Dealer Feedback please - Newbie !

[sootyswift]

Hi all

Thanks for a great forum - its been an invaluable source of information whilst on our Bongo journey thus far.

After a lot of searching we have found one at JAL. We appears we passed the test and we were "allowed" to view the vehicle . Got on really well with Phil and he seems a good decent chap, albeit a character !

Issue, or potential issue, is that we are being asked to pay a substantial deposit (40% !!) to secure the unit with a 12/14 week wait whilst the conversion is being done.

Does anyone have any feedback on JAL - we have seen some some old reviews on here (all positive i might add) but nothing recent. We are potentially taking a huge leap of faith, but are completely sold on the whole Bongo experience so we feel a little nervous about the the whole thing - dont want to lose the deal, but also don't want to lose the cash !

Any observations most gratefully received thank you

p.s Please do PM if a reply in the Forum is not suitable - have seen a thread from last year suggesting that is the most appropriate from of reply when seeking feedback

[haydn callow]

Phil will NOT let you down.

[sootyswift]

Thanks for the reply Haydn

We get the sense that Phil is a solid character..and to get a reference particularly from someone like yourself who has been a member for so long speaks volumes

Just got to part with the hard earned pennies now and begin the countdown for the next 3 months...trouble is we want our Bongo adventure to start now !

Hey ho..on the plus side - plenty of time to think about the bling

[Tertiary]

I'm just going to echo what Haydn said - Phil is totally honest and trustworthy!

We bought from him last year - albeit in a slightly different manner - and it was completely hassle and stress free

He is very definitely a 'character' but very definitely on 'your side'. He has a well deserved (and justifiably so...) reputation to maintain

I would buy from him again in a heartbeat - and I am notoriously difficult to please!

[Bongoplod]

There are actually several reputable import dealers that customers pay up front for a Bongo that they have not seen and is still either in Japan or on the boat.They have good agents who source their vehicles,knowing the dealers reputation depends on their ability to buy excellent Bongos on their behalf.Think you`ll be ok with JAL

bRIAN

[sootyswift]

Thanks Paul and Brian for the replies - much appreciated. Phil, whilst certainly having a unique approach , is pretty much old school it would seem. His word is his bond and that is so rare nowadays, hence the nervousness,

Well, we have taken the plunge and deposit paid. Now the countdown begins !

Am sure that there will be other questions in the coming months...SWMBO is already looking at upgrading the alloys...now do we stick to the 15"s or go for some 16's or 17"s....i'll stick that question in the relevant topic !...first of all we have the conversion colour scheme to plan out

Thanks again for all the replies and we look forward to hopefully contributing rather than asking in the future !!

[haydn callow]

Phil is one of the many dealers (big and small) who ALWAYS offer to fit a low coolant alarm to every vehicle he sells. He is by far our biggest customer and I've never heard of a dodgy bongo sold by him or a problem with after sales service. There are other very good dealers out there but Phil is right up with the best.

[scuffe]

Hi Sootyswift

Reading you post was spooky as we are in exactly the same situation as you. We too have just agreed to purchase a Bongo through JAL after meeting with Phil and was looking for advice on here also.
What type of conversion are you going for ?

[sootyswift]

Hi Sootyswift

Reading you post was spooky as we are in exactly the same situation as you. We too have just agreed to purchase a Bongo through JAL after meeting with Phil and was looking for advice on here also.
What type of conversion are you going for ?

Hi Scuffe

We are looking at a 47" Super wide bed Side conversion with a fold down rear storage drawer (option is individual cubby holes or no pull down drawer). We can also have right hand side fridge so we can make a brew in the morning without having to pull the bed back - we all need a little luxury . This is a £50 optional extra it would appear

We have literally had the options sheet this morning so will try and decipher it a little later . We are also going up on Saturday for a viewing - we saw some others at JAL that weren't suitable and have got a 2001 V6 Aero on reserve based on the dock side pictures, with deposit paid....gulp ! Am sure it will be fine !

Have you had the options sheet yet ? and when are you expecting delivery ?

[scuffe]

Hi Sootyswift

We are going for the same conversion with mushroom roof as we have 2 young boys and it seems massive. We have picked one off the stock sheet (without it selling straight away) also a V6 2001 .. we have probably bought the same one
We were almost tempted to buy a ready to go one but the price was only a grand less than the newer less milage model .. but it was a close call as I didnt want to wait
No option sheet yet and we are looking around 3 months or so I believe until it is ready.
I have realsied we havent actually test driven it or any other one yet so hopefully all will be good

[haydn callow]

The V6 is a super smooth, powerful and quiet engine. Very thirsty though, we converted ours to LPG which halves the running cost for a outlay of about £1500.

[scuffe]

Thanks Haydn

I know the V6 is thirsty but it will be not be our main car (yet) and we went for the V6 for the LPG options . I will need to save up first though as I am spending far more than I first thought 4 months or so ago when I started looking into Bongo's

[sootyswift]

Hi Sootyswift

We are going for the same conversion with mushroom roof as we have 2 young boys and it seems massive. We have picked one off the stock sheet (without it selling straight away) also a V6 2001 .. we have probably bought the same one
We were almost tempted to buy a ready to go one but the price was only a grand less than the newer less milage model .. but it was a close call as I didnt want to wait
No option sheet yet and we are looking around 3 months or so I believe until it is ready.
I have realsied we havent actually test driven it or any other one yet so hopefully all will be good

LOL...blimey,, thats scary - our is silver aero,and yes the mushroom roof gives loads of space. We were tempted by the "Goldy" as Phil refers to it, (a really great colour btw silvery/ gold ) but didn't have the body kit we were looking for - it is a Navi. We were also tempted by the ready to drive unit he had coming in - looked great, but we wanted to specify our own colour scheme - looking like we are tempted by the Carbon fibre with grey trim and the silver floor. Also thinking about split colour seats - black/grey. The demo one he had in his smaller unit was split colour, although a different colour, really added something we thought. And like you, we haven't test driven it either - can't say we have ever bought a vehicle in this way - ....large deposit, no test drive, not listened to the engine, 3-4 month wait..... nervous to say the least, but am reassured from the comments of other members...and thanks Haydn for another re-assuring message

I think it will be great for your boys and am sure they will absolutely love the adventure

So when will you specify the colour scheme and options ?...Phil does have a certain way of doing things, and it isn't always obvious to us mere mortals

[scuffe]

What is a Navi and what do you mean bodykit ? I didnt even notice unless it is the bottom trim ?
I haven't even thought about colour scheme yet I may leave that to my wife she has a better eye then me but we will probably go for the smoother covers that are easier to wipe down rather than the felt type material .. because of the boys and me
tbh I cant even remember the demo unit I think my brain is frazzled the whole experience was a bit of a blur

[haydn callow]

We started the bongo adventure about 10 years ago with a unseen untested Diesel from eBay for £5000, it turned out to be a really good one and it was with that vehicle and the help of this forum that the Low Coolant Alarm was developed for the Bongo. The LCA has turned out to be a great success and many a Bongo has benefited from having one fitted. After about 4 years we got our first V6 and immediately decided it was the one for us, I then looked around and found another with every factory add on and converted it to LPG. We kept it for 3 years when circumstances forced us to change direction.
Bongos are great and if you look after the cooling system properly (don't let your local garage near the cooling system ) it will be very reliable.....apart from the cooling system the rest of the maintenance is straight forward to any competent garage.
Look at the YouTube videos ' bleeding bongos' and download the fact sheet.