Potential Bongo Owner Seeks Advice

[Sorcha]

We have the chance to obtain our very first Mazda Bongo. I'll list some pertinent details below but wanted to know what kind of problems I might run into (parking, driving, security, insurance, mechanical issues...) and if it's worth the dosh! Also, is there a checklist I should take with me to check it out? We'll probably be seeing it tomorrow.

It's a 2000 2.0L Automatic, with nearly 130,000 miles on the clock.
There is some rear arch rust, just an advisory at present but must be attended to eventually. Will I need a specialist garage for that?
It has a professionally done side conversion (not full length) and pop top with bed
It has 3 point belted seats (x6) and two rows of seats in the back.
Cambelt was done about 30,000km ago - how often should it be done?
MOT has 8mths on it and "corrosion" is the only advisory, and was on the previous MOT too.
Asking price is £6K - is that usual?

Is it easy to find a bike rack for the back?
Does anyone commute in theirs?
Is it terrible on fuel consumption?
I hear they can be a moneypit, is that true? Or are they as likely as any car to be one if neglected?
I was thinking of getting an RAC/AA check on it prior to buying it? Is this a good idea? Are either of them any good at spotting potential issues with Bongos?

Many thanks in advance for your time in reading and replying. I've kind of rushed into these Forums for some help, so if I've missed an intro post or anything, I apologise.

[Bob]

Hi

Good to have you aboard.

There's info on buying a Bongo here:

https://igmaynard.co.uk/buying/

Impossible to say if it's a good price for the one you're looking at, sorry.

Plenty commute by Bongo.

Expect no more than 30mpg.

Nothing out of the ordinary with the 2 ltr petrol. The cooling system on the 2.5 ltrs has to be bled after any leak/work.

Several types of bike rack fit, I have a Pendle which mounts on the tow bar.

Hope that helps a bit.

[TheLongRoad]

Is that miles or Kilometres the Bongo has done? The price for anything is what you feel ok about paying. I’ve paid over the odds for stuff because it’s local and easy to get back to seller - rather than saving a bit and then having to drive to the other end of the county with issues.

2.0ltr is is a good engine, slower but bomb proof. They all have some rust.....

[Bob]

And cam belts should be changed on time or distance, whichever is first - can't remember the intervals on a 2 ltr, but it's not a big or expensive job.

Also, I've a good idea the 4 cyl is a 'non-interference' engine, ie you don't cobble it if the belt should break.

[mikeonb4c]

With rusty wheel arches and an MOT advisory i'd be looking at a thorough inspection for rust by a Bongo savvy person. You can't be too careful with old Bongos. Cambelt is (i think) every 60k miles or 5 years, whichever comes sooner. From reports I've read, fuel consumption similar to v6 at worst low twenties in town, maybe touching thirty driven carefully on a run. 2 litre engine simplest on maintenance but can feel underpowered in hilly country when loaded.

[teenmal]

You must take into consideration that these vehicle were Not designed/produced to last 20 years, they left the factory untreated for our roads (SALT and GRIT.

The MOTT is actually a warning , the Tester doesn't go into the hidden rust , a few peeps have bought these vehicle for £5/6/8 Thousand pounds and have been complete rust buckets in other words they were STUNG. I am not trying to put you off but most of these vehicles are being OFFLOADED now. You need to get the vehicle inspected with a certificate.

Take Care

[Sorcha]

Thanks for all your replies.

We're going to get is checked out by the AA, although if there's another company that would be better, I'd be happy to hear about it. I'll be talking to the campervan centre that sold, converted and serviced/MOT'd it since it came over, today, to ask a couple of questions. We did a test drive, checked it over, all seems fine. The sills are a little corroded, but I was thinking of getting the sills and arches done and then undersealed to protect it.

It's fabulous to drive, despite being an auto! We loved it and it's got all the seatbelts for the kids, something that's very hard to find on campervans. I'll let you know how we get on.

EDIT:

Called the garage/campervan centre that deal with it. They confirmed its serviced every year, just basic though and any repairs are done. They also MOT it, and the vehicle's mileage is in kilometres. The rough quote for £1500 sounds right but he can't remember if it was for the arches or for everything (there's a few dings and a scrape and a small dent on the front corner where it met a wall); he would need to see it and have his bodywork and paint guys both have a look to get a proper quote. He would need to dig into the records to check for the cambelt change but he's pretty sure it had been done because he has that van in every year and every year they get everything done except the dings and scrapes. This year the MOT guy added corrosion as an advisory. It wasn't enough last year to warrant even that.

Overall the owner and the van gave a good impression. The owner doesn't mind having any checks done by AA/RAC. The garage is reputable and listed on here.

[mikeonb4c]

Where are you based Sorcha? Sounds like an honest enough van/owner so may well be worth proceeding with, but arguably a Bongo expert will be better for inspecting for things like rust than an AA person. Amongst areas to check hard are:

* Cross member below radiator
* Behind the front wheel arch plastic liners around where they cover the front end of the cills
* inner cills where they join cross member behind front arch
* inner cills in area around rear heater unit radiator box. Check also for corrosion on metal pipework into the rear heater rad, underneath vehicle.
* inner rear arches and esp on exhaust side if any rust holes have allowed road spray through into area above rear silencer.
* cross member behind rear bumper
* general state of rustiness on floor pans, underbody metalwork etc as an overall indicator of condition
* metalwork above the rain gutter (pinhole rusting etc)
* bottom of tailgate (prone to rust)

Also check metal tee pieces joining coolant hoses to engine block as they can corrode. Check for any sign of rust staining in coolant header tank as that might indicate poorly maintained system.

[Sorcha]

Thanks for that. The current owner is taking that list, along with my concerns about the corrosion on the arches and sills (doesn't look extensive), to a reputable garage for a firm quote.