Spotted Sprinter SMB for sale

[Racingdad]

Spotted a older 2003 Sprinter SMB White 316 for sale up at Tahoe. Here's the details.

2003 Mercedes Benz Sprinter van, 132,000 miles, 2.7L 5cyl Turbo Diesel, 16-20mpg, 158in wheelbase, Super high top, Sportsmobile conversion, Loaded except no marine toilet, Porta Potti in Shower Closet, Full Kitchen: Sink, Microwave, 4.3cft fridge/freezer, 2 burner propane cooktop, Propane system for heating, cooktop and Onan 2.8kw generator, 8Gallon Grey Water Tank, 20Gallon fresh water tank under couch/full bed, over 20 cabinets/drawers, Pantry, 19in HDTV/DVD, Alpine CD/MP3 Stereo w/Amp/Subwoofer, Contractor grade roof rack with Thule Cargo box, 125W Solar Panel, Extra smaller Solar Panel included, Starcool Aux Air Conditioning system in rear of van, 2 Aux 12V batteries under couch bed for 12V power, Passenger seat swivels to face rear seating, Garmin 7200 GPS/XM included, Fantastic Fan, 2.5Gallon Hot Water Tank, Outdoor shower set up, Many other extras, Great van, great economy for Class B RV, great driver in town and on hwy.

They are asking $27,500. I'm trying to get a sense of it's value and what problems would be associated with a higher mileage rig.

It needs 4 tires, generally it looks good except for being dirty. Cloudy front headlight lenses, few minor imperfections in the body. Heavy duty roof rack for kayaks and SUP's with roller load bar. I was looking through through the windows (it was parked on the side of the road with no one around) and the interior was cluttered but looked in good shape.


Tad

 

[chromisdesigns]

Probably more than you ever wanted to know about Sprinters -- spend some time looking through here to get a sense of what it's worth and what issues there might be:http://sprinter-source.com/forum/

 

[Overland Hadley]

132,000 miles is not a lot for a Sprinter. And thats about all I know about that.

I am sure Mike will chime in with some good info.

 

[Racingdad]

More info on SMB Sprinter

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/65279-2003-Sportsmobile-Sprinter-2500

Given the layout of the vehicle I was surprised it was not originally posted here instead of sitting on the side of the road, but here is the for sale posting from 2011. The rig sold in 2011 for $26,000 with 119,000 miles. Now for sale two years later with increased mileage @ $27,500. Found an ad in 2012 for same rig offered at $31,000. It would appear from prior owners post that he maintained the rig.

Spoke with SMB and the Sprinter Store. SMB confirms the rig was built in Texas. Sprinter Store offered caution on any 2002-2003 Mercedes due to plastic fuel lines and in-tank fuel pump.

If anyone is interested I would be more than happy to contact the owner and get more info.

 

[mhiscox]

I am sure Mike will chime in with some good info.

It's great to have a fan club, no matter how small and narrowly-focused.

Don't fear the mileage if you can verify regular maintenance. No records would be a significant problem, but when the in-line five is taken care of, it's a 300K engine. And the rest of the truck holds together pretty well, too.

As T1Ns go, 2002 and 2003 had a different engine than the 04-06 models, and it's maybe not quite as refined. My '03 for example, clatters more and smells a little dieselly on occasion; my '05 didn't smell at all. But the differences, including the ones mentioned to you, are relatively small potatoes. The big issues are wheelbase, height and whether to get the older 5-cylinder T1N or the newer (07-on) V-6 NCV3.

The 158 inch wheelbase T1N is about as long as the longest crew cab pickup and you have the same sort of issues with length, though the Sprinter is narrower and turns more sharply, so would be easier to handle. The smaller 140 inch unit is three feet shorter and thus more nimble, but all of that three feet is cabin space, so it's tough to give that up. Sprinters are great because of the standing height, so since you are sometimes going to live in it, you want the high roof. The NCV3s are much more sophisticated and offer real improvements in driving comfort and finish quality. They also are a few inches bigger in all dimensions which, depending on your layout, can make a big difference. But you get fewer miles per gallon and a less legendary engine, and the purchase price is certainly higher.

In the end, it should come down to how much you like this specific conversion. About half the value of this truck is in the conversion, and even if you paid yourself very cheaply, you probably couldn't provide the same equipment and sophistication for that money. So if you'd like to live with the floor plan, equipment and quality of this conversion, go for it. But I don't think I'd buy it planning to rip out a bunch of it and redesign it. In that case, you'd probably be better off converting an empty one.

That said, there's a lot of work goes into doing the details right, and this would have you on the road quicker than most any other option, save buying a serial production RV, and you'd likely pay significantly more for that. So if it's important not to mess around and get on the road quickly, give it more consideration. If you'd have fun taking the time to do your own conversion and don't mind not traveling for a while, give it less.

 

[SSF556]

132,000 miles is not a lot for a Sprinter. And thats about all I know about that.

I am sure Mike will chime in with some good info.

On the Sprinter forum there is a guy over 500,000 miles...those miles were not without issues though.

 

[kcshoots]

Thanks for the info Racingdad. I'm interested in learning more about the van. Please send phone or other contact info and/or more info on the van. Thank you! I'm located in Reno, so very close.