jtantare,
I've had my Sprinter for 1.5 years now and I've put on 50K miles so far. I have mixed feelings about this van. The one we bought was the middle length, extended roof model. The short version was just too small, and the extended version is way to long for practical purposes. The middle length van is esxactly the same size and length as Ford E-Series.
The Good:
Gas mileage! I get 22mpg with city driving, a little more with highway driving.
My van also has the oil computer, anti-lock brakes, and acceleration slip control (I should put this in the bad column.)
I love the multi-postion seats. They are sort of like the expensive trucker seats that adjust every which way. The 2004+ models added more cushion, so go for one of those.
Acceleration is more than adequate for city driving. Don't be expecting to drag race though. Highway driving at 80mph+ is typical Mercedes, smooth!
The interior height is 6ft. I can stand inside and just brush the hairs on my head.
10K mile OCI, more even if you have an oil computer. Tranny is sealed and is only serviced once at 80K miles, then never again.
Controls are nicely laid out. Steering column is in a fixed "trucker" position. I love it, others don't.
Gear shift is in the center dash panel. It's the typical Mercedes gear shift with the soft touch shifting. Just tap it left or right to manualy change gears.
The Bad:
License plate and hardware fell off.
EGR valve leaked oil all over engine.
Leaf spring cushion fell off suspension causing lots of rattles.
Valve stems are all bad. In fact there is a recall on them. Gave me two flat tires.
Power locks don't work properly now. I have to press it twice while it locks and unlocks itself FIVE times.
Dash lights where the climate control functions are go out from time to time. I just slap it to turn them back on.
I'm now having a dangerous problem of passing and/or hard accelerations. Whenever I try to pass a vehicle or merge onto the Interstate, the engine will suddenly lose total power. Then it will accelerate again, then lose total power again. It will do this until I let up on the accelerator. Five or six times at least. This is by far the most troublesome issue.
I also can't find anayone to work on it. I have to do it myself. The dodge dealership in town won't touch it; neither will the Mercedes dealership. I have to take it to Portland,OR (110 miles) to have it worked on.
And finally, it's a bit more expensive. This version cost my company $34,000. A ford E350 should only cost you $25,000.
Oh I forgot, the rear door latch broke. It still closes, just not as easily.
Besides the issues I have had, I still like the van. I truly believe that Mercedes has slipped a bit in quality control, however it is still a sound vehicle that should last a long time.
Hope this helps.
