5 Reasons Not To Buy a Sprinter for VanLife

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Need help deciding on the perfect vehicle for van life? The ugly truth is there is no perfect style of van to hit the open road in. They all have drawbacks and advantages. But let’s take a look at Instagram’s most popular van model & 5 reasons not to buy a Sprinter for Vanlife.

Before we get into dissecting the Sprinter camper van let’s talk about my van. I bought a used 1994 Dodge Ram Van in the summer of 2020 (my COVID baby) and converted it myself. I had a limited budget and no experience building anything. I walk you through my entire build & buying process in this Fodor’s article.

Confession: Like many first-time vanlifers, I don’t live in the van full time. My partner and I stay in the van part-time and travel the United States for about 6 months out of the year.

But enough about me. Let’s talk about your van life.

Looking for van life tips & road trip itineraries? Check out our van life page for tips on converting your van, van-build layouts, budget breakdowns, and how to survive living in a tiny home with your significant other. Or join our email list below for exclusive van life content not shared on the blog (like our complete cross-country road trip itinerary).

I send out emails very infrequently so I promise not to overwhelm your inbox. You can also unsubscribe at any time.

What is a Sprinter Van?

There are two models of Sprinter van.

The Dodge Sprinter & the Mercedes Sprinter.

Similar vehicles with different price tags. I’ll cover the advantages of the Sprinter at the end of this blog post & why so many new van lifers have been opting to convert them.

5 Reasons Not To Buy A Sprinter for Vanlife

These are the 5 reasons I decided not to buy a Sprinter for Vanlife & I absolutely don’t regret my decision.

1. Sprinters are Expensive.

Like really expensive. You’ve probably already noticed this if you’ve started your search for the perfect van. We spent $4,000 to purchase our used 1994 Dodge Ram Van & then another $3,000 to convert it.

Here’s the average cost of various Sprinter vans (in summer of 2020).

• New Mercedes Sprinter: $35,000-$50,000
• Used Mercedes Sprinter (100,000 miles): $30,000-$40,000
• Used Dodge Sprinter (100,000 miles): $20,000
• Used Mercedes Sprinter (300,000 miles): $15,000-$20,000
• Used Dodge Sprinter (300,000 miles): $8,000-$10,000

& that’s just the cost of the vehicle itself. If you’re looking for a used Sprinter van that’s already converted you can expect to pay anywhere from $50,000-$120,000.

Important: If this is your very first van you don’t reeeeally know how well you’re going to like van life. Investing this kind of money into something that you’ve never tried before it a big risk. I highly recommend reading our blog posts on what van life is really like, how to survive living with your partner in a small space, & trying out LOTS of long-distance road trips where you sleep in your vehicle ahead of time.

If you have the time you should convert your own van. Not only will you have a better understanding of your vehicle when things go wrong but it’s just more rewarding traveling in something you built yourself. Be sure to read our blog post covering the 8 mistakes we made while converting our van.

2. Sprinters are also Expensive to Repair.

& if you opt for the even pricer Mercedes Sprinter model there are only a handful of mechanics across the country with parts for those repairs. We’ve taken several cross-country road trips and often you end up in remote places needing repairs, especially when you’re road-tripping to every single US National Park.

Our conversion van is so generic that even small-town mechanics in the middle of the Badlands could fix us up. & even better parts are cheap.

Cost Comparison: Our entire engine costs $5,000 to replace if we run it into the ground & max out 300,000 miles on it. A similar rebuild on a Mercedes Sprinter could run you up a bill of nearly $20,000. That’s more than the cost of my van, the entire DIY conversion, & the cost of rebuilding our transmission on the road.

3. Used Sprinter Vans have a Rust Problem.

Rust is van cancer. & once it starts it’s very hard to stop it. Sprinters have this very bad reputation of rusting out around the wheel wells, floors, and undercarriage.

If you’re purchasing a used Sprinter be sure to look out for any signs of rust. If the Sprinter you’re eyeing has a very low price tag—I would be extra suspicious.

4. Sprinters Aren’t Good For Stealth Camping.

The secret is out on Sprinters. Everybody knows people are living in them. This makes stealth camping nearly impossible.

Van Life Tip: What is stealth camping you ask? & why is it important? Read this blog post all about stealth camping and how to do it effectively.

You know on Instagram when you see that perfect shot of the open van doors with nothing but wilderness and snow-capped peaks in the background? That’s rarely the reality. Often, you’ll have to be a little sneaky about it unless you want to be confined to BLM land or Wal-Mart parking lots.

I’ve stealth camped at Tunnel View Overlook in Yosemite National Park for a truly epic sunrise, at the base of some massive mountain peaks in the North Cascades, not to mention Yellowstone, the Tetons & Glacier National Park. We’ve even slept on the beach in Florida.

5. Sprinter Vans are Too Big

Adventure takes you down some seriously tight roads. & some small parking spaces.

Sprinters are massive. They are tall, wide, and long. Maneuverability suffers and if you’re planning on taking a cross-country trip involving cities like Chicago and NYC (like when we set out to find all of America’s best foodie stops) you’ll be hard-pressed to find parking anywhere in the city.

It’s also too roomy inside. Now hear me out. Unless you’re planning on living in your Sprinter Van full-time (like for years) you don’t need that much space. I’ve seen Sprinter builds with a shower, toilet, fully-functional oven, & more. That’s all fine and dandy but with this list of van life essentials, you can travel comfortably in any vehicle.

If there is one life lesson van life has really driven home it’s that we need very little to live a happy life. & you’ll probably actually use only half of what you bring.

Is a Sprinter Van Worth it?

Sprinters aren’t all bad. In fact, they have some real benefits you should consider before ruling them out entirely.

• They have a lot of headroom. Traveling in a vehicle you can stand in is the best.
• Decent gas mileage. School buses can get 8-10 MPG while Sprinters get 14.5 MPG
• Easy to convert. Sprinters are square making DIY conversions easier & since the vehicle is popular among bloggers there are plenty of references with exact dimensions to make your conversion even easier.
• Ability to Lift. It’s fairly common to upgrade to 4WD & lift Sprinters to give them better clearance on rough roads.

Best Alternatives to the Sprinter Van

Have I convinced you to skip the Sprinter yet? Well, there are plenty of other options if you think you’re up for van life alone or with your partner.

My favorite van styles that still offer decent gas milage and lots of headroom are…

• Ford Transit.
• Ram Promaster.
• Nissan NV Cargo.
• Chevy G20 (Hightop).
• Chevy Falcon.
• Ford Econoline (Hightop)

These vans are all cheaper to repair & outright purchase than the Sprinter vans. They each have their own drawbacks because like I said…nobody’s perfect.

Is Vanlife Right For Me?

Okay. I might be biased. But van life has changed the road trip game. It’s made it cheaper. More comfortable. & helped me to travel more off-the-beaten-path. But van life isn’t always as glamorous as it’s made out to be. & if you’re on the fence you should test out van/RV travel before you invest in your own rig.

Truthfully, there is no right or wrong answer to the van life question. If you decide that van life is for you, any vehicle will do. I know van lifers who live happily full-time in small vehicles like a Subaru Forester or large cumbersome vehicles like school buses. Just be sure to research and know what you’re getting yourself into ahead of time. & for first-time van builders be sure to consider my reasons not to buy a Sprinter for Vanlife.

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