2022/2023 Sprinter/Promaster/Transit 4x4

Looking at a new? What is the best and why? To be self built out. 

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that this sounds like a terrible idea. You're going to spend 30-40k (probably financed) on a brand new vehicle, and then proceed to tear it apart and punch a bunch of holes in it.

If you are some kind of master carpenter, or retired professional van builder, this might be reasonable.  But if you are asking the internet what van to build out, I'm guessing you are not. About 10 seconds of googling would have told you that only the sprinter comes with stock 4x4, and the others in your list would need some kind of aftermarket conversion.

This isn't to dissuade you from your plan - I built out my own van as a novice diy-er, and it was a great decision. I learned a lot. I made a lot of mistakes. And now I have a sweet van where I can more or less fix anything myself. But the difference is that my base was a 2005 E350 rust bucket with 100k on the odo, which I bought for just a few thousand bucks.

If this is gonna be a weekend camper, I suggest an AWD Safari/Astrovan. If you're planning on full-timing, a Ford E Series like mine is a great choice - cheap, plentiful parts, and every mechanic in the country knows them in and out. If you're set on a new van for the sex appeal, choose anything except the sprinter. And in this case, I'd recommend just paying a pro to build it out for you to make sure the job is done right, because you clearly have some money burning a hole in your pocket.

I had a friend with the same model as me have a scare where they though their engine was shot. They got a quote from a mechanic - about 2 grand to drop a new one in, parts and labor included. I had another friend who had a sprinter. His engine blew up because of some bad advice from a mechanic who didn't actually know sprinters. Price tag to replace the engine: $20,000, plus labor. Don't buy a sprinter.

So i will preface this with the fact that i have never built a van out nor have i actually ever spent more than a few days in a van before... that being said: i do know a good bit about cars/trucks and i will say that Brice is correct. DO NOT GO MERCEDES. dont get me wrong, they are hot looking vehicles but you will pay the price. I would say stay domestic for this one. The German van will cost you an arm and a leg down the road. everything from a fluid flush and a brake change will cost you more than the domestic counterpart. and even if you can do the work yourself, the parts alone will cost more. also note that you may be denied warranty work depending on what you modify when you build it. Mess with the electrical system and now anything electrical will be "voided"... so there are several downsides with using a new car as a build platform. 

It would be a great project but just know that Mercedes means $$$ 

note at least for Sprinters and Transits you can expect long to indefinite delays in actually getting a new one.

high end - sprinter 4x4  ~$65k

Nice rig.  Narrow. Repair work sparse & expensive.

Mid-level  - Transit MR/HR AWD - ~$55k

I think mines great.   Repair work ubiquitous and reasonable?  

Low-end - promaster -no AWD/4x4 option

Much less expensive.  Very boxy easier to build out.  Very bad ground clearance on rear axle.

I bought a brand new 2020 AWD transit.  I “Punched a bunch of holes in it”.   Turned out great.   No hassles from dealership.   I spent about ~30% of what a custom shop would have. Took an enormous amount of time.

2x as expensive and 4x as time intensive as I anticipated.

the best may be whatever you can afford AND get your hands on.

I bought a '20 high roof transit and live in it full time in cold places. Not that bad but ive lived in my car for years before that, so it was an upgrade. I can stand up in it, it is insulated with a heater and i can fit all my climbing gear and ski stuff. I built it out myself with no carpentry experience. Quite a project but i learned a lot and have a lotta time on my hands. For me it works because a car payment is more appealing than renting something for more, at least i can keep the van and im not stuck in one place. Im not super stoked on driving a huge van everywhere i go, but this is america and somehow people find an excuse to drive even bigger cars than mine. 

However, i would recommend an older van for cheap if this is your first van. You dont know you will like it until you try it. If its cold where you live insulate the van and get the cheap amazon diesel heater. The ford i have is awd and runs great in winter. Also i think if you can wait a year or two there will be a huge used market for converted vans when all the weekend warriors who bought them during covid get sick of em.

I have a 2014 Promaster high top and did the build myself. I have had it since late 2019 and have been used it to ski and climb full time for a couple of years until the real world caught up to me. I still have it and use it most every weekend. I love the platform.

Yes, it is front wheel drive but with with studded tires and a bit of common sense, I have had no problems with it handling any road condition you are likely to face going to a ski resort. I got it stuck one time and it was my fault for thinking I could get through some deep snow.

As for summer and getting to crags, it has reasonable ground clearance and handles just fine on gravel roads. You won't be doing any real off roading. For the most part, I would say that if a Subaru can make it, the Promaster probably can too. I put good quality all terrain tires on it for some good traction and haven't had any issues as long as I use common sense.

A big advantage of the front wheel drive is no drive shaft going to the back wheels. This means the inside floor is lower and you will have more freedom when/if you need to put holes through the floor for water, propane, or whatever your build calls for.

As far as the engine is concerned, it has been a good engine. It is the same engine used in the Jeep Wranglers so there are lots of parts out there and they are inexpensive.

If you have any questions about the van, please feel free to shoot me a DM and I can answer any questions you may have.

Look no further 

Built out a promaster in 2020 right before the van boom. Bought a 2019 used with 8k miles on it for 28. Put a lot of blood sweat and tears into the building and learning. Tons of great resources on promaster forum. PM me if you want some details.

Fehim Hasecic wrote:

Look no further 

195k. SOLD!

Brice C wrote:

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that this sounds like a terrible idea. 

There is some truth to what he says but the real answer is - it depends. Old vehicles can be a pain in the ass. If you aren't mechanically savvy it's probably not going to be fun to have constant repairs - labor rates are obscene right now. You do not need to be a pro carpenter to build a nice van. Just good tools and patience (and youtube lets be honest). If you try hard on the build you'll be stoked with a new van. If you are trying to rush the build and just get on the road it would be pretty stupid to buy a new van. 

You can park/sleep in more residential areas with a cleaner looking van. On the other hand, a nice looking van is a huge target for break ins at certain trailheads. 

FWIW, I have a 2014 Promaster that I converted myself which I love. Sometimes I wish I had a rust bucket. Or at least I didn't put windows in. But I'm also dealing with an elusive electrical problem that absolutely SUCKS. I'm kicking myself for not picking up a slightly newer model year. 

So pick your poison, and good luck.  

The stock Transit clearance is no better than the Promaster.

https://www.fordtransitusaforum.com/threads/ford-transit-clearance-suspension-questions.80279/

Your first hurdle will be finding the van, if you want new.  The good news is you will have about 8 months to plan your build   .  

Satisfied sprinter owner here. I did have multiple issues with the DEF system one year. All repaired under warranty with ease. The maintenance on a sprinter is actually really mellow. You have an oil change, fuel filter, and air filter ever 20k miles. I do these myself. Every other 20k it is a bigger service. I go to the dealer for these. They are about $550, and usually come with a deal for your next oil change for free..  You can get a 5 year/120k extended warranty (some items like DEF are covered for 8 yrs under this per the dealer I work with). My extended warranty cost $780. I managed to get a really good deal on mine when they updated models. So it has been really great for me.

The transit seems great too, so I’d see what the price came out to and get the cheaper if either transit or sprinter if awd/4x4 is what you want. The sprinter has pretty damn high clearance in 4x4. Transit has significantly less. I’m not sure if the new sprinters still require you to stop to go into 4x4 - but it is a big PITA when my other vehicles can go into 4x4 up to 55mph..

I would consider your distance from a Mercedes dealer when you purchase. If you live in the boonies like me, you’ll have to travel far for service. The transit can likely be repaired pretty much anywhere. That said, the sprinter drives well. Still gives me 20mpg w 4x4, on 32”Ko2s. And, having diesel is pretty great for heating in the winter…

Nothing is perfect.

I would strongly consider an F250 or similar with a used slide in as well. You won’t necessarily save money. But when your truck takes a dump, you can buy a new one and not have to build the thing out again. Also way more off-road capable. These vans aren’t off-road machines in any way.

I built my 2014 promaster out in the parking lots of various home improvement stores with only a drill and jig saw, then lived in it for a couple years, so ymmv. I did work at a van building shop for a bit recently though and the transit is the way to go for build-ability and it is AWD, so that’s what I’d get if i had to do it again.

The other thing about Sprinters that make them less than ideal are all the complicated electronics in them.    Friend had a sprinter and was 50 miles on dirt from the highway when it decided to go into 'limp mode' until it could be serviced by an authorized dealer due to some emissions thing.  That meant second gear for a few hours.   Also,  he made me carry a second set of keys because if it was running and you shut the doors it would then lock all doors including the slider after 30 seconds.   Sprinters seem like yachts...  every little thing that breaks costs like a grand to fix.

oskar blues wrote:

Looking at a new? What is the best and why? To be self built out. 

My favorite bumper sticker on a mini-van in Rifle: One Less Sprinter.

I live in a Ram Promaster, and so I've talked to a lot of van lifers over the past few years.

My impression is that the Sprinter is what you should get if money is unlimited, and the Promaster is what you should get otherwise. The Sprinter is better, but maybe not better enough to justify the cost: not only is the initial cost more, but the cost of repairs is higher too. However you'll have to repair it less often and the overall user experience (driving/dashboard interfaces/etc.) is better. The Transit seems to be the worst of both worlds: it's more expensive than the Promaster and has more issues.

It does seem like Ford knows the Transit is the worst, which is probably one of the reasons why they're the first of the three to risk converting to electric. If Promasters or Sprinters went electric, they'd risk it not turning out well and losing their existing customers. In contrast, most people don't like the Transit anyway, so they aren't risking much by going electric, and going electric might differentiate them from the competition.

David K wrote:

It does seem like Ford knows the Transit is the worst, which is why they're the first of the three to risk converting to electric.

Transit went EV because there is market for last mile delivery vehicles. 

Ditto Merc - https://www.vans.mercedes-benz.com/vans/en/sprinter/e-sprinter-panel-van 

Edit - what do you know, Promaster is also going electric - https://moparinsiders.com/spotted-2024-ram-promaster-battery-electric-vehicle-bev-commercial-van/ 

amarius wrote:

Transit went EV because there is market for last mile delivery vehicles. 

Ditto Merc - https://www.vans.mercedes-benz.com/vans/en/sprinter/e-sprinter-panel-van 

I realized that was a bit strongly worded, which is why I changed my wording. Looks like you responded before my edit.

I've owned various vans, and if I were to buy new(er) I'd consider a Nissan NV cargo. It's basically the van version of a Titan which not only means an easier conversion, but trucks are a hell of a lot easier to work on (unless they're COE, which Americans don't like for whatever reason)

Trad Man wrote:

I've owned various vans, and if I were to buy new(er) I'd consider a Nissan NV cargo. It's basically the van version of a Titan which not only means an easier conversion, but trucks are a hell of a lot easier to work on (unless they're COE, which Americans don't like for whatever reason)

No longer in production. OP looking for new.