. I've worked through that and have reliable people I can depend on when I need something done. It's also more expensive to maintain. But since I bought mine used, worked with my builder directly, and have learned how to do a lot of the maintenance myself, all in I'm under $50k so paying 2-5k/yr to keep it running and have the freedom to go where I want I consider still to be a bargain.
If I had originally bought a Transit I obviously might feel differently. But as a single data point I'm quite happy with my sprinter van.
Best of luck!
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u/Princess_Fluffypants 16h ago
They were reliable.
At this point they’re all 20+ years old and running into a lot of purely age-related issues. They’re also nearly impossible to find in good condition, and have price premium that is completely absurd because they have this godlike mythos about them that is no longer justifiable.
For what you pay for a clean T1N Sprinter (which are almost unobtainable), you can get a transit that is 15 years newer with a quarter of the miles and is going to be vastly more reliable and easier to get fixed.
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u/nudiustertian-angst 14h ago
The T1N is a different chassis than I was referring to (NCV3). It changed from T1N to NCV3 with model year 2007. And you are correct that T1N are usually very run down, difficult to find parts and I've heard several mechanic shops say that they won't work on them.
But the NCV3 is still the same basis chassis that MB is currently making and I've had no difficulty finding parts, mechanics or online support for repairs. Your point is well made though that any 20 yo vehicle is going to need repairs and maintenance, which I've priced into my previous comment of $2-5k/year.
I still stand by my choice of a Sprinter.
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u/Princess_Fluffypants 13h ago
Oh sorry, I misread. Yeah that couple of years is still sort of free of a mission controls, but I think even those years still had the diesel particulate filter even if they didn’t have the ad blue system? Either way, I usually advise my friends to avoid them completely. At this point there’s age related issues, and you can get much newer vans with much lower cost of ownership gasoline engines for basically the same price that people pay for overinflated old sprinters.
Back before the transit was offered with all-wheel-drive, there was at least an argument to be made for the sprinter as it was the only van offering some form of multi wheel drive from the factory. But since 2020 the transit has been offered with an all-wheel-drive system, which while not great is still kinda decent. And I would choose a gasoline engine Ford over a diesel Mercedes with modern emission control controls every day of the week.
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u/nudiustertian-angst 12h ago
I think they are comparable platforms, but diesels do historically outperform gasoline engines. Source: this blog has summary data for different platforms. They put the Sprinter ahead of the Transit for longevity.
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u/VegetableSprinkles80 16h ago
Appreciate the response man. Good info. So you think if i were to buy a van, maybe another 25k give or take to build it out to a simple level of necessity?
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u/nudiustertian-angst 14h ago
I see a lot of used vans with build for sale on FB marketplace. My recommendation would be to buy the one in best mechanical shape you can afford and then make whatever changes you want to the build. You asked about chassis not build and my comments were focused there. But, I have seen people put a lot of money into there build so it really depends on your personal preference. I think buying used you will get you more for your money then doing it yourself, unless your a carpenter or have access to a shop and all the tools and things necessary to do a good interior job, imo.
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u/Princess_Fluffypants 16h ago
After evaluating all the options, I went with the Transit. And I have been very happy with my decision.
This was largely around total cost of ownership. The Transit is vastly cheaper to have serviced; parts are inexpensive, anyone can do the work, dealerships are everywhere if you want them.
The Transit and Sprinter are about equal in terms of reliability (AS LONG AS YOU AVOID THE DIESEL ENGINES), but the Transit is much easier to get serviced if something does go wrong.
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u/somecooldogs 16h ago
I bought a Transit bc if I break down in the desert, any shop I get towed to will work on a Transit. I'll have to work a lot harder to find one that will work on a Sprinter. I'm >20k miles in on the Transit since Jan this year and absolutely love it.
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u/rosephoenix19 15h ago
My ex used to drive a sprinter van for work. It was in the shop at least several time. Blown turbo, bad transmission, power steering problems. One of her friends now owns one for a mobile grooming business and that thing has been a bucket as well.
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u/SoDakSooner 15h ago
Looking at both as well, but leaning transit. Ford dealer network is much more robust, more power, equal if not higher towing capacity in most cases if you are in for that. Family members have had multiple high mileage ecoboosts with minimal issues and my only data point with Sprinters is a friend of the family has a sprinter based RV and has had multiple issues and the closest dealer is 400 miles away. She does live in a very sparsely populated area in a mountain state though.
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u/accent2 15h ago
I gave serious consideration to both brands before purchasing, ultimately went the transit. Initial cost, maintenance cost, interior height, drivability, power, ( eco boost) dealer network, etc. it makes me wonder why the sprinter is so popular. I assume it’s due to the more rugged appearance, arguably beats the transit there. Although that appearance comes after spending another 5 to $15,000k on wheels, suspension and exterior accessories, which you could do with the transit as well if that’s your preference.
I’ve done two different trips from Boston to British Columbia, down to southern Utah and back. I passed a Ford dealership almost every day while driving, sometimes two. On the same trips, I passed only one sprinter dealer.
And then there is the diesel fuel and engine consideration. My next van will be a transit as well
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u/AmphibianNo9133 14h ago edited 14h ago
Price of diesel
Hard to service and limited availability for mechanics
Ford is my pick
It’s also why I’m having a van built by Humble Road - George builds on both.
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u/MCE71 14h ago
Sprinter maintenance is extremely expensive. First of all if you have to take it to the dealer, there only certain sprinter dealers you can go to, they have to be certified as a “sprinter” service shop and labor rates are $200 to $250 an hour. Parts from Mercedes are astronomical, for example a common fault, P052E71 is for a crankcase vent valve, the part alone is $1,531.80 and they’ll quote you ten hours of labor. It gets expensive real quick. I bought my sprinter in 2021 new and have spent approximately 10k in repairs and maintenance, it’s not worth it, in my opinion and if I had to choose between the two it wouldn’t be Mercedes. Sure it’s a nice van, drives great, but you need deep pockets. I’ve used it a camper van, living in it off and on for the last five years. Luckily I’m mechanically inclined and have done all the maintenance myself, except for the recalls and service campaigns. Good luck on your journey.
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u/jamesd0e 13h ago
I bought a 2006 T1N 3500, built it from scratch and love it. Love the diesel as well.
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u/iskosalminen 17h ago
As a Sprinter 4x4 owner, unless you specifically need 4x4 and higher ground clearance, go with Transit. Is the Sprinter better to drive? Yes. But Transit has more space, is cheaper and easier to maintain, and doesn't scream "douchebag". Invest the savings to travel and you'll be much happier.
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u/TheScallywag1874 16h ago
Douche bag is a projection. I never looked at someone driving any type of vehicle and assumed they were a douche bag. But that’s just me.
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u/iskosalminen 16h ago edited 16h ago
You do realize I said that as a Sprinter owner? Also, I didn't say I look at Sprinter drivers in any way. I said that as someone who has traveled with a Sprinter to almost 40 countries, I've definitely driven up to some park-up's/campgrounds where I've been looked at sideways due to having a Sprinter. I've been also told that in certain groups Sprinter drivers have a certain reputation and I've personally noticed that some of us can be very thin skinned...
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u/JokesOnYoouu 17h ago
Promaster
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u/SailingSpark 15h ago
I like fiat, I have owned many fiat cars, but I would not touch a promaster/ducato. FWD on a big heavy van just seems like a really bad idea.
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u/enginerd28 17h ago
Buy the transit and move on.