Junkyard Find: 2005 Dodge Sprinter Cargo Van
The European-style vans sold by Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, and Dodge have been with us here in North America since 2001, and have held their value very well since that time. Depreciation of even the most useful vehicle is relentless, however, and it was inevitable that used-up Sprinters would begin showing up in big self-service wrecking yards at some point.
That day has arrived; I spotted the first of the discarded Sprinters in my junkyarding experience, this one in a Phoenix yard over the summer.
As is always the case with the first of a valuable vehicle type to appear in a cheap wrecking yard, this one has been picked nearly clean of running gear and trim parts. In another five years, the market for used first-generation Sprinter parts will be saturated and these vans will be attacked less ravenously by wrecking yard vultures.
This one is a diesel-powered, Dodge-branded Sprinter with automatic transmission.
These vans are very efficient cargo haulers, though you didn’t see them every day back in 2005. This one doesn’t seem smashed, so perhaps it donated its drivetrain to another truck in its fleet before being dispatched to the knacker’s yard.
Perhaps there is a bit of acceleration exaggeration going on in this ad.
Murilee Martin is the pen name of Phil Greden, a writer who has lived in Minnesota, California, Georgia and (now) Colorado. He has toiled at copywriting, technical writing, junkmail writing, fiction writing and now automotive writing. He has owned many terrible vehicles and some good ones. He spends a great deal of time in self-service junkyards. These days, he writes for publications including Autoweek, Autoblog, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars and Capital One.
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I've never seen a rusted Sprinter of this generation in my part of the world, but I have seen an early 2nd Generation (2008 model) with rusted-through rear doors (at the bottom). Then again, it is a Refrigerated van, so that might be part of the reason... I am in a temperate climate though so YMMV.
Fun fact about Sprinters: In Poland, where I live, the 32-seat bus versions of them are the staple of cheap transport. You can get a trip from Puławy, where I live, to Lublin (ca. 65 km/40 miles), for 7 PLZ (a bit below $2) in one.