Nissan NV-200

(Cough) kbb.com/car-news/all-the-la…

If you have 34 Gs laying around.

Or drop a little extra for the 2016 4x4 Sprinter

The oil change cost seems steep but remember that the interval is 12k miles. /quote>



Long change intervals are standard nowadays. My car can go 10k on synthetic blend and longer on full synthetic. You can go 8k - 10k in just about any vehicle using full synthetic for $5 a quart from Wal-Mart. There are even oils out that guarantee performance for 15k or even 30k miles (although I wouldent push it that far myself).

As far as high millage Sprinters go, remember the engine is not the only concern here. The transmission is a HUGE concern on high millage vehicles, especially if it's an automatic transmission. A busted tranny can cost as much as $8k. So while a diesel engine can outlast 150k easy, the transmission might not be able to. The main concern with the transmission is how often the fluid was changed and how hot the fluid got. Most auto transmissions fail from a lack of lubrication resulting from ATF breakdown which results from exposure to high heat for long periods of time. Changing ALL ATF fluid (not just the pan but the torque converter too), and actively monitoring ATF temp while driving on the highway is critical to maximizing the life of the transmission, and that's not something the average person puts much thought into.

In short, dropping tens of thousands into a vehicle with $150k miles is a poor decision IMO. I dont know many mechanics that would even consider it. You're much better off buying something that is smaller but more affordable, thus resulting in fewer miles and less use IMO.

20 kN wrote: The oil change cost seems steep but remember that the interval is 12k miles. /quote> Long change intervals are standard nowadays. My car can go 10k on synthetic blend and longer on full synthetic. You can go 8k - 10k in just about any vehicle using full synthetic for $5 a quart from Wal-Mart. There are even oils out that guarantee performance for 15k or even 30k miles (although I wouldent push it that far myself). As far as high millage Sprinters go, remember the engine is not the only concern here. The transmission is a HUGE concern on high millage vehicles, especially if it's an automatic transmission. A busted tranny can cost as much as $8k. So while a diesel engine can outlast 150k easy, the transmission might not be able to. The main concern with the transmission is how often the fluid was changed and how hot the fluid got. Most auto transmissions fail from a lack of lubrication resulting from ATF breakdown which results from exposure to high heat for long periods of time. Changing ALL ATF fluid (not just the pan but the torque converter too), and actively monitoring ATF temp while driving on the highway is critical to maximizing the life of the transmission, and that's not something the average person puts much thought into. In short, dropping tens of thousands into a vehicle with $150k miles is a poor decision IMO. I dont know many mechanics that would even consider it. You're much better off buying something that is smaller but more affordable, thus resulting in fewer miles and less use IMO.

Valid points.

The Sprinter transmission gets one service in its lifetime, I believe around 80K. The oil change interval I stated is the recommended interval and not what you can get away with and you can just think of the money saved from not needing to smog it as offsetting the cost ( and in reality we are talking about $175 a year, so not really a big deal) . You may be able to go 10K in any car nowadays, but nowadays not just any car is going 500-700K(on the same transmission). There is a reason so many fleets use them...well, besides their good looks. This is not to say that the Sprinter does not have short comings and it is not to say that it is the vehicle for everyone, but for a living space it is hard to beat.

While spending that much money on a used vehicle is weird, and should only be done after a lot of research, due diligence, and an extended warranty, the value of the Sprinter is pretty high and stable. I will be able to put another 150K miles on my sprinter and sell it for more than the Nissan at 150K

Here you go:

reconcampers.com/

Pretty cool. Kinda VW Weekender style. I wonder what they cost?

Chinook Destiny 2400
Chinook Destiny 2400.
Just 15,000 miles and
about the same size as
the Sprinter.

Whatever happened to just buying the cheapest POS you could find and making an adventure out of it? Too much planning and you lose the thrill.

trentbrown wrote:Whatever happened to just buying the cheapest POS you could find and making an adventure out of it? Too much planning and you lose the thrill.

But who wants to live in a cheap POS? Enough living in a cheap POS with $20 in your savings and rock climbing starts to lose a bit of the appeal.

Benjamin Chapman wrote: Chinook Destiny 2400. Just 15,000 miles and about the same size as the Sprinter.

Your Chinook get 10-13 mpg and a 2002 with 75,000 miles cost around 30k. Pretty much an apples and oranges argument. Throw in the fact that the OP was talking about living in it, and I would assume he will be living near a city, which be a nightmare as far as stealthy-ness goes.

Your picture is from the Eastside, now that place it wouldn't matter what kind of rig you have as far as living goes as there is BLM land in all directions within throwing distant of any town.

That picture does make me miss home...you bastard.

trentbrown wrote:Whatever happened to just buying the cheapest POS you could find and making an adventure out of it? Too much planning and you lose the thrill.

This is another option and is still in wide use.

The last year I lived in Bishop my wife had been bed ridden for a few months and had some serious cabin fever when she finally healed up so we bought a 87' yota pickup, constructed a bed/storage platform out of a few 2x8's and some OSB from the job site and moved out of our apartment. That was a year that was full of a shit ton of fun.