ips Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Done a lot of searching and online browsing at all the options and VW stuff old or new are flippin expensive. Anyone had any dealings with the mazda / ford Bongo ? Some REALLY good buys with brand new conversions. Any thoughts good or bad ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Hi ips.. We knew someone who had a 2wd, flip up roof Bongo...It was very neat but quite pokey inside.. They are reported as being very thirsty on juice(I think they're either 2.5 or 3ltr D or 2.5 petrol, some/most are 4x4s and autos..).Some suffered from cooling issues..some folk even had alarms fitted when the water temp' rose too much..and they'll be from mid-late '90s anyway... They have a forum which would be worth checking out..but bear in mind that, as with VWs, they do have a "following", and as such,be aware of those who may sometimes see things through rose-tinted specs... ;-) http://www.bongofury.co.uk/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 You pays for what you gets.......what is the budget... Agree with Pepe, Bongo not that inspiring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Bongofury a great album from Frank Zappa & Captain Beefheart before they fell out :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ips Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 Thanks pepe judge i am looking for a basic camper but with pop up roof thing, for occasional weekend breaks but keep caravan for longer holidays i want something that has some boot space so i can possibly use it for work as well. Budget would be sub 20k only reason being that i cant bring myself to part with 40k for a van with a bed and a camping stove. As nice as vw California is to me its ridiculous money. Would buy and indeed prefer new if there was anything suitable sub 30k. bongo thing looks quite cool but i agree with pepe they do look very small but still have drive away awning so an option i spose. Of course the problem is we have got used to comfort of the CB and now the superior comfort of the caravan so not even sure at this stage if the whole thing is a none starter. Also i ended up with a good wedge of cash after px of motor home even after buying brand new caravan so can i bring myself to part with the cash ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muswell Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Take a look at www.roywoodtransits.co.ok. if you are pushing your budget a bit, They are really nice to deal with and their own-design van looks promising. I saw the previous incarnation and it was very practical. I think the Transit is a better base than the VW, a bit more spacious for the same length and better value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Muswell - 2014-03-24 1:18 PM Take a look at www.roywoodtransits.co.ok. if you are pushing your budget a bit, They are really nice to deal with and their own-design van looks promising. I saw the previous incarnation and it was very practical. I think the Transit is a better base than the VW, a bit more spacious for the same length and better value. I was thinking this, about your other thread, a tranny won't have the 'street cred' of a VDub, but neither will it be as expensive, just a little wider and in swb will fit a standard parking space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ips Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 Transit to big, I want something narrower and shorter wheelbase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
globebuster Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 I had a Bongo about 10 years ago when they were first imported, this is what I can tell you - Nice to drive compared to the equivalent aged VW. Lots of extras - electric everything, including the blinds, soft close side door, auto-fold mirrors etc,etc. Smooth and very refined on the road, great with 4wd and autobox, quite quick too. Separate rear air-con - great on the continent. Electric roof was great, and you could store quite a bit of bedding, towels and the like up there when closed. Brilliant load lugger with the folding/sliding seat arrangement. Sleeping in the roof was surprisingly comfortable! Sleeping below with the standard seat set up was not so comfortable unless you had a topper. Our camping was basic - with the tailgate up [another good point] I made a slide on awning and cooked out of the back. 2.5 Diesel will at best return 26 to the gallon, don't expect any more - although even if you drive it hard it will always return 24, the petrol is said to be no better. I owned it for about 3 years and 40k - ultra reliable, very practical, those eight seats got used a lot more than I envisaged, and with the seats re-positioned [or removed] you can lug some serious stuff about. No smaller than a T4/5 - but loaded with innovative and practical options, at the time a comparable VW would have been at least double the cost with a poor spec by comparison - for me it was so much more 'bang for the buck' as they say The head gasket thing is a bit of a myth, poor maintenance is normally the issue. Nothing wrong with a VW, but don't imagine a Bongo is not up to the task by any means. To be honest if it was less juicy I'd still have it - but I was starting to rack up a lot of miles by '07. Sold it to a friend, who sold it to his work mate, still going strong on 235km. As you might have gathered - I loved it, and great day van/occasional camper :-) Still miss it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ips Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 Thats great info and very usefull, did you not find it cramped as others have alluded too ? dont spose the mpg is relevent considering the very low cost by comparison to vw etc. certainly seem great value and as you say grreat spec. I also think that certain ones such as the white ones look quite cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 ips - 2014-03-24 6:22 PM Transit to big, I want something narrower and shorter wheelbase. You're thinking of PROPER Transits, like mine. The current model (which Wellhouse convert and Roy Woods sell) is much more Bongo-sized. Have a good look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
globebuster Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Hi IPS, Certainly think it's worth you taking a look - dimensionally similar to a VW, but don't forget in its normal guise a Bongo has 3 rows of seats in it. I think it depends on just how far you would need to go to 'camperise' a Bongo! There are a lot of different Bongo conversions, ranging from the basic to quite well kitted. I doubt a similar aged VW will be that much better on mpg - but will feel agricultural by comparison. The seats remove easy enough to make it possible to switch from camper to load/people carrier - just go and drive one, you won't be disappointed, then compare with a similar priced VW. Of course if you really want to confuse things, take a look at other compact campers - I'm not saying a Bongo is necessarily the answer ;-) VW's are great vans, but over-priced IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ips Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 Cheers, agree vw way over priced, paying for iconic badge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Hi Globebuster.. A good couple of posts(..a Bongo may just have re-joined the list of possible replacements for when our Hiace van bites the dust ) (I must be honest, I did think that the Bongo appeared smaller inside, than something T4 sized though, I stand corrected. :$ ) The chap we knew who owned one, actually lived out of his for a while ...so it was always rather crammed with "stuff".. (lol) The problem we've always had when looking at, smaller, multi-use "converted" campervans, is that more often than not, the outlay just doesn't stack up(...for what is a windowed van with some cupboards and curtains!)..and if you're not careful, you find yourself back in full-on PVC price territory.... :-S I did consider a Vivaro/Trafic, as there are some tidy windowed/crew-van types around here ..but reviews brought up tales of multiple gearbox failures?...Don't know how much truth is in that and how much is just "internet chatter" ?(..I suppose it could be like "juddergate"...if it affected you, it's a pain, if it doesn't, it's not an issue ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
globebuster Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Thanks Pepe, Ah, you see you'd already be one up with a Bongo - Electric blinds! no curtains required :-D I don't normally get attached to vehicles, but I really miss the Bongo, as with all small MPV style camper it's a compromise - but a very good one. Simple things like going to the beach surfing, then coming back to the van and pressing a couple of buttons....whirr the roof up, drop the blinds and get changed in comfort! At the time, I spent 5k on an immaculate 9 year old cherished van with electric everything - a VW by comparison would have been at least 5 years older with manual windows, no aircon, no CL, no electric mirrors [that auto-fold on the CL] and would drive like a dumper truck, and at least a couple of grand dearer. I notice people are now raving about the new Ducato coming with a soft close door, about 20 years later! I sold it for a monkey more than I paid for it almost three years later.......blimey I'm starting to sound like the Judge mit German campers ;-) One other thing - the Bongo Fury club/website was brilliant - with some great people........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ips Posted March 25, 2014 Author Share Posted March 25, 2014 Just watched a couple of you tube vids and I have to say that they don't look much bigger than my Berlingo multispace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sydney1 Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 We have a couple of VW's and the mechanic who looks after them (and a load of other VW's) has a Bongo!. No this just maybe becuase come the weekend he is sick to death of them but I understand very happy with it. Something to bear in mind is that depending on the difference in cost. the VW's are likely to hold or even go up in value and always be easier to sell on. You can get a lot of fuel or depreciation for £10k though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 ips - 2014-03-25 1:00 PM Just watched a couple of you tube vids and I have to say that they don't look much bigger than my Berlingo multispace. Ips.. I wasn't sure if you still had that...because, as daft as it sounds, I was going to suggest maybe lashing your drive-away to side of that...just as way of a trial, to see how you'd manage with the lack of space...? (..although I'd probably stop short of taking a disc cutter to the roof! (lol) ) On the whole, the vast majority of smaller sized campervans that we see about(at festivals)tend to be just used for their/as beds...with any cooking/sitting/living etc, done in an awning/outside.. I'd certainly be looking at hiring something for a few nights, before I parted with a lot of cash... ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ips Posted March 25, 2014 Author Share Posted March 25, 2014 Pepe Yes its one year old 26k ouch. Could easily sleep two in the back with the seats out and as you say the drive away will fit no prob, we have camping stove etc so that's cooking sorted only difference is the high roof but having watched the you tube vids you just seem to get a bit of a hole to poke your bonce through its hardly what you would call "full height" I have a bad back (sciatica) as many of you know so I don't really fancy the crawling in and out of a sliding door routine especially in the middle of the night for a comfort break. It has been an interesting bit of research but all things considered probably just stick to the comfy cosy caravan or if we cant be bothered towing it (like next weeks Dorset trip) just book a B&B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Myself and partner imported a lot of Bongo's a few years ago, they are a great vehicle but the diesel is only good for about 25mpg. I would always go for the four wheel drive one, they are much easier to sell on, if you wish, and mpg no real difference. Whether they are big enough only you will know, not for me, but my partner used one with a large awning for a few years and travelled all over Europe with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 ips - 2014-03-25 1:31 PM .... only difference is the high roof but having watched the you tube vids you just seem to get a bit of a hole to poke your bonce through its hardly what you would call "full height"... Yes...That was one of the reasons why I originally mentioned the feasibility of getting away with standard/flat-roof van...as even pop-tops don't always give you full length standing room. (...and even when they do, they don't usually have the "floor-space" for you to doing much in the way of running around anyway.. (lol) ) Even if you did get "campervan", chance are they'd be the,inevitable "..do we take the 'van or the camper'?.." discussions...along with plenty of scope for numerous "..see!.. I told we could've/should've brought the caravan..! " type conversations. (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ips Posted March 25, 2014 Author Share Posted March 25, 2014 Eddy exactly, when we were 20 maybe but at the end of the day i like a hot shower in my own space and all the comforts of home. Think it was one of those seemed like a good idea at the time type of things. Rupert i am sure they are brilliant for some just depends on how old you are, how fit you are and how much comfort you require. Great for ray mears types i would think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ips Posted March 25, 2014 Author Share Posted March 25, 2014 pepe63 - 2014-03-25 2:02 PM ips - 2014-03-25 1:31 PM .... only difference is the high roof but having watched the you tube vids you just seem to get a bit of a hole to poke your bonce through its hardly what you would call "full height"... Yes...That was one of the reasons why I originally mentioned the feasibility of getting away with standard/flat-roof van...as even pop-tops don't always give you full length standing room. (...and even when they do, they don't usually have the "floor-space" for you to doing much in the way of running around anyway.. (lol) ) Even if you did get "campervan", chance are they'd be the,inevitable "..do we take the 'van or the camper'?.." discussions...along with plenty of scope for numerous "..see!.. I told we could've/should've brought the caravan..! " type conversations. (lol) i think your right pepe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
globebuster Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 So actually in hindsight, you're not looking for a 'basic camper with a pop-up roof thingy' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ips Posted March 25, 2014 Author Share Posted March 25, 2014 I was but after some very interesting and enlightening discussions it now appears not :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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