Bongo Fury

I've been here before, looking at a Bongo, asking advice, a few years ago now. We decided not to go forward in the end, we still wanted a caravan, and towing with a Bongo appeared easy enough except when applying licence limitations and no-one at the vehicle/licence agencies would confirm if the weighbridge paperwork was adequate, bla bla... I wasn't confident enough to take the attitude of "well, I've done all I can, got as much info as possible, go for it".

Its not just covid, the past few years have been *bleep* awful, and covid hit just as I could see the light at the end of the tunnel (its not actually supposed to be an oncoming train!) We need to get back to being ourselves and get out and about again, so we need a proper dayvan, possibly something we can overnight in, or camp for a couple of days. I finally got rid of the caravan and we hired a static before covid, so the kids and the husband especially, don't want to go back.

I have questions, and I'm hoping you lovely folks can answer some of my queries:

We're looking for a private sale, they're cheaper, but I'm going to research what to look for and I wondered if it was a good idea to get the RAC to do their car-purchase pre-check, or has anyone used them already and realised that they don't understand Bongos? Are Bongo friendly garages likely to look over a Bongo for me prior to purchase?

Will I find it difficult to insure? It is expensive?

I don't intend to tow anymore, except a little trailer maybe for tip runs, but I'm thinking bike carrier or towball storage box for longer trips. Has anyone used either? Is it difficult to get them?

Do you use your Bongo as a daily commuting vehicle? I'm not sure how much more expensive it will be to use it as a daily compared to keeping a daily car, and wondered if anyone has looked at this dilemma, what you chose to do and why?

I spoke to my garage. They do work on a Bongo occasionally, the person in question doesn't use it much, so they don't work on it often, but the guy I spoke to said it was difficult to get parts and to match the battery which they had to do at one point. Will I find it difficult to source parts?

We had a T25 for a little while about a decade ago, I didn't like driving it, but I have driven a Bongo and that was fine. I remember being told to keep certain spare parts on hand and learn how to fit them. Is this true of the Bongo as well?

It is very expensive to keep a Bongo? I just paid out £850 for my husband's Vauxhall Corsa to have repairs and that's done barely 50K. All my own cars have been secondhand, cheap family runarounds that I usually don't expect to sell on, so I don't service and I don't do major repairs because its cheaper to get another car. I know I will have to with a Bongo (which will be my car pretty much), but how much, on average, do you spend a year on maintenance? How much is a yearly service for a Bongo?

Overall, is a petrol 2.0/diesel cheaper and easier to take care of?

I'm not sure whether to get a Bongo at all. I really like them, I really wanted the one I went after a few years back but decided not to get. However, I do have a peugeot partner, and did have an Amdro unit in the back. We have out own DIY unit at the moment but we're not carpenters, so its pretty awful and awkward. If I kept that arrangement, I would get a bigger car, remove the extra seats and get a custom unit built to make it easier to use. I'm really tempted by how much easier that could be than a Bongo because I've heard a lot of naysaying on them in the past. But I don't think it'll be as near as much fun. Has anyone on here gotten rid of a Bongo for a different dayvan arrangement (even if you came back to Bongos), why did you? Is it easier with the kids in tow? Did you go back to Bongos after they grew up?

I'm looking at a Bongo at the moment, I'm not sure of what questions to ask. Is there a sample list somewhere I could use to help guide me? I'm reading my way through the website bit by bit and other websites, but if there's a section I should jump to first, I'd appreciate someone pointing the way.

End kitchen vs side kitchen vs that weird box that I see in the back of some Bongos with power points on it. Can anyone tell me what works for them and why? Can someone point me to an anatomy of that weird storage box so I know how it functions?

Lastly, I have a Khyman quick erect awning for my current car, will that fit next to a Bongo? Or are there only a very few awnings that will fit a Bongo?

Oh, and I live near Portsmouth, Hampshire, are there any good Bongo garages near me that people know of or even use?

If you've read this far and/or manage answer my even one of my questions, know that I am very grateful for your time.

Sarah

Hi Sarah

A few questions, but I'll try.

Info on buying here:

https://igmaynard.co.uk/buying/

Also, Allans, Plymouth, has a very useful web site and is a top Bongo chap:

https://www.allansvehicleservices.co.uk ... ongo-tips/

The 2 Ltr is the simplest engine by some good way, and any garage 'should' be able to work on it, but... too many garages will just order parts from Mazda, who don't like grey impports so order from Japan, when parts are readily available here.

If your garage had trouble sourcing a battery I'd go elsewhere as these are very easily available.

This firm is good, but any accessory shop should get one in a couple of hours:

https://www.tayna.co.uk/

Insurance, this is individual so you'll need quotes. Several firms advertise on here.

Second car for daily driver? Again, depends on your use, mileage, and so on.

Annual costs, very little depreciation (people often overlook that) but they are getting on so it's a bit pot luck. I've had mine 12 years with almost no problems, but it is serviced according to the schedule. Religiously. Because Bongos can be picked up cheaply too many people on a tight budget get one, don't take care of it, then complain they're trouble. They're not if taken care of.

Annual service not much different to any 2/2.5 ltr car.

Hope that helps a little.

Thanks Bob, I'll check out all those links. We do have a tight budget, but we like to do lots of things, so I'm used to keeping costs down and shopping around; ieven if I don't get a Bongo, the next car I get will be our dayvan in one way or another and I will be doing regular checks and servicing, so either way, I have to count on paying for it.

Buying un-converted will save £££ and give you a great day van.

I've got a table which fits in front of the middle seat, keep a Portapotti in the back, and brew kit under the seat.

I have a Pendle, tow bar mounted, bike rack, and made an addaptor to take said table under the tailgate.

Covers most requirements on a day trip.

Happy Bongo hunting.

Bob, thanks for another reply. Yes, an idea buzzing around the back of my head was about a camping kitchen/cupboard that I could stash everything in and put in the boot... It certainly offers versatility.

Hi Sarah,
We have had our Bongo for a few years now, and are hooked.
1. As hips age, the automatic is perfect.
2. We took the mini kitchen out and put the second rear seat back in - it makes a better double bed - comfort is king! Younger ones sleep in the roof, although we have at times.
3. We come from a camping background, so use an awning as a kitchen/sitting room, and have an old toybox as a kitchen. A bit of DIY raises the lid to table height for cooking, giving access to the insides of the box.
4. We use the van for extended family trips, furniture moves, etc, so love the flexibility. Can slide a full double mattress in over the full set of seats folded flat, also dining tables, wardrobes...
5. We invested in a Bak Rak for bikes, but it will take a big box instead if you want.
6. We are seriously thinking of swapping our 1995 diesel for a newer petrol to be a bit more climate friendly, but we are very attached to our first Bongo.
7. We carry a couple of collapsible stools so that both of our mothers can climb aboard, despite being 87 and 88 respectively.

We don't think you will get the affordable flexibility in anything else. Do find a good Bongo specialist garage so that you don't have to spend time training them!