Truck or Van?

[stalllingselectric]

Been working off of a Utility truck for many many years. Was considering a van
one of those new mercedes diesel dodge rigs. Anyone got one and have feedback?
thanks Dave

[kbsparky]

You must be referring to one of them new-fangled Sprinter (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_Sprinter) vans?

[j_erickson]

I have a box truck, a utility van, and a regular van. I'll be getting the new
Dodge Sprinter next.

[220/221]

Van = dry and secure.


Big van = less trips to the supply house.


http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a8/JohnC1952/DSC01001-1.jpg

[chris kennedy]

Been working off of a Utility truck for many many years. Was considering a van
one of those new mercedes diesel dodge rigs. Anyone got one and have feedback?
thanks Dave
887

Dave, best truck I've ever driven. 22-23mpg all the time. Only negative is the steering wheel is fixed. I'm a
tall man with long arms and legs and find it very comfortable. Some of my guys find it a little awkward.

Very quick, never short on power.

[Rewire]

Can you get 4 wheel drive?

[andinator]

Where do you put the ladders?? Are you that tall?? I think they are cool, but it looks like you would have to crap wings and fly to get to the top of that sucker.:D

[sparky_magoo]

Very cool van. Great logo as well.

The Chevy Express I drive only gets 11 MPG. But then again, it does have ladder racks. I always have at least four ladders on the van.

[Rampage_Rick]

Are those Sprinters the ones with the 7-foot headroom in the back?

[LawnGuyLandSparky]

Very cool van. Great logo as well.

The Chevy Express I drive only gets 11 MPG. But then again, it does have ladder racks. I always have at least four ladders on the van.

It was mentioned a while back that ladders on racks outside your van/truck wreck havoc on your gas mileage.

[MAK]

887

Dave, best truck I've ever driven. 22-23mpg all the time. Only negative is the steering wheel is fixed. I'm a
tall man with long arms and legs and find it very comfortable. Some of my guys find it a little awkward.

Very quick, never short on power.
22-23 mpg!? That is amazing! That is double what my Ford van gets for gas mileage. They have a lot more room from what I have seen.

[mdshunk]

Where do you put the ladders?? Are you that tall?? Various companies, such as American Van, offer electric ladder racks for the taller vehicles like Sprinters and Step Vans. It will lower your ladder down the side, where you pick it off at shoulder height.

[tmbrk]

Where do you put the ladders?? Are you that tall?? I think they are cool, but it looks like you would have to crap wings and fly to get to the top of that sucker.:D

Even with my Econoline I need to get on a step ladder to pull the ladders from the top of my van. I keep the 6 footer inside because I use it so much.

I'm also considering a Sprinter but hear that parts for repair are still pretty expensive.

220/221- Nice clean, organized truck.

[Vertex]

If you are in a rainy/snowy area, a van might be good for you.

In Arizona, wet is not much of an issue. In our hot climate, vans make great ovens in the summer. I don't like working out of an oven. Not only that, I hate the visibility of a van.

The Isuzu NPR works best for me. It has a tight turn radius, great visibility and amazing payload. I opted for a custom made 52" high utility body with a telescoping cover.

With a van, you must maintain a walkway inside. With a utility body, you access the storage compartments from outside. That frees up more usable space in the bed. I can't say enough good things about this truck.

Now for the cons...
It's very expensive to get it all set up with drawers and shelving.
It doesn't get the greatest gas mileage.
Each compartment must be locked individually unless you have an electric door locking system.

If you want to take a quick look, here's the Isuzu website.

http://www.isuzucv.com/nseries/index.html

[finster1]

tHE FREIGHTLINER Sprinter my supply house drives, boast gas mileage approaching 30, which makes me want to trade in my 6cyl econoline also. They use it for deliverys and its loaded a good portion of the time which is pretty impressive. The drivers of the two new trucks say the mercedes 5 cylinder diesel is awesome and I dont know about the steering wheel but the adjustability of the seats is fantastic....up down in out high low, tilts forward backwards....Very similar to the old vw seats, but higher.......I'm going to get one when my ford dies and if the arabs keep it up it will be sooner than later....

[mdshunk]

Check out the slideshow on this Isuzu NPR prototype, purpose built for electricians, some nice guy pointed out on another site:

http://udbuffalo.com/group/mrsparky_photo.html

http://udbuffalo.com/group/spark/images2/NEW%20UD%20011_jpg.jpg

[chris kennedy]

22-23mpg all the time. Very quick, never short on power.

This is no BS. I'm very happy.

[Vertex]

Wow! That's one amazing truck.

[nakulak]

wow, that's a sweet ride

[sparky_magoo]

All I want to know is, does it come with reefer and micro?

[electriciangirl]

I've been pondering switching from a truck to a van, but I am worried about getting stuck. Are any of them available in 4-wheel drive? If not, does anyone have experience with them out of the city? Most of my work is new rural construction and I'm not sure if I should keep the truck and deal with space issues or switch to the van and deal with getting stuck issues. Also, what are the repairs on a Sprinter like, do they take special parts or labor that would be hard to come by in rural Northern Wisconsin?

[stickboy1375]

All I want to know is, does it come with reefer and micro?


Did you mean a refrigerator? :grin:

[stickboy1375]

Even with my Econoline I need to get on a step ladder to pull the ladders from the top of my van. I keep the 6 footer inside because I use it so much.




I always just have a step bumper installed and have no problems removing ladders off the top... I also keep a 4' and a 6' ladder inside.

[trigger]

that is impressive:grin: ..

[stalllingselectric]

Well i can see pros and cons, I would hate to have to work out of an oven
and i hate to get up inside of the oven to pull parts etc. And i can see putting my extension ladders ontop to be problematic. But the locking up would be way cool. The way things are going Diesel might be the wrong choice for fuel
as it seems to be continually climbing :confused:

[emahler]

Well i can see pros and cons, I would hate to have to work out of an oven
and i hate to get up inside of the oven to pull parts etc. And i can see putting my extension ladders ontop to be problematic. But the locking up would be way cool. The way things are going Diesel might be the wrong choice for fuel
as it seems to be continually climbing :confused:

make sure you take milage into account with a diesel..sprinters get 20+ mpg....so even at $3/gal for diesel right now, it's still cheaper than $2.40/gal for gas in the Chevy's and Ford's that get 9-10 mpg.

I say we all go back to horse and buggies and show the oil companies a thing or two...

[ITO]

Those vans look nice but lets be realistic, how many guys are going to keep it that neat and organized? Sure YOU might, but 99% of the guys I have in trucks wont even clean out the cab let alone maintain an organized material system.

[ItsHot]

I am starting to hear a lot of good things about the Sprinter. I was curious if anyone knows about the overall height with single stacked ladders on top? Will it clear in parking decks/garages? THANKS!

[Rewire]

Those vans look nice but lets be realistic, how many guys are going to keep it that neat and organized? Sure YOU might, but 99% of the guys I have in trucks wont even clean out the cab let alone maintain an organized material system.
I have a "cab can" a special trash can for truck trash and I enforce morning truck clean out.

[randomkiller]

Van = dry and secure.


Big van = less trips to the supply house.


http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a8/JohnC1952/DSC01001-1.jpg

Everytime I see that truck I get truck envy for an hour or so.

[MAK]

I know that it will not in Boston. My Ford POS Van won't come close to parking garage height. I was parked next to a sprinter today (drooling over it) and it looked about 6"-8" taller about even with my roof rack.

[mdshunk]

I have a "cab can" a special trash can for truck trash and I enforce morning truck clean out.
If you want an eye-opener, check out the time stamps on convenience store and fast food receipts, and ATM slips that might be in the truck trash.

[ITO]

If you want an eye-opener, check out the time stamps on convenience store and fast food receipts, and ATM slips that might be in the truck trash.

Awe... you did not need to say that. Now I am going to look.

I mandate all trucks come back into the shop for routine service, at witch time we literally hose them out, service them and do an inspection.

Some of the more interesting finds:
Guns
Empty whiskey bottles
Empty beer bottles
Receipts (that I am not going to check the time stamps)
About 4 pounds of empty sunflower seed hulls
Womens clothing
Tools there were long ago reported stolen and turned out to just be lost in the cab.

[cschmid]

If you want an eye-opener, check out the time stamps on convenience store and fast food receipts, and ATM slips that might be in the truck trash.

Then what Marc? Is that info you really want? I had a guy who went home between jobs and than had an accident at the end of his driveway..Do you really want that info from productive employees? Would it inprove their productivity? Or just drive you nuts?

[mkoloj]

Awe... you did not need to say that. Now I am going to look.

I mandate all trucks come back into the shop for routine service, at witch time we literally hose them out, service them and do an inspection.

Some of the more interesting finds:
Guns
Empty whiskey bottles
Empty beer bottles
Receipts (that I am not going to check the time stamps)
About 4 pounds of empty sunflower seed hulls
Womens clothing
Tools there were long ago reported stolen and turned out to just be lost in the cab.

But you are in TX aren't you?
Isn't having a cold one while driving and carrying a concealed weapon legal and considered the norm down there?

[LawnGuyLandSparky]

It must be, it's the only state with drive-thru liquor stores. :grin:

[brian john]

NC has the Brew-Throughs

[ITO]

My point is still the same, while the pic of that van was just awe inspiring, its hard to find electricians that have the mentality to maintain it, and guys that have that mentality don't always make good fast production workers.

There is one guy on my payroll that keeps a perfect truck and does perfect work, he just does it all real slow, which is great for T&M jobs but not so good for contract work.

Not trying to be cynical here but my material and tools that come back from jobs require a full time crew to sort and get read for other jobs. Its almost like a dump truck coming back from a job and making one big dump at the warehouse door. I think maybe a van would not work so well for me, because it would just fill up full of unsorted material and trash.

[220/221]

We dispatch from the shop/warehouse so it is easy to keep the trucks clean and stocked. First thing the guys do is clean out their crap from the day before and restock the items they wrote up. One guy comes in an hour early and fills the "orders" in about 1/2 hour for 4 trucks.

It takes 15 to 30 minutes a day but is time well spent.

ANYBODY can be taught how to keep things clean and organized. The main thing is to have a specific place for EVERYTHING and a designated time to perform the work.

[chris kennedy]

If you want an eye-opener, check out the time stamps on convenience store and fast food receipts, and ATM slips that might be in the truck trash.
Wow, and I thought we hired responbible adults. Go figure.

[peter d]

Wow, and I thought we hired responbible adults. Go figure.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by that, but I think an owner of a company, who is paying his workers for 8 (or more) hours of work, and riding around in his truck with his gas, has a reasonable expectation that they aren't going to the bank and taking hour lunches on his time.

[480sparky]

You'd be surprised what actually happens out in the field.

The last place I worked for, we did a rastaurant near a new mall. Several months later, I did some extra work at the eatery. At 10:45, I saw two company vans pull up next to the mall. They were still there at 12:30, but gone by 12:45. And I'll bet dollars to doughnuts they made a pit stop on their way to the mall, and stopped again to pick up ciggies, chew, Dew, etc. on their way back. And their time cards read "Lunch 11:00-11:30."

I also had someone ask if my kids were in Little League. I don't have kids. Another guy was using the company van to take his kids to games and practices.

[cschmid]

I see being a JM in big city is much different..We have truck and truck is ours we are responsible to make sure oil is changed, truck repairs are done and the truck is kept in good shape. we are required to keep it stocked and cleaned. We need to go to the clinic for a doctors appointment it is our own time..we stop for lunch and take an hour if it is 20 minutes to café we pack a lunch if it is ten minutes go have lunch..we take truck home with us we stop by grocery store on way home it is okay..stop at liquor store or bar get a NEW JOB..we leave home in the morning go directly to job and get job done..once a day when doing service calls you best stop by and see boss..On big job boss will visit you..Boss has every thing in his truck including tools and supplies..you need something you don't have call and shop will arrange it some how or you go get it..lets see cheaper to have $8 hr employee deliver it than pay $20 hr JM to go get it..Here you are responsible or you wont work and we all know who is who for several counties around us..so there is not the cut throating on good employees like in bigger areas. big difference here..

[mkoloj]

There are a select few "model employee's" out there, but for every 1 of them, there is at least 2-3 that will do just about anything they feel they can get away with on company time.

For example I have a friend in a totally unrelated field that has purposely changed his bowel movement schedule so that he is getting paid to sit on the throne.
Who says it doesn't pay to be regular?

IMO If you feel everyone on your payroll is productive and profitable 100% of the hours they are on the clock you:

A: are a truly lucky individual
B: worked hard to weed thru the other 67.7 - 75%
C: put on your blinders because your business is earning enough so that you are not concerned
D: are blind, deaf and dumb

[stickboy1375]

IMO If you feel everyone on your payroll is productive and profitable 100% of the hours they are on the clock you:

A: are a truly lucky individual
B: worked hard to weed thru the other 67.7 - 75%
C: put on your blinders because your business is earning enough so that you are not concerned
D: are blind, deaf and dumb


I feel its near impossible to be productive 100% in an 8 hour day, but I try like hell.

[chris kennedy]

I feel its near impossible to be productive 100% in an 8 hour day, but I try like hell.
Well put stick, and I'd like to add that Saturday is my most productive day cause the phone ain't ringin!

[stickboy1375]

Well put stick, and I'd like to add that Saturday is my most productive day cause the phone ain't ringin!


Monday is the worst... at least for me...

[220/221]

I have a friend in a totally unrelated field that has purposely changed his bowel movement schedule so that he is getting paid to sit on the throne.


That's impressive. How the heck did he do that?

[480sparky]

That's impressive. How the heck did he do that?

The same way I had a helper years ago who could take a leak at least 15 times a day during work hours. :mad:

[Denis]

you may be impressed with my schedule

truck for rural areas

van everywhere else

[stalllingselectric]

Somehow we went from Van vs. Truck to productive employee's
IMHO employee's should all be temp help. When i had employee's all i did was work for them, payroll, insurance etc... besides looking over their shoulder to make sure it was done right...*sigh. I do much better working alone and getting a helper only when i need em. Service work is probably the best money out there and its best done t&m and alone . IMHO 8-)

[emahler]

Somehow we went from Van vs. Truck to productive employee's
IMHO employee's should all be temp help. When i had employee's all i did was work for them, payroll, insurance etc... besides looking over their shoulder to make sure it was done right...*sigh. I do much better working alone and getting a helper only when i need em. Service work is probably the best money out there and its best done t&m and alone . IMHO 8-)

stallings...i agree, except for the T&M part...working T&M you are merely an hourly employee of your customer.

if you do residential service, please look into a flat rate program. Also, go here (www.pmmag.com) and read the columnists...they are light years ahead of the electrical industry.

[blue spark]

I'm with electriciangirl. It's nice having my van but it sucks getting stuck. Talk about unproductive. I keep chains in my van and granted you're unstoppable with them on but they are a royal PITA to put on. Sure would be nice to hit the old 4WD button. Last year we had to pick up a 440 longtrack for a job. We'll be using again this winter for a lake job cause I'm too chickenpoop to drive my ford across the ice. :rolleyes:

[cschmid]

It did go from vehicles to personnel and you know forget the boss thing being an employee is best..if boss makes cash good for him he is the one who deals with all the BS..I will be treated good if I am honest, productive, dependable and profitable..I make profit and I will benefit by being a loyal employee..it works both ways..I can secure jobs for the boss regularly..I was working in machine shop on three phase converter, they were adding on before days done I had got the wiring contract for the addition for my boss..I drive a 1 ton 4 x 4 Chevy p/u with fully loaded weather guard box system w/ladder rack and a pack rat. I like it allot, all except the snow issue but got heated garage at work we take turns thawing our trucks out in..I am looking at having a custom tanue cover built for in between the box's to keep snow out..be like having a removable topper in center of box..

[LawnGuyLandSparky]

Talk about getting off topic.

I wonder how quickly this thread would be locked down if you replaced "employee" with contractor? Let's find out.

There are a select few "model employee's" out there, but for every 1 of them, there is at least 2-3 that will do just about anything they feel they can get away with on company time.

There ate relatively few model employers out there, for every on there are about 20-30 who care little about the human element, or the craft, and are concerned with only the bottom line.


For example I have a friend in a totally unrelated field that has purposely changed his bowel movement schedule so that he is getting paid to sit on the throne.
Who says it doesn't pay to be regular?


I known a few employers who schedule "look-sees" purposely during unpaid lunch periods to "go over a couple of things" while it just so happens you're on your own time. (This always stops after the time sheets note the overtime for working through lunch.)


IMO If you feel everyone on your payroll is productive and profitable 100% of the hours they are on the clock you:
A: are a truly lucky individual
B: worked hard to weed thru the other 67.7 - 75%
C: put on your blinders because your business is earning enough so that you are not concerned
D: are blind, deaf and dumb

What's interesting is that with the exception of the sun rising in the East, practically nothing is 100% dependable, or honest. Does every machine work 100% of the time? Yet for some reason, employers expect 100% productivity from human beings. Why is it that some people think they're entitled to revel in and profit from all that is good about another person, but not suffer from any of the bad qualities that go hand in hand with ALL that makes us human beings?

[electriciangirl]

I'm with electriciangirl. It's nice having my van but it sucks getting stuck. Talk about unproductive. I keep chains in my van and granted you're unstoppable with them on but they are a royal PITA to put on. Sure would be nice to hit the old 4WD button. Last year we had to pick up a 440 longtrack for a job. We'll be using again this winter for a lake job cause I'm too chickenpoop to drive my ford across the ice. :rolleyes:


Come on over to Wisconsin and drive the ice road to Madeline Island a few times-you'll get used to driving on the ice. It's kinda fun after the chickenpoop dissipates.

As nice as a van sounds for storage and organization-I think I'll keep my truck. I have an extended cab which gives a fair amount of lockable storage if I keep it organized plus a few tool boxes on the bed and I have most of what I need on the truck. Next time I'll get a long box, though...

[emahler]

there is good and bad on both side...however, the employer is the one taking the risks...the employee is being provided for by the employer...so, it is not equal and it is not interchangeable...if an employee screws up and loses money, it comes out of the employers pocket, not the other way around.

if you ever become an employer, you're view will change immediately. that is 100% definite.

[ITO]

The intent was not a thread jack, but rather an observation. How practical would a van as an organizational tool be if the end user would not take the time or even have the organizational skills to maintain it?

I am pretty organized and motivated yet, my own work space can become disorganized very quickly in direct proportion to my deadlines.

[LawnGuyLandSparky]

there is good and bad on both side...however, the employer is the one taking the risks...the employee is being provided for by the employer...so, it is not equal and it is not interchangeable...if an employee screws up and loses money, it comes out of the employers pocket, not the other way around.

if you ever become an employer, you're view will change immediately. that is 100% definite.

Perception does not make right.
The employer is taking the risks? How much is risk worth, and who decided it? Let's be realistic - how many employees of contractors have done something that caused the employer to lose everything, or go to jail? I don't believe in absolutes, but I'll bet the answer is none. When tragedy strikes, the employer is the first to cite "supervisory oversight" or "clerical error," and throw the employee under the bus.

The employer isn't taking anywhere near the risk the insurer is. And how many employer's insurers realize that while the license dictates the employees are under the license holder's DIRECT supervision, in reality the license holder doesn't even know where the jobs are?

It's a 2-way street. Neither can do without the other. I say, majority rule, but that touches on a taboo subject so we won't go there.

[ITO]

Perception does not make right.

Yes it does, or more to the point it’s a grey area but having all the information does lead to the correct view point, its just that once you have the point of view you may realize that you are not right.

I don't believe in absolutes…

…but did’nt you just say: Perception does not make right.

[220/221]

How practical would a van as an organizational tool be if the end user would not take the time or even have the organizational skills to maintain it?



It DOES take exceptional organizational skills to set it up but only a simple mandate to maintain it.

The employer must allow and in most cases dictate the time. For us it's a daily thing just like breakfast.

[blue spark]

Come on over to Wisconsin and drive the ice road to Madeline Island a few times-you'll get used to driving on the ice. It's kinda fun after the chickenpoop dissipates.
I drive on the ice all the time. Shaves 10-15 minutes off getting into town. Just not in a fully loaded econoline.

[Ravenvalor]

I called the dealer about the Dodge Sprinters. After he told me how small the engines were I lost interest. I need a big engine for my big load.

[srblx]

220/221 you need to come help me organize my van dude. I try but just can't seem to get it that nice.

[360Youth]

I haven't taken the time to read all the posts, but here's my FWIW...I prefer a van for the stocking capabilities and weather issues, but I work out of truck to be able to haul certain things that would not fit well or at all in a van and I just don't feel like dealing with a trailer. If I had to choose, it would be a truck.

[sparky_magoo]

I called the dealer about the Dodge Sprinters. After he told me how small the engines were I lost interest. I need a big engine for my big load.

I'm not even going to comment on that statement. I drive like an old man. I wan't good pay. I don't want my boss wasting money on fuel.

[220/221]

220/221 you need to come help me organize my van dude. I try but just can't seem to get it that nice.


I't a gift. I have been doing it for MANY years so I do have a little advantage. I remember about 30 plus years ago watching two electricians dig thru the back of their pickup looking for a fitting...a 1"x1/2" reducer bushing I believe. They looked like idiots to me and I never wanted to be those guys.

The best part of every job I ever had was getting the truck set up.

[wagge]

My two cents on T vs V

first I will say I drove the sprinter and its easy to drive but I get into too many a tight spots where my express can only fit. I can make some parking garages as well. Also the sprinter will set you back 30-35k, my Chevy 20-22k, I would take a lot of fuel savings to make 10-12k up.

I had several different trucks, from just pickups with floor box, side box, cross box to complete dually service bed. The regular truck is OK for small jobs or job-site truck, the full service bed is good for service and job-site but not good for in-town driving. (the GVVW was over 10k) My van is great for service and does pretty well for job-site work.
Bill

[tallguy]

My two cents on T vs V

first I will say I drove the sprinter and its easy to drive but I get into too many a tight spots where my express can only fit. I can make some parking garages as well. Also the sprinter will set you back 30-35k, my Chevy 20-22k, I would take a lot of fuel savings to make 10-12k up.I made up a little Excel spreadsheet for figuring this out recently... at $3/gallon and upgrading from 15mpg to 30mpg, it will take 100K miles to breakeven on a $10K investment. This of course does not include the time value of money. If anyone wants the Excel file to play around with it yourself, send me a PM.

[electricguy61]

I made up a little Excel spreadsheet for figuring this out recently... at $3/gallon and upgrading from 15mpg to 30mpg, it will take 100K miles to breakeven on a $10K investment. This of course does not include the time value of money. If anyone wants the Excel file to play around with it yourself, send me a PM.

Way to go tallguy! May I add that most folks don't understand the simple fact that a paid for vehicle that gets 10mpg is way more economical then a new rig, no matter how expensive the fuel or how great the economy. If the business is real profitable, it's better to buy a new vehicle then pay it in taxes, but most of us don't have that luxury.

Another recent thread pointed out that in a tight economy, the best thing to do is stay out of debt. Put the profits in the bank for the slow times, and if you buy new vehicles, pay cash.

[slicer1982]

I made up a little Excel spreadsheet for figuring this out recently... at $3/gallon and upgrading from 15mpg to 30mpg, it will take 100K miles to breakeven on a $10K investment. This of course does not include the time value of money. If anyone wants the Excel file to play around with it yourself, send me a PM.

Have you included in your calculations the extra lost time due to having to stop for fuel twice as often with the "cheaper" vehicle?

Also wonder how much could be saved over the life of the Sprinter if the diesel engine was converted to burn oil collected from area restaurants... fuel up the van while taking lunch = extra productivity.

[wagge]

my chevy c-20 gets 15 miles to the gallon, I belive the real world milage on the sprinter with same payload is about 25 mpg, so run those number if you will

[tallguy]

Have you included in your calculations the extra lost time due to having to stop for fuel twice as often with the "cheaper" vehicle?How much does it cost you to stop? How many gallons in the tank (old & new)? How low do you go before you refill? This could get complicated... :wink: my chevy c-20 gets 15 miles to the gallon, I belive the real world milage on the sprinter with same payload is about 25 mpg, so run those number if you will125,000 miles @ $10K net investment. If you consider that diesel prices average $3.30/gallon at the moment, it jumps to 147K miles. I hadn't considered that aspect in the original post.

Doesn't sound too good to me unless you do a tremendous amount of driving or are exceptionally committed to helping the environment.

Let's just say for a moment that Iran & Iraq both go completely haywire (I mean worse than they are now), Hugo Chavez turns off the spigot in Venezuela, and unleaded rises to $5/gallon and diesel to $5.50/gallon. Your numbers are then 75K miles for a regular unleaded vehicle and 88K for diesel. Again, all that assumes going from 15mpg to 25mpg at a cost of $10,000.

[chris kennedy]

my chevy c-20 gets 15 miles to the gallon, I belive the real world milage on the sprinter with same payload is about 25 mpg, so run those number if you will
My real world milage is 22-23 mpg. And this thing is NOT short on power or zip. It has a touch and shift type tranny if you need torque.

Again, the sprinter is the best van I've had.

[cschmid]

I made up a little Excel spreadsheet for figuring this out recently... at $3/gallon and upgrading from 15mpg to 30mpg, it will take 100K miles to breakeven on a $10K investment. This of course does not include the time value of money. If anyone wants the Excel file to play around with it yourself, send me a PM.

I will take a copy of your work..I will pm tomarrow..

[stalllingselectric]

Well it sounds like you can save money on the front end on the less expensive vehicles domestics and such. The fuel economy is really a wash when u compare the expense of the vehicle . I do know that i can right off all the fuel and save the initial capital for the business
Dave

[wagge]

My real world milage is 22-23 mpg. And this thing is NOT short on power or zip. It has a touch and shift type tranny if you need torque.

Again, the sprinter is the best van I've had.

Hey, I agree on the power, well it not the power but torque and tranny gearing is very low. The AC works better than any vehicle I have seen. I though it was easy to drive but it would not be as easy to park in tight spot like the Chevy. For Rural work this might be the perfect van, but in Houston you will not see many.
My Chevy has 180k and still runs fine, it's the body and interior that takes a beating.

I would like to see how the sprinter holds up after 3-5 years, maybe I could afford to buy one then

[emahler]

the mid length sprinter is basically the same foot print as an extended chevy van, but with better turning radius.

when we ran the numbers (gas was 1.50/gal and diesel was $1.70 - remember those days?) our break even was about 21,000 miles per year...we average about 28-30,000 a year. Now, for our resi guys, we would never get one. They only did about 10,000 Miles per year.

and definitely, if you stay local, not the right truck. but if you travel for work, it pays for itself. NJ to Boston on one tank of gas...Lost in Boston trying to find the job site, driving in circles since they are incapable of putting up traffic signs that make sense, on one tank of gas...

[LawnGuyLandSparky]

Lost in Boston trying to find the job site, driving in circles since they are incapable of putting up traffic signs that make sense

This from a Jersey guy!?
What's the matter, the Boston signs weren't confusing enough? :grin:

[tallguy]

when we ran the numbers (gas was 1.50/gal and diesel was $1.70 - remember those days?) our break even was about 21,000 miles per year...What were your original mpg assumptions and additional cost for the Sprinter per year? Either the former was really bad, the latter was really good, or some combination of the two...

[danickstr]

I really dig that Isuzu van thingy. I am sure to trick it out sparky style would cost big bucks.

[tonyou812]

I have to say that I am a sprinter owner and it the best all around van to work in. And I have been brought up on 12 foot box trucks. And they were loaded to the hilt and got decent mil age. But their achilles heel was they were a bit bulky for city streets and had a nasty steep up height to the back cab. With the sprinters fairly low steep in height and tall roof, and sliding side door it makes life easier not having to bend over all the time. To me its worth the money. Others make due with less. In my opinon if what ever truck you have if you dont keep it organized and stocked for the jobs at hand it is not saving you money on supply house stops. I love just steeping into it. and all the room.

[Energy-Miser]

If you want an eye-opener, check out the time stamps on convenience store and fast food receipts, and ATM slips that might be in the truck trash.
That's a great idea, i think i will do that !!

[Energy-Miser]

Perception does not make right.
The employer is taking the risks? How much is risk worth, and who decided it? Let's be realistic - how many employees of contractors have done something that caused the employer to lose everything, or go to jail? I don't believe in absolutes, but I'll bet the answer is none. When tragedy strikes, the employer is the first to cite "supervisory oversight" or "clerical error," and throw the employee under the bus.

The employer isn't taking anywhere near the risk the insurer is. And how many employer's insurers realize that while the license dictates the employees are under the license holder's DIRECT supervision, in reality the license holder doesn't even know where the jobs are?

It's a 2-way street. Neither can do without the other. I say, majority rule, but that touches on a taboo subject so we won't go there.
To take it even further off the original subject, I would say one way to tie in the interests of employers and employees closer together might be some sort of profit sharing. But that might be the subject of another thread. e/m.

[Energy-Miser]

I called the dealer about the Dodge Sprinters. After he told me how small the engines were I lost interest. I need a big engine for my big load.
What was the price range, if you don't mind telling us?

[brian john]

My Sprinters do BETTER than the E-350's we had. I drove one to Florida loaded to the max 85 all the way ....I mean 65 except for Georiga where it was 70 or was that 90?

[art82]

yeah there great i could not be in a small truck anymore the only down fall is the seating arrangements