Quote:
Originally Posted by dj10024
1st, the Transit is not rated for towing; Mercedes is good for 5,000 pounds.
2nd, the Mercedes diesel is pretty well proven; and even bringing my Mercedes into a dealership for alignment (cheaper then third party shops - they charged me $189 and gave me a Mercedes car for a loaner for a couple of days due to my schedule). While their labor rates tend to be higher then Ford dealerships, I've been happy about the quality of service and customer care when working with MB. You can google Thor Transit nightmare, as it seems there has been some Transit chassis issues that I'm not sure if they've been worked out yet.
3rd, I don't believe the transit seats swivel around, like the Sprinter chassis versions.
As far as gas mileage, I've been pushing around 16MPG right now with a Compass 24TX (rear slide and a small side slide). The floor plan worked for us the most, as it gives us adequate room in the coach when traveling for our dogs. I saw a Transit floorplan a week ago when camping in Vermont like ours. More basement storage in the Mercedes is the first obvious take away.
Hope it helps with whatever you have already chosen or might choose.
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Just to clear up a few misconceptions, not to endorse any make or model.
1 The Transit is indeed rated for towing, hence the 5000 lb hitch. It is not rated quite as much as the Mercedes.
2 The Ford transit Power Stroke engine has proven itself for decades in Europe and Africa. Don't know of any transit chassis issues as stated above but could warrant further investigation from a Transit forum.
3 The passenger seat swivels on the transit
4 I don't believe Thor built a 24TX on a Transit chassis (?) so a comparison would have been impossible. Storage would be more an issue of the Thor model and not the vehicle brand. The Mercedes has a longer wheel base so it makes sense the larger Gemini/Compass models would be MB chassis and therefore have more storage. Which brings me back to #1. Larger chassis, heavier box, nearly the same engine and transmission, why would the MB effectively tow more???
My guess is if you find a floor plan that fits you either brand builds a very solid drive train. But neither are issue free.
I do have to pat myself on the back for not mentioning that nearly every town in America has Ford parts dealers, MB not so much. Oops
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