Anyone have any thoughts on a Mercedes Metris conversion van. It’s a 2016 with 46K. Price seems reasonable at $36. Interior was done by explorer van and looks amazing. I have heard that they are a nice van to drive. Is it a better option than any other boring minivan?
Clarification: what will the van be used for?
As an everyday driver in Connecticut. Mostly getting kids to and from school. Random errands. Trips to VT and Maryland during summer.
If this is just a daily driver (and don’t need any other unique capabilities) and you want an economical vehicle (in terms of maintenance and repair costs) with longevity, nothing beats the Toyota Sienna.
Also, see Scotty’s answer below: don’t be lured by the initial price.
https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/2018-mercedes-metris-with-2500km-worth-it-to-buy/#post-53289
The van it self is weak and quite unreliable.
The petrol engine in this van often can require major repairs as early as 60,000 miles, it’s the same 2.0L petrol used in other Mercedes products like the C class (so it’s not terrible, just don’t expect it to last decades like the Mercedes Sprinters do…)
About Mercedes transmissions, manuals are usually fine but the automatics can be problematic.
the 7G-DCT is just a bad transmission, it’s based on the Ford powershit and it has no place in a van, and I’ve herd it was installed in some Mercedes Metrises (aka Mercedes Vito)
the regular conventional 7 and 9 speed automatic isn’t much better either… but at least it usually doesn’t seem to have many issues until the 125,000 mile mark from what I’ve been hearing. But to achieve that you absolutely must REPLACE THE ATF FREQUENTLY, (30k-40k miles) otherwise you’re risking it not even lasting 100k.
The van it self it weak,
but if you can’t find something that’s based on a diesel Mercedes Sprinter (maybe even a Ford Transit but only if it has a 2.3L DuraTec and a manual, if you’re in Europe just get a 2.0 Diesel Citroën Jumpy with a manual it’ll serve way longer than any of its competition)
- and you’re not planing on driving much or keeping it for very long,
the Metris can still be a reasonable choice.
Thank you so much. I am just trying to avoid driving the same ole minivan as everyone else. Buy spending less on the van it will allow me to splurge on a Saab viggen, E46 M3 or 540i