Greetings All!
We have a 2006 Winnebago View based on the 2005 Sprinter chassis which we bought in 2017 with 76K miles on the clock. It is our second used RV and the third diesel vehicle we have owned. I cannot speak to the Pleasure Way coach but can confirm the Mercedes 2.7L inline 5cyl turbo diesel is a workhorse. Before buying ours I did a lot of research and this motor is rated as one of the top five passenger car/van diesel motors ever produced. There are plenty of these early Sprinters on the road with over a million miles and still going strong.
That said, like any vehicle they need to be well maintained. Buying a 12 year old vehicle we didn't consider any that had more than two previous owners or that didn't have a complete sheaf of maintenance records. I also ran a CARFAX report to see the history of the vehicle.... it won't show everything but will indicate how many owners, where it was previously registered, and if there has ever been an insurance claim on it.
We prefer to buy from private parties since dealers usually don't have records or are remiss to disclose anything unsavory in the vehicle's history (if they even know it). In addition, when we looked at a couple of used View/Navions on dealer lots, the sales people didn't know much about the vehicle and being a previous RV owner I asked a lot of questions they couldn't answer.
When we bought ours, I fenced 20% of the budget for repairs, etc after purchase. That way there would not be any unexpected expenses. I was unable to have it inspected prior to purchase but took it to our closest M-B dealer right afterwards and had the 80K service (including the transmission) a bit early. They told us the brakes had 10-15K left but since we paid the labor to pull the wheels for the inspection we opted to for a full brake job (pads, rotors, fluid) which was not cheap but since we had planned for it we didn't flinch.
Since that time we have driven another 20K miles from FL to CO/NM, CA, SD, TX, OH, DC and others with no breakdowns. On our last major trip we did have an anti-lock brake system (ABS) controller failure... The van was still driveable but would not go above 2nd gear so we "limped" the last 10 miles into our planned stop. The local M-B dealer was very accommodating and replaced the controller for us after getting one shipped in overnight from their depot. If I had been near home when it happened I would have had the ABS controller rebuilt (it was an electronic problem) but Oh Well.
We just hit 100K miles after our last trip so we are resetting the clock with a complete motor front-end overhaul later this month or early in March.... (new hoses, new serpentine belt/pulleys, new alternator, new water pump, new A/C pulley, oil/filter change, fuel filter change, air filter, cab air filter, transmission/differential service, etc). I've found a world-class Sprinter tech in SC (actually there two there) and will be making a pilgrimage up for the work. It's not too far from here though I'll probably take two days just to make it a pleasurable drive up/back. His labor rates are about $50/hr less than the dealer and he only charges time/material so the labor savings will pay for the trip and then some. I am bringing all the parts/fluids so the job will be significantly less than it would be at the dealer. I'm guessing it will be two full days of work. In the end we will have reset the clock for the next 100k miles.
One other thing you will encounter if you read any of the Sprinter forums (and I would encourage doing so) will be some complaints about the NAG1 transmission failing prematurely but people are remiss to reveal their driving habits or if they tow anything... all of which put stress on the transmission. We have not had a problem with our transmission so far but I drive it like a manual... the 2.7L turbo-diesel motor's torque curve is pretty flat between 2000 and 2400 RPM so that's where I try to keep it downshifting when necessary. I only use cruise control on flat terrain and never in hills/mountains. The motor pulls well going uphill and I can keep 60 mph in 4th and 45 mph in 3rd which is plenty adequate in the hills mountains. On flat roads with no winds we average about 18-19 mpg at 60-65 mph.
The only other relatively major maintenance issue we have tackled is the suspension. There are loads of opinions out there regarding suspension upgrades to enhance handling/stability. It's incredible how much money people are willing to spend to try to make an RV handle like a sports car (and I've owned both!).... After consult with one of the Sprinter gurus in NC we decided to replace our ageing struts/shocks and as well as the air assist spring bladders (not sure if the PW has them but we did in both Winnebagos)... he advised against changing out the OEM anti-sway bar for a number of reasons. We installed Koni struts/shocks and replaced the leaking air assist spring bladders. Total cost about $1500. Now the camper runs down the road steady as a rock!
Finally, FWIW the German design standard for part life expectancy is 200,000 Km (125,000 Mi) so the vehicle you are considering is nearing that limit for things like transmission (perhaps), alternator, wheel bearings, water pump, etc. Absent detailed records showing these items had been inspected/replaced, I'd be skeptical about this vehicle... It may not show anything during a test drive but crump a few hundred or thousand miles later.
I apologize if sounding pessimistic but forewarned is forearmed. Hope these thoughts help.
Paul and Christine
06 Winnebago View 23H
NW Florida