Mercedes Metris for occasional Hammond hauling?

[mynameisdanno]

My beloved 2011 Ford Transit Connect fit the bill perfectly but is nearing the end of its service life. 
 

My needs in frequency/priority order:

1. Mostly hauling a modest two-board live rig, sometimes with a Leslie cabinet

 

2. moving 3-5 humans, sometimes in conjunction with the above 

 

3. Moving a C3 and Leslie 142 with soft covers and some other gear. I do this maybe 4-5 times a year, but it’s nice to not have to rent a van every time I do it. 

 

And preferably something that can get in at least some urban parking garages and get MPG in the 20’s, which knocks out full sized vans. 
 

Without getting into the headaches of maintaining 10+ year old vehicles, the Mercedes Metris (aka Vito in other markets) seems attractive except for the costs, both up-front and being a hostage of the Mercedes Maintenance Regime. 
 

Anyone hauled a Hammond console and Leslie in one of these? Any other personal experience? Any options in the U.S. market I may be overlooking?

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[Synthoid]

Pros

    Offers a larger cargo area than small van competitors
    Payload and towing ratings are at the top of the small van class
    More maneuverable than full-size vans

 

Cons

    Premium fuel is required
    More expensive than the budget-friendly competition

[zephonic]

I LOVE my Metris. It’s a perfect size, bigger and roomier than a minivan, more economical and cheaper than a full-size van.

 

In Europe it’s called the Vito and they’re a dime a dozen, as ubiquitous as a Ford E or Chevy Express/GMC Savana are here. The contractor drives one, as does the florist, it’s a taxi and a police vehicle. It’s truly a commercial van, with all the advantages/disadvantages.

Service intervals/oil changes are at 15,000 miles, try that with a consumer vehicle!

 

I would recommend you get one with extended warranty though. It has a 4-cylinder 2.0l turbo that pulls like a V6/V8 and gets relatively good fuel economy (I have a lead foot and get 22mpg with a lot of LA traffic. Freeway is 24-25 easily and I floor it).

But it’s a Mercedes, which means parts and labor is gonna cost you. I just had the turbo replaced last week, thankfully under warranty. I read online others had to pay $3K for that.

 

As a Euro-expat I was already familiar with the Vito, but Mercedes has done a poor job marketing it in the USA, and the Metris will be discontinued after the 2023 model year.

But there is an enthusiast community, and I feel this could become like a Vanagon/Eurovan in the future. It’s already a great gig-mobile, and I’m planning to gradually convert mine into a mobile work space, with solar panels etc.

 

[kaptainkeys]

If you are looking for something with good economy, I would recommend a look at the Chrysler Voyager/Pacifica and even possibly the hybrid.  With the stow and go seats, they are always there under the floor if you need them, and will certainly allow you to carry five people in comfort.  The only issue I could see you possibly having with it is interior height and payload constraints when transporting your C3, but I don't really know the specifics of the car.

[zxcvbnm098]

On 10/20/2022 at 3:44 PM, zephonic said:

I LOVE my Metris. It’s a perfect size, bigger and roomier than a minivan, more economical and cheaper than a full-size van.

 

In Europe it’s called the Vito and they’re a dime a dozen, as ubiquitous as a Ford E or Chevy Express/GMC Savana are here. The contractor drives one, as does the florist, it’s a taxi and a police vehicle. It’s truly a commercial van, with all the advantages/disadvantages.

Service intervals/oil changes are at 15,000 miles, try that with a consumer vehicle!

 

I would recommend you get one with extended warranty though. It has a 4-cylinder 2.0l turbo that pulls like a V6/V8 and gets relatively good fuel economy (I have a lead foot and get 22mpg with a lot of LA traffic. Freeway is 24-25 easily and I floor it).

But it’s a Mercedes, which means parts and labor is gonna cost you. I just had the turbo replaced last week, thankfully under warranty. I read online others had to pay $3K for that.

 

As a Euro-expat I was already familiar with the Vito, but Mercedes has done a poor job marketing it in the USA, and the Metris will be discontinued after the 2023 model year.

But there is an enthusiast community, and I feel this could become like a Vanagon/Eurovan in the future. It’s already a great gig-mobile, and I’m planning to gradually convert mine into a mobile work space, with solar panels etc.

 

As the owner of 3 Mercedes vehicles over the last 20 years (all of which made it over 300K miles- non diesel), I can say from experience that, while not perfect, they do last and are very well made. 

 

I have found that nearly every community for the most part has independent Mercedes repair outlets that do a great job for far less than a dealer. And if it's a planned maintenance you can get parts online for less than dealer prices as well. 

[Delaware Dave]

On 10/20/2022 at 3:56 PM, mynameisdanno said:

Any options in the U.S. market I may be overlooking?

 

Clonewheel and Neo Ventilator? 🙃

[mynameisdanno]

2 hours ago, zxcvbnm098 said:

As the owner of 3 Mercedes vehicles over the last 20 years (all of which made it over 300K miles- non diesel), I can say from experience that, while not perfect, they do last and are very well made. 

 

I have found that nearly every community for the most part has independent Mercedes repair outlets that do a great job for far less than a dealer. And if it's a planned maintenance you can get parts online for less than dealer prices as well. 

 

There's a very highly regarded independent Mercedes repair guy half a mile from my house, which is definitely feeding into my thinking on this question.

[bjosko]

If you are thinking eletric, the new VW ID Buzz looks interesting, but I am in doubt it can take a Hammond and Leslie behind the passenger seats.

But a cool retro car. I have no idea about US pricing.

https://www.vw.com/en/models/id-buzz.html

[mynameisdanno]

13 minutes ago, bjosko said:

If you are thinking eletric, the new VW ID Buzz looks interesting, but I am in doubt it can take a Hammond and Leslie behind the passenger seats.

But a cool retro car. I have no idea about US pricing.

https://www.vw.com/en/models/id-buzz.html

 

Yeah, I was really hoping to hold out for something electric, either the ID Buzz or something else, but I'm just not sure my current van will make it that long.  I might just get another used Ford Transit Connect with slightly lower miles, to tide me over for a few years.  The Devil You Know, etc.

[zephonic]

The ID Buzz is nice, but I’d love the Canoo if it ever makes it past the vaporware stage: https://www.canoo.com

[analogika]

I borrow a friend’s ten-year-old Vito for Gigs with The Drawbars whenever it’s available. It’s a Diesel, with the larger truck engine. Absolute warhorse. 
Loading the Hammond through the side door without a ramp is a bit of a pain due to the narrow sliding door. 
with a ramp, not a problem. 
We usually load the B3 up sideways against the drivers’ cabin wall and strap it in. 
 

For Gigs with another of my bands, we usually rent a nine-seater V-Class (the passenger version). Rentals tend to be brand new Diesels, here. They drive absolutely fantastically. And the air conditioning works evenly throughout the van (in contrast to a newer VW we had once this past summer, where the band members in the cheap seats had melted into the cracks by the time we arrived). 

[bill bosco]

what about the Nisson NV200 , there was a Chevy version of it for few years . it's smallish work vehicle that will definitely swallow a B3 and Leslie , and

it's got a fairly low floor for loading . we rented one a few years ago while my car was being repaired . at first i was ticked that it was the only thing available ,

but it really grew on me . was a nice ride and decently priced

[zephonic]

Interestingly, the Ford Transit Connect, Mercedes Metris and Nissan NV200 have all been discontinued, or will be discontinued next year. I guess the American public just doesn't care for Euro-sized vans.

 

As for my earlier point, I'm in Amsterdam right now and the cops drive Vito's:

 

[BluesB3]

I don't know your country of residence but a fellow Hammondnista very successfully used a Honda Odyssey to haul his B3 and Leslies.

[VLH]

You could try the shortest, low top Ram Promaster. It's quite compact yet has an amazing amount of internal space. You'd have to upfit to enable family seating. 

We've had a larger Ram Promaster converted to a camper van for years. It's a good vehicle--essentially the Fiat Ducato with the Chrysler Pentastar V6.

 

But my best vote for you would be the Chrysler Pacifica Plug in Hybrid. Fine vehicle, fold in seats, can run solely on electricity for about 30 miles and as a hybrid after that.

[bill bosco]

seems to me , anything with a Mercedes nameplate would be , in the long run , kind of high maintenance , price wise  . i wouldn't 

think you would really need a high end German nameplate just to haul around 500lbs of Hammond and Leslie .

[kaptainkeys]

2 hours ago, VLH said:

But my best vote for you would be the Chrysler Pacifica Plug in Hybrid. Fine vehicle, fold in seats, can run solely on electricity for about 30 miles and as a hybrid after that.

The only issue with the Hybrid Pacifica is that I believe (I may be wrong about this) that the 2nd row doesn't have stow-n-go seats because the under-floor wells typically used for the seats when they are folded is taken up by the battery pack, which means it will have the same issues as the other minivans on the market currently, that if you need to use the entire cargo area, you have to remove the seats either as a bench or as individual chairs and ditch them in your garage.

[mynameisdanno]

On 10/26/2022 at 4:43 AM, bill bosco said:

what about the Nisson NV200 , there was a Chevy version of it for few years . it's smallish work vehicle that will definitely swallow a B3 and Leslie , and

it's got a fairly low floor for loading . we rented one a few years ago while my car was being repaired . at first i was ticked that it was the only thing available ,

but it really grew on me . was a nice ride and decently priced

 

I would be all over this if they ever had a passenger version in the US.  As far as I can tell the Chevy City Express and Nissan NV200 were only ever available in cargo versions over here.  I believe they work great as Hammond haulers, but I need to move 2+ passengers somewhat more often than I need to move a Hammond rig.