Bongo Fury

Well folks sadly it is time to part with my bongo, missus has bought me a landie freelander for my birthday, anyone looking message me lol. I will put it on the for sale. End of an era for me.

Take care David. End of an era indeed. You'll be much missed. Good luck with the next great adventure.

Crikey.

Make sure you stay around on here, mind.

As Bob says David...don't leave us entirely....stay lurking and enjoy your Landie...

Best wishes...

Alan

All the best David.......but hang around I do!!............

Hi David
Yes...good luck to you , and stay around on here!
Cheers
Helen

Yes it's twelve months since my Bongo went up to Newcastle .. and as since been written off .. (but bet it's back on the road somewhere) ..

As I live on my own I still come on BF (and FB) as it helps fill in time ..

Jolly good crew here, real friends.

To me it seems like a lot of the forum regulars are ridding themselves of their Bongos. I still cannot imagine any replacement vehicle in budget for actually using as an outdoors/day/camping solution. Ultimately it depends on what you personally and practically use it for.

At a guess Bongo's market value must be 10pct more or whatever the pound tanking percentage is given these are imports.

All the best for the Bongoless future.

BongoBongo123 wrote:To me it seems like a lot of the forum regulars are ridding themselves of their Bongos. I still cannot imagine any replacement vehicle in budget for actually using as an outdoors/day/camping solution. Ultimately it depends on what you personally and practically use it for.

At a guess Bongo's market value must be 10pct more or whatever the pound tanking percentage is given these are imports.

All the best for the Bongoless future.

Yes it does seem like many are moving on. Understandable i guess. Kids grow up, people get old, Bongos need TLC. I'm still up for one as i just love driving them and their usefulness and with retirement coming up i'd like to enjoy at least a couple of years touring landscapes in the Bongo. And i regard it as my duty anyway to do all i can within reason to repair/refurb so it can be handed on as a good working vehicle when i do sell it. These things are classics

I have spoken to a some people that are or getting rid due to the Tin Worm worry, and a few that wont purchase due to the same problem with affordable vehicles.

teenmal wrote:I have spoken to a some people that are or getting rid due to the Tin Worm worry, and a few that wont purchase due to the same problem with affordable vehicles.

Yes i think you have to be eyes wide open (but not panicked) about that. Tackle rust promptly is my advice. And add £2k on to the cost of affordable vehicles to cover contingencies, reminding yourself how much more a rusty and less comfortable VW would cost

There will be some affordable ones out there whose owners have, like me, been prepared to spend and have rust cut out and welded long before it becomes an MOT issue. But there will be others who never gave it a thought and who now have rust buckets! A rust free older Bongo will be a rarity though unless it was a recently imported Grade 4

I find that rather bizarre. What can you find that is £5K that is a real camper van with roof tent and decent condition ? Nowt. Rust is not a problem really. Surface rust is very easy to treat, enjoyable even. Sand, rust convert paint over.

If you have the tin worm and are getting rid you will get tin worm money for it.

If you don't want rust don't buy a vehicle aged over 10 years old, full stop.

Though that never stopped the rust bucket VW's I see all over the country on my travels.
FWIW our Bongo is as rust free as I could imagine a 20 y.o. vehicle being. The rear arches are solid as a rock. You simply have to keep an eye out and deal with the superficial to stop the problematic when it comes to rust, it applies to any older vehicle.

You only need 1 thing to go wrong on a modern computerized vehicle and you could be seeing bills of thousands and if it is a camper you will have paid a lot of money for it. I am not saying a Bongo does not cost to keep but I greatly prefer an older vehicle myself. Much more economical in the longer run even with mishaps.

I will keep looking after it as best as I can and driving as gently as possible (which I believe counts for a lot when it comes to much component longevity). We both love ours, it would be hard to imagine being without it.

However with that in mind we all have to make our decisions that best meet our aims.

Agree with you completely bb123. Take your time, do your research, be prepared to travel, inspect thoroughly, be realistic about what you must pay and what you can expect.....and an old Bongo still has a lot to offer.

I think the problem, if you can call it that, with Bongos is that they are in that tricky middle ground between being an old, depreciating vehicle, and a modern classic. A number of years ago you couldn't give a Morris Minor away; they were a relic from an earlier age, with little performance and far more rust prone than a Bongo. Then they started to become older and rarer, and industries sprang up dedicated yo providing parts and services to keep them on the road. There are still thousands in use, and you will rarely see a tatty one, as people are prepared to spend time and money restoring and preserving them.
Anything campervan oriented seems to hold its value much better, and warrant being maintained. Down where I live n the Devon coast you'll see all manner of old motorhomes, large and small, that are far older that Bongos, but still obviously cared for. And I'm not talking about collectable VWs, but old Talbots, Fiats etc. As long as funds and time permit I intend to keep our Freda on the road.