Newbie - not yet owner!

[kton2002]

Goodness me, i have gone mad spending hours looking at Bongos and despite not yet buying one i feel i am hooked already! Have 2 x children, aged 12 and 7, and fancy changing my estate car for something that we could use at weekends and for camping etc, days out. We do a lot of camping in the summer, but putting a massive tent up is a hassle. Like the idea of being able to use a Bongo all year round to as opposed to relying on good weather for camping.

Am set on a 2.0 petrol later model, rear conversion or not - converted and i'd do the conversion. Prices seem to vary wildly, some at dealers on ebay for £16k upwards, private from £10k ish although someone i know just picked up a 2006 registered aero with autotop, 90k miles for £8k non converted, in mint condition.

I will bide my time and see what comes along i guess. Nice to see such good advice and info on this forum!

[Bob]

Warm welcome to the Forum.

Yep, a solid vehicle is the main thing, the conversion can be sorted later.

[kton2002]

Quick question - if its raining / a bit windy, is it still feasible to sleep up top? I ask, as would always be someone up there when we use it for overnight trips. Starting to wonder if a permanent hard top converted one would be better although i am not so keen on the look of those.

[g8dhe]

Yes provided its not blowing a gale at ground level, we used to tour around for up to 7 weeks at a time in all types of weather!
However if you park up for the night in exposed locations;
http://www.360cities.net/image/toscaig- ... 10.00,70.0
like the above then expect problems if a storm comes in Only time we ended up shutting down and moving inland!
Best to park with the tailgate towards the wind and if the wind speed at ground level (less than reported wind speeds at 10m) gets above 15km/Hr shut down.
A couple of times we have shut the AFT down and slept downstairs, problem you might find with a Hightop is the van actually rocking side to side!

[Bob]

It might be worth renting one for a few days to try it out.

Unless you’re planning to use an awning it might be a bit small for a growing family.

[kton2002]

Does this canvas part of the roof look like it has ripped or is this just from where they sit for a while and get dirt on them and then when popped up they have this pattern on them?

Thanks

[Bob]

If that’s inside looking at the front I would say it’s just the normal fold in the cloth.

[kton2002]

Yep it is thanks Bob Inside looking outwards