We had a 2008 2350 on a Ford 350 chassis with a slide and sofa and loved it. The Ford chassis has 1,470 pounds more of cargo capability and 5,250 more pounds of towing capability. Also, my understanding is the maintenance on the Sprinter chassis is higher especially the oil and filter changes. This is something you might want to confirm.
One of the modifications we made to our 2350 was replace the barrel chair with additional storage cabinets (See attached picture). Another thing we did was add a portable storage box behind the driver's.
The sofa offered comfortable seating and adequate sleeping comfort. To improve the sleep comfort we used a memory foam pad from target. I personally find the dinette seat backs to be too straight and become uncomfortable after awhile. Also, depending on the model year there were different sofas. The sofa we had was the electric sofa that was in three sections when you opened it up. The new models have a memory foam lounger that look very nice but I do not know how comfortable a bed would be. You need to try the different configurations. Try before you buy.
A new PC may not be as expensive as you might think. A call to Phoenix may get you a new PC with all the options you want, never hurts to ask. They are a great company to work with.
If you have an questions let me know.
Barry
Hi Barry,
Those look like great mods to me! I would likely do the same.
Your comments about the E350 vs the Sprinter are exactly right. The E350 clearly has it's advantages, as does the Sprinter. I know opinions about the two are all over the map. A person focused primarily on fuel efficiency would likely go for the Sprinter. Someone concerned with GVWR and/or towing would probably buy the Ford. In my reading on the View/Navion group I've found that some people are very concerned with 'image' -- if they have a Freightliner or Dodge-badged Sprinter they will pay hundreds of dollars to get the Mercedes badging. On and on...
My sense of things is that the Ford sways less but the Sprinter has a quieter, smoother ride.
Parts & labor are clearly more for the Sprinter, and it sounds like they may not be particularly 'do-it-yourself' maintenance friendly. That said, they seem to be very reliable, so if they rarely break down the cost of repairs is less of an issue.
The Sprinter has enough OCCC for my wife and I, and from what I've read I can reduce the sway significantly with Bilstein shocks. I like the idea of getting significantly better mileage, but to us, that and the other benefits of the Sprinter aren't worth the current $12,000 up charge (if we were to buy new). I have to decide how much extra the Sprinter is worth to us (in case we are faced with that choice).
You mentioned that you used a memory foam pad. We have a memory foam bed here at home that we like a lot. We might replace the corner bed mattress with memory foam, and we considered using a memory foam topper for the dinette bed. Question -- where did you store the foam pad when the dinette was set up?
Thanks!