Sprinter-rentals.com is more than just a business; it's a thriving community of Sprinter van owners across the globe. Together, we've created the world's largest fleet of Sprinter vans, offering a unique peer-to-peer marketplace where travelers can rent their ideal van from caring owners throughout the United States and Europe.
Our story begins 1946 in Stuttgart, Germany, the birthplace of the combustion engine and home to automotive giants like Mercedes and Porsche. As third-generation innovators in the mobility sector, our founders inherited a legacy of hard work and ingenuity. From a single van operation in post-war Germany, the family business grew to serve all of southern Europe during the industrial boom years.
My great-grandfather with his 1951 Mercedes-Benz Omnibus in Stuttgart, Germany. This vintage bus represents the early days of Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles.
Mercedes Vans Legends: Our Family's Van Journey from the 1960s to Today
Grandfathers 1956 MERCEDES-BENZ O 321 HL BUS AUTOBUS
1957 Mercedes-Benz L 319: The ancestor of today's Sprinter van
My 1981 Mercedes 508 D van in 1990, that beast did 51 MPH max, 24 MPH uphill on freeways
The journey continued across the Atlantic, where a passion for travel and motors led our founders to Southern California. In 1999, born in a travel company's maintenance garage in San Diego, the seed of what would become Sprinter-rentals.com was planted. Struggling to fit 15 people and their luggage into a Ford Econoline E350, our founders realized the need for more spacious and comfortable vans. This experience, combined with their knowledge of larger European vans, led to the purchase of their first Sprinter van in 2003 when Dodge introduced the model to the US market.
The 2008 credit crunch proved to be a turning point. As entrepreneurs faced challenges, we transformed our tour operations into a nationwide Sprinter van rental business, helping companies, bands, and travelers stay on the road. From humble beginnings, our fleet grew to triple digits, with locations like our Phoenix branch in 2013 marking our expansion.
As we managed our growing fleet and operations, we also focused on developing fleet management software and apps to enhance the Sprinter Rentals experience. However, we soon realized that our true calling lay beyond just managing vans, bookings, and employees.
Our van fleet in 2007, our first Dodge Sprinter and Ford E350, gas and diesel engines
In 2017, armed with nothing but a laptop and a passion for travel, we embarked on a journey to transform the van rental industry. During a transformative sabbatical in 2017-2018, we had our eureka moment: a vision for a business model that could create win-win-win situations for everyone involved. This led to the bold reimagining of the Sprinter van rental concept and the birth of Sprinter-rentals.com as we know it today.
Today our van sharing platform now connects people who need large vans with van owners, revolutionizing the concept of passenger van rentals and travel experiences. We empower hosts to turn their love for Sprinter vans into rewarding side hustles, whether it's for achieving financial goals, building credit, establishing small businesses, or embracing self-employment.
Shown here are two 12-seater Sprinter vans from host Robert in Southern California.
The spirit of entrepreneurship isn't just part of our history—it's the very essence of sprinter-rentals.com. We're not just renting vans; we're fueling dreams and fostering a community of passionate go-getters. Our company philosophy is rooted in resilience, born from the ashes of Germany's war, the dust of a travel company's maintenance garage, and the small business challenges of the 2008 credit crunch. We embody the spirit of the original Sprinter-Life Digital Nomad.
Sprinter-rentals Van-Sharing Platform has hosts worldwide! Like this one in the alps near Munich.
We invite you to host your van and be part of this exciting adventure where your passion for Sprinter vans can open doors to new opportunities. Browse our van rental host profiles and start your journey with us today by clicking here. Thank you for being part of the Sprinter-rentals.com story, where every road leads to new possibilities.
