Bongo Fury

OK so it's looking like I'm neck deep in the brown stuff.

As said in another thread, a full conversion doesnt make a great deal of sense in a low/tin top but its the only course of action.

This is looking to be by far the most costly financial mistake I've ever made. I thought I'd done the correct research prior to the purchase but obviously not

But see discussion on rooftop tents on another current BF thread. I'm serious here, you could turn a disaster into a success if you came up with a converted tintop with a lift-top roof tent. You could sell the roof top tent over the AFT because it doesnt have the worry of electro-mechanical complexity and also - if you go about it properly - it can be removed outside the camping season, giving you a much better driving vehicle than the AFT.

Only a thought - good luck. At the end of the day you've got a very fine machine if you can get round the SVA problem

Mike

Thanks for the encouraging reply mike, going to look for the rooftop tent threads now.

A pleasure. Given that its easier to get a quality tintop than AFT at auction these days, there could be a new marketing opportunity here

Sorry i can't be of any help with regard's the S.V.A situation Wi11i bongo,i hope a solution to your problem is imminent...

There are a vast amount of knowledgeable people on bongo fury,if there IS a way around the problem, i'm sure it won't be long before somebody posts on here.... Good luck

The roof top conversions are very unsatisfactory and quite expensive. You can get an OK job done on a type 4 VW but you are looking at £2000 and a bit. I dont imagine anyone is doing a neat conversion for a Bongo because with the AFT freely available it would be pointless. If you must go that way then it would probably be a generic conversion that fits any van roof.

You do not need an elevating roof for an SVA camper pass. What you do need varies from test centre to test centre. You might have to go to the local centre and talk to the assesor about what he expects to see. As a minimum you will require:

Fixed cupboards
Fixed Stove
Fixed Sink
A convincing bed that looks easy to use and sensible
Seatbelts not in use removed
Adequate ventilation
Good quality water and gas sytems correctly and permanently installed.

I could probably get one through my local centre quite quickly and cheaply but to make it look good enough to sell on is always going to more involved.

smartmonkey wrote:The roof top conversions are very unsatisfactory and quite expensive. You can get an OK job done on a type 4 VW but you are looking at £2000

Now he tells us! But seriously, why are they so unsatisfactory, and surely you dont need to spend £2k or anything like it. Someone has mentioned £900 on here already.

At the end of the day though, unless your man here wants a sleeping compartment up top, then I woudnt bother anyway. But he seemed to be coming across as feeling that converting it to a campervan made no sense without upstairs sleeping capability.

When I was Bongo Hunting I corresponded with a vendor trying to sell a beautifully converted Bongolow on ebay. I gave serious thought to it as the price was v good as was the vehicle condition. They told me they had had absolutely no interest in it because noone wanted a Bongo campervan that wasnt an AFT. I decided I felt likewise and didnt proceed. So our new owner may have grounds for concern, and I do think the idea of trying to work around it is worthy of consideration. The fact that it might bring a lot of nice condition, well priced Bongolows into the picture makes it more so. Is there no way a decent upstairs sleeping compartment could be arrived at?

Thanks for all the advice so far. Looks like a full side conversion for me then!!!!!!!!!

I think the £900 option is just a tent on a roofrack. That isn't really comparible to an elevating roof and the SVA lot would see it as a tent on the roof. You can get universal fit pop tops or elevating roofs but the ones I have seen in the past looked very after-market.

I am not decrying the roofrack tent - I actually think they are very good and a big improvement on a conventional tent.

The £2k conversions I was referring to are fully finished high roofs or elevating roofs.

But presumably the SVA don't care one way or another about a tent on the roof - they'll be looking to see that downstairs has been converted to their satisfaction. The tent on the roof can come later. Weird really, because the AFT is really just a tent on a roof. I still think it would be 'fun' to see how far you could take the idea of a Bongolow with a roof tent as an alternative to an AFT

The problem many vosa / dvla offices have with a converted tin top is they believe you have to be able to stand up next to the cooker. Of course this is not part of the rules, but its all down to interpretation.
I dont think any converters could afford to take DVLA to court over their interpretation of the rules and if they did it is quite probable that thay would just change the rules (as they have done with the sva test over the years). Far better to just work within the guidelines of your local office, that way you know you wont get any nasty surprises.
I am aware of at least one tintop that has been converted and accepted this year, so it should not be an impossible situation, but you will end up with a 4/5 seat bongo with a conversion which may well be very different from the vehicle you intended using.

You have 3 further options.

1) Put the vehicle in storage until 2010. Vehicles more than 10 years old are exempt from SVA (but this could change at any time).
2) Wait until a model report becomes available for your particular model. My guess is that as the supply of good quality AFTs from Japan dries up, some enterprising dealers will club together to get the model report produced for your particular model.
3) You could get a model report done yourself! This would only cost £15K for the front impact test, and the cost of writing off the vehicle! But the upside is that you would then own the model report and could rent it out at £1,000 a request!

Or sell it to someone from the Republic of Ireland, which might be your best bet. May take some advertsing but they don't have SVA over there at all.

I'd also contact two or three of the local DVLA offices & see who is the most friendly, ask for some advice they are usually quite helpful. Then submit your bongo on what they suggest

Thanks for the replies and suggestions guys, well appreciated.

Let us know how you get on an what you decide on.