Yet another newbie In Scotland - Bongo just bought!
Posted: Mon May 01, 2017 11:51 am
Well, technically, it's my mother in laws Bongo, but it'll be used throughout the family, and I'm the project lead so to speak..
We were drawn to the Bongo as it seems to offer the best balance of flexibility, availability, cost and size.
So, on Saturday we bought a Bongo. It's green, and pretty original looking, looks nice and solid, and drives pretty well. It's a diesel and meets all of our desired criteria which were:
Auto Free Top so it could sleep 4.
Tilting rear seats to allow 5x 3 point seat belts with a small kitchen unit fitted, or 6x 3 point belts without.
Dicky seats.
Preferably diesel (though not actually that fussy...)
So, we went to see 2 on Saturday, and drove the 2nd one home!
Overall, I'm really impressed with how much is fitted into these small packages, and everything seems to work so far too, though the high centre of gravity and tendency to lean over on corners is taking some getting used to as I'm more of a sports car man!
It came with a kitchen unit that is tired but functional, and an awning which fits the same description.
The project list is small, and hopefully manageable, I'm hoping to take this from being a good van (well I think it's a good one anyway!) to a great one.
The list so far stands at:
Clean the interior, then clean it some more!
Attempt to get rid of smoke smell..
Remove and repaint wipers.
Fit low coolant level alarm.
Do something with the dirty / broken ashtrays (replace, or something else?)
Investigate power hook ups / leisure batteries etc.
Investigate and possibly sort out small areas of peeling lacquer.
Fix anything that needs fixing!
Sort yellowed headlights.
Possibly find replacement rear light lenses (they are cracked, but not too badly)
Possibly fix rear bumper which is hanging low at one side.
Investigate why rear heater control doesn't do anything (or learn how to use it properly!!)
The overall plan is that my mother in law will drive this to campsites with nieces etc. in whilst I drive there in a slightly quicker fashion in the sports car with a tent in the boot. Family camping trips that allow both fast and slow pace, scenery, great roads, and quality family time.
Chris
We were drawn to the Bongo as it seems to offer the best balance of flexibility, availability, cost and size.
So, on Saturday we bought a Bongo. It's green, and pretty original looking, looks nice and solid, and drives pretty well. It's a diesel and meets all of our desired criteria which were:
Auto Free Top so it could sleep 4.
Tilting rear seats to allow 5x 3 point seat belts with a small kitchen unit fitted, or 6x 3 point belts without.
Dicky seats.
Preferably diesel (though not actually that fussy...)
So, we went to see 2 on Saturday, and drove the 2nd one home!
Overall, I'm really impressed with how much is fitted into these small packages, and everything seems to work so far too, though the high centre of gravity and tendency to lean over on corners is taking some getting used to as I'm more of a sports car man!
It came with a kitchen unit that is tired but functional, and an awning which fits the same description.
The project list is small, and hopefully manageable, I'm hoping to take this from being a good van (well I think it's a good one anyway!) to a great one.
The list so far stands at:
Clean the interior, then clean it some more!
Attempt to get rid of smoke smell..
Remove and repaint wipers.
Fit low coolant level alarm.
Do something with the dirty / broken ashtrays (replace, or something else?)
Investigate power hook ups / leisure batteries etc.
Investigate and possibly sort out small areas of peeling lacquer.
Fix anything that needs fixing!
Sort yellowed headlights.
Possibly find replacement rear light lenses (they are cracked, but not too badly)
Possibly fix rear bumper which is hanging low at one side.
Investigate why rear heater control doesn't do anything (or learn how to use it properly!!)
The overall plan is that my mother in law will drive this to campsites with nieces etc. in whilst I drive there in a slightly quicker fashion in the sports car with a tent in the boot. Family camping trips that allow both fast and slow pace, scenery, great roads, and quality family time.
Chris
