merc or fiat (1 Viewer)

[laneside]

Hi
Thinking of giving up tugging and have set our sights on an autotrail cheyenne with ''U'' shaped lounge.
At two seperate dealers close to home we have a choice between a fiat with 14k on the clock or a merc with 17k on the clock
I think I prefer the rear wheel drive Merc but the boss, for whatever reason prefers the (fix it again toni).
Anyone brave enough to join in this discussion?

Cheers Alan

 

[American Dream]

I'd go Merc every time just for the engine build.Personal choice.

I like the idea of not having a prop shaft as it allows you more space under the vehicle to hang things like lpg tanks etc.....

But .......Merc RWD IT IS.

 

[ourcampersbeentrashed]

Definitely a MERC

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[JJ]

It must be the Merc surely?

I'm stuck in my ways and am convinced that Nature meant our vehicles to be propelled via the rear wheels leaving the front ones to do the steering.

Making the front ones do both means... cv joints (horrible, grease filled, knocking things which have to be hit off with a big lump hammer leading to personal injury and bad language.)

JJ

 

[DESCO]

Personally would go for the Merc. If it is the new shape Fiat after 2006/7 there has been lots of problems if you are interested read the posts on this link:-

Link Removed

You will then be in a better position to make up your mind.


Dave:thumb::thumb:

 

[Wildman]

I guess a lot depends on personal preference and trust you have checked out the juddergate and scuttlegate.
The facts as I see it are these.
Fiat 2006 onwards suffer from defective gearbox ratios, mounts, clutch problems and leaking scuttles. If you buy new then you may be able to get all of those fixed under warranty
Front wheel drive easier to get stuck on muddy fields, spares are not always available and can take a while to arrive but usually do before it breaks again, hee hee. The older models are more robust, but watch out for rear axle greasing points on an alco chassis that have been boxed in making them in accessible, resulting in early axle failure and costly repair/replacement

Mercedes, once renowned for bomb proof engines that lasted in excess of 650 thousand miles as opposed to around 350 thousand of the Fiat. The Merc reliability changed with the advent of the Sprinter engine in 1995, some of these engines are prone to catastrophic failure caused by defective injectors and ECU failures. Those that are good ARE GREAT, however it is not always easy to repair a sprinter engine and a replacement could be needed, then if perchance you or a previous owner has had it chipped, Mercedes will deny any and all responsibility leaving you with a bill of over 10 grand for a replacement engine. Rear wheel drive you don't get stuck in the muddy fields very often.
There are many advantages to both but personally I would go for an older van, I would also look for a German van as they are built for a Northern European winter, whilst others are built for a southern European summer. So there you have it, Depends really where and how you are going to use it and how you drive etc.
Autotrail are excellent builders and have few problems in that respect.
My own Merc is 1981 and still going strong nuff said.

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[American Dream]

Mercedes, once renowned for bomb proof engines that lasted in excess of 650 thousand miles as opposed to around 350 thousand of the Fiat. The Merc reliability changed with the advent of the Sprinter engine in 1995, some of these engines are prone to catastrophic failure caused by defective injectors and ECU failures. Those that are good ARE GREAT, however it is not always easy to repair a sprinter engine and a replacement could be needed, then if perchance you or a previous owner has had it chipped, Mercedes will deny any and all responsibility leaving you with a bill of over 10 grand for a replacement engine. Rear wheel drive you don't get stuck in the muddy fields very often.

My own Merc is 1981 and still going strong nuff said.

Hi Roger,

I think you hit it on the head.

Many a Sprinter has passed me going at a rapid rate of knots driven by couriers and other delivery drivers.

Might this just be one of the reasons for the failures?

Chipping too puts more power through all the designed components and might just invalidate warranty as you have said,

I still stick by the legendary Merc build.Hopefully motorhomes are not driven the same way.....

 

[Terry]

Hi are both vans the same price ? Would have thought the Merc to be around 4 / 5 k pricier ? Even said that the merc will always be worth more :thumb: On a coach built van the merc gets my vote every time :thumb: PVC I may be tempted if only for the wider body on the fiat-- 5ft 9 ins wide merc to 6ft 4 ins fiat opens up more options between longitude and latitude bed options
terry

 

[danie_jc]

For what little value I can add - my friend who has owned motorhomes for years said merc all the way and avoid fiat/peugeot. He owns a newish merc and I bought an oldish merc. At the end of the day it is personal choice and budget.

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[vwalan]

it seems at the moment you either burn your hands in the fire or put them in boiling water. fiat/merc both need avoiding. they may get the message if people stop buying them. its now getting difficult to get older merc spares as lots have been delisted or on back order. shame as they did make a good vehicle at one time . seems tecnology as passed them by before they got the hang of it. best not buy new if what you have works wait till its really knackered by then they may have got it right.

 

[bazfergy]

MERC:thumb::thumb::thumb:

 

[davejen]

MERC:thumb::thumb::thumb:

ME TOO!
Dave:thumb:

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[Braunston]

I think the real question with regard to a motorhome is what chassis and there is no question in my mind it has to be ALKO,

The mechanical relaiblilty of any of the engines/drive trains will outlast the life span of most motorhomes, but for ride comfort and stability its got to be ALKO

 

[Mikemoss]

I'm with Brauston re an AlKo chassis - major improvement on the standard Fiat offering, and I've heard tell that the Merc chassis is on the soft side.

Having a 1998 Fiat-based motorhome and 1999 Mercedes car, my only other comment is that both are still mechanically fine at roughly the same mileage (#80,000) but it's the Merc that has serious rust problems while the Fiat cab is as good as new.

I know that comparing cars with motorhomes is an apples and pears situation, but....

 

[nicklb]

Merc will not be as good in the corners due to lack of width, also usually about 2 to 3 k dearer

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