I'm looking to buy a new MBS Sprinter Crew Van, however, I have read many negative reviews about the Sprinter van's reliability. These are my top questions:
1. There are many very negative review of the Sprinter on www.edmunds.com (and other user review sites), basically saying to expect to keep bringing the van to the shop and pay thousands of dollars to replace broken parts after warranty. I have a Honda Odyssey and I basically take it to the shop twice a year for oil change. Am I going in for a big shock after buying a Sprinter, like going to the shop once a month or something like that? Money aside, I really don't have the time to care for a vehicle that keeps breaking down.
2. Do you recommend buy the extended warranty which extends the warranty from 3 years to 5 for about $2500.
3. Once in a while I would read about a Sprinter owners driving the van for 200K, 300K or even 500K miles with no problems. Are there many satisfied Sprinter owners out there who are just not writing reviews?
2. Is the poor reliability due to the fact that the van is taken apart completely, shipped to the U.S. and then re-assembled? If so, since the Crew Van, like the passenger van, is not disassembled and reassembled, it should have better reliability, right?
3. Many say the paint starts to rust after 2 to 3 years, especially the white. Could this be due to the owners living in areas of the country where corrosive salt is used for the snow on the road? I live in California and it never snows here. Would I expect little or no rusting? Some say to buy colors other than white because the paint is thicker, but the sales guy at the dealership says it's not true. I may try to get a non-white unit, but they are hard to come by.
One interesting observation I made is that even thought many people didn't like the reliability, almost everyone loved the drivability, roominess, and fuel economy.
Appreciate you answers to help me make a decision.
Thanks in advance.
1. There are many very negative review of the Sprinter on www.edmunds.com (and other user review sites), basically saying to expect to keep bringing the van to the shop and pay thousands of dollars to replace broken parts after warranty. I have a Honda Odyssey and I basically take it to the shop twice a year for oil change. Am I going in for a big shock after buying a Sprinter, like going to the shop once a month or something like that? Money aside, I really don't have the time to care for a vehicle that keeps breaking down.
2. Do you recommend buy the extended warranty which extends the warranty from 3 years to 5 for about $2500.
3. Once in a while I would read about a Sprinter owners driving the van for 200K, 300K or even 500K miles with no problems. Are there many satisfied Sprinter owners out there who are just not writing reviews?
2. Is the poor reliability due to the fact that the van is taken apart completely, shipped to the U.S. and then re-assembled? If so, since the Crew Van, like the passenger van, is not disassembled and reassembled, it should have better reliability, right?
3. Many say the paint starts to rust after 2 to 3 years, especially the white. Could this be due to the owners living in areas of the country where corrosive salt is used for the snow on the road? I live in California and it never snows here. Would I expect little or no rusting? Some say to buy colors other than white because the paint is thicker, but the sales guy at the dealership says it's not true. I may try to get a non-white unit, but they are hard to come by.
One interesting observation I made is that even thought many people didn't like the reliability, almost everyone loved the drivability, roominess, and fuel economy.
Appreciate you answers to help me make a decision.
Thanks in advance.