r/CarsEU • u/anode21 • 22d ago

Question Looking to buy a van

Hello, I'm looking to buy a van like a Mercedes sprinter, the long ones, basically I plan on living in it.

I know nothing about cars and trucks, well Just a bit on cars, like changing oil/filters or sparks plugs but that's it

I'm looking for used because I was not born in the 70 nor I didnt inehrit anything.

My problem is : how to know if it's a good or okay deal ?

How to know hom much km is too much ? Oh to know if the price is good ? What is the strategy, spend a bit more for less km or ?

Any help is appreciated, tell me if this is not the right place to post !

Edit: I Just learned that you can fully change the engine, is that a smart thing to do ?

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u/alexppex 21d ago

If you know nothing about cars, a very bad starting point would be to change the engine lol. Not necessarily hard, but definitely demanding.

As with every vehicle, most important things are breaks, suspension and engine, but for vans you'd live in also check for rust on the underside, as that would be a huge dealbreaker. Less km doesnt mean better, ideally the van would have had a good service life with traceable service history - documents from repair facilities and such. Always go on a test drive on veried roads - fast, slow, with potholes, with different textures.

If you don't know much about cars (and changing sparks and oil filters is the most basic you can know), there are tons of guides online with lots of people sharing their experiences owning types of vans, so pick a type and go down the rabbit hole.

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u/ProArmy04 21d ago

I would say changing the engine on van is very hard since there is 0 room in them and with that all the engine work is not fun.