Amazon orders 20000 vans

[MAKAVELI]

Express bought 35,000 of them years back, and STILL can't get parts in under a week.

And we're an overnight delivery company!

That has less to do with availability of parts than it does FedEx squeezing mechanical to not stock parts and jump through hoops to get vendors approved.

 

[SmithBarney]

Express bought 35,000 of them years back, and STILL can't get parts in under a week.

And we're an overnight delivery company!

We get our parts pretty quickly, Engines and Transmissions too! The key to these vehicles is maintenance, Ground ISPs won't use them because they don't want to pay to fix them. Better off buying a $20k box truck running it into the ground, and then buy another 2 years later, instead of a Sprinter for 56k(some of ours still have the window stickers in the glovebox) If you take care of the sprinter, it'll run like a top for a long time.

 

[MAKAVELI]

We get our parts pretty quickly, Engines and Transmissions too! The key to these vehicles is maintenance, Ground ISPs won't use them because they don't want to pay to fix them. Better off buying a $20k box truck running it into the ground, and then buy another 2 years later, instead of a Sprinter for 56k(some of ours still have the window stickers in the glovebox) If you take care of the sprinter, it'll run like a top for a long time.

FedEx never pays sticker. Volume discount.

 

[SmithBarney]

FedEx never pays sticker. Volume discount.

haha well yes and no..
for the sprinters I'm sure they get a good deal, but the statement was for comparative purposes.

As for discounts and getting the best deal not always, FedEx accounting(or whoever) has picked certain vendors for us to use, with no option of shopping elsewhere. For Example say I need a specific item, our Vendor-A sells it for $100. It sells for $50 from another "non-approved vendor." Nope sorry can't do it, we must use Vendor A. While I understand bookkeeping and keeping things streamlined, common sense should be allowed to prevail in situations like this.

 

[MAKAVELI]

haha well yes and no..
for the sprinters I'm sure they get a good deal, but the statement was for comparative purposes.

As for discounts and getting the best deal not always, FedEx accounting(or whoever) has picked certain vendors for us to use, with no option of shopping elsewhere. For Example say I need a specific item, our Vendor-A sells it for $100. It sells for $50 from another "non-approved vendor." Nope sorry can't do it, we must use Vendor A. While I understand bookkeeping and keeping things streamlined, common sense should be allowed to prevail in situations like this.

When it comes to purchasing thousands of Sprinters they aren't dealing with a specific vendor, they are dealing with Mercedes directly.

 

[rod]

haha well yes and no..
for the sprinters I'm sure they get a good deal, but the statement was for comparative purposes.

As for discounts and getting the best deal not always, FedEx accounting(or whoever) has picked certain vendors for us to use, with no option of shopping elsewhere. For Example say I need a specific item, our Vendor-A sells it for $100. It sells for $50 from another "non-approved vendor." Nope sorry can't do it, we must use Vendor A. While I understand bookkeeping and keeping things streamlined, common sense should be allowed to prevail in situations like this.

Our little center had a 10,000 gallon fuel storage tank. Most of the time you could buy gas uptown cheaper than what UPS paid for it.

 

[Mutineer]

The Dodge Sprinters were pretty bad. The Mercedes Sprinters are pretty decent. Sprinters are used all over the country now so what's the big deal? They're fine for metro areas.

I can't speak for rust issues, but from what I witnessed the Mercedes/Dodge/Sprinter abomination thingies are absolute garbage. No matter where they are used. Some people say the newer ones are better. But that's cuz they're still new. Yes. It seems everybody is using them. But once upon a time it seemed everybody smoked cigarettes, too.

From what I saw, the Econoline was a very solid unit. There were about 25 of them at a delivery company I once worked at. And although I wasn't a 'real' mechanic, I very often assisted the mechanic with maintenance and repairs. I had one with well over 200k on a horrific rural route for 2 years and thrashed the bejeezus out of it quite a bit. The 4.9 I6 was a fantastic engine. The later Essex V6 was good also. But on some of them, sometimes the intake manifold would crack. No big whoop, really. Typically R&R once and it never happened again.

 

[MAKAVELI]

I can't speak for rust issues, but from what I witnessed the Mercedes/Dodge/Sprinter abomination thingies are absolute garbage. No matter where they are used. Some people say the newer ones are better. But that's cuz they're still new. Yes. It seems everybody is using them. But once upon a time it seemed everybody smoked cigarettes, too.

From what I saw, the Econoline was a very solid unit. There were about 25 of them at a delivery company I once worked at. And although I wasn't a 'real' mechanic, I very often assisted the mechanic with maintenance and repairs. I had one with well over 200k on a horrific rural route for 2 years and thrashed the bejeezus out of it quite a bit. The 4.9 I6 was a fantastic engine. The later Essex V6 was good also. But on some of them, sometimes the intake manifold would crack. No big whoop, really. Typically R&R once and it never happened again.

Econolines have transmission problems, less room, no shelves, and no bulkhead. I'll take a new Sprinter over that POS any day.

 

[Mutineer]

Econolines have transmission problems, less room, no shelves, and no bulkhead. I'll take a new Sprinter over that POS any day.

The Econolines I speak of were '80s to mid '90s versions. Irrelevant, ancient history. But I felt nostalgic. Never saw or heard of a transmission failure. Aftermarket bulkheads with a walk-thru and anti-slip cargo mats. Curbside pocket door. Lack of shelves for less than 75 stops, without much bulk or oversize wasn't hard to get used to.

 

[Oldfart]

The Econolines I speak of were '80s to mid '90s versions. Irrelevant, ancient history. But I felt nostalgic. Never saw or heard of a transmission failure. Aftermarket bulkheads with a walk-thru and anti-slip cargo mats. Curbside pocket door. Lack of shelves for less than 75 stops, without much bulk or oversize wasn't hard to get used to.

You couldn't kill an old Econoline if you tried. That straight 6 engine would run forever. I never saw any trans. problems either. E4 was a great transmission. Tupac is mistaken on that. It wouldn't serve a full route today but 35 years ago it served us well. Out FO routes still use that type van today.

 

[MAKAVELI]

The Econolines I speak of were '80s to mid '90s versions. Irrelevant, ancient history. But I felt nostalgic. Never saw or heard of a transmission failure. Aftermarket bulkheads with a walk-thru and anti-slip cargo mats. Curbside pocket door. Lack of shelves for less than 75 stops, without much bulk or oversize wasn't hard to get used to.

Oh you mean the ones with a 12 gal gas tank, less power than the Reach, break down every week, and vapor lock in the Summer? Yeah, no thanks.

 

[dezguy]

Oh you mean the ones with a 12 gal gas tank, less power than the Reach, break down every week, and vapor lock in the Summer? Yeah, no thanks.

I don't know about you but the hyperextended knees from reaching in the back, trying to grab packages and the back problems I now have from working out of one of those pieces of garbage were TOTALLY with it for such a fine vehicle.

/sarcams

 

[bacha29]

Econolines have transmission problems, less room, no shelves, and no bulkhead. I'll take a new Sprinter over that POS any day.

Ford 4R100's can easily go over 400,000 miles if you keep the tran oil clean and changed out regularly .
We had several Sprinters at my station. Owners sold them off to private buyers as quickly as they could get them payed off because Ford and GM dealers wouldn't take them on trade . Today they're running Ford and GM panel vans and cutaways with new vehicle dealer shops and private after market shops readily available along with good supplies of factory and after market parts. That's why they're running them.

Down time is costly especially if you have to use rentals as replacements.....I wonder what means AMZN contractors will be permitted to use in response to the increased break downs certain to occur when their units start getting some miles on them? However given that operations will be limited to high population metro areas there should be greater redundancy at their disposal. Not so much out in rural America if there's any at period.

 

[MAKAVELI]

I don't know about you but the hyperextended knees from reaching in the back, trying to grab packages and the back problems I now have from working out of one of those pieces of garbage were TOTALLY with it for such a fine vehicle.

/sarcams

Not to mention jumping in the back and having to crouch jacking up your back even worse. A very non compliant suspension that would make you feel it in your kidneys. The list goes on. They were the absolutely worst POS to del out of.

 

[Operational needs]

I got my 2015 Sprinter when it had 10,000 miles on it. Three years later, it has 140,000 miles on it and isn’t faring too well on the gravel roads of my route. Transmission was replaced months ago and the new one still isn’t right. AC works great though! Lol.

 

[Fred's Myth]

I got my 2015 Sprinter when it had 10,000 miles on it. Three years later, it has 140,000 miles on it and isn’t faring too well on the gravel roads of my route. Transmission was replaced months ago and the new one still isn’t right. AC works great though! Lol.

The turbo's routinely failed in our group of Sprinters.

Try limping your Sprinter back to the station (manager's suggestion) when top speed downhill with wind at your back is 30 MPH!

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

Was it announced by the voices in your head, or do you have a source?!

 

[Operational needs]

The turbo's routinely failed in our group of Sprinters.

Try limping your Sprinter back to the station (manager's suggestion) when top speed downhill with wind at your back is 30 MPH!

Lol. I refused to do that when my manager suggested it to me when it happened in another Sprinter.

 

[Oldfart]

Lol. I refused to do that when my manager suggested it to me when it happened in another Sprinter.

Your manager must love you. Constantly using the word REFUSED is a great attribute.

 

[Oldfart]

Oh you mean the ones with a 12 gal gas tank, less power than the Reach, break down every week, and vapor lock in the Summer? Yeah, no thanks.

They must not have liked you Tupac. I never experineced any of that and I was driving Econolines before you could spell Fedex. All the way back to when they had 3 on the tree shifters. Great rides, COLD air and very reliable.

Now the Z van and the old Dodge cargo vans are a different story.