Diesel cargo Van VS Gas cargo Van.

truckerb1968 · May 13, 2007

I work for a small company in SW Michigan and will be putting a van on in January 2008. My question is, would it be smarter to go with a Diesel? Back in the 90's I had a gas van and it always seemed to have issues, which makes me lean towards the Diesel. If anyone has used both, I would appreciate input, Thanks.

highway star · May 13, 2007

If you search back in the archives you'll find that this has been discussed many times. It's an issue that people go either way on. There is no clear cut answer.

sdelliott31 · May 13, 2007

We have both gas and diesel cargo vans in our fleet with Panther and I believe that unless the company is paying you a little more to operate the diesel, then stick with a 1 ton gas. We run the 3500 Express with the 5.7 engine and as long as you have regular oil changes we have 2 vans that hit over 500k before putting an engine in. We just fuel the fuel savings in the diesel doesn't equate to the double and triple cost to operate and repair them. Good Luck!

hondaking38 · May 13, 2007

i ron a sprinter van (diesel) gets 22 mpg and right now diesel is cheaper in price..however maintenance is double or triple the cost of a gas van..if i was to buy another van with the intentions of putting a driver in it.definatly gas would be the way i go..

FIS53 · May 13, 2007

I've gone to the diesels as I the fuel is a little cheaper and the engines cruise nice. There are no tune ups but oil changes and filters. In the winter I've found the diesel is better for idling as it uses less fuel.

I tested 3 vans prior to accepting a route out of a friends place. The route went 200-250 miles. The propane cost $120 to do it out and back. The gas was around $90 and the diesel was $65. This was with a 2000lb plus load going out (multiple drops).

I bought a diesel and found it went further on a tank 600 miles compared to 425 for the gas.

For me the diesel worked great.Fis

sdelliott31 · May 13, 2007

We have or actually had 2 diesel vans and they both gunked up and shut down this winter even though the drivers were adding the additives. We had a shop say they had 10 diesels in on one day that had the same problem. True you don't have to mess with tune ups and right now the cost fuel wise is cheaper, but that won't stay a constant. Like everything whatever you buy just make sure it is quality equipment. A lot also is how much money you have in your vehicle that can affect your profitability.

jasonsprouse · May 13, 2007

With the new diesels and their complexity / emissions equipment diesels are making less sense than they once did.

Basically you want something that is long lasting, and easy to repair. As much as I hate to say it, the Chevy 350 (5.7L) is probably the best combination of those traits. Ford's gassers are too complex and while the new diesels are long lasting, repairs are very difficult.

ftp000 · May 13, 2007

How about some honesty here. The truth is that for the most part, Sprinters are the wave of the future. A lot of the posters on here either own or operate older and quickly becoming obsolete standard cargo vans, so they don't want to tell you the truth. I will, the majority of companies have no time for you if you call with a standard old cargo van. They want sprinters.....the end. I wish it was different, I would love to get by with the cheap vans, but it won't work anymore. So how bout you old school owners stop giving the wishful answers and tell these people the truth, most companys will not sign on a cargo van unless its a Sprinter.

tom tinker · May 14, 2007

Hi E.O's I heard Sprinter is coming out with a gas engine also. Regular van price to buy new with diesel is much higher then with gas engine Hurrier you go the be hinder you get! Tom Tinker

OntarioVanMan · May 14, 2007

FTP pretty much has it right...the standard cargo van will be obsolete but not that soon.Ford will be hard pressed not to bring thier Transit over very soon as the Sprinter is now over 10% of market share. Even GM and VW have a Sprinter style van in Europe. The introduction of the gas version of Sprinter will be pretty much the nail in the coffin for Ford and GM if they wait much longer.

Panther2884 · May 14, 2007

I own 3 new sprinters (07) 170 wb and 2 are in the shop for 5 to 7 days with engine problem and they only have 25 to 35,000 miles on them and I cant find anyone to work on them except the place I bought mine from. How much money do you think I am going to loose because all my fleet is allways in the shop. cargo vans will still work and I understand everyone wants you to spend 40,000 plus on a new one but no company wants to pay you more for getting one. I could buy 6 cargo vans for what 3 sprinters cost me and so far this year my GMC cargo vans are making more money then my sprinters because the repair time is so long and I have a hard time finding places to get them fixed if i am stuck in IOWA or some place like that. if you company wants you to buy a sprinter then I say "show me the money" and " WERE CAN I GET IT FIXED"

sdelliott31 · May 14, 2007

We have 15 vans in our fleet. All but one are the Chevy/GMC 5.7 V8 engine and it (as long as it is taken care of; i.e. routine maintenance) seems to be a very stable and long running engine compared to the 5.4 Ford or yuck, Dodge. All that said, I guess I own the old equipment referred to above, and I do agree that eventually when prices go down and there are more on the market, the Sprinters will be the wave of the future. However, it is hard to justify them being an owner right now to make their debt service after your companies fees and paying drivers, and of course FUEL. I guess like everything it is up to the individual or companies need that drives what vehicle they get.

truckerb1968 · May 14, 2007

I am with a small company that doesn't force you to buy Sprinter. With all the problems I have heard Sprinters having in the past year, I would rather spend 40,000 on a used FL70.
Thanks for all of the input, my thought of buying a used FL70 seems to be the smart answer.
If cargo vans are becoming obsolete, buying a used one for cash makes the most sense. In the classifieds you can buy a used cargo van for under eight grand. If I only get two years out of it that's for grand a year plus repairs, fairly cheap to be self employed, IMHO.

Panther2884 · May 14, 2007

I started in this business in a FL-70 I had to get out because of the hours of service laws I would take a 200 load and was done for the day because there was not enough hours left to pick up another load and have it delivered by the time I was out of houes. unless you team being a solo driver with all the laws and log book stuff it just was not worth it for me.

ftp000 · May 14, 2007

we have 2 Sprinters, both 06. One has 150,000 on it and the other is at 46,000. We've had very few problems with these two, and I haven't heard of too many problems with Sprinters since the whole egr issue was solved. I do agree though that they are too expensive and that when you do have even a small issue, its nearly impossible to get it worked on. It would be nice if the other makers would come out with something comparable, it would be interesting to see what the prices would do.

fastman_1 · May 14, 2007

I have a 03 GMC Savanna 2500 with the 5.3 Gas. Just hit 300,000 Miles and its been a great van Just maintance Items Replaced Still has Orinigal Waterpump and Believe it or not The Plugs and wires have never been touched. I average 21mpg. But I believe my next van will be a Sprinter

Owner/Operator since 1979
Expediter since 1997
B Unit Semi Retired
Somedays are Diamonds and Somedays are Stones
Home is Wherever you Park.
The Price of Freedom is Written on the Wall.

Jefferson3000 · May 14, 2007

It
>would be nice if the other makers would come out with
>something comparable, it would be interesting to see what
>the prices would do.
===================================

It would also just be interesting to see what kind of setup the other companies bring to the table. Normally, if competitors see someone making a product to makes theirs obsolete, they all go back to the drawing table. I know that it IS less vicious competition with commercial vehicles than say when Chrysler came out with the minvan. But you have to wonder if Ford and GM even feel threatened at all by the Sprinter, either for for cargo OR conversion use. It will probably p*** off some people who've spent alot on their Sprinter, but could it be that the Sprinter ends up going to the wayside?

Can anyone say D E L O R I A N ?

Drive Safe!

Jeff

Driver for 15 years
O/O for 13 years
OOIDA #829119

guest · May 14, 2007

I have 3 friends driving Sprinters...Same problem..smoke inside cabin coming from a injector gasket..take out the cover and you'll see what's inside there..and another problem I've heard is transmission after 250k

Turtle · May 14, 2007

I don't see the Sprinter going the way of the Delorian. Far from it. You can't throw a rock in Europe without hitting a Sprinter.

OntarioVanMan · May 15, 2007

I tire of these two words..."I've Heard"

Ya know I think "some" people knock the Sprinter just cuz it's a European vehicle. Sure it has it's weak spots like any other.
Both Ford and GM has had thier share of problems in the van division.

Most of the time if you can really get the truth from people they've missed a scheduled maintainence but won't admit it, I mean who would admit to thier failure as a business person from a regular driver?

Both Ford and GM have vans in Europe just waiting for the right time to come here.