>"only cost me 33,650.50"
>
>And fuel "only" costs $1.91. We got 'em right where they
>want us.
Yeah, that makes it tougher to choose between a Sprinter and a traditional van. Both have advantages depending on what's important. A very nicely equipped Chevrolet C3500 would be a little under $26,000 while a very nicely equipped Sprinter C3500 will be a little over $36,000. The Chevrolet, with the Vortec 6000 engine, is going to go through more fuel than the Sprinter. I would guess around 16mpg overall versus 22mpg overall. Gasoline is cheaper than diesel though so that factors in. Using 90,000 miles annually gives 5625 gallons of gasoline at say $1.70 for $9562 fuel versus 4090 gallons of diesel at say $1.95 for $7975. At about $1600 annual fuel savings it would take a little over 6 years to recover the added purchase price based on fuel alone.
Other factors have to be considered as well. The Chevrolet is going to have to go in for oil changes 3 times for every 1 in the Sprinter. In that same 90,000 miles that's 30 Chevrolet changes versus 9 Sprinter changes. At $30 for Chevy and $75 for Sprinter that's $900 versus $675 for a couple hundred a year advantage to the Sprinter. The payback time drops to 5 point something years, or about the amount of time one would reasonably keep it.
The Sprinter gets a larger write off for tax purposes. That will reduce tax liability and offer added savings. I don't know how to compare the numbers since tax situations are all different however it will again shorten the payback time for the Sprinter over the Chevrolet.
Properly equipped and built out the Sprinter can easily carry C loads so if the carrier allows it you can get some good additional revenue with it. That might be possible with the Chevrolet as well but I don't know.
The Sprinter is cavernous compared to the Chevy. One can have a pretty nice little apartment in a Sprinter and still have the same load capacity as a Chevy that's more of a wilderness camper in comparison.
Both have advantages and disadvantages. It's up to the individual as to which fits them better. One point though is that although on day one the Sprinter seems outrageously priced compared to a Chevrolet, and Ford could be substituted similarly, it's really going to be a wash after about 4 years. If one plans to replace vehicles on a shorter cycle then it's probably better to go with the Chevrolet but if you are going to get one and drive it until it's used up then it's a much more even proposition.
Leo
truck 767
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
