FS: 2005 Sprinter Van 2500 140WB High Roof - only 66,700 miles - $18,500

[lb311]

This van is located in suburban Chicago. Here's the link to the Craigslist ad with full details & pics:
http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/cto/4648366760.html

I bought this low-mileage, no-rust Sprinter a year ago from a carpenter in Georgia who had already insulated the cargo area and finished it out with plywood and gray automotive felt. My ultimate goal was to do a full camper conversion and take it to Mexico last Winter (and perhaps the Pan-Am to South America in future years), but time ran short and I realized my carpentry skills would be no match for this project, so I ended up buying a Sprinter motorhome for the Mexico trip.

This van has since been the reliable, very capable family toy hauler and in-town moving van, as well as the occasional weekend "backpack camping on wheels" vehicle. But now that our house moves are complete, "Big Green" needs a new home, and hopefully its next owner will make it that expedition camper it so yearns to be! I would dearly LOVE to see an ExPo member buy this van and take it down the Pan-Am!!!

It gets 20-24 mpg and requires no ULSD or DEF that the newer U.S. Sprinters demand, so it's an ideal Expo vehicle for the Pan-Am to South America. Also, the 140 wheelbase and about 8" high clearance make it a capable off-road vehicle too (no 4WD, but it will certainly get you more places than a Class B camper van could).

I'll give ExPo members a $1000 discount to help cover your travel/transport costs if you're not local to Chicago. Just respond to the ad above via Craigslist and tell me you're from ExPo.

thanks!

 

[mhiscox]

The poster is correct with his "only 66,700 miles." Unless they were turned into RVs, most T1N (2001-06) Sprinter cargo vans were in commercial service, and you're as likely to find one with 200K+ miles as one with 67K.

The mid-wheelbase (140 inch) T1Ns were about 18.5 feet long with good turning circles. If you go to the 158 inch wheelbase, the van is about three feet longer, turns less sharply, and the departure angle, which is nothing to write home about in the first place, gets really bad. I think the high roof 140 is the sweet spot for Sprinter overlanding conversions. It is waaay more nimble than a pickup based camper. No practical way to have 4WD, though.

Three big drawbacks to the T1Ns are that full standing height is available only to those under 6 feet tall, that the width only allows a crosswise bed for people up to about 5'4". and that the steering wheel is fixed at an angle only Ralph Kramden could love.

Beyond those issues, which are mitigated in the newer NCV3 models, it's a sweet little van that gets get incredible fuel economy and can be fixed up pretty much how you want it. The first one we build has had, and is still having, many fine adventures.

 

[lb311]

Thanks Mike. I drooled over your van conversion and wanted to copy so many of your brilliant ideas for this van, but alas, I chickened out and bought a Winnebago View. Actually, at one point last Fall, I owned 3 Sprinters-- my original '08 NCV3 "newer" style View, this van, and my present '07 View. While I initially feared those T1N drawbacks you mention (when I got the van), and thought I'd be going backwards from my NCV3 motorhome, I actually ended up liking the van's T1N chassis so much more that I traded the '08 View for an '07 mainly to get the T1N chassis on that too. Biggest benefit, for me, is its ability to run on non-ULSD (great for Mexico and South America), and it's improved fuel efficiency over the 6 cyl.

I originally feared the non-tilt steering wheel of the T1N, but have found the seats to be more adjustable and dash controls MUCH easier to read, so for me at least, I love driving the T1N and find the steering wheel quite comfortable. Ceiling height is currently 6'1" inside the van, but if it's converted to a camper, that might lower it a bit more.

But, I totally agree that the 140WB is the sweet spot for agility and comfort. Sure hope an ExPo member can do a great conversion with this van!

thanks,
Lynne

 

[mhiscox]

Thanks Mike. I drooled over your van conversion and wanted to copy so many of your brilliant ideas for this van, but alas, I chickened out and bought a Winnebago View. Actually, at one point last Fall, I owned 3 Sprinters-- my original '08 NCV3 "newer" style View, this van, and my present '07 View. While I initially feared those T1N drawbacks you mention (when I got the van), and thought I'd be going backwards from my NCV3 motorhome, I actually ended up liking the van's T1N chassis so much more that I traded the '08 View for an '07 mainly to get the T1N chassis on that too. Biggest benefit, for me, is its ability to run on non-ULSD (great for Mexico and South America), and it's improved fuel efficiency over the 6 cyl.

Thanks for the kind words about our camper. For our part, there couldn't have been more than about 150 times we thought about the advantages of a View. I never figured it out, but the volume of the View cabin must be four times what's available in the cargo.

I'm a T1N fan, too. Part of it is that, to me, the NCV3s look too sophisticated for camper duty, what with the sleeker looks and flush window glass and all. The T1Ns are a little homely, but the smaller, less space-age body appeals to me. (And the fuel economy sure helps make it look pretty.)

End of the thread hijack. Good luck with the sale.