freightliner diesel van

[Soundguy]

wife wants a van to replace her yukon.

she just texted me a pic of a freightliner van ( i didn't even know freight liner made passbager vehicles.. or vans.. etc. )

kinda looks like a mercedes i guess. high roof. etc.

Not even knowing freightliner made em.. I guess .. I have plenty of questions.. like. is this a smart idea. or any time i need a doo dad for this thing instead of hitting napa am I gonna have to go down to the local truck stop?

 

[Soundguy]

on second thought. is this just a rebranded sprinter? thus menaing it's why the mercedes is likely a sprinter, since all sprinters are pretty much alike?

 

[JESSE1]

The Freightliner is a re-branded Mercedes Sprinter. Daimler owns Freightliner.

 

[Soundguy]

ahh ok. i started thinking about it, and I had half a thought it might be a sprinter.

 

[Soundguy]

ps forgot.

thanks

 

[rswyan]

wife wants a van to replace her yukon.

she just texted me a pic of a freightliner van ( i didn't even know freight liner made passbager vehicles.. or vans.. etc. )

kinda looks like a mercedes i guess. high roof. etc.

Not even knowing freightliner made em.. I guess .. I have plenty of questions.. like. is this a smart idea. or any time i need a doo dad for this thing instead of hitting napa am I gonna have to go down to the local truck stop?

SG,

Ask away ...

We own an '06 which is Dodge badged, and currently has over 432,000 miles. We are the original owners. I average around 24 to 25 mpg, mostly over the road/highway driving.

In answer to your first question: no ... Autozone and Napa - at least around here - stock parts for them.

 

[Soundguy]

now that's a testimonial...

one of the ones we say was an 03. older than i wanted. but i'm willing to look. yukon is starting the nickel / dime stage. i couldn't see over the fence what year the mercedes was. both looked to be in great shape. saw the diesel sticker on the freightliner.

guess i gotta go take a look.

thanks

SG,

Ask away ...

We own an '06 which is Dodge badged, and currently has over 432,000 miles. We are the original owners. I average around 24 to 25 mpg, mostly over the road/highway driving.

In answer to your first question: no ... Autozone and Napa - at least around here - stock parts for them.

 

[motownbrowne]

They get good mileage. Most people can stand up in them. A guy on here put his bx with a backhoe inside of one.

Other than that, from my research, they are way way overpriced and not very reliable.

Rswyan, I don't mean to dismiss your experience, but that record doesn't seem to be the norm. Both people I know who bought them (used for between 20-30k) ended up with major engine failures and took a big hit on them. That's all I know.

 

[PoorPlowboy]

I have an 04 passenger version in my fleet at work. At only 90k miles it has been through two turbos and two ECUs. The ECUs were about $1100 each and the turbo service ran about $4k each time. Other than that it's been nickel and dime issues like the windows falling off the track, doors that refuse to seal closed due to crappy latch mechanisms. Right now the ac compressor for the rear AC is seized up.

Every time we take it in for service, everyone at the dealership asks us very seriously if we're sure we're not ready to trade it in on something else. We're still upside down on it overall and I can't foresee it ever paying for itself.

 

[texasjohn]

It's a Sprinter. We purchased a used 2007 sprinter which had been outfitted as a limousine. We had a special need for the size, height, lots of captain's chairs, easy to move around in while traveling, etc. It is a dream to drive and to ride in particularly on long trips. Mechanically, there have been numerous things gone bad...and it's really, really spendy to get them fixed at the dealer. My regular mechanics don't want to deal with the problems. The onboard computer is exceptionally complex..if you have the right diagnostic, dealer only, it will tell you which glow plug is bad and which tail light bulb is bad. Lots and lots of sensors...low coolant, brake wear, many sensors not typically found. all this means that the check engine light is always on for one reason or another. We've stopped fixing all the things that would turn it off. Being a diesel, it will pass inspection with the check engine light on. The net is that if you truly need the volume it has and the seating/cargo capacity it has, then there is nothing else on the market which comes close. We have 120k miles on the odometer, but it spent lots of its life idling away. there are two air conditioners, front and back. Here in Texas on hot days they simply cannot get the interior cool like any other car can do, too much volume. I installed numerous 12V small fans and they help ...also painted the top white to reflect sun. My net is that if you can buy used at an great price (we have about $35K in it, purchase and repairs so far) and have need for the unique features of the vehicle, and it's in good shape, then it's worth considering. But, be prepared for strange mechanical things you may not have seen on other vehicles.

For us, the ease of loading up, quickly, 5 adults plus two kids plus gear for special needs kid plus regular baby gear plus two adult friends and their 2 kids to go out for a meal or to the park is worth it. Nothing else will do this while allowing people over 6 feet to stand up and move around and care for kids while traveling.

We have the 2500 model, single rear tires, longest body. It parks amazingly easy, particularly if you can back in and hang the rear over a sidewalk or grassy area. You MUST be able to back up using rear mirrors. MUST

 

[rswyan]

They get good mileage. Most people can stand up in them. A guy on here put his bx with a backhoe inside of one.

Other than that, from my research, they are way way overpriced ...

Compared to what ?

Might depend on whether one is shopping new or used. Or what use one intends to put it to.

and not very reliable.

Proper maintenance is the key.

Rswyan, I don't mean to dismiss your experience, but that record doesn't seem to be the norm. Both people I know who bought them (used for between 20-30k) ended up with major engine failures and took a big hit on them. That's all I know.

Motown,

I don't know the people you refer to above ... perhaps they're the exception to my observation, which follows:

A great many of the American public (general, and motoring) are idiots.

Give ya an example ... Mr. "Super Trucker" - who I used to be associated with on a business basis - nearly flipped his lid when he found out that I was running 0w40 oil in the Sprinter (Mobil 1 0w40 - the factory fill for my vehicle ...)

"You can't run that low a weight oil in a diesel !"

But he's the one that smoked the Powerstroke in his F-350 dualie (twice ?) ...

These vehicles (Sprinters) were very popular in my niche industry due to the fuel mileage .... when you run 100K miles per year it's a big deal.

Quite a few bought them ...

Generally speaking, those folks broke down into roughly two categories:

1. People that bothered to crack the manual (or otherwise educate themselves) to learn about the vehicle's specific maintenance requirements ...

and ...

2. Boobus Americanus ... the idjit who knows that all oil (and transmission fluid and gear oil) is all pretty much the same ... so they buy whatever is on sale ... 'cause it shouldn't make any difference, right ?

As well "knowing" other sorts of dubious things of an "everyone knows" variety ...

I know - and know of - both types ...

The "unlucky" ones (generally, but not always) fall into category no. 2 above.

I have personal friends (in my industry) who are driving Sprinters with much higher mileages than mine. One friend (now deceased) had over 500,000 on his '06 when he passed this past December. Another is currently just shy of 600,000 miles on his '05 (original engine, transmission replaced once) and another who has over 800,000 miles on his '04 ... think he replaced his engine (preemptively) at something over 700,000 miles ... had some issues at that point and the choice was to fix or just replace and he chose the later ... just to avoid a breakdown while on the road.

There's a small fleet of about 30 of these (Sprinters) over in the Pittsburgh, PA area ... as of 2 or 3 years ago, it had a substantial number of vehicles with over 500,000 miles ... and a number well above that (600K, 700K) including one that had nearly 900,000 miles on it ... and was still on it's original engine and power train (transmission, driveline, and rear end) ...

That fleet is maintained by a guy named Andy Bittenbinder who is probably one of the foremost authorities on these vehicles in the United States. Has Detroit and Stuttgart/Dusseldorf on the speed dial.

My personal advice is: If one desires to be, or has inclinations towards being ... an idiot ... one should very definitely not buy one of these vehicles.

One other thing: Chrysler absolutely screwed the pooch in handling this gift from the mothership ... things might be, and probably are, different now that the Sprinter is back under Mercedes wings.

 

[rswyan]

The onboard computer is exceptionally complex..if you have the right diagnostic, dealer only, it will tell you which glow plug is bad and which tail light bulb is bad. Lots and lots of sensors...low coolant, brake wear, many sensors not typically found. all this means that the check engine light is always on for one reason or another. We've stopped fixing all the things that would turn it off.

Bad idea ... very bad ...

Think how you will feel if there is a critical engine issue that ultimately results in major damage ... and you miss being alerted to it because the light was already on ...

 

[rswyan]

 

[Tomtint]

I have a 2014 MB Sprinter. It's a standard roof and length. It's called a crew van so it has a removable second row seat that fits 3 average size people. It is also a 4cyl. I typically have 1000 +\-lbs of cargo and most of the driving is highway. If I keep it under 75mph I get 25-26 mpg. It is now 9 months old with 22,000 miles and it has had minimal service issues. MB replaced a egr valve and that's it so so far. I paid 38,000 for it and although it was 4500 more than a new E250, the extra was easily justified by having a rear seat, 2x better fuel mileage and the added extra room in the back. It has 15,000 mile oil change intervals (160.00 ea) Mine is "loaded" has a back up camera, steps, better seats, full headliner, etc. That said, it does have some quirks. The door panel arm rest slopes down toward the front of the truck and is uncomfortable. The center cup holders are only good for 1 cup. Once there is a cup in one side, another one won't fit next to it ( stupid ). The cruse control lever is to close to the directional and easily hit at night.
Other than that it is a much nicer van to drive than all the others I have owned.

 

[rswyan]

now that's a testimonial...

one of the ones we say was an 03. older than i wanted. but i'm willing to look. yukon is starting the nickel / dime stage. i couldn't see over the fence what year the mercedes was. both looked to be in great shape. saw the diesel sticker on the freightliner.

guess i gotta go take a look.

thanks

If it were me, I"d be looking for an '06 (the "best" year - IMHO) with relatively low mileage and a known/documented maintenance history. Preferably one owner.

... "relatively low mileage" in this instance is anything less than 100,000 miles ...

The '06 was the last year to use the inline 5 cylinder engine ... the '07's and later use the V-6 and there is a fuel economy hit ... (24 to 26 vs. 18 to 22)

But that (the year preference) is based on my needs (miles per gallon)

The '07's and later are very nice and quite plush compared to the '06's and earlier ... but my certainty on the V-6 engine isn't as high as it is on the 5 cylinder.

 

[rswyan]

Tom,

Nice to hear they got the mileage back up with the 4 cylinder ... although if you have a low roof that probably plays into it as well.

 

[Buppies]

Having owned several MB products in my opinion they are the best on the road. Yes there are lemons but if you follow the service intervals they last a very long time. Especially like the diesel in cars and SUVs. Own one MB dump truck. Oil changes are easy and little to no trouble at all out of this class 7 truck

 

[Fordman1981]

We have a Pro Master. Rams new sprinter type vehicle. It is a 3500 with the 3.6 pen star extended height roof and extended length. It has over 22,000 miles on it last time I looked and has got an average of 18.1 mpg and we keep it loaded down to near the max most of the time. This is with a lot of mixed driving interstate and in city. We have not had any issues so far and the 3.6 is surprisingly strong. I paid mid 30s for mine new off the lot.

 

[HHR]

We have a Pro Master. Rams new sprinter type vehicle. It is a 3500 with the 3.6 pen star extended height roof and extended length. It has over 22,000 miles on it last time I looked and has got an average of 18.1 mpg and we keep it loaded down to near the max most of the time. This is with a lot of mixed driving interstate and in city. We have not had any issues so far and the 3.6 is surprisingly strong. I paid mid 30s for mine new off the lot.

How does the ProMaster ride? I like the idea of a long wheelbase instead of the huge overhang that the Sprinter and Transit have.

 

[Renze]

We have a Pro Master. Rams new sprinter type vehicle. It is a 3500 with the 3.6 pen star extended height roof and extended length. It has over 22,000 miles on it last time I looked and has got an average of 18.1 mpg and we keep it loaded down to near the max most of the time. This is with a lot of mixed driving interstate and in city. We have not had any issues so far and the 3.6 is surprisingly strong. I paid mid 30s for mine new off the lot.

Thats a Fiat. No rust yet ??

Merc Sprinters (and VW Crafters) are built in Stuttgart and are very solid vehicles. the Merc Vito is built in Spain and just rots away under your *****. As a rule, anything south is rust prone.
Fiat/Iveco engines are very good though...