Only One Coach Battery in Pleasure Way Sprinter TD

[kodi]

Hello. I have just joined this forum. I have never owned a Class B Motorhome and am thinking of buying a 2005 Pleasure Way Sprinter Plateau TD, Mercedes 2.7L Turbo Diesel, 5 spd Auto. However, there is only one coach battery under the passenger seat. This will make it somewhat cumbersome to remove and replace. Plus you have only one battery to draw electricity from if you are dry camping.

I would like hearing comments or feedback on this issue.

Also, I am just wondering what to offer the seller for this MH which has 78,000 kms. He is asking $52,000 Canadian. Thank you for your comments.

[Davydd]

I had that very B. If you install an AGM battery you won't have to get at it all the time to check. However, it is not that difficult to remove the seat or if you modify the enclosure top you can get to it just by sliding the seat cushion off. I never did it but another B owner did for a second battery by building a box enclosure behind the seat and then wire the two batteries together in parallel. A Group 49 battery is the battery that fits under that seat.

[markopolo]

Used Sprinter B prices are high. (often higher than NADA valuations) That is good news for sellers. Do a web search and expand the range to maybe 1000 miles from your location to get a good idea of asking prices.

It is an 8yr old - soon going on 9 year old - vehicle so likely (expected) to be on it's second set of tires and batteries. If not, those are expenses you'll soon incur so factor that in.

I like that generation of Sprinters for the great MPG number but several RV'ers who owned that model and the newer 6 cylinder praise things like ride comfort and handling in the newer Sprinters.

Out West, in Canada, in 2005, that model sold for around $100,000. I remember looking at one at Peden's on Vancouver Island but I can't remember if that price included taxes. It's the number I remember considering. I was wowed by it but I ended up spending about half that on a 1 year old Chevy based Roadtrek at the dealer across the street. Coincidentally, looks like both RV's would have depreciated roughly 50% in the 8/9 years.

That's less than 50,000 miles on it so there should be a lot of life left in the diesel.

[Davydd]

In Minnesota I paid $63,000 new for a 2005 Pleasure-way Plateau TS Sprinter fully loaded with all the options except a hitch receiver in February 2006 and the MSRP of about $79,000. It was built on a 2004 chassis and had sat on the dealer lot for over 6 months. The dealer was getting out of the motorized RV business and was desiring to unload his last B. I traded it in for my Great West Van in February 2011. The trade was part of the deal so there was no definitive price put on it. I was just negotiating what I would have to pay out of pocket.

[markopolo]

Originally Posted by Davydd

In Minnesota I paid $63,000 new for a 2005 Pleasure-way Plateau TS Sprinter fully loaded with all the options except a hitch receiver in February 2006 .............

That was an awesome deal. I would probably been driving a Sprinter all these years had I come across something like that. Mercedes tacks on a $8,099 fee on Sprinter models made for Canada. That info is current as of last year and it was in effect back in 2006 when I looked into getting a Winnebago View.

[mlts22]

Even just grabbing it for 52k is a good deal. The last time I saw a Sprinter even near that price range was one that had major rust damage due to being stored near the beach for a good many years.

As for the battery, I'd replace it with an AGM one. No worries about having to add water. Plus, flooded batteries in a non-vented interior compartment doesn't sound good either.