Fuel for Thought

The Next Van

The first three years of sprinter ownership were painful. The last two years have me leaning back towards the sprinter van. Even if I have to replace the entire drive train tomorrow, my sprinter has been working out the way it should. So why bail on it now? 1) I want to be out of the vehicle before the last breakdown. 2) I’m ready for a sturdier vehicle that can haul an unquibbled 3000 lbs payload and the creature comforts that will allow me to move around less between loads. Since high school I’ve never lived in one place more than four years and apparently this applies to my current German accommodation. My next vehicle looks like it is going to be either a Sprinter variant or a cutaway van/hybrid sort of thing.

Sprinter variant.   If I go the sprinter route, it will probably be a two or three year old, one-ton Sprinter. The money I save over buying new will go towards converting the dual rear-end to super singles or a narrower dual wheel combination. I’ll then cut out the wheel wells to allow a minimum of 48 inches between them. End results being I’ll have the same freight dimensions that I have now, plus a sturdier drive train.

Cutaway van.  My cutaway option will be something like the westmicher approach. If not as custom as his, it will have a more standard, upright and square box. Narrow like the citywide/spartan van, and long on a long wheel base like the westmicher xlt. Or I might settle on the real thing if the westmicher mobile goes into production.

As for the final decision, it will probably be something like most of my decision. After a couple of years of contemplation (driving allows for this), I’ll wake up one morning, I’ll look at the sky a certain way, and my decision will be made. Until then I study and research and contemplate.

eb