Bongo Fury

Been looking at a bongo and asked all the usual questions, looks good,and the guy seems very straight up but when I asked about overheating he said the only time it had overheated was when he checked the coolant and forgot to put the rad cap back on and drove off and it overheated then. This was about 6 months ago and he says he's had no bother since....Should I be worried, I've had 2 heads go on Toyotas in the past and it was the guts of a grand both times. I can't afford a new head if i spend what the guy's asking, heart says go for it but my head says check with you guys. ....

I can imagine quite a few members looking at your post and wondering what the is best way to advise you. I would be thinking how long he has had it and has it any sort of service history. What prompted him to take the rad cap off in the first place because the coolant level is plainly visible in the expansion tank. When he said it had overheated how long was it for, when did he realise and did he try to nurse it home etc.

Having said all this, looking at your history with needing 2 heads replacing I think someone is trying to tell you something. You asked this man the right question and he gave you the right answer. When I started writing this post I was going to sit on the fence but now I'm going to say walk away.

he says he's had it a year, but there's little in the way of service history as he says he does all his own servicing(and to be fai,r I do all mine, but I do keep all the reciepts) beginning to get that sinking feeling, what if..... etc.... I really want to buy this bus but even a short overheat wont have done it any good will it? Trying really hard to keep an open mind but.....
thanks its good to have folk in the know to talk these things through with..

can understand your worries after owning a toyota,was it a estima or townace btw?,i bought mine (bongo)with a suspect head problem,got it quite cheap,less than £2000,so i could budget for any unforseen problems,turned out the head gasket was leaking,head was ok luckily so only cost around £250 with all parts labour /gasket and skimming,could have been another £500 on top of this if the head had cracked.
At least the guy was honest enough to admit to it overheating,as he didn't need to tell you and you wouldn't have known any different if he hadn't.

I had a 4runner and a surf (and empty wallet) Yeah the guy seems to be a good lad but I just need to think it over carefully...I cant face another head going and also I can't afford it either. (but we want a bongo so much!!!)

Trust your instincts! There's plenty more out there!

He left the rad cap off (done it myself !) and he was honest enough to tell you. Take it for a long run (on a hot day ) and plenty of traffic. If the temp guage is consistently at 11 o'clock position, and the head area and all pipes look dry, and it runs OK etc etc, then surely its OK ?

I don't think we want to put people off being honest, do we ? Having met the guy, I'm sure you'll make the right call.

If this incident happened 6 months ago and there's been no evidence of a problem I would say there isn't going to be. Well not as a result of this incident anyway. What you do need to do is assure yourself that what he is telling you is true, so take it on a long run and really work it up a few hills then check for any evidence of overheating afterwards.

When/if you buy it, thoroughly flush out the cooling sustem and I mean thoroughly (one suggestion I heard was to remove the thermostat and put in a dishwasher tablet though I have not tried this) and replace all the hoses and the thermostat, they could well be ten years old or more. With a good clean efficient cooling system properly looked after you should have no further overheating problems.

My instincts are as per Steve L.

But you could take a line similar to paul9. If the price can be made sufficiently attractive, then you could accept the risk (which as several have said may not materialise). It might be interesting to see how the seller reacts when you say you like it very much but are very worried in case the head should give trouble as a result of the overheating incident. Maybe he'll adjust the price a bit? I wonder if you could offer full price but with an amount retained for 6 months as his guarantee that the head will not play up. Doubt if you could make an agreement like that work, but its an ineresting thought!

Good luck whatever.

PS - remember there isnt, or shouldnt be, any sentiment in business. The successful salesman is very often a 'nice bloke'

I wonder if you could offer full price but with an amount retained for 6 months as his guarantee that the head will not play up.

Nice sentiment Mike but that aint gonna work, Private sales are sold as seen. As you quite rightly say though

The successful salesman is very often a 'nice bloke'

However, the fact that he mentioned the incident makes me think he is genuine and shouldn't be used as a stick to beat him with. Someone more scrupulous would have kept quiet. If it were me, I would give it a good shakedown and if all was well would buy it.

Nice sentiment Mike but that aint gonna work, Private sales are sold as seen. As you quite rightly say though

I know, and its quite true, but in theory a letter of agreemnt could be drawn up, signed and witnesses to say

"Bought as seen for £x, both parties agreeing that £y be retained for a period of z months, to be released to the vendor provided that no problems that could be directly attributed [specify] to an episode of overheating occur within that period"

Whether you would ever manage to pull an idea like that off, and whether you might end up in a legal minefield, is an ENTIRELY different matter.

But whats BF if not a little idle chit chat and speculation

Its true that there are many many more bongos out there, however you may eventually buy one that the owner left the cap off, overheated and he didnt tell you

Does the bongo tick every box? if he hadnt told you would you have bought it ?

In every vehicle there is a risk. Better the devil you know than the one you dont.


Just my opinion.

aye, as I say the guy didn't have to tell me it had overheated and it does look a grand van., just got that nagging "what if", my last toyota overheated when a hose to the rear heater gave up, spilling coolant. It went into the red only for a minute and everything seemed fine for a few months then she began to pressurise the expansion tank..a sign of head failure but it had taken months for the crack to become noticable....

What are your options neepboy? Are you finding much else out there to look at? Brorabongo (Inverness) was quite clear that Scotland was dear and difficult to purchase in, and he went south to open up his options. A pain I know but worth bearing in mind. Reluctance to make the effort can make the one on your doorstep look better than it might actually be, if you get me.

Mike

This think about his honesty puzzles me. Might he just have been making it up as he went along, so he can defend anything that happens by saying well I did mention the overheat incident? Wot me paranoid. Nah!