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Friend wants to go O/O ----

ChrisGa23

ChrisGa23

Expert Expediter
Hello EO !!!

My friend is looking to get on the road. He has no OTR experience and wants to start out O/O in his own cargo van. He sees my cargo van which is a standard ford E250 and wants a sprinter with a dedicated sleeper set up which can be had around $20K with less than 100K miles here locally bare bones. I suggeted him start small with maybe a chevy 3500 or ford E350. But he has his heart set on the Sprinter. But he doesnt have much cash in reserve and will have to finance the van. My question.....would it be worth it for him to go O/O with Panther ? I wanna hear from O/O panther cargo van drivers to see how they are making it. I think he will do ok he is great with money and can somehow stretch a dollar ! He also asked me to team with him which sounds good but I'm happy where I am and dont wanna swap.

Thanks for any info and have a great weekend.
 
D

danthewolf00

Veteran Expediter
he doesn't want a sprinter if he's got no cash trust me i pay $822 for mine. has he looked at how much it will cost to fix?


he might want to look at a cargomaxx instead of a sprinter as it uses a 3500 chevy rv fram.
 
Jack_Berry

Jack_Berry

Moderator Emeritus
chris if you know anything from driving a cargo van is there is not much money to split to 2 different families. imo that would be a dis service to your friend.

has your friend costs to owning a sprinter? what year is it? how has it been serviced? has he looked into those questions? where is he? why is he not posting here instead of having you do it? there is plenty of sprinter info here. go to search and type in sprinter.
 
ChrisGa23

ChrisGa23

Expert Expediter
Jack_Berry said:
chris if you know anything from driving a cargo van is there is not much money to split to 2 different families. imo that would be a dis service to your friend.

has your friend costs to owning a sprinter? what year is it? how has it been serviced? has he looked into those questions? where is he? why is he not posting here instead of having you do it? there is plenty of sprinter info here. go to search and type in sprinter.
Click to expand...
Year is 2005 not sure on how its serviced we just been looking at it online. Right now its a idea in his head and he is just obtaining more info on before jumping onboard.

He is sitting right next to me. Im just typing and using my account.
 
ebsprintin

ebsprintin

Veteran Expediter
My suggestion to anyone wanting to get into the van game in this market is to do so without a vehicle payment. That would mean driving someone else's vehicle or buying your vehicle with cash. Then decide whether you can take it to the next level. I am a former panther driver, and I would say the same thing if I was still there.

eb
 
Zoli

Zoli

Veteran Expediter
If you do not have any money, don't buy a Sprinter! My advice is to go to drive for an o/o 5-6 months put some money away 3-4000$ and buy a 2003-2004 cargo van (cash) . Drive it one year ,save 6-7000 $ and after that he may buy an used Sprinter. After that he may be a financial healthy o/o.
 
OntarioVanMan

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
Not saying it can't be done..BUT
1. No Reserves.
2. New to the business.
3. Sprinter with custom sleeper.

Sounds like a recipe to almost sure disaster.

You'd be better off either driving for someone for awhile and give yourself a taste for this...

Then if you are still in the mindset..Buy a good used van, there a lot of them out there...maybe around the 7-10,000 price range and run it into the ground and build a financial base and get to know where your carriers strengths are...just that will improve your income about 10-20%.

Then and only then...you can look for bigger and improved vans....

It is like a mine field out here and ya gotta take careful well planned baby steps...

I truly wish you luck if you decide to jump into the pool....:)

BTW..Do NOT team with a buddy or stranger...there is no real benefit.
 
dhalltoyo

dhalltoyo

Veteran Expediter
If he is set on buying this Sprinter, and it happens to have a sleeper unit, you might suggest that he drive it across a scale and get an accurate weight. I weighed a 2007 with that package and with me in the van I could not have legally carried more than 1700lbs of cargo. Most carriers seem to require a 2000lb cargo capacity. That may be more of a consideration than GM vs Ford vs Dodge.
 
piper1

piper1

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Newbie + used Sprinter (any year) = likely disaster.

Sprinters need to be owned from new by people who can be meticulous about vehicle care and have cash reserves for repairs.

I would be hesitant even then to recommend a Sprinter.
 
Dakota

Dakota

Veteran Expediter
Okay, because no one else suggested it

goto
Have a Sprinter Van? Please check out our sister site The Unofficial Resource For Sprinter Van Enthusiasts

From what I hear the only people doing well in vans are the ones without a payment or a very small payment
Anyways with OVM around taking all the van freight, there isn't much left for everyone else J/K:rolleyes:
 
jaminjim

jaminjim

Veteran Expediter
You might want to advise your friend that not all carriers are taking on vans right now, and he should find out who is and who ain't.
 
TonyG

TonyG

Seasoned Expediter
I own a Sprinter and before I did, I took the advice of the folks here, drive for someone else for min. 6 months, 12 months. I paid for mine out right, because I would never make it with a payment hanging over my head.

I fully agree with most comments here to start out with no reserve will only end one way...FAILURE!!!!
 
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