Insurance troubles

[cosmotravels]

Hi...
Just purchased our first Bongo (converted) and trying to work down the insurance quotes. The lowest I have got is £395 from Adrian Flux. I've exhausted all the options on the Bongo Fury Insurance page. I am bit confused by the cost as we previously owned a Toyota Hiace campervan which cost us just over £300 to insure.

Can anyone help me understand why the quotes are so high? It is our only vehicle which we don't use to commute, I have a feeling this is what is contributing to the cost and the fact it is parked on the street, not a private driveway. I will pay the £395 if I have to but would hate to think that I'd missed a trick.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

[Bob]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum.

The Camping & Caravan Club can be competetive for converted Bongos.

[cosmotravels]

Thanks Bob - I tried them as the previous owner uses them. Bafflingly, they told me the vehicle couldn't be classed as a motorhome because it doesn't have a table. Not sure how the previous owner got away with it.

[BongoBongo123]

I had to send through a full set of photos to get insured. I think they like professional conversions. Had to show gas, cooker, sink, water tank, table, seats as beds. I would hazard a guess that they are trying to avoid people with vans with a mattress and camping stove thrown in the back for whatever reasons, probably.

[Simon Jones]

For the sake of about £60 or so, buy/make a table and fit it to a rail on the side of the interior panels & then go for C&CC insurance. I'm with them on a self-build conversion with no troubles.

[scanner]

The table needs to be "fitted" but can also be "easily removable" some full sized motorhomes have freestanding tables so I don't see why you could not use one - about £20 max from most camping shops.

[mikeWalsall]

After the no hassles insuring my V6 JAL four years ago for £200 with C&CC .. I have just had an horrendous couple of days getting my Toyota V6 Alphard insured ..

It seems not only Vehicle .. post code .. History etc: but .. age .. can be a problem .. being over 70years old some companies will not even give a quote ..!!

In the end I went back to Chris Knott, who I had my Estima insured with before I had the Bongo ..

Luckily they had all my (unchanged) history still on file .. but at £500 .. a bit hard to swallow..

The strange thing is .. the Alphard is the best selling MPV in Japan .. Being over ten years old now .. .loads coming into the UK .. Just look on eBay alone at the amount of Alphards for sale on there ..

Yet the final words from the Chris Knott telephone sales girl where .." Congratulations .. you are the first Alphard we have on our books" ..!!

[scanner]

Just a thought but what "Body Type" is listed on your V5 if it is "Motorcaravan" that is all the C&CC should need to know.

[cosmotravels]

Thank you all. Took the advice regarding the table and got a much more reasonable quote from Club Care.

[Bob]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Campervan-Mot ... NLpfUx6rfA

Pretty much what we have, or you can buy the rail, clips and leg for about £30.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CAMPERVAN-SLI ... OxyRNJScU8~

[winchman]

Thanks Bob - I tried them as the previous owner uses them. Bafflingly, they told me the vehicle couldn't be classed as a motorhome because it doesn't have a table. Not sure how the previous owner got away with it.

All the Bongos I have seen have a table on the back of the middle row of seats.
I always point out.
Its a factory conversion with seats that make either a bed or table and chairs for four people, with y own added rear kitchen, never had an issue apart from it still seating 8 as some wont go over 7

[Jillygumbo]

Can anyone advise regarding insurance on a professionally converted bongo on a vehicle that will also be used every day as an only vehicle?

When I bought Tonto my current insurer, Lifesure, insured it as an 8 seater, which it was, and told me to go back to them when it was converted. It is now being fully converted so I know I will need to change the log book from PLG to motorhome and change the insurance once it is finished.

[g8dhe]

C&CC used to give, may well still do so, several months to get the status changed when going from unconverted to converted, plus they have one of the better policies, we had extra mileage added also added more value on items carried all at minimal extra cost.
http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co ... insurance/

[Jillygumbo]

C&CC used to give, may well still do so, several months to get the status changed when going from unconverted to converted, plus they have one of the better policies, we had extra mileage added also added more value on items carried all at minimal extra cost.
http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co ... insurance/

Thanks Geoff

[Joe_anne123]

Hi Jill. Lifesure told me that if I got near the max mileage (5k on my policy) to ring them and they'd amend the policy. They also said that until the v5 is updated to motor caravan, they don't need to be informed about the conversion.