I've heard that the Sprinter is a difficult one to locate mechanics in the country areas here in Australia and that a Ford Transit would be the better choice.
I've also heard that the Sprinter is very expensive when facing any repairs.
Who has learned information on what might be a good choice of similar van here in Australia for a single person to live in full time forever?
First, consider how many sprinter vans there are delivering goods every day vs Ford Transit vans?
The early sprinters 2006 last model had some problems with the auto gearbox jamming, this was actually caused by the servos used to operate the clutch (so I'm told) they are also powered by common rail diesels which can be a little bothersome at times.
On the other hand the Ford Transits are frequently German built as well, not as popular therefore difficult to get parts for, also expensive.
When looking for the same type of vehicle you are considering we were told to consider the VW LT35 which has all the same body and mechanical components as the sprinter except the engine and gearbox. The VW is direct injection not CDI which is not so troublesome and is only available as a manual.
When looking at any of these vehicles, be sure to look for rust around the windscreen and the roof.
Ours has done 360,000kms and the mechanics that are familiar with these delivery vans tells me that they are good for 500,000kms and more if looked after.
Love ours to bits, it drives like a car and is very comfortable to stay in.
Good luck with your quest.
Should mention have not heard many good reports about the MB or VW in the later models 2007>
-- Edited by Landfall on Monday 7th of October 2019 08:32:20 PM
As part of my job l drove many different models of Transit vans over 30 yrs, up until 6 yrs ago,
As well as many other different vehicles
I don't remember a single time when we had to wait for Transit diesel parts to arrive...
As part of my job l drove many different models of Transit vans over 30 yrs, up until 6 yrs ago, As well as many other different vehicles I don't remember a single time when we had to wait for Transit diesel parts to arrive...
Up until last year, Mariner I would have agreed with you. I worked in Ford Spare Parts for about 10 yrs. I have a 2008 Transit. In Alice, noticed bottom radiator hose was leaking a little. NRMA checked it out and said it wasn't much of a problem. However, still had a few miles to do and decided to have one on hand just in case. Ford Dealership in Alice didn't have one, neither did Katherine or Darwin. Went to Repco and a couple of other places that sell non genuine bits... no luck. Not one of these places said anything about getting one in for me. It wasn't until I got to Mt Isa, I was able to order it in and then wait a week for it to come. Unheard of back when.....
My Transit has now done 210,000ks. Never had a serious problem with it. The motorhome body is by KEA (ex rental) The van has been all over the place including out to Birdsville. I frequently take it out bush in the opal mining areas. No roads out there only vague tracks. Fixtures and Fittings are still like new. All in all after 10yrs still delighted with my choice.
We've had our Transit for 16 yrs now and it is close to clocking up 1/2-mill kms
Things can always change over time ... but - when we were looking to buy, we had a choice of Merc + Ford + Fiat, with the Merc being $15k more than the Ford, and the Fiat being $15k less than the Ford
In seeking advice on this and ther forums, the consensus was "toyota and ford seem to be repairable anywhere ... Merc's were deemed expensive to maintain, and Fiat [16 yrs ago] were an unknown quantity, but if the light-trucks were similar to their passenger cars, then reliabilty would be an issue"
We chose the Ford - used Ford dealers during the warranty period with mixed levels of happiness - found that most local mechanics could fix most things using either genuine or after-market parts, and then their labour times and costs were less than the Ford dealer costs
Since the federal gov't have now mandated that the motor industry does not need to keep spares for vehicles over 10 yrs of age, we now use after market suppliers all the time, along with local workshops. We have not had any issues with these venues after many years of use
mate had a Merc for a delivery van. went kaput about a month after warranty.
he took them to fair trading and got a result but not after lots of fighting from Mercedes.
He was lucky they said it was a non genuine filter issue , Ryco didn't like Mercedes pointing the stick at them, so they got the filter and put it through tests proving it had nothing to do with the motor failure. So nice try mercedes.
He's had a few in his delivery time and based on his experiences, says he's never touch another one.
It's second hand info but seems to line up with the comments above.
