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This month marks four years of owning a Sprinter van and living a quasi van life. Or, more accurately, these days we just own a Sprinter van that mostly sits in the driveway. So, the big question is, is it still worth it? I mean, should we just sell it and buy a tent? And if I could go back in time, would I buy one again? And yes, bike content is back next week. But if you've been here since the beginning, you know this channel actually started with an over-budget Sprinter van build. I'll link the full build videos up above or down below the description. But briefly, this is a 2020 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter High roof, four-wheel drive, diesel, 144 wheelbase. We bought it at the end of 2020. I flew one way to Phoenix, drove it home, and had Van Speed here in Southern California do the build. Now, why a Sprinter? Well, at the time, it just seemed like it was the ultimate adventure vehicle for camping, road trips, bike races, and it also seemed to be the one out of the bunch that best held its value. At that time, van life was everywhere, and we were in a perfect stage of life to embrace it. But has that changed? Yeah, you know what? It has, and we'll get into that.
Aesthetically, the van has held up quite well. The Sprinter lineup in general really hasn't changed much, so unless you're really in the know, you wouldn't guess that this van is now five years old. All the extras, the roof rack, the ladder, the lights, the tires, they still look great. There are a few exterior dings here and there, but nothing major, and nothing you really would notice unless you knew it was there. The interior has also held up pretty well. I think Van Speed did a great job there. No rattles, no major failures. We had minor issues with the dinette cushions and the sliders, but overall, everything has held up. The factory interior is still very, what's the best way to put it? Utilitarian. And we have, like, the base of the base models, which I didn't even realize its lineup in the full Sprinter van trim options until after I bought it. But, you know, now I kind of like it. I mean, this isn't a G-Wagon, it's a cargo van, and it shows. I also find a little comfort in knowing that because it doesn't have all the bells and whistles, there are very few things to go wrong. Or at least, that's what I tell myself when I'm looking in my one-by-one-inch backup camera that appears in the rearview mirror.
Overall, the van has held up better than expected, which is great because I was hesitant to buy a Mercedes. I thought it would be a maintenance nightmare. See, I grew up in a family with Toyota trucks, and even now, as our daily drivers, we have a Toyota SUV and a Toyota truck. They just go and go, and they're totally drama-free. With that being the benchmark, I have to say the van's been really reliable. I mean, we're only 38,000 miles in, but we've had no major issues, just your regular maintenance, right? Oil changes, diesel exhaust fluid top-offs, and keeping an eye on the rest of the fluids. The worst issue we've had was when a shop bent the rear differential cover while jacking up the van, causing the differential to leak. And to their credit, they fixed it and made it right, and everything's been fine. In terms of gas mileage, well, as it's configured here, we get 13.1 MPG on average, and I don't think I had great expectations here to begin with. It's a big, heavy, not at all aerodynamic box, so I mean, really, no surprises here. In terms of driving feel, I feel like it's still the same as when it was new. I mean, look, it's a giant van, it's not a touring car. It's fine on highways, it's kind of atrocious in the wind. It always takes me a minute to get used to the size, and that's coming from a full-size truck. It just has some visibility and mobility quirks. I do still think that the Van Compass kit was one of the best upgrades that we did. Maybe it's not a necessity if your van is mostly stock, but once you add all the weight, I really think that you'll appreciate an improved suspension. Overall, I'd say it's been remarkably low maintenance. I'm sure someone will be quick to jump in the comments and say, "Oh, of course, it's great now, just wait until you hit 60,000 miles." Please, just let me live in my low-mileage bliss for the time being.
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From a functionality perspective, this is where things have changed over the years. Our kids are older, they've got school, they've got sports. I mean, schedules are just packed, and like most parents know, life just gets busy. We still use the van, but less than we expected, and when we do, it's different. The 144 has proven to be tight for a family of four. I think we knew that going into it, we knew we were going to push the envelope a little bit there. I previously said that I thought a 170 would be the perfect size, but really thinking about the way that we use it now, I'm glad that we didn't upgrade to a larger van or even go with a 170 from the start. I like the size that it is now. It's really not that much longer and wider than a full-size pickup. We also no longer use the Adventure Wagon Moab bed. It just takes up way too much space. I'm sure you've seen photos of it in the past if you've seen my previous videos. It's a three-panel system, and we went from three panels, which really goes almost all the way to the back of the bench seat, down to two panels, and then down to one, and eventually, we just removed the last panel. And now we just use the bench seat as an extra place for someone to sleep. That Moab bed, we found, just kind of disrupts the functionality of the back of the interior. You really can't use it much when you have those panels in place. The one challenge with having someone sleep on the bench seat is that we've now got an inflatable mattress with support between the bench and the captain's chairs, and so what happens is you end up blocking the heater, which is, of course, not ideal. And this is kind of a new thing, we just found this out on our recent trip to Joshua Tree. And look, in due time, I'm sure we'll find a solution for it. This also brings me to my shameless plug of the video. If you want a lightly used Moab bed at a discount and live here in Southern California, please shoot me a message. I'd love to see it go to a good home, and I'd love to get it out of my warehouse.
So, with all these changes, why not just sell the van and get a truck? Now, I have to admit, this is something that crosses my mind quite often. We also have an SUV, so logically, we could make that work for all of our traveling needs. But here's why the van still makes sense for us. I think the first big reason is road trips. I mean, it's like our go-to for Mammoth ski and summer trips, summer road trips, long drives. I mean, look, you can stand up, you can store gear, you can cook food, you can warm stuff up in the microwave, you can keep it cool in the fridge, or you can just relax where you're protected from the elements. It's very convenient. Beyond just camping, I mean, having a van as a base camp is really, really advantageous. Financially, I mean, the reality is that for what we pay in annual insurance for the van, you could probably just rent a Revel for a couple of weeks and never deal with maintenance, storage, registration, and it would probably make a lot more sense. But then I do a quick Google search, and I see how well these vans have held their value. If it hasn't appreciated, I'm confident that I could sell it for pretty close to what we've paid for it. That helps me sleep at night. And beyond that, then you have just the endless memories of traveling in the van, and there's something special about it. I mean, it just encourages you to get out and see really cool places. We've gone camping in the Sierras and in Yosemite during snowstorms. We've been in Wyoming and Montana in the fall. We've just done a ton of spontaneous road trips. There was even a time where we're sitting on top of the roof deck, it's me, my wife, my two kids, we're eating pizza, and we're just watching bears, like, off in the distance, play in the trees. I mean, things like this just wouldn't have happened without the van. Sure, could we have done these things in another vehicle? Of course, but for us, it was the van that made it possible. And I'm not here to sell you on van life. I really don't think we ever truly lived van life. If you want to follow someone who's really living that lifestyle, check out Adventure Zack on Instagram. He's really doing it, and he's a super cool dude. But if this resonates with you, if you're on the fence about buying a van or an adventure rig, here's my advice: If you have a plan and a purpose for it, you definitely won't regret it. And if it pushes you to get outside more, I think it's worth it. And if it creates unforgettable experiences with the people you love, in that case, it's priceless.
So, the question is, would I buy it again? The answer is yes, a thousand times over, yes. It's expensive, yes, the new models are even crazier in price, but it feels like everything's expensive nowadays. If you can make it work and you'll actually use it, I say go for it. Even if we decide to utilize a tent and the van becomes more of a home base than a place to sleep, I still think it's a worthwhile vehicle. Heck, we recently hauled a new sleeper sofa and a queen mattress up to Mammoth in the back of the van, and it just has an incredible utility outside of being just a place to sleep. And because of that, I don't see us selling it anytime soon. It's just such a useful vehicle to have. Anyways, if you have any specific questions, drop them in the comments below or send me a message on Instagram. And if you've made it this far, thank you. I promise next week we will be back to bike content. Thanks a ton for watching. Until next time.
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