Good deal? Roadtrek Adventurous RS 2006 - $50000

[B Eventually]

For those of you with Sprinter experience, what are your thoughts on buying a 2006 Adventurous RS with 80,000 miles for 50k? The 5 cylinder engine predates DEF, right? So the diesel engine should have many years ahead of it as long as it’s received all of it’s scheduled maintenance, right?

For someone who’s not mechanically inclined, would it make sense to go ahead and purchase new, getting the warranties and avoiding the 80k miles? When a new Winnebago Era can be snagged for 90-110k, does buying used make sense?

Nada is listing a low retail of 45k and average retail of 54k.

[ClassB4Me]

I had an Airstream Sprinter on that chassis with the 5 cylinder engine. It was our 1st RV and we loved the size and the mileage. The engine predates DEF. You can get a sense of the reliability of the engine / transmission by going to the following site: Sprinter T1N. T1N is the name for the generation of Sprinter.

A suggestion... Many people buy RVs with the dream of RVing but the excitement quickly fades because of operating costs, declining health, financial setbacks. I would look for a slightly used RV (1-3 years old) on sell by a private owner. You might be able to negotiate a better deal and get a fresher product. Most people are shocked by the initial depreciation and hold on to the unit on principle alone.

There are many deals to be had. WGO is putting a lot of ClassBs into the market and the market is heading for a correction. I am watching the market closely and will strike when the market gets soft.

Just got off the phone with my insurance agent. He cautioned to make sure to strike a deal that reflects/comes close the market value of the RV once you drive it off the lot. If the RV is totaled 24 hours later, that is what the insurance company will payout.

[ClassB4Me]

To answer your questions specifically, the newer Sprinters on the NCV3 chassis are much better by a factor of 3. Very quiet with little wind noise. The ride with the standard suspension is good. The T1N suspension always felt underdamped and crashed on potholes and dips in the road. The ride on the T1N is jarring compared to the NCV3. The NCv3 V6 diesel has strong midrange torque. 40MPH - 70 MPH is very good (2016 Airstream Interstate test drive).

If you could find a 3 year old NCV3 Sprinter RV for around $70K and with 25k miles would that work for your budget / plans?

Use the advanced search function on RVTrader.com and see what is for sale. I saw 10-25 units for sale around $70K with less than 40K on the newer Sprinter chassis.

Price is always negotiable and easier if no trade is involved.

[B Eventually]

Thanks for the responses ClassB4Me. I am familiar with the Sprinter Source forum and was pretty sure the 5 cylinder was T1N but figured it couldn’t hurt to ask. Assumptions can be dangerous…

That’s interesting that you think the NCV3 Sprinters are three times better. I’ve seen a lot of people complaining about DEF issues which is a big negative against the NCV3 in my mind. I guess it’s pros far outweigh that one downside. A few minutes ago I came across an old thread where Davydd had a similarly positive comparison of the NCV3 vs the T1N.

Right now our plan is actually to build a garage in the Spring (aka rodent protection) and look for a B towards the end of the year. Like many of us here, I probably spend too much time looking at and thinking about Bs which is why I came across that local one today.

Next year if we came across a three year old NCV3 as described, we’d seriously consider it. However, the kids are growing up before our eyes so we can’t afford to wait too long for a bargain. So that will be an even bigger factor.

[gerrym51]

if your question is if an NCV3 is superior to a T1N-it is.

If your asking which one will give you less GRIEF -the T1N

[ClassB4Me]

The NCV3 chassis are much better by a factor of 3

I was referring to the drivability, suspension comfort, and quiet (little wind noise). I have a car that uses DEF and have no problems. I'm diesel familiar and trust Mercedes.

RV depreciation is a reality and if you come across a preowned RV in like new condition, has a good service history, and is priced right that may be the signals you need to act.

The garage sounds like a perfect 1st step.

[ClassB4Me]

Originally Posted by gerrym51

if your question is if an NCV3 is superior to a T1N-it is.

If your asking which one will give you less GRIEF -the T1N

Please tell more...

[B Eventually]

Originally Posted by gerrym51

if your question is if an NCV3 is superior to a T1N-it is.

If your asking which one will give you less GRIEF -the T1N

What a horrible trade-off! Fortunately there's a lot of NCV3s on the road so problems must be the exception rather than the rule.

Originally Posted by ClassB4Me

The garage sounds like a perfect 1st step.

We've had chipmunks build nests inside of our 4Runner's cabin air filter many times. This past Summer, a pair of chipmunks managed to behead themselves in there the week before a road trip. Since we only use the car a couple of times a week, they cooked for a few days before we found them.

A couple of weeks later, our neighbors found a mouse nest in their vehicle (not particularly surprising) and had a weasel run out from under their hood while they were driving down the highway! Another neighbor had some of his car's electrical wiring chewed by rodents. The garage definitely is coming before we buy a newer B.

We still haven't seen rodents cause an engine to ignite like someone posted about a few weeks back.

[avanti]

We, too, are on our second B-van. The first was a 2004 T1N and our current one is a 2014 NCV3 4-cylinder. I have to agree that the NCV3 is vastly more refined and comfortable than the T1N. There is just no comparison. MAYBE NCV3s are more temperamental than the T1Ns, but you couldn't prove it by me. Except for a very minor oil leak, our vehicle has been totally trouble free so far. The 4-cyliner/7-speed drivetrain in particular is just amazing. I highly recommend it if you can find one in your price range (although 2014 was the first year for it, so that is unlikely).

Good luck in your search.

[rockymtnb]

Originally Posted by gerrym51

if your question is if an NCV3 is superior to a T1N-it is.

If your asking which one will give you less GRIEF -the T1N

Originally Posted by ClassB4Me

Please tell more...

There is a more detailed review of Sprinter DEF/DPF problems at:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/fatal...-tom-robertson

These are fleet owners so they tend to get hit by statistical trends over many units and a lot of miles. Individual owners tend to report either no problems (if they have a trouble-free unit) or disasters (if they happened to get hit with a problem unit). Sprinter Forum has an extended debate about this at:

"The Fatal Flaw of Mercedes Benz Sprinters" - Sprinter-Forum

RV owners are often relatively lower mileage users so DPF/DEF problems are likely to be covered under extended emissions warranty. Those with recurring problems have often been able to get Lemon Law buybacks, although they cover only a portion of the chassis cost, not the RV upgrade value.

When the time comes to finally replace our Sprinter we'll likely opt for a gas drivetrain like the Promaster or Transit, just to avoid the potential of complex DPF/DEF failures in remote areas. But I will miss that strong torquey diesel grunt...