yeah yeah the sprinter is better in every way possible. My bad.
You have made very valid points and the Econoline is no longer a worthy vehicle and all of them should be scrapped and never be mentioned again.

Again, sorry for trying to say that my van works well for me.
Have a good, no great day driving your Sprinter while the sand creeps in to your crack.

You really want to be quoted from a FORD Truck Enthusiasts forum, 1968-Present Full Size Vans section, saying?

Whatever "creeps in to your crack" seems to have made you irrational.

Your assumptions are foolish, except for maybe "the sand". If only b/c here in Florida "the sand" tends to get everywhere.

Just got off the phone inquiring about an ad for an '03 Club Wagon E150 Chateau. Unfortunately it was a 5.4, not a 4.6 & got scratched.

Don't own a Sprinter to drive & don't want, need, or shop for a van w/473 cu ft of cargo space, no matter how much I might like the 5 cyl turbo diesel. Similarly I don't want, need, or shop for an E350, extended, or V10 Econoline.

Have driven Econolines since early 70's. Was sad to see so many Econolines "scrapped" in the Cash For Clunkers program. You'd never hear me even hint what Bbasso said: "Econoline is no longer a worthy vehicle and all of them should be scrapped and never be mentioned again". My comments about FORD adopting/developing a small, fuel efficient, turbo diesel drive train for Econoline were 180 degrees the opposite - a way Econoline might persist & better fulfill the ideal "to each his own".

Many believed FORD screwed up when the dropped the 7.3 PS diesel. Conversely, few complained when FORD dropped the much maligned 4.2 V6. However it may be more of a mystery why FORD dumped the V6. There were apparently far more 4.2 V6's sold than 7.3 PS diesel's & 6.8 V10's combined.

IMO a small, fuel efficient, durable, turbo diesel Econoline could make a very popular commercial/fleet van. If the big box Sprinter achieved 25-30 MPG claimed, an Econoline should pop the 30 MPG barrier w/ease.

Maybe imagining an Econoline w/range over 1000 miles per tank is what "creeps in to" Bbasso's "crack"? Must sting having to stop & cough up $100 every 300 miles?

Do you not understand that he is being sarcastic dude? Dbasso likes his van, you like the ecoboost. Everybody would love more power and more mpg and more space and more money and more freedom and..................... What's the point of carrying on with this? Can we move on?

I'll sit here and wait for you to quote me, then misinterpret my plainly worded statement, so you can go off on another tangent about how everyone is wrong but you.

No kidding? "Dbasso....is being sarcastic dude"? "What's the point"?

Good luck trying to reconcile Bbasso's "to each his own" with your "EVERYBODY would love more power" etc, etc. Or are you a "sarcastic dude"?

I'm already on record as one who "would love (LESS) power" by rejecting both V10 & 5.4 in favor of the 4.6 motor, OR better yet, a small, durable, fuel efficient, turbo diesel option. Also rejected "more space" - "plainly" don't "love" extended Econolines, or Sprinter's 473 cu ft.

It seems obvious "Everybody" did not "love more power" enough to buy it. I'd thought the I-6 4.9L & V6 4.2L motors had been most common?

Instead of having to "sit (t)here and wait" on your Off Topic troll, you could've posted On Topic, or Moved On.

See? Just what I thought you would do.

LOL..........

Welcome to the club 86Scotty!

The Sprinter is gutless, the engine is too small for the use, 2.7 liters is not very large, I think it could stand to be bigger.

Never seen someone use so many quotation marks in my life!

Its increasingly obvious SOME people just have to have the last word and go to extremes to have it. Many times before people have simply left a thread, bored to death with the brow beating and snarky quotation-filled replies that attempt to show who knows what? We've gone from a benign thread to spouting facts that don't even apply to the OP's original question-----just another user asking for general advice on a potential purchase.

I still say its the man's money to spend on what he likes for whatever reason he likes. We'll all be driving Dodo's for a long long time to come, some of our E Vans lasting 20 or 30 years and still in good condition.

Yeah fuel efficiency is great and should be encouraged but sometimes big and/or powerful vehicles are necessary, maybe wanted and if we try to negate over consumption with conversation maybe we come to a "zero sum" on an average personal usage?

What was this topic originally about anyway, before all the off topic snarkiness began? :D :D :D

Of course some here say FORD's 5.4 liters "is gutless...too small". Others claim "everybody would love more power" suggesting "everybody would" want a V10.

I'd thought the 4.2L V6 was the most common motor.

Discussed Sprinter b/c of its small, fuel efficient turbo diesel motor, just as an example of what was possible, but used '06 specs that were handy.

Look at '11 Mercedes specs you see the upgrades I alluded to.
The 5 cyl 2.7L motor was replaced by a 3L V6 that produces 325 ft lb torque @ 1400 rpm.

Compare this to FORD's 5.4L spec: 350 ft lb @ 2500 rpm.

IMO Sprinter's 3.0 liters still "is not very large" but produces ~93% of the torque of FORD's 5.4 liters.

Now girls, no need to throw hissy fits. A gavel isn't about to fall crushing your obsessions to pile on. You're always free to post another "word" here, unless you post Off Topic personal attacks.

FYI: Here's a definition of SNARKY from Urbandictionary:

"A witty mannerism, personality, or behavior that is a combination of sarcasm and cynicism. Usually accepted as a complimentary term. Snark is sometimes mistaken for a snotty or arrogant attitude.

His snarky remarks had half the room on the floor laughing and the other half ready to walk out."


You're always welcome to be "bored to death" and/or free to leave any thread. Or laugh. Perhaps even consider alternatives.

"Its increasingly obvious SOME people just have to" evade the topic & indulge in Off Topic personal attacks. So much so, it blinds/paralizes them, so they have to ask "What was this topic originally about anyway"?

Reread this thread in light of JWA's general advice: "We'll all be driving Dodo's for a long long time to come, some of our E Vans lasting 20 or 30 years". Then contrast it w/Bbasso's: "to each his own". Now filter it with 86scotty's: "everybody would love more power".

Finally, play this against the V10 math showing 200,000 miles at 10 MPG & $4/gallon = $80,000. Replay this against the math showing a 30 gallon fill up costing $100, but only going 300 miles. Do the sequel, plugging in what you expect the future cost of fuel might be in 5 years, or even "20 or 30 years". As postscript, do yourself a favor & look into the glut of good, used, cheap, V10 extended E350's being dumped on the market, if you absolutely must have/need a V10. IMO there's probably no other FORD that depreciates faster than a new V10.

However there was nothing "snarky" cynical, sarcastic, or extreme about the math. In our example, Sprinters that achieve 30 MPG cover the same 200,000 miles for $46,400 less in fuel.

You're free to think of the image of Econolines equipped w/small, fuel efficent, durable, turbo diesel, capable of 30 MPG & 1000 mile range, as the "extremes".

Note: The MSRP of new 2011 Sprinters range from $36,000-$45,000.

I forgot I had taken this picture...

It's just normal driving, mixed use.
It shows clearly that the V10 does pretty well in the MPG... when the driver can control the right foot.:-X06

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/t/55mke.jpg

Yeah sure the V10 can get 10 mpg and way worse, but my normal driving results in fair mpg.

So how is your van's real world MPG?

I got 15 towing a Mustang on a steel car trailer from middle TN to NC across the mountains doing 70 MPH, I was pretty impressed back then, but I had 75,000 miles, it was 3 years old, won't do it now tho.

I wish I could buy one of those, but I'm not looking on keeping my 99 long term, that's pretty cool to get an idea of your mileage, my future setup will rely on a tach and vacuum gauge. LoL