Intro, & questions

[Leigh]

Originally Posted by Bruceper

...And if you can do work on them yourself then you can save a bundle.

Alas, neither my husband nor I are mechanically inclined. We will need to find and rely on a good Sprinter technician!

I have been really impressed with the interior (in photos, at least) of older PW models. And older RTs too.

[mkguitar]

then before you buy, figure out your support system.

see if you have a sprinter tech closer than reno


the thing with a chev, ford dodge (in that order) is that anyone can and will work on them- parts are plentiful and cheap not just from a dealer but autozone, napa, pepboys etc.




mike

[Davydd]

If you can find a T1N Sprinter Pleasure-way you will have a good B. I had one. There where two things that eventually bugged me. The first is the bathroom wall is too tight to the driver's seat. You did not have full extension or the ability to recline or swivel the seat. The second is they all came with one house battery and no real good solution for adding a second one though some DIYers did in what I thought a clunky way. P-w was adamant in not doing it. I am not sure why but they may have had a reason. You could safely get one night of boondocking parked but not much more.

[gregmchugh]

Many people who are looking for a T1N with lots of storage like the Gulfstream Vista Cruiser in the G-24 floorplan with a fixed raised bed and big storage area under the bed. You sleep sideways but there are bump outs on the sides to give more length to the bed. Seems to be a popular model. Here is an example...

http://www.connectedstates.com

[Davydd]

I don't think the Gulfstream was all that popular. They quit making them after a year or two and the workmanship was the worst of the Sprinter Bs at the time, IMO, when I was researching back then. It could have been those pop outs. I understand they failed a lot. So if you couldn't sleep crosswise they would have to have redesigned and retooled. Evidently that wasn't worth it to them.

[mtnclmb]

Leigh, I have similar questions to yours. We are first time buyers also. We are looking at perhaps buying a 4x4 Sprinter and having it converted. We live in an area with lots of snow and enjoy skiing and winter hiking. I really liked everything about the Travato 59G, but my husband says the 6" ground clearance under the back wheels is too tight for our purposes. We aren't looking to park in campgrounds often. Are there any modifications that could solve this issue? I think it is the generator that is sticking down. It seems that it would be much easier to buy a prebuilt than having the van converted.

[wincrasher]

Timbrens or Sumo springs are an easy add and can give you another 1" of clearance.

[mkguitar]

Originally Posted by mtnclmb

We live in an area with lots of snow and enjoy skiing and winter hiking.

you'll also need to figure out what to do about water/grey/black tanks and plumbing.

you can;t have anything in there which will freeze, expand and split a hose inside the wall....

base your search on that..inside or heated tanks, ease of adding antifreeze to drains and tanks or blowing water out of the systems etc

many B's are built for temperate climates only- not alot of R value in the walls





Mike

[Leigh]

Originally Posted by wincrasher

Timbrens or Sumo springs are an easy add and can give you another 1" of clearance.

I've seen a lot of posts about modifying the suspension for increased clearance and smoother ride. Does this add a lot of weight onto the vehicle (IOW, does it reduce your cargo carrying capacity even more).

[wincrasher]

Not at all - these are rubber helper springs that go in the spot where you have bump stops now. They have no effect on cargo capacity. They have a great improvement on stability and improving ride quality.

[Leigh]

Originally Posted by wincrasher

Not at all - these are rubber helper springs that go in the spot where you have bump stops now. They have no effect on cargo capacity. They have a great improvement on stability and improving ride quality.

Perfect! Thanks! So much to learn.