Replacement for my recently sold BMW will be here Friday

Post by **garylspolar** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 6:14 pm

It gets 27 mpg, has five cylinders, and is enormous:

Mine is silver, with the low/standard roof.

This, and new baby will eat up that money from bike sale quick.

Post by **r1150rider** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 8:14 pm

I'll be interested to hear how you like it, Gary- I've been thinking the long wheelbase/high roof version would be roomy enough for me to make into a camper/bike hauler...

Post by **garylspolar** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 6:46 am

Ed:

My dealer is taking the fully loaded extended models that cost nearly $40,000, and having them turned into Recreational Vehicles. He then sells them for $80,000. People cannot belieive that a motorhome can get mileage like this.

Post by **yjleesvrr** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 6:41 am

Wonder how she would do at Deal's Gap...

Post by **machew01** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 7:58 am

I've been waiting and hoping that someone would ask this question. What is it?

mac

Motorrad · Post by **Motorrad** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 10:24 am

I've been waiting and hoping that someone would ask...Are you a member of the "A-Team"?

Post by **yjleesvrr** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 10:25 am

It's a Dodge Sprinter, designed by Mercedes-Benz and sold through Dodge and Freightliner. I'm looking at possibly buying one myself in a couple years.

Post by **sjbmw** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 12:59 pm

http://www.sportsmobile.com/2_rb-50-sr.html

Now this is cool too.

munchmeister · Post by **munchmeister** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 2:43 pm

I think an R1150R would fit in there quite well, along with my F650GS. I've got the bikes, got the dog (Rotty/Shepard). Now I just need the van.

Post by **rdsmith3** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 3:23 pm

yjleesvrr wrote:It's a Dodge Sprinter, designed by Mercedes-Benz and sold through Dodge and Freightliner. I'm looking at possibly buying one myself in a couple years.

I was suggesting to my wife that this should be her next vehicle (the passenger version of this). She was less than excited.

Our GMC Yukon XL can carry our family of 7 (plus our Boxer -- dog, not bike) but it gets 13 to 14 mpg. I bought 100 gallons of gas on our last vacation.

This thing would cut my gas bills in half.

Post by **r1150rider** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 12:42 am

munchmeister, that's pretty close to what I had in mind- but on a streetbike the mirrors would create a nuisance, you'd have to remove them every time you put the bikes in. I wonder how difficult it would be to push a bike up a ramp backwards? It would take a longish ramp, and fairly wide so as to afford good control. I know a Harley service guy who (on level ground) can easily manuever even the biggest H-D's this way. He more or less straddles the front wheel and steers them with the handlebars quite easily! Of course you'd gain more interior room and have an easier time loading up a bike if you just towed a trailer, but I like the idea of being able to make better time on the highway and the ease of parking without the trailer. Do you know if that's somebody's custom one-off item, or from a manufacturer?

Post by **garylspolar** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 6:43 am

http://www.sportsmobile.com

r1150rider:

Follow the original link from sj for more info on the sportsmobile (above). Munch's pics were pulled from here http://www.sportsmobile.com/3_bikes.html

Post by **yjleesvrr** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 4:13 pm

I for one would like to buy one for my company where I'd be able to get it modified for business travel purposes. There are companies that will outfit a Sprinter like a ground-bound corporate jet with similar amenities. The nice thing about ground transportation is that it is not hindered by weather phenomenon as much as airplanes are.

You'll have to post reviews Gary. I really like this van and am curious as to what kind of ownership experience you'll have with it.

Post by **socalrob** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 11:36 pm

YJ, I see why you would want one for travel on the more compressed east coast, out west here spaces are too big.

What the hell happened to the flying cars??? Its 2006, we're flying in basically the same jets as in the 1960s, except now there is a 4 hour turn at each airport. Now your'e talking about going back to driving. We are regressing here, it must be stopped. I hate to think we were the peak generation.

Post by **yjleesvrr** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 8:05 am

Rob - yeah, it's interesting to account how as a child I heard stories that astronauts would be going to Mars and Jupiter by now. I read the other day that NASA is going back to museums to see how Werner Von Braun built the Saturn 5 rocket to get ideas on how to build the next generation of space exploration vehicles. Talk about regression. The greatest source of rocket science is still the guy who was born in 1912 and used slave labor at Peenemunde to build V2s to bomb London!

Most fields of engineering it seems have gone through a period of refinement in the past thirty years. The real breakthroughs have come in the areas of computing, networking, and the use of software to manage control systems in machines.

As a Gen-Xer though, I blame the Baby Boomers for our lack of progress in the past 30 years!

Post by **boxermania** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 7:15 pm

And if it truly does get that mileage with a 5 cylinder ithas to be a turbo diesel......maybe the variety with the new high pressure injection.....that significantly redice emissions and increses power.

Remember F=ma......where m=mass and that vehicle doesn't weigh 3000 pounds, more like 6500 would be my guess.

If everything is true it does have potential.........

Post by **garylspolar** » Sat Aug 19, 2006 6:38 am

It's here! It's Big! It's comfortable, it's surprisingly quick with the turbo-diesel, and I'm on my way to get it upfitted with ladder racks and more. I'll try and take some pictures today. The Ford and GMC alternatives seem puny, and archaic in design compared to the Sprinter. I'm grinning from ear to ear.

Post by **owldaddy** » Sat Aug 19, 2006 10:30 am

Can't wait to see your report on the Sprinter. It sounds like a great platform for many uses. I was thinking of getting a new truck and camper, maybe I will have to rethink that, since the Sprinter would make a great little RV. I can almost visualize my kayaks on top............
Don

Post by **garylspolar** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 8:02 pm

It gets atleast twice the mileage of my GMC, I'm guessing around 22-25 mpg. I'm judging by the needle and mileage, haven't used enough fuel yet to fill up and take a proper measurement.

The headlights have recently gotten perkier, and even firmer and better looking than they previously were. Oh, wait a minute, I'm thinking of my wife's headlights. Giving birth has done wonders for her... Forgive me, back to the truck -

It handles much better than previous vans I've owned, brakes better, rides smoother, and has a much better fit and finish. I recently got ladder racks, a bulkhead, and shelving installed. Here are the pics I took just before I got the shelving in:

Post by **scottybooj** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 10:26 am

Yong, I believe a company called Becker outfits the sprinters and other eurovans quite nicely.

also, you have canepa design. if you're travelling with execs, you gotta do it up like a jet or a rolls inside.