Used Mercedes are amongst the most popular in the UK. Ford may reign supreme in the UK van market in terms of overall numbers, but in the used 3.5 tonne panel van market, it is the Sprinter that reigns supreme. The reliability and build quality over the 25+ years of manufacture make the Sprinter a desirable choice for anyone considering a used large panel van. As a used Sprinter buyer, you shouldn’t be put off by high mileage examples – as long as they have been well maintained. Be careful however, that you don’t buy a Sprinter that is too big for your needs just because it seems to be the large ones that are available and affordable. In their first life, the Sprinters are often bought for doorstep parcel operation and new Sprinter buyers will often spec them nice and long and high. This is great for dropping off your Amazon parcels, but the payload on these big vans is not great. So, if you need to carry anything remotely heavy then consider the size of the Sprinter you are looking at.
The answer depends on your budget, but remember, there were revisions in 2006 and then in 2013 where it received additional safety features and a Euro 6 engine, (vital for the ULEZ). A major change came in 2018 after the Sprinter stood on its own as the factory stopped making the Crafter for Volkswagen in 2016.
Entering into the world of truck operation is no mean task. Especially when the company bosses have not run any HGV transport before. In fact, only eighteen months earlier, the bosses of Forge Logistics had never run a van operation – in civvy street that is. Ex-servicemen Jamie Keen and James Rose-Shaw have recruited their first truck, a striking Mercedes-Benz tractor unit, and look forward to putting nine more into action. Jamie Keen and James Rose-Shaw launched their business after serving together in the Army Air Corps, providing ground support services for Apache attack helicopters. Both completed multiple tours of…
