Bongo Fury

You are right in your comments regarding choice. We have 3 stockists of Bongos around our area 2 of which are reputable and one not so, but with all 3 they only sell petrol Bongos. You get the occasional Diesel which has been put in for part ex but that's it. I was speaking to the garage today that stocks both the v6 which is due to arrive mid March and the Diesel that is there at the moment and he was saying that he has a V6 and on a good run can get as many miles as his diesel and that he would pick the V6 that Is coming in over the Diesel. I'm more confused than ever.

Just reread your posts and realised you're in Southampton not Scotland doh! So well located for Bongo importers. Well i think he's probably right about the v6 when it comes to smoothness and power. Given petrol is a bit cheaper than diesel, service intervals are greater, and mpg not hugely different, the running costs should not be much different (though taking any Bongo to Scotland will incur a significant fuel bill). And if its a fresh import corrosion should hopefully not be an issue. Aftermarket roofs are not the same wonderful thing as AFTs but they have less to go wrong and are probably a bit lighter so less detrimental to handling and performance. And a rear conversion might be cheaper as well as allowing a full width bed (essential if two are sleeping in it in my view except perhaps for the clever Imperial conversions). What happens if you look the importer in the eye and ask what happens if it develops leaky crank or camshaft seals in the warranty period. Fixing is cheapest if done at same time as cambelt. Do they fit new cambelt as part of the sale. New cambelt usually needed every 60k miled OR 5 years, whichever comes first.

I think you'll love the v6 and its smooth silent power.

mikeonb4c wrote:Just reread your posts and realised you're in Southampton not Scotland doh! So well located for Bongo importers. Well i think he's probably right about the v6 when it comes to smoothness and power. Given petrol is a bit cheaper than diesel, service intervals are greater, and mpg not hugely different, the running costs should not be much different (though taking any Bongo to Scotland will incur a significant fuel bill). And if its a fresh import corrosion should hopefully not be an issue. Aftermarket roofs are not the same wonderful thing as AFTs but they have less to go wrong and are probably a bit lighter so less detrimental to handling and performance. And a rear conversion might be cheaper as well as allowing a full width bed (essential if two are sleeping in it in my view except perhaps for the clever Imperial conversions). What happens if you look the importer in the eye and ask what happens if it develops leaky crank or camshaft seals in the warranty period. Fixing is cheapest if done at same time as cambelt. Do they fit new cambelt as part of the sale. New cambelt usually needed every 60k miled OR 5 years, whichever comes first.

I think you'll love the v6 and its smooth silent power.

Yes I am in Southampton and yes the garages here definitely have great ability to import at the moment. We have 3 garages in about a 20 mile radius but all petrol bongos as stated before. The guy at the garage assures me that they fit new cam belts before they give them to us as to quote him "otherwise they can come back to bite me on the bum!!!" There is also a one years warranty so hopefully he would cover leaky crank or camshaft but I will definitely put him on the spot and ask him if these are covered. I am hoping to take it to Scotland in due course which might have been where the confusion re me mentioning Scotland came in, so perhaps I had better start saving for the petrol costs now!!! We are mostly hoping to use it for weekends away, festivals etc, or travelling to the Brecons, so hopefully petrol costs won't be too horrendous and it won't put too many miles on the clock. One of the reasons we were thinking of a rear conversion was due to the fact that neither my husband or I are particularly small and we didn't relish a nights sleep on the tiny bed in the side conversions plus throwing in to the mix a rather large Labrador. It would certainly stretch the word cosy a bit far!!

You definitely want a full width bed. And you can do the maths on fuel costs. But freedom to roam is hard to put a price on

mikeonb4c wrote:You definitely want a full width bed. And you can do the maths on fuel costs. But freedom to roam is hard to put a price on

That's my feelings exactly. I can't wait to just have the choice of when to drive and when to stop and go for long walks, and hopefully be able to park somewhere with a wonderful view or the odd pub car park if it's free

Quinny wrote:

mikeonb4c wrote:You definitely want a full width bed. And you can do the maths on fuel costs. But freedom to roam is hard to put a price on

That's my feelings exactly. I can't wait to just have the choice of when to drive and when to stop and go for long walks, and hopefully be able to park somewhere with a wonderful view or the odd pub car park if it's free

Exactly right Gill....one of the Bongo Fury stickers says....wake up to a different view every day...just what a Bongo is intended for...
All pub car parks look different don't they..?....

Got me coat and I'm going...

alant54 wrote:

Quinny wrote:

mikeonb4c wrote:You definitely want a full width bed. And you can do the maths on fuel costs. But freedom to roam is hard to put a price on

That's my feelings exactly. I can't wait to just have the choice of when to drive and when to stop and go for long walks, and hopefully be able to park somewhere with a wonderful view or the odd pub car park if it's free

Exactly right Gill....one of the Bongo Fury stickers says....wake up to a different view every day...just what a Bongo is intended for...
All pub car parks look different don't they..?....

Got me coat and I'm going...

They sure do I can't wait

We are South East too, and went round the dealers in Southampton - ended up buying privately as we couldn't stretch to dealer money for what we wanted. Whether that has proven to be a false economy is neither here nor there, but they had a good selection of vans and certainly talked a good talk. I would have had no worries buying from either of the dealers I suspect you are referring to.

We bought a 2001 v6 for a sniff under £8500, for the record. But that was private, and sans-warranty we are having to foot the bill for repairs that would have been covered if we'd have bought from a dealer.

Ya live and learn, as they say.

And yes, the v6 is pretty much silent, especially at idle. I wouldn't say it's blessed with an abundance of torque though, but it drives nice (when it's running...)

Yes i have heard the v6 needs a bit of revving before good power happens. The diesel is the torque machine really which is why i love it. Whilst not silent like the v6 i don't find it at all unpleasant, especially on open country roads between 50-60mph where its a real pleasure and can deliver really quite good mpg.

ade33 wrote:We are South East too, and went round the dealers in Southampton - ended up buying privately as we couldn't stretch to dealer money for what we wanted. Whether that has proven to be a false economy is neither here nor there, but they had a good selection of vans and certainly talked a good talk. I would have had no worries buying from either of the dealers I suspect you are referring to.

We bought a 2001 v6 for a sniff under £8500, for the record. But that was private, and sans-warranty we are having to foot the bill for repairs that would have been covered if we'd have bought from a dealer.

Ya live and learn, as they say.

And yes, the v6 is pretty much silent, especially at idle. I wouldn't say it's blessed with an abundance of torque though, but it drives nice (when it's running...)

I would not kick yourself too hard Ade33.
There are aftermarket warranties and aftermarket warranties, most exclude items that they deem as normal wear and tear and in fairness to them a lot probably are. I believe camshaft oil seals and the like would fall into this category unless you could prove that it was as result of a non W&T problem elsewhere
Most warranty companies we deal with have "engineers" primed with a script looking for ways out. Not saying that all are like this, the AA are very good in this respect but the point I am making here is have a really good read of the warranty and what is covered and watch out for that fair wear and tear clause as it can be used to cover a multitude of faults. If the sellers says its covered then you need that in writing.
Aftermarket warranties are not the same as those for a new car where faults are likely to be from the manufacture but when a motor has a few thousand miles on it ....
Thats why a thorough inspection by an independent expert early on in the ownership is vital in identifying any problems and the sooner the better.
http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictiona ... yer+beware

ade33 wrote:We are South East too, and went round the dealers in Southampton - ended up buying privately as we couldn't stretch to dealer money for what we wanted. Whether that has proven to be a false economy is neither here nor there, but they had a good selection of vans and certainly talked a good talk. I would have had no worries buying from either of the dealers I suspect you are referring to.

We bought a 2001 v6 for a sniff under £8500, for the record. But that was private, and sans-warranty we are having to foot the bill for repairs that would have been covered if we'd have bought from a dealer.

Ya live and learn, as they say.

And yes, the v6 is pretty much silent, especially at idle. I wouldn't say it's blessed with an abundance of torque though, but it drives nice (when it's running...)

I think I have finally settled on a V6 and was going to buy from one of the dealers I've talked about, however the one is dearer on the vans, but the conversion is cheaper and the vice versa with the other, pushing us over the limit of what we preferred to spend. However, we have now found one further afield in the Worcester area that seems to have a good rep, from what I read, that looks like a possibility, so we are now looking there, although it is not as easy for warranty problems etc. He is going to email me a list of vans together with pictures of underneath, the engine, wheel arches etc for us to look at, before we make the journey there. They all seem to be very good on mileage and have ratings between 3.5 - 4. I don't want to rush and make a costly mistake, but at this rate it will be next summer before we are on the road!!

Quinny wrote:

ade33 wrote:We are South East too, and went round the dealers in Southampton - ended up buying privately as we couldn't stretch to dealer money for what we wanted. Whether that has proven to be a false economy is neither here nor there, but they had a good selection of vans and certainly talked a good talk. I would have had no worries buying from either of the dealers I suspect you are referring to.

We bought a 2001 v6 for a sniff under £8500, for the record. But that was private, and sans-warranty we are having to foot the bill for repairs that would have been covered if we'd have bought from a dealer.

Ya live and learn, as they say.

And yes, the v6 is pretty much silent, especially at idle. I wouldn't say it's blessed with an abundance of torque though, but it drives nice (when it's running...)

I think I have finally settled on a V6 and was going to buy from one of the dealers I've talked about, however the one is dearer on the vans, but the conversion is cheaper and the vice versa with the other, pushing us over the limit of what we preferred to spend. However, we have now found one further afield in the Worcester area that seems to have a good rep, from what I read, that looks like a possibility, so we are now looking there, although it is not as easy for warranty problems etc. He is going to email me a list of vans together with pictures of underneath, the engine, wheel arches etc for us to look at, before we make the journey there. They all seem to be very good on mileage and have ratings between 3.5 - 4. I don't want to rush and make a costly mistake, but at this rate it will be next summer before we are on the road!!

Hi Gill
If its mechanical warranty and not faults with the conversion you are concerned about then unless it is the dealers own in house warranty (probably best) you should be able to have any "aftermarket warranty" repairs carried out at any VAT registered garage.
Good Luck with your search.

Bongolia wrote:

Quinny wrote:

ade33 wrote:We are South East too, and went round the dealers in Southampton - ended up buying privately as we couldn't stretch to dealer money for what we wanted. Whether that has proven to be a false economy is neither here nor there, but they had a good selection of vans and certainly talked a good talk. I would have had no worries buying from either of the dealers I suspect you are referring to.

We bought a 2001 v6 for a sniff under £8500, for the record. But that was private, and sans-warranty we are having to foot the bill for repairs that would have been covered if we'd have bought from a dealer.

Ya live and learn, as they say.

And yes, the v6 is pretty much silent, especially at idle. I wouldn't say it's blessed with an abundance of torque though, but it drives nice (when it's running...)

I think I have finally settled on a V6 and was going to buy from one of the dealers I've talked about, however the one is dearer on the vans, but the conversion is cheaper and the vice versa with the other, pushing us over the limit of what we preferred to spend. However, we have now found one further afield in the Worcester area that seems to have a good rep, from what I read, that looks like a possibility, so we are now looking there, although it is not as easy for warranty problems etc. He is going to email me a list of vans together with pictures of underneath, the engine, wheel arches etc for us to look at, before we make the journey there. They all seem to be very good on mileage and have ratings between 3.5 - 4. I don't want to rush and make a costly mistake, but at this rate it will be next summer before we are on the road!!

Hi Gill
If its mechanical warranty and not faults with the conversion you are concerned about then unless it is the dealers own in house warranty (probably best) you should be able to have any "aftermarket warranty" repairs carried out at any VAT registered garage.
Good Luck with your search.

Thank you and that is very useful to know. I am keeping my fingers crossed that we will find what we are looking for with the new place. I can't wait to get on the road and enjoy everything a Bongo has to offer.

Quinny wrote:

ade33 wrote:We are South East too, and went round the dealers in Southampton - ended up buying privately as we couldn't stretch to dealer money for what we wanted. Whether that has proven to be a false economy is neither here nor there, but they had a good selection of vans and certainly talked a good talk. I would have had no worries buying from either of the dealers I suspect you are referring to.

We bought a 2001 v6 for a sniff under £8500, for the record. But that was private, and sans-warranty we are having to foot the bill for repairs that would have been covered if we'd have bought from a dealer.

Ya live and learn, as they say.

And yes, the v6 is pretty much silent, especially at idle. I wouldn't say it's blessed with an abundance of torque though, but it drives nice (when it's running...)

I think I have finally settled on a V6 and was going to buy from one of the dealers I've talked about, however the one is dearer on the vans, but the conversion is cheaper and the vice versa with the other, pushing us over the limit of what we preferred to spend. However, we have now found one further afield in the Worcester area that seems to have a good rep, from what I read, that looks like a possibility, so we are now looking there, although it is not as easy for warranty problems etc. He is going to email me a list of vans together with pictures of underneath, the engine, wheel arches etc for us to look at, before we make the journey there. They all seem to be very good on mileage and have ratings between 3.5 - 4. I don't want to rush and make a costly mistake, but at this rate it will be next summer before we are on the road!!

If the Worcester dealer is Phil at JAL you won't be disappointed..and his word is his warranty.

haydn callow wrote:

Quinny wrote:

ade33 wrote:We are South East too, and went round the dealers in Southampton - ended up buying privately as we couldn't stretch to dealer money for what we wanted. Whether that has proven to be a false economy is neither here nor there, but they had a good selection of vans and certainly talked a good talk. I would have had no worries buying from either of the dealers I suspect you are referring to.

We bought a 2001 v6 for a sniff under £8500, for the record. But that was private, and sans-warranty we are having to foot the bill for repairs that would have been covered if we'd have bought from a dealer.

Ya live and learn, as they say.

And yes, the v6 is pretty much silent, especially at idle. I wouldn't say it's blessed with an abundance of torque though, but it drives nice (when it's running...)

I think I have finally settled on a V6 and was going to buy from one of the dealers I've talked about, however the one is dearer on the vans, but the conversion is cheaper and the vice versa with the other, pushing us over the limit of what we preferred to spend. However, we have now found one further afield in the Worcester area that seems to have a good rep, from what I read, that looks like a possibility, so we are now looking there, although it is not as easy for warranty problems etc. He is going to email me a list of vans together with pictures of underneath, the engine, wheel arches etc for us to look at, before we make the journey there. They all seem to be very good on mileage and have ratings between 3.5 - 4. I don't want to rush and make a costly mistake, but at this rate it will be next summer before we are on the road!!

If the Worcester dealer is Phil at JAL you won't be disappointed..and his word is his warranty.

It is, I wasn't sure if I was allowed to mention company names, but I spoke to him this morning and he seemed very knowledgeable. Have you used him?