We're Giving Up on Our Ford Transit Trail Edition Van | Buying a 2022 Mercedes 4x4 Sprinter Van
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 มิ.ย. 2024
- We've been waiting for our Ford Transit Trail Edition van to arrive for months. We're giving up and buying a Mercedes Benz Sprinter 2022 4x4 van and moving forward with our van build.
With the current strike and the lack of communication from Ford, we had just come to terms with letting go of building out our van anytime soon. We had just decided to go on with our lives when we discovered that we could buy a new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 cargo van 4x4 for the same price or less than the Ford Transit.
After driving to Albuquerque to test drive one and days of mental gymnastics, we purchased a new 2022 4X4 Mercedes Sprinter van from San Juan Vans, @sanjuanvans6500, a company practically in our own backyard.
San Juan Vans is a luxury van build company, but they sold us the empty cargo van and threw in a factory sliding door window to boot.
If you’re in the market for a finished camper van or truck camper, check them out at www.sanjuanvans.com/
Stay tuned for the fun part coming up - building out our Sprinter van into a new 4x4 home on wheels.
XO
Matt & Kristina
Jessie 🐾 & Ivy 🐈⬛
*************************************************
Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:39 Still waiting for our Transit Trail Edition Van
1:54 Test Driving a 2022 Sprinter Van 4x4
5:47 We're buying a 2022 Mercedes 4x4 Sprinter Van
7:05 San Juan Vans
7:27 Mini tour of a San Juan Van camper conversion
9:35 Matt's buyer's remorse
12:43 Kristina's perspective on buying a Sprinter van
15:30 Skid control and 4x4 on the Sprinter van
16:50 We love our new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 Cargo Van 4X4
17:44 Roll credits
The links below take you to Amazon affiliate links, which means we may receive a small commission on qualifying purchases, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link on our website.
It’s a great way to support our channel and help us to continue making free content about off-grid living and van life traveling.
Thanks! ❤️
Visit our new website where you’ll find resources for off-grid living 🏡 and off-grid van life 🚐 and some of our favorite photos 📸.
www.clarityoffgrid.com/
🔗 Links to the equipment, tools, and materials we’re installing into our new van.
www.clarityoffgrid.com/van-life
Become a Patron
at www.Patreon.com/ClarityOffGrid
and receive AD-FREE videos before they launch on TH-cam. We've added perks that include a copy of our ebook, and video consultations with us. - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Friends, Leave us a comment and let us know what you'd do if you were in our position of waiting for the Transit Trail for months with no delivery date in site Would you wait or look for an alternative? Thanks for watching! 🚐❤
Hey Clarity!
in your SAME boat. Had a Transit Trail that was assigned a VIN and then 1 week before the build week it was CANCELLED by Ford !!
So disappointing. I looked at Sprinter but had the time to wait. I was able to find another Trail 3000 miles away and just waiting for that to arrive on lot.
Best of luck with your Sprinter!! Look forward to watching the new videos.
Thank you so much for sharing your Transit story. You're one of the first "happy" stories of finding another Trail. We'd love to hear when it comes. We'll keep bringing you videos. Thanks for watching them! @@user-sd5pm1xc3k
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Can’t wait to see what you’re build & name her
Thanks for cheerful comment! We are excited to share the van build with you. I don't think I'm giving anything away buy telling you that we'll name her Clarity II. Or should it be More Clarity?
They arent all that comparable. The outgoing Sprinter "4x4" isnt really 4x4 at all. Its Mercedes old switchable AWD system labeled as 4x4. It can only put 33% of power to the front wheels. And it has an open differential. Which means as soon as tire spin happens its next to useless. The Ford AWD system has a limited slip differential and can put 100% of power to the front tires.
Thanks for sharing this info.
That is why we bought a Transit. We had done 2 years of research between the Ford and the Sprinter and finally decided on the transit. Couldn’t get past the limits of the so called 4x4, lack of power and heavy steering and maintenance costs. We bought a brand new 2019 transit in February of 2020, Ecoboost RWD with limited slip diff. With the weight of the camper build over the rear wheels, the torque of the Ecoboost engine and upgraded BFG K02 tyres, we’ve never been stuck. I hope your Sprinter serves you well and gives you years of miles and adventures.
So fun to see the excitement in the new van. (It looks blue to me)
Thanks Mom! It means so much to us that you are excited too ❤️. Keeping telling Matt's the van is blue, maybe he'll believe you.
Congratulations 🎉
Thanks! We’re excited.
Just be grateful your still young and can handle all of the mayhem . HE HE . all the best you 2 wishing you good luck with the build. Happy trails
Thank you so much for your humor and encouragement. Thanks for watching!
We had planned to travel also but not to be the boss has dementia so that is not in our future so will live through you guys, if you don't mind .Now both of us at 81 now will just hang out here at the house. Happy Trails@@ClarityOffGrid
I'm so sorry to hear that you can't travel. We'd be honored to have you follow along with us. We have lots of videos from past trips to Mexico, Baja, and the US. See you soon! @@mikeboone4425
Wow! What a change of plans. If you could financially swing the added materials, I think it would be cool to keep the parts aside for the Trail, build this one out fresh; and build the Trail whenever it arrives. Then sell whichever one you like the least. Sounds like a lot of work and I know you both said this is the last van build but…..
I’m hoping the Sprinter works well for you and you have tons of great adventures to share with us!!
I can tell you're quite the problem-solver! Never say never, but that would be financially challenging and we're ready to get back out on the road. I'm confident we'll love the Sprinter, especially once it feels like home. I appreciate your thinking. Someone with the energy and the money might make a good profit doing that. Great idea.
Love ya guys!
Thanks 😊
Glad you got yourselves a van (finally).
I can really relate to " I'm experiencing buyer's remorse, but I know I made the right decision". It really feels "wrong" sometimes, when rational decisions conflict with what we thought we knew we wanted, lol. I hope you grow to love the Sprinter, sounds like you bought from a good group as well.
I used to have a 4wd Nissan King Cab ( a few actually, but my '84 in particular). Yes, I did have to stop to put it in 4wd, but the delay in engaging was/ is due to the automatic locking hubs. Mine had after-market manual hubs and in the winter I would just drive with the hubs locked all the time, so I could just stop when traction was dubious, put it in 4-High and be engaged immediately -- worked great.
Traction control? Yah, just leave that off, lol, unless you're really concerned about it in some slippery conditions you likely won't ever miss it.
Also wondering if you'll be considering the flare-space add-on from the seller to give you more East-West sleeping length -- might be a valuable addition, although guessing it's 3$$$...
Cheers!...from North Vancouver
Thanks for you support in feedback on the 4x4! We already love the van and are looking forward to traveling in her. Good question about the Flare-out add-on. That was a big mind puzzle. Mostly because we couldn't find accurate measurements. We thought it would be too narrow and that we would have to add flare-outs. Then, when we got in one, the side to side measurement was the same as the Promaster. That means we won't have to incur the added expense and time of putting on Flares. They are pretty pricy when you have to have body shop paint them to match. More time too.
You bought a cargo van with basic options. Agile Off Road sells gas pedal controller and rear wheel locker should improve your traction.
Thanks for the tips!
We got a pedal commander for our sprinter you can tune that pedal LAG right out of the new van! What a difference we also added a van Compass 4.3 suspension upgrade makes our 170 4x4 handle like a Mercedes is supposed too! Amazing on the highway and off.
Thank you so much! Sweet. We'll look into that!!! If you have any more advice 🧐 or info, we''re all ears.
I did exactly the same thing, pedal box control, VC 4.3. What a difference it makes. The cherry on top is the RennTech tune, which I also did. But it is not as important as the pedal box control, which is quite inexpensive.
I actually looked at a 2022 4x4 Sprinter as well. Same color. I did love all the features that it has and almost pulled the trigger on it but told him I needed to take some time to think about it. One thing I did not love was the steering. It was too stiff for my liking. After going through all the pros and cons, I decided to wait for the Transit Trail. I may regret it later but if all fails, I'll put in an order for an AWD Sprinter. I heard the steering isn't as stiff. Anyways, I'm happy you two got your van and wish you success. Can't wait for your next video.
Isn't it amazing trying to juggle all the pros and cons? We drove 4 hours to Albuquerque so that we could drive a Transit and the Sprinter in the same day to see how they compare. Matt really liked how the Transit drove (it wasn't a Trail). We have heard that the 23 Sprinter has lighter steering, but we didn't notice much difference when we test-drove it. It's such a personal thing. The cool thing is that there are a few Sprinters available on the dealer's lots. Maybe you won't need to order one. Good luck however you proceed. I hope your Transit Trail comes soon. Let us know - we'd love to hear how it goes.
Glad you can now move forward.
Thanks Harold! It feels really good to be moving forward. The late fall to winter van build should be interesting. Take care friend.
Enjoy your van! My wife and I went to the same thing. We just ran across a Ford transit Trail in the size we wanted.. it was more money than we wanted to pay but we bought it because we’re not gonna wait a year for Ford to deliver a special order van. That said we paid MSRP. The build out commences.
That's awesome! To get it for MSRP is quite the "deal". We're seeing Trails going for 1000's over MSRP.
Good luck with build.
We also gave up on the trail😵💫 Luckily we had decided not to sell our van yet so she’s getting a remodel 😀 … congrats y’all … I look forward to watching the adventure
Good call on keeping your van! We were so worried about selling our ProMaster in time to pay for the Transit, we jumped the gun. But, things always work out. We found buyers that really love our previous van, and we're going to love the Sprinter - especially once we get back to traveling. Good luck with your van remodel - that sounds like a great option. We look forward to having you along. Thanks for watching.
I'm sorry it didn't turn out as you planned guys, Mercedes campers are quite popular here in Sweden and have proven to be reliable companions on adventures. I wish you many safe kilometers.
Thanks for you feedback Ervin. I'm glad to hear that they are reliable in Sweden! I (Kristina) believe everything happens for a reason, especially when we keep our hearts open and listen to our intuition. I think this may the best possible outcome. We are so excited to get Clarity II built out and on the road. I think she will make a wonderful companion for more adventures. 🚐 ❤️ 🐾
Appreciate your vid. just starting our project. OWL offers a plug in gadget that addresses the hesitation issue. Hopefully you're already past this.
Thanks. I bought a pedal control but it doesn't really help much. I'm just getting used to leaving LOTS of room when pulling onto a highway.
@@ClarityOffGrid 😎
New sub here, thanks to this video. @12:12 The low-end lag can be virtually eliminated with a pedal box controller. I also added a RennTech tune for more HP and torque but that's not a necessity. I went thru a similar situation. Looking at buying the Transit Trail, bought the same model MB as you. No regrets now. But I had to fight off some buyer's remorse at first. Believe me, you have made a great purchase. I believe the old 6 cylinders will have much longer lives than the 4 cylinders. Btw, how much did it weigh empty?
Welcome! We are so excited to have you along for the ride. Sounds like you have had a similar journey with your purchase. We feel the same about the 2022 and now that we're driving it around, we're finding it is so comfortable. Especially compared to the Promaster we had before.
I'll ask Matt to pop in here when he's not working on the van to talk to you about the pedal box controller. He installed one, but found it a pain to set it to the right setting from an app on his phone every time he starts the van. So, if you go out to the grocery store, you have to reset everything once you start the van again.
He can also tell you the empty weight.
Hope to hear more about your van build and adventures.
Cheers,
K
Talk with Owl Vans for a “Pedal Control”. I had the same issues…. No longer, using the Pedal Control.
Awesome. Matt's looking it up as I write. Thank you so much! We've had a couple of other suggestions in the comments. We appreciate this so much!
I got my Pedal Control from Owl in Phoenix. Makes a world of difference. I noticed their guy at San Juan Vans was wearing an Owl Tee shirt so I'm sure they can get them one. Installs in minutes and does not affect the warranty.
For the hesitation maybe a mercedes shop could update the timing for a better reaction time. Thats a major safety issue getting on freeways and such.
We needed a new vehicle last year and they only had gray as well. Living in the NW I couldn’t do it as it is gray so much here so they found a white one thankfully.
Best wishes in your new van travels!!
We understand that the hesitation is common in diesel engines. I'm open to the possibility of an adjustment. I didn't realize that you're in the NW. I (Kristina) lived in Seattle for 20 years. I loved it there - in spite of the gray winters. The BLUE-grey is growing on us. I actually like how it "changes" color in the light. I always enjoy your comments. Thank you.
I have had an order for over a year. I understood it would have a price guarantee to the original order date pricing. Scheduled build week has passed with no update. I no longer plan on building out a van and decided to travel in a BEV, which is working great, much better than expected. Dealer can have the Trail if it ever gets built. Though we might consider a BEV van or CT in the future.
Your story sounds familiar. We did get notified that ours was built and sitting at the factory since June. We're happy to have moved on and found another alternative. Sounds like you've done the same. Awesome! Happy traveling!
I can relate to your frustration, I’m not hearing any good news about my trail. Actually no news at all. Don’t know what’s going on. I did look at the Mercedes a few years ago, lots of research. I’m waiting for the trail, and if that doesn’t happen I’ll get a regular transit. Did you look around for a plain awd echo transit? I’m seeing a few on Ford lots. Gregg
Gregg, We considered buying an AWD transit, but by the time we added the lift kit, larger tires, modified the wheel wells, added running boards, ETC, it would have been about the same expense as the Trail and take a lot of time to schedule that kind of work. I think there are creative solutions to this set back, and whatever fits your needs is the best best. Good luck. I hope your Trail comes soon!
YOU HAVE A VAN!!! Congratulations! Although it's not what you pictured, you will make it your own and have some more wonderful adventures in it. Looking forward to seeing it in person one day! Happy building! ❤
Hey guys! We Have a Van!!! 🎉. We are really looking forward to traveling again and meeting up with you guys again. See you soonish. ❤️
I'm sure there are good Sprinter stories out there but my in-laws had two and they got to know just about every Mercedes dealership going coast to coast on their various trip. Horrible reliability issues and finding shops not easy. Too bad Ford cant get their act together. Transit is a much better option.
So sorry to hear about your in-laws experience with Mercedes.
We've finished our van build and have spent 2 months traveling. We love our Sprinter and with all the bad news and nonsense with the Transit Trail, we feel like we dodged a bullet getting our Sprinter. So far so good.
We hope you check out some of our adventures from our Shake out tour. We'll be heading to the NW soon to get in some ocean time and practice our seascape photography.
Thanks for taking the time to leave us a comment.
I love the "stealth" color! It seems sad that there were so many problems "trying" to get and American/Electric van.
Thanks for the vote on the color. Ford is definitely experiencing issues getting vans delivered. There is an electric Ford Van on our dealers lot. It only has a 100 mile range, so wouldn't work for van life, but the Transit Trail is still sitting at the factor awaiting pick up for deliver since June! Thanks for watching.
I own a 22 4x4 and I drove a 23 AWD, the difference is huge. I recommend the AWD.
Thanks for sharing you experience.
wow, surprise! what i like about the color is that it looks less conspicuous. RE: traction - can it take larger/knobbier tires?
It was a bit of a surprise to us too. Funny how things happen... I agree and I like the color. It's growing on Matt. Regarding traction. - you read our minds. We're scheduled to replace the tires with bigger, knobby tires. That should help - especially with the upcoming snow. We'll show you them in an upcoming video. Thanks for watching and coming along for the ride. 🚐
So go with the transit trail… got it
We’re loving the Sprinter.
Wish you luck. I have a 2012 Sprinter. My new one will be a Ford. When you break down, MB has 300 dealerships in the U.S.…vs 3000 for Ford.
You are absolutely correct and that was something we took into account. I'm sure you'll love your Ford when you get it. We have friends who are very happy with their Transit.
when DEF break..LOL,,, i will go with Ford
Love ur added video graphics😅
2020 4x4 owner here with 25k miles. If you’re not already accustomed to driving diesel trucks, then the delay in acceleration at start can be annoying, but you’ll adapt your foot pressure and timing so that it becomes second nature. I’ve been very happy with mine, other than the fact that MB Truck dealerships are few and far between if you need warranty or recall work. You can’t take it to a MB dealer that only sells cars.
Thanks Joel! All this info is very helpful. Luckily we have dealership that sells and services vans in Albuquerque for warranty and recall work. It's easier than driving to Denver.
Agree. The only complaint I still have and always will, is the lack of MB dealerships.
the only thing holding me back from the Mercedes is getting it serviced if there is a problem. My landlords have been stuck (on the road) a few times in theirs finding a place to work on it. (Even in Metro Atlanta). But it was used when they bought it from a neighbor.
We totally understand. Matt did some research into the Sprinter and found that the reliability is different depending on the year it was made. Still keeping fingers crossed. Thanks for chiming in.
It’s an amazing van except for the emission control systems. Don’t keep your fingers crossed because you will have adblue and dpf related failures. It’s a given and the van will stop you in its tracks limiting your starts. Make a list of all dealerships on your travel and have them replace under warranty when they fail. Mercedes lost a class action lawsuit on this and now have an extended warranty on emission related failures due to this.
@@Abhitips224 This is 100% true. The emissions warranty has been extended on these.
Waiting since February for my trail. Just got word order was cancelled for 2023. I had to reorder 2024 with priority build and credit for price increase. MB way to expensive to maintain and not all MB dealers will service the vans. Hopefully no break down in small remote towns.
I'm so sorry your order was cancelled! That's crazy. Ours was actually built and sitting in a Kansas City since June. It's a puzzle. Good luck! I hope you get a van soon. Keep us posted.
MB has been certifying van builders nationwide for the last few years to do A & B services which has cut down on their limited foot print. There have been three new certified service centers (non-MB) added in Colorado in just the last year.
As for Ford, I have a friend who has a Ford Raptor and is always complaining he can't find a dealership who can service his truck correctly so, we will have to wait an see how they do with the Transits but, I wouldn't make a blanket statement that just because there are more dealerships, there is better or more complete service.
Thank you for sharing this.@@garygomulinski9797
If only more people understood how to use ESC in certain conditions... even in snow, simply turning it off could get drivers moving.
Yes! Well said. Thanks for watching and commenting.
I think you both will settle in well with this van. It will bring you years of pleasure and will last longer than a Ford Transit and won’t break down nearly as much as a Dodge Promaster.
Our thought exactly. Thank you for watching.
Was it necessary to trash other vans to make the sprinter sound good? Sprinters have plenty of flaws, just like any other vehicle.
@@nerdguyX3 If you’ve spent the money I’ve spent on towing bills and repair bills on Ford and Dodge Promaster, you would understand. Yes, Mercedes vans have issues too, but I guarantee that MB will go way longer and with far fewer mechanical issues. Have you even seen the reviews on Dodge Promaster?? Every single one says to expect mechanical issues at at least 70k miles. Mine started at 54k miles, then I had to leave my van at Transwest in GJ for a year. Finally, they did the right thing by putting a new engine in. Now I’ve got to pray I can get rid of the thing!
That's interesting. I've heard the maintenance cost on Mercedes is much higher than the transit. Is that not the case? I'd love to know more about that as I'm debating between the two at the moment. I've heard the dodge is garbage.
Yea thats not at all true. The american version of the Sprinter is BY FAR the least reliable of the big 3 vans. Cost of ownership is awful. They are on like revision 64 of the DEF system and its still a problematic mess. Mercedes as a brand has been one of the least reliable makers in the world for decades and for some reason people still view them as reliable. Guess its a combo of purchase justification and peoples desire for luxury nameplates.
I ordered mine in March, I get an email every couple months updating us on our order from Ford. I gave Up about 2 mths ago. Go do it. Crazy Ford cant build a van.
We took over someone's order in March. It wouldn't be as difficult if we hadn't already become accustomed to van life. We're so grateful we found this Sprinter. Have you decided what you're going to do about a van? Hope it all works out for you.
Van looks blue to me 😅
Nice. I’ll let Matt know 😉
Good luck with that choice. Don't go far from an authorized Mercedes Dealer. Sprinters have a nasty habit of doing that, "you only have 4 more starts" ....nonsense.
Thanks for sharing your beliefs and we're choosing to continue to trust that things work out for us.
Ford is a dumpster fire with Farley in charge. The Transit forum will tell you that.
Here’s what I have found:
2023 and newer sprinters are vastly better than the 2022 and older.
Converters don’t buy well equipped vans. Dealers may have a few. The van I would use if I was doing this is the 3500XD AWD and my online/order guide build is over $90,000 plus delivery.
No one converter has what I want. There will be at least four shops involved. Freedom Van go in JAX will do the Shadowmarq super singles, the EcoFlow power, the big brakes, the aluminess front and rear bumpers, the winch, a Vanspeed capsules, the roof rack and solar, the starlink and likely the windows. The interior floor and the floor,Ho water,air heating and split ac will be somewhere else, the wrap will be by Dreamworks Motorsports in Roxboro. The interior will either be Tourig or RRE-Global.
Thanks for chiming in. I think we would have enjoyed the Transit Trail and we're already loving our Sprinter. Best of luck on your van build.
Wait till you have to pay for your first oil change...
We've done research on this and many people aren't aware that they can change their own oil or have it changed at a Jiffy Lube or Grease Monkey without voiding the warranty. Also, oil changes are only required every 20K miles.
It's super easy to change your own oil. There are also increasing number of none dealer oil change options.
@@ClarityOffGridComing from experience, if you want the van to last long, cut in half the manufacturer recommended period. The manufacturer only cares about getting through the warranty period and use this as a marketing tool. Please don’t follow the 20,000 miles oil change 😦
@@Abhitips224 Agree. 10k mile changes for me.
Mercedes ? Yuk , you will regret this choice
Thanks for sharing your opinion as you have our best interests at heart.
We're finding more and more evidence showing that we have far more control over our reality than anyone imagined.
We trust we made the best decision for us at this time.
Too much of talk to have a van
❓ Not sure what you mean. We love having a van and traveling in it.
You guys bought the wrong van take it back and get a Ford Transit better faster stronger motor cheaper to fix and Ford dealers everywhere and parts are cheaper
Thanks for sharing your opinion. After looking at the pros and cons of both we're going to stay with the Sprinter. Wish us luck! And of course we will rely heavily on our guides and angels to support us in having the most beneficial experience possible! It can't be more of a gamble than a Fiat Promaster, right? That served us well and I was able to fix every problem that we came across. I'm trusting the same will apply to the Sprinter. We have the best angelic allies!