# Decision Made! - Mazda Bongo!



## rach82 (May 2, 2012)

Right!.... We are now going for a Mazda Bongo! Smaller than we had first wanted but it is more practical for our needs!

We cant afford to keep 3 vehicles on the road so if we get a bongo I can use it as my everyday van. They are geared up for camping and should be ok for us - we are not sure yet if we are getting a converted one or unconverted - it seems converting one ourselves would not be much cheaper from our research? Any thoughts?

Going to look at a unconverted one tomorrow and a converted one on Friday.

The van itself will have to be alot older than we had hoped for but its all we can afford for a Bongo.

Any advice much appreciated!

R xx


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## Go wild (May 2, 2012)

Have you not considered a VW camper?


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## Firefox (May 2, 2012)

If you are on a budget, can you afford to run it at today's fuel prices? They seem to have a bit of a reputation for really poor mpg


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## oldish hippy (May 2, 2012)

i would also check insurance as they are a import and also look at the bongo fury website they might have something that give you pointers of what to  look out for


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## AuldTam (May 2, 2012)

After I sold my caravan I thought about a Bongo/Freda but when I actually saw it, drove it, I wasn't impressed...I get better MPG with my self build Renault Master 2.2DCi SWB than a Bongo, and a lot more room. I also found out that you really do need a Bongo person with you when you view them, there are so many things to check out before you should part with your money....I'm not trying to put you off, many people have them and love them because of there size. Just be careful!

I assume you have already joined the Bongo forum. If not, it's well worth it.


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## grumpyengraver (May 3, 2012)

Go wild said:


> Have you not considered a VW camper?



Well said, cant beat them, any model, I have a T4 Diesel Hitop Holdsworth Conversion and get 38 MPG.


:drive: 
grumpyengraver
Tony


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## vwalan (May 3, 2012)

hi ,i ran my own vw independant garage for 20yrs . at one time if you cut me in half i,m sure it said volkwagen ,abit like blackpool rock. 4 yrs ago i bought a mazda bongo 4x4 diesel auto. why .because vw are fetching far more than i wanted to pay. i find 25-27 mpg. drives great .tows almost anything . its a tintop. 8seater. makes a sort of bed if needed. i have used it with my teardrop caravan and used to have a full length roof rack with overtent on it. ideal little camper
heres a few at the bongo southwest gathering a few years ago. you must join the bongo fury .its good fun.


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## donkey too (May 3, 2012)

Firefox said:


> If you are on a budget, can you afford to run it at today's fuel prices? They seem to have a bit of a reputation for really poor mpg



Depends how well you look after it. I get 30 mpg on deisel and more than that on veggie. I drive on 100% veggie for 9 or 10 months of the year and then swap to a mix.

Best advice I can give you about using a Bongo is join Bongo fury. Fantastic site with loads of info and everything yopu want to know to maintain the vehicle.

Incidentally My Bongo has done over 100 thou and on its last 6 monthly service by Outback Autos was told it is the best he has ever sold or serviced. Also has offered to buy it back from me at a higher price than I paid initially. ( Yes I am looking for a slightly larger van to eventually live in full time. 

Wish you were near me I could put you on to the best Bongo Mech in the business. you could also have a look at what I have done to mine.


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## donkey too (May 3, 2012)

Just noticed that you are in Lancs. Well there is a great bongo chap in Wigan WHeelquick, He is honest to a fault and a great mech.


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## rach82 (May 3, 2012)

Thanks everyone - as usual you have all been a great help!

xxx


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## Bongobob (May 5, 2012)

Absolutly LOVE our BillyBongo. 32mpg if you dont hammer them. Rear conversion which gives plenty of sleeping eating etc space inside. We had the table made bigger for dining and games playing etc. Join Bongo fury site full of very knowledgable people.


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## landyrubbertramp (May 7, 2012)

hi 
i have a toyota lucida a jap in port 2,5 d auto a bit like a bongo

Im brought it while my landy is geting the chassis done

these tyoe of vehicles are like marmite, the insurance is higher and even tho the mpg aint as good if you drive it right its not too bad, the posatives are that they do have a touch more quolity than other sinilar venhivcles more like a car turned in to a van unlike a van turned into a car way of thiinking, they are narrow, i would raise the money for a coverted one with def a elevationg roof i know they cost more but the resale is better if you self convert unless you do it factory spec it wont hole its value and doing it factory spec will cost more
just my thoughts


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## kangooroo (May 7, 2012)

We have a local Bongo dealer and I went along to have a look at them before buying my Kangoo Roo.  I was impressed by the amount of van you get for your money, the impeccable bodywork and the versatility they offer.  However, I was put off by the poor fuel economy offering a range of 22-28mpg (quoted by their enthusiastic and dedicated owners) with an average of around 26mpg.


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## zipnolan (May 7, 2012)

try this ....   AAA Car Auctions Home


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## rab13 (May 7, 2012)

*mpg*

hi just to add a wee point, like most have allready pointed out  fuel costs seem to allways be going up and so does road tax i looked at bongo,s a few years ago but decided to go for a vw t4 2.5 tdi i am glad i choose this vehical as i regularly get 40plus mpg it has 151000 miles on the clock and a full conversion (done by myself) and a pop up roof. not sure what the road tax on a 4x4 bongo is but its £270 for the year on my vw hope this helps.


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## vwalan (May 7, 2012)

hi .my bongo is £215 a year road tax .great little camper,have to say i find it cheaper on bits than a vw . and in fact could be more reliable . i did run a vw garage so its hard for me to admit that. lots of following .takes me back to the early vw club days . yes they are a bit juicy but then does it really matter. if you use less parts .


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## DRoader (May 7, 2012)

There seems to be an issue with some models overheating from what I've read and heard. Can Bongo owners and enthusiasts shed any light on this?


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## rab13 (May 7, 2012)

*bongo*

i really like the bongo, and i love the 4x4 thing,but for me the choice to go for the vw was purely based on my finances (not a lot lol)and so far i have had it 3 years(i bought it at the auctions) covered over 36,000 miles, and apart form brake pads, tyres,and a service every 10,000 i find it very cheap to run/service,but you are right it seems to me that if it has a vw badge prices can go sky hi.


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## vwalan (May 7, 2012)

yes .it starts by the powder type anti freeze they use in japan .it seems to block things up. ideally drain flush the system on import and use fresh anti freeze . unfortunately mine did its rad in the first year. got one from bongo bits in plymouth . they explained about it . luckily it never got really hot and is still going strong. remember its virtually the same motor used in the mazda pickups .have heard that mazda main dealers are cheap on rads as well.


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## donkey too (May 7, 2012)

DRoader said:


> There seems to be an issue with some models overheating from what I've read and heard. Can Bongo owners and enthusiasts shed any light on this?



Dont know where you've read and heard this but I use a Bongo and have for several yars mostly towing a heavy load for the first three years. No probs at all. And cant say that there are many probs mentioned on Bongo fury. I have my vehicle serviced by the best Bongo mech in the country every 6 months whatever the mileage and it runs as sweet as a nut and on veggie most of the time. 
The only overheating probs you will get with them is through lack or loss of coolant, and then try to drive. that f'cks the head. as it would on any vehicle with an ali head. The lump is the same as used in the Ausi Ford Ranger and is a proven engine. My own has done well over 100 thou and sounds like it is only just run in. 
Like all machines the only probleds seem to be the people who drive them.


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## DRoader (May 7, 2012)

Thanks it was the coolant/antifreeze thing I heard about. Is it right some Bongos are now being resold with newly fitted coolant alarms to allay fears?





donkey too said:


> Dont know where you've read and heard this but I use a Bongo and have for several yars mostly towing a heavy load for the first three years. No probs at all. And cant say that there are many probs mentioned on Bongo fury. I have my vehicle serviced by the best Bongo mech in the country every 6 months whatever the mileage and it runs as sweet as a nut and on veggie most of the time.
> The only overheating probs you will get with them is through lack or loss of coolant, and then try to drive. that f'cks the head. as it would on any vehicle with an ali head. The lump is the same as used in the Ausi Ford Ranger and is a proven engine. My own has done well over 100 thou and sounds like it is only just run in.
> Like all machines the only probleds seem to be the people who drive them.


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## 6ettinold (May 8, 2012)

*mazda bongo*

Hi there,

Some traders are selling Bongo's with coolant alarms fitted - certainly a good selling point?? Alarms are available on ebay for DIY fitment. 

We were looking into possilby buying a Bongo 18 months ago. A dust up with up a local dealer selling a bag of nails disguised as a Bongo put us off. We played safe and bought a Mondeo estate instead! Regretted our panic buy and have since bought a Bongo. 
I wouldn't and couldn't afford the dealer prices this time around and instead took the riskier ebay route. My point is there are good dealers but there are also the not so good ones with overpriced tat on the forecourt.  I've bought cars from dealers before and had lots of issues. I've bought from private sellers and I'd rather talk to the current owner about the vehicle, rather than some orange tinted Bob Monkhouse look-a-like!! 

We saw a couple - one very local to us for £4k ( a week after Chrimbo ) which was a mess quite frankly. Frankly the same rules apply to Bongo buying as any vehicle and obviously the addition of checking for head gasket bother and underside corrosion and wheel arch rust. 
Any car can suffer from head gasket failure through neglect - I would initially go on instinct - if it looks neglected on the outside then its likely to have been neglected in other ways. 
We actually ended up with a 2 litre petrol. This wasn't a decision based on the hg stories with the diesels.  Initially I went for it as it had alloys, body kit, etc! It was 200 miles away but the seller put some effort into his ebay listing. We had a lengthy chat about the truck over the phone and it felt right. Train fare to Warrington was cheap as chips - I googled his address in relation to the train station and checked a single return price and checked train time sfor a return journey in case I wasn't happy when I'd seen the Bongo. 
£30 in train tickets ( there and back ) was deffo worth the 'risk'. Even used Google street view to see if the area where he lived looked nice and leafy... and to make sure that that was the address he took me to when he kindly collected me from the station. 

He was dead honest about the truck and it all went swimmingly. 

There have been a couple of small issues. Its 14 year old and is a big heavy thing so I've got the front suspension bushes to replace and the front drop links to do too ( £50 tops ) - nothing compared to the work I had to do get my 6 year old low mileage Mondeo through its MoT. 

Fuel consumption is acceptable - the petrol I reckon does around 2-3 mpg less than the diesel - but derv is pricier anyway. Claims of 30+ from Bongo owners should be taken with a dose of salt. We manage about 26-27 on a steady  run. Parts are as cheap as they were for the Mondeo. Our Bongo is utterly reliable and I can't envisage any major bills coming our way. Our Mondeo may have managed 50mpg on the motorway - but had started costing a fortune to keep her running. Something I find unacceptable from something that was what I'd consider fairly new, with FSH and 70k on the clock. 

The other thing to mention - ours is utterly gutless from 50mph. Anything above 70mph is noisy and I suspect would involve a miserable mpg figure! The relaxed 60mph drive is new to me but the good lady seems happier sat next to me...

I halved my insurance with the Bongo. Tesco were charging nigh-on £600 for my car. I rang lots of 'specialists' - all gave laughable quotes. Lifesure ( huge recommendations on Bongo Fury ) were extremely helpful and came out at £300 fully comp. Interestingly with a side conversion, this would be down to around £200. 

I'd buy another tomorrow off ebay - I'd consider a diesel certainly. I'd avoid buying one from the 3-4 home traders residing in Bristol that constantly list the same Bongo's ( each one appears to sell 2-3 times to new ebay a/c holders.... ) as 3 day auctions btw!!  Every car / camper have their common potential problems - as with all of the car specific forums, Bong Fury is fantastic but threads are obviously generated by owners with issues!!

Bongo Fury has lots of tips regarding buying a diesel variant. Personally I'd have a coolant alarm fitted or fit one myself. I'd follow the test drive advice.... 50mph+ on a dual carraigeway for 10 mins plus, from memory, check the engines cold before setting off, obvioulsly check fluid levels, mayo, etc., condition of the water hoses ( prone to going brittle and cracking ), see how long it takes for the temp gaugwe to rise  during the run, etc, etc. 
Personally, I'd buy privately - even ebay?? I'd budget to replace the rad, the hoses and fit a coolant alarm and still save myself a packet. 

Another point to mention is that I'm amazed at the amount of Bongo's we see about, IMHO prices are on the up ( not just seasonal?? ) and Bongo Fury is such a great website - we can't all be wrong eh??!!    

Apologies for rattling on.  
Good luck!
Paul.


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## kenjones (May 8, 2012)

I looked at a couple of Bongo conversions but rejected them as they appeared to combine MPV and Camper but did neither particularly well.
I much prefer VWs and my T4 2.5 tdi tops 40mpg and reglarly does over 45mpg on a run, easily cruises at motorway speeds and has power to spare on hills. It also fits supermarket parking bays. From talking to other owners and my own experience (this is my second T4) this is normal performance.
It would appear that the the Bongo can't match these figures.


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## 6ettinold (May 8, 2012)

kenjones said:


> I looked at a couple of Bongo conversions but rejected them as they appeared to combine MPV and Camper but did neither particularly well.



Our Bongo is unconverted and we use it primarily as an MPV. When I shopped around, I had no intention of buying a Galaxy, etc., but compared to the usual MPV's, the Bongo made sense. trim seems more durable ( important with 3 young kids ) and 6-7 year old MPV's I saw looked a little tired. We got an awning and all the kit so it suits our needs. Again as far as MPG is concerned, I'd compare it to other MPV's as this mainly why we bought it. We've got an awning - so short trips away camping are a much welcomed bonus.

We'd have loved a VW -  but our budget wouldn't have bought us anything as tidy as the Bongo we settled on. I'm probably wrong - but converted Bongo's seem to be priced on a par with VW's?? Obviously then the VW makes more sense.   

I would possibly like more space - next time I might consider a Toyota Regius and its possible after a summer's driving I might tire of the lack of oomph....    btw my Bongo is narrower than my old Mondeo - parking isn't a problem - but you lose space inside too.


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