Small Campers - Bongo Friendee vs VW vs ?

[ICB]

Shmu's keen that we trade in our Pug 406 HDi estate for a camper type thing and I'm coming round to the idea.

It has to be usable as a regular family car as well so full conversions are out and we need at least 5 seat belts.

We're looking at the Mazda Bongo Friendee with lifting roof as the only really viable option because it's more like a big MPV than a van and has 8 seats.

Possibly with a rear conversion or just a kitchen unit, like the ones at the bottom of this page

I'm thinking cheaper than a VW, better to drive (will go for 4WD 2.5TD) and probably considerably more reliable. It also has a completely bonkers name which is an important bonus

What say you? Have you seen one, been in one, owned one? Want to try to persuade us to buy something else?

 

[Chorlton]

I have a VW - T25.... i have to say i like the idea of bongos - cheaper and more reliable - the downside being the lack of room, but yeah i like 'em

 

[moose]

A mate of ours was after a VW, but we persuaded her to have a Bongo cos we know she doesn't have the time and money necessary to keep a VW on the road.

She spent £14k on the shorter wheelbase Bongo, and the alternator went 10 days later. She had to wait 7 weeks for the part. Then the gearbox went. It's still under warranty from the place she bought it, but again, they can't get the part, so she's been off the road this time for a month already.

I hope she's just been unlucky.

 

[BingoBongoBango]

We got one

We've had a bongo for 18 months now and had v little trouble. Bought at auction, no history took a chance& it paid off. Don't pay silly money, you should be able to get a goodun for less than £5k. 4wd more hastle more fuel. diesels more common than petrol as is auto. the fewer elecs you have the better and cheaper it will be. They tend to have overheating probs so checked the heads not cooked or oil in the water.

 

[ICB]

Great tips, thanks BBB

I've found someone in S Wales who sources them off the boat and can get us a nice one for £4k. I was thinking 4WD would be better for getting around wet fields and corners but not I'm not so sure.

Sounds like there aren't many reliability worries from reading around on the owners' club site www.bongofury.co.uk, seems like the driver's door wiring loom being vulnerable to a sharp edge is about the most common issue, hardly a biggy when you know what it is.

Moose - v.unlucky I'd say, esp. as £14k

 

[christonabike]

Want want want want

Seeing as living on a boat is out of the question, I reckon this is a good alternative, (not to live in, but to get away to the countryside regularly)

Cheers ICB, that's lifted my spirits, summat to look forward to, summat to aim for - a project

 

[cybertect]

I'd have gone for the T25, but I must declare a Dub-bias.

Though the very fact that the owners' club site is www.bongofury.co.uk could have persuaded me

 

[christonabike]

I've just been all over that site, very good

 

[ICB]

Want want want want

Seeing as living on a boat is out of the question, I reckon this is a good alternative, (not to live in, but to get away to the countryside regularly)

Cheers ICB, that's lifted my spirits, summat to look forward to, summat to aim for - a project

I must admit I'm getting far too excited about this considering we can't afford to do anything about it for months

I'd have gone for the T25, but I must declare a Dub-bias

Need something more drivable as a family car, there are 5 of us and we often take other kids around as well so the idea of an 8 seater that happens to have a pop up roof is ideal. A full on camper wouldn't work.

I really like the Caravelle MPVs but they are a lot more expensive and don't have the roof.

 

[han]

ICB - Bongo's a good choice - v reliable I've heard.

And going for reliability over coolness is definintely the way forward!

And the Bongo is a pretty quirky beast too so you've got both innit!

I know that Wellhouse Leisure sell them, but they are pretty pricey....

www.wellhouseleisure.com

 

[Shmu]

I've always had a bit of a fantasy about having a van. And there's something very exciting about driving around with a fridge on board.

Pleased to see so many secret Bongo fans

 

[moose]

I know that Wellhouse Leisure sell them, but they are pretty pricey....

*cough*that's where my mate's dodgy one came from*cough*

 

[han]

*cough*that's where my mate's dodgy one came from*cough*

 

[ICB]

That is a shocker, they look like the outfit most at the premium end of the market.

We went to see one last night and were well impressed, just the right size, hugely versatile, very well thought through, both very keen to get one as soon as possible.

We've got a couple of potential sources lined up, just depends on who gets one at the right time and when we can shift our Pug estate.

Pimp tints and surf dude colour:

 

[Roadkill]

Mazda Bongo Friendee

Has there ever been a car with a sillier name than that?

 

[christonabike]

Just been speaking to someone in the trade
He said they tested some, and 9 out of 10 on various forecourts had been clocked

We're off to have a view of some in Twickenham cos that's where we'll be on Sunday for a gig, but the fella I mentioned above seems to know his stuff

If yer pm me I might pass on his details after we get ours, haha
He says they is going like hot cakes, but he would, straight off the boat they are

 

[ICB]

straight off the boat they are

same for our contact in S Wales, could do it yourself off the importer's web site but better to pay a bit extra to have someone who knows the car do it for you IMO

If yer pm me I might pass on his details after we get ours

Same for anyone looking around our way

 

[ICB]

Has there ever been a car with a sillier name than that?

fuck off, it's a cool name

Anyway, heard about the man who rammed his Ford Probe into the rear of a Nissan Cedric? He got an Isuzu Big Horn after that.

 

[bendeus]

I've found someone in S Wales who sources them off the boat and can get us a nice one for £4k.

If that's Darren at Welsh Coast Campers in Pontypool you've got the right man. We bought one off him in May and he was brilliant from beginning to end. Van cost us £4,500 (N-Reg, 34,000 miles, mint nick) and a really funky conversion another £1200

I was thinking 4WD would be better for getting around wet fields and corners but not I'm not so sure.

Apparently the 2wd ones lose their back ends easily in the ice. You save about 1-3mpg, apparently

Sounds like there aren't many reliability worries from reading around on the owners' club site

Obviously we've only had ours a short while but it goes like a dream, and runs really happily on biodiesel as well.

 

[bendeus]

[/QUOTE]

That MY Bongo!!

 

[bendeus]

Oh. PM me if you want me to mails you some pictures of the conversion - we went for something a bit different so that kids could still have 3 point belts in the back. It worked really well.

 

[fractionMan]

Our bongo blew its head gasket last summer, joining the tons of other bongo head gaskets in the sky.

What are some good, cheap, bongo alternatives? Don't care about a pop top, but would like the seats to fold down into a bed in the back, with room to keep stuff under them.

Nissan elgrands are a but pricy, as are T4s. Looking at mistubishi delcias, but they're kinda difficult to find.

Honda Stepwagons are too expensive, and Toyota Granvias are all broken.

Suggestions?

 

[sim667]

Suggestions?

Mercedes Vito?

 

[Saffy]

We're in the process of getting a Fiat Ducato and kitting it out as a camper. Hope to be up and running soon for a summer road trip.

 

[kalidarkone]

I have a VW T4 2.5 diesel - 6k 3 years ago. my only problem with it has been the sliding door and that is cos someone went into me when I was parked and really it needs banging out filling and a respray.
I'm looking for an awning for it because I have a full sized r&r bed in the back. If I was rich I'd get a pop top.
It's the most reliable vehicle I have ever had and thats in over 20 years of driving.