SkyPup said:
I've been looking at the 2007 Winnebago View camper based on the Sprinter engine and frame with dual rear wheels and it is a very nice edtion, supposed to get 17-19mph fully loaded and still tow 3,500 pounds. Cost is about $80-85K.
That's a sweet lookin' piece.
I'd say that's pretty impressive mileage for a vehical of that type and size.
How do you like the auto transmission?
I personally like it - you can tap the shifter to the left to manually downshift (and to right to upshift) which allows you to use the engine to slow the vehical, saving wear and tear on the brakes - nice if you do alot of stop-and-go driving. Supposedly the setup is computerized to some degree where it tracks how the vehical is driven and sets the shift points based on your driving habits. Shifting up through the range from a stop is very smooth, with good acceleration without having to really stomp on it.
(Theoretically) no service on the tranny for at least 80K or 100K miles IIRC ..... in fact I don't think you can even pull the dipstick to check the fluid.
Any issues with the 5-cylinder turbodiesel?
We had the air intake temp sensor go bad @ around 1K miles - it was replaced under warranty, no charge. Ours only has around 2K miles on it at this point.
My son has two Sprinters - a '04 and '06, both 2500's with 158" WB and high roofs. I think the '04 has around 140K miles and the '06 has 30K miles - he's had no engine problems with either - just changes the oil and filters at the recommended intervals.
He has gone thru brakes - twice on the '04 I think (...... not sure on the '06 .... maybe once on the front) and tires (twice on the '04) - but then both are driven around 200 miles per day, 5 days per week, in stop and go driving (parcel delivery.)
And he's had to replace some bulbs (head, tail, turn) on the '04.
There are a couple of things I don't care for: The cruise/speed control is on an odd little stick that pokes up from the top left side of the steering column - it's in a somewhat awkward place, and to activate or adjust it you push it several different directions ..... it's just not real elegant. The interior cab light switch is also somewhat awkward to use - on ours (they make different ones) it's a 4 position slide switch and it's hard to hit a particular position sometimes .... often you just slide past the one you want. Both relatively minor issues IMHO.
It would also be nice if there was a grab handle similar to my RAM to make it a little easier to get into the cab.
I find the seating to be pretty good, comfort-wise ..... and the vehical very easy to drive and maneuver. I spent about 20 hours in it over last two days, delivering packages in the Cleveland area. I started with a full tank and when I got home last night it was still showing slightly over half ..... offhand I dunno how many actual miles I drove but it probably somewhere around 250 - 300.
