Since Sprinter is not a 4x4 van, I'll move this thread to the Other Custom Campers area.
"I guess you need older than 2008 for the fuel in South America, which still confuses me because here in Panama it would not be an issue."
In 2007, USA government rules took effect, requiring refiners to modify diesel fuel so it contains less sulfur. This was important because the selective catalysts that are a central part of new emissions control systems can't tolerate high sulfur. So diesel trucks and cars manufactured for sale in USA for the 2007 model year have to run on ultra-low surfur diesel.
Other countries in the western Hemisphere, including most of Mexico, all of Central America, and most parts of South America, continue to sell diesel with a higher level of sulfur. So if you drive your USA diesel built in 2007 or newer south to Panama, you'll ruin your expensive emissions control equipment.
What about removing emissions control equipment from a newer diesel? First, it's illegal in many states. Second, it's not as simple as unbolting the exhaust gas recirculation, catalytic converters, diesel exhaust fluid injectors, and diesel particulate filter. The vehicle's electronics monitor the emissions control systems, so these systems need to be updated as well. Several companies that make programmers to re-tune the engine after emissions systems have been removed have received heavy fines from the EPA.
So the best solution today for driving diesel trucks south of the border is to look for a pre-2007 vehicle.
One last note: Airstream has built campers based on the Sprinter chassis for many years. So you may not need to find a custom builder to make an "Airstream-like" Sprinter. For a couple of years, Airstream also offered a Sprinter model built by Westfalia, the same company famous for building VW campers. One place to look for Airstream RVs on the Sprinter chassis is
www.rvtrader.com. Look for Airstream Class B built before 2007. The models were called Parkway and Interstate, if I remember correctly.
