Buying the Mercedes Sprinter

We purchased the Sprinter in January 2022. It was, for me, a sign of optimism after many months of relative inactivity, which had taken their toll.
I think this blog should be entitled, how not to buy an expensive customised travelling vehicle and many of you may wince at my naivety! But more of that later.

Landy, our wonderful Landcruiser had been languishing in a barn in France since 2020, following extensive post trip work in anticipation of a new overland trip to Georgia and Armenia. However, most activities screeched to a halt in 2020, when all plans of a further trip were scotched by the imposition of Covid lockdowns, travel restrictions and quite scary statistics of infections and deaths across Asia, Europe and the rest of the world. The global pandemic was taking a hold, and at that point there were no vaccines and very little by way of effective treatments for those who became seriously ill.
In March 2020, Jim and I collected Landy from the garage which had replaced the fridge, the whole poptop and its roof, added electric hydraulic lifts, upgraded the lighting and electrics and popped on an amazing external awning which would better enable shady and or dry external cooking! In March 2020, we dashed across the channel to France and just managed to make it to our French home in rural France profond, and avoided being stuck in London during the lockdown.
During lockdown in 2020, niggles in Sonia’s back and legs which had emerged on the big Silk Road trip, became more persistent and she wondered about the manual gearbox and swinging up into the poptop on future travels. The idea of a hip replacement was also beginning to take shape. So in spite of the Landy works, in 2020, thoughts of a Landy replacement were being sown.
During lockdown Sonia perused websites with new offroad campers, offering larger easily accessible sleeping quarters and a toilet cubicle and stowage which was more readily accessible for clothes and personal effects. Ideally the bed would be permanently available and separated from the rest of the space. Things like hot water, a good cooker and even a shower seemed like a nice to have. Most of these vehicles had little customisation, were not equipped with reserve fuel tanks, 4x4, solar panels etc. Some would cope being off grid but few without more modifications. These were idle thoughts at this point. But her thoughts turned to cost and parallel thoughts about selling the house in London. After 18 months on our travels and now a further year of lockdown in France, the London house was looking more like a drain on resources rather than an asset. Plus the many stairs were not potentially viable into the future. So a year later in February 2021 we returned to London, sold the house and purchased a flat in August 2021 and there was some money set aside that could purchase a travelling vehicle. However, first there was the small matter of a hip replacement. This was done in December 2021. During my weeks of convalescence, I continued to idly flick through FB sites selling secondhand Overlanding vehicles meeting our specification when I saw ´the Beast’. The advert is reproduced below.

We found the advert on Ebay, Donedeal and a 4x4 FB site. The Vehicle was being sold in sterling from Northern Ireland. It was a bit odd as the price varied between sites but in many respects it ticked many of our boxes.

The mileage was just over 20,000 miles, the car was 6 years old and that equated to less than 4,000 a year. It was in great condition and the advert spoke of it being in mint condition. Yes I know, we should have had a technical examination, we should inspected the V5 documentation before shooting off to have a look at it, but we didn’t. To cut a long story short, the seller had kissed the blarney stone. The car did not have a valid V5. He did not produce credible proof of ownership. He’ did not know’ how most things worked, so we could not really check properly if things were ok. He never gave us a receipt for our payment, despite promising one and being asked many times. The car was stored in Southern Ireland, but he said it was registered in NI. In fact it transpired that he had never registered it in either place and had claimed to the tax office in the UK, that he was exporting the vehicle to Southern Ireland where it was stored. We were then left with the difficulty of reimporting it, avoiding VAT and other taxes and with no proof of purchase! He exaggerated the price he paid for it (he failed to produce his receipt) and we in fact ended up paying him much the same price that he had paid for it 3 years earlier. The money was paid by us, to his company in pounds to a UK bank account and the transaction was done in Strabane in Northern Ireland, not far from his residential address in Eire. He provided a V5 from the UK, but it was actually the V5 he had never completed from the previous owner.

He told us it was full of Ad Blue for our journey and it ran out about 50 miles down the road, late at night with no garages open. So a bit of a tense time getting to our destination. The only favour he did us was to pass over an email from its previous owner, which set out how many of the features worked. We were able to contact him and he was a real godsend. This person was the real deal. He was an overlander. He was not dishonest. He had carried out much of the customisation of the vehicle himself and was able to tell us what was still working and what needed replacing. Even better he employed a couple of guys to put things to rights and we paid simply the hourly rate for the job. We were eternally grateful.

Although it is truly a fab vehicle, and great for long distance travel in many harsh conditions, many expensive items did not work including the secondary alternator, the awning, and the gas holding tank which was condemned. The tyres which were in new condition in respect of the treads, were not in great condition as a result of the storage environment and so it went on. The good thing was that at least it passed its MOT! It had no tax and no MOT, and no registration documents. So we had our work cut out getting ourselves legal. Glad to have the vehicle, but without the kind help of the original owner, DG, we would have been forced to sell it on very quickly.

A complete one off bespoke Maclaren Sports Homes, the same people that did Sir Bradley Wiggins Motorhome. An additional 2 years were spent tweaking and improving every detail of this exceptional vehicle.

Mercedes Sprinter ELWB 519 4x4 BlueTec 5.5 Ton Expedition Camper

As can be seen from below the best parts possible were sourced from all over the world. Northing spared on creating this one off complete off the grid luxury camper. Perfect for people who like their privacy as it can carry enough water, fuel and everything else to sustain 2 people completely off any grid or site for well over a week. Its proven its capabilities by travelling to the North Pole faultlessly with WiFi, Apple TV and all the comforts of home and for some the necessities of a mobile office.

It's in absolutely mint condition and no expense was spared in any element of the design, build or fit out of it.

See below for a detailed description.

FEATURES:

Comfort Pack Plus,

· Safety ­ Driving Assistance Package,

· Automatic,

· Co-driver's front airbag,

· Folding handbrake,

· Rear privacy windows,

· Reversing camera,

· Entry/exit lights for driver and co-driver,

· PARKTRONIC parking and manoeuvring aid,

· Electrically adjustable and heated exterior mirrors, including heated additional wide-angle mirror

· Electrically operated sliding, load-compartment door,

· Electric closing aid for sliding load-compartment door,

· Keyless entry & slide

· Auxiliary heating TEMPMATIC, temperature-controlled air conditioning,

· Heat-insulating windows,

· Hot-air auxiliary heating (fuel-fired independent heater)

· Hot-water auxiliary heater (also functions as an independent heater),

· Heated windscreen

· Anti-theft alarm system with interior monitoring and tow-away protection,

· Rain sensor cleaning system

· Thorax airbags for driver and front passenger

· Kelsa HiBar in stainless with 3 front (white) plus 2 side-facing (amber) led markers and LED spots

· Race Chip three stage tuning chip for efficiency, sport or maximum power, with adjustable throttle response for ease of driving on ice and help with efficiency.

· Tyre pressure monitoring and warning system.

· Aluminess Front winch bumper with brush guards and winch fitted with KC Highlighter driving lights. (https://www.aluminess.com/.../sprinte.../front-winch-bumper/)

· Aluminess Rear bumper with deluxe boxes and swing arm spare wheel carrier and 5000llb rated tow bar. https://www.aluminess.com/.../sprinter-2014.../rear-bumper/

· 600watt solar panels connected to cistron Victron MPPT charge controller

· Dual Panorama MiMo Cellular and 3x3 MiMo Wifi panel mount antenna with GPS http://www.panorama-antennas.com/site/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=61

· Rear roof vent

· Dual water tanks 100 and 500 litres

· Pumped Doulton Rio 2000 multi candle water inlet filter system https://www.aquacure.co.uk/.../doulton-rio-2000-ceramic...

· Additional non pumped inlet for 100 litre water tank in case of filtered inlet pump failure

· Secondary water filter for drinking water

· Under slung gas tank with remote level gauge

· Attachment for additional gas bottle in rear bumper mounted box

· International gas filling adapters

· External BBQ point

· Outside table and fixing for BBQ?s

· Fiamma Electric Awning with external light, sunscreen, sides and high wing tie downs

· Fiamma Side W Pro Awning Panel

· Fiamma Awning Tie Down S Kit - Black

· Fiamma Curved Rafter Pro

· A/T tyres and chrome wheels

· Updated headlights and led bar lights

· Heavy duty 220amp main alternator

· Secondary alternator with Balmar 614 external regulator https://www.nationsstarteralternator.com/.../sprinter-dak... included in sale is spare alternator and Balmar 614 external regulator

· Victron LiFePO4 Lithium Battery 12.8V/300Ah - with Smart Victron VE.Bus BMS

· 10 x 40ah https://www.tracerpower.com/12v-40ah-battery-slab.html lithium batteries

· Lithium battery overcharge protection system

· Victron Buck-Boost DC-DC 50 amp Converter in case of alternator failure to charge lithium battery system from main battery https://www.victronenergy.com/.../buck-boost-dc-dc...

· 2 x Victron Battery Monitor BMV-712 Smart https://www.victronenergy.com/battery-monitors/bmv-712-smart

· Additional battery in engine bay only for emergency use to start vehicle, charges with voltage sensing relay so is always fully charged

· Victron MultiPlus combined 5000VA inverter and charger https://www.victronenergy.com/.../multiplus-12v-24v-48v...

· Victron Digital Multi Control 200/200A GX to give adjustable 4 to 16 amp inlet for campsites and to use small generators. https://www.victronenergy.com/.../digital-multi-control...

· 3kw backup mains inverter

· Separate monitors for two lithium battery banks main start battery and aux start battery

· Victron Color Control GX is the communication-centre https://www.victronenergy.com/panel-systems.../color-control

· External mains outlet and inlet

· TV and Bose speaker system

· 8+ USB outlets including 65watt USB C for Mac book etc

· Truma Saphir compact Air conditioner https://www.truma.com/.../truma.../truma-saphir-compact.html

· Truma Combi 4E Combination heater with integrated heating elements https://www.truma.com/.../truma-heater/truma-combi-4e.html

· Truma iNet Box and the CP plus iNet ready digital control panel https://www.truma.com/.../truma-inet.../truma-inet-set.html

· Webasto Thermo Top C300 Diesel Camper Heating Kit https://www.butlertechnik.com/webasto-thermo-top-c300... backup or very cold climates

· External temperature sensing switches on heating tape and Webasto to stop freezing also controlled by nest thermostat

· Nest smoke alarm

· CBE PC210 Control panel https://www.cbe.it/en/pc210/

· Aguti Milan Uprated driver and passenger seat https://www.aguti.com/.../seats-without-seat-belt/milan/

· Glide Rite Semi-Air Rear Suspension with digital dash control panel. https://glide-rite.com/product/c-lo-semi-air-suspension/

· E&P Hydraulics Hydraulic Levelling System with remote control with dditional spacers for rough ground https://www.ep-hydraulicsnews.co.uk/motorhomesystem

· Microwave

· Filter Coffee machine

· Apple TV

· Cellular internet connection, needs SIM card not locked to any netwok

· Media PC connection

· Thetford Topline 981 - 3 Ring Hybrid Hob

· Gas oven

· 100 litre grey water tank with pumped outlet

· Electric step to sliding door

· Rear garage with bike rack

· Under body protection for extreme environments

· Dual fuel tanks with transfer pumps

· Fridge with automatic power selection, mains, 12 volt or gas.

· Freezer in rear garage with 12 volt and mains power, set at present with two temperature setting so it doesn?t switch on and off so much at night

· Lighting in rear garage area

· Hot water wash down hose / shower head in rear garage area

· Dual iPhone charger holders for driver and passenger

· iPad mini mount for monitoring electrical system and setting up Race chip

· OBD reader for clearing faults if they occur in the back of beyond

· Alpine INE-W710DC 7" Sat Nav TomTom Apple Carplay Android Auto DAB Bluetooth USB Caravan, Camper and Truck Specific Stereo

· JL Audio Evolution C2-525x 5.25-inch (130 mm) Coaxial Speaker System JLPromoC2

· Alpine HCE-C212F Front View Camera

· Alpine HCE-C252RD Rear View Camera

· Fitted blackout blinds on all windows

· Cooker hood vent

· Thetford C400 series Cassette toilet with spare cassette and new seat fitted with SOG vent https://www.soguk.co.uk/

· Additional fans for fridge operation in hot conditions

· Carbon monoxide and sleeping gas alarm

· Duvalay compact custom topper with pillows, fitted zipper sheets and protectors on both with bags for storage and uses as pillows when not sleeping https://www.duvalay.co.uk/compact-custom-topper

So now the fun begins. We have a car that is capable of driving in inhospitable terrain. It looks like a US President’s back-up vehicle and is not obviously a camper. It is strong and reliable, automatic, 4x4 and has a host of Mercedes safety features. It has many creature comforts and great indoor space when the weather is poor and good facilities for cooking outdoors in sunny weather. In fact we had a couple of nights in Cornwall during the recent Code Red hurricane when we were sleeping in the Sprinter. It rocked a bit, but we had the stabilisers down and it felt pretty secure in strong wind and rain. Needless to say we did not attempt to drive in those conditions!

There is fab storage in the rear for tools and lesser used items and camping tables and chairs. So no more hauling boxes around in our living quarters. The kitchen is very well equipped with oven, microwave, coffee machine, rice maker and everything that you could need. Everything is arranged not to rattle and roll around. So we are pretty much good to go. One concern is the insulation on the windows. We may find in hot weather that we need more than blackout blinds. We will adapt as we go.

The big unresolved downside is that you need a C1 licence to drive it. To share the driving with Jim he needs this on his licence. So far, in spite of passing a medical, the DVLA have not updated his driving licence. Without it, our insurance etc is not valid for him to drive. In most circumstances that is fine. But if I am ill or tired, it will be an inconvenience not having a second driver.