I seem to becoming intrigued by these little camper /day vans , anyone had one , or got one.

They seem to be mostly diesel and automatic, but only rated at about 30mpg?

Comments from owners welcome.

Owelly will be along shortly to give you all your answers I'm sure.

my uncle has one. weve towed my kits around all over with it! diesel auto and pretty good really.

Yes Owellys your man for Bongo's, I had a Nissan Elgrand also worth a look if your thinking about a day van, mine was great for overnight trackdays, 35mpg on a run, 25mpg local or towing, but a big 3200cc diesel, with auto box, the real rolls royce of MPV'S, mine was a bit bling for most people taste, but I loved it



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Mate has the V6 auto version, very good spec and is thinking of selling, you interested ? Could ask....It has the gas conversion too.


he had the diesel auto 4x4 version before that and loved it.

Bongos can be prone to cooling problems and cracked heads- because of the position of the engine being set back under the cab. An excellent alternative to consider is the Toyota Granvia MPV. Come in either 8 or 7 seater configurations with revolving middle seats and sometimes also the passenger seat. Seats fold flat to form a bed. They come with a variety of engines - the most popular of which is the bombproof 130bhp 3.0 turbo diesel engine (same as in the landcruiser) and are also available in 4wd.
Bongos are also prone to rusting out the rear arches - you won't find much in the way of rust on a Granvia.

Some Bongos are getting on a bit and have been in this country for a few years. If they didn't get undersealed and waxoyled as soon as they came off the ship, they'll have rust. The rear wheel arches rot out from the inside as condensation runs down the inside of the rear panel and pools on the inside. Feel for the wheel arch lip to see if it has had another panel glued on top. Check for inner sills, outer sills and the box section 'chassis' sections underneath. Pay particular attention to the front valance and cross member and the rear cross member up behind the rear bumper.
But the biggy for all Bongos and Ford Fredas, is the overheating issues! Firstly, they don't overheat by design! The engine which is under a cover between the seats, has lots of rubber pipes which are now getting on a bit. Likewise, under the vehicle, there are a few steel coolant pipes including the ones to the rear heater unit. These steel pipes, if they didn't get blathered in Waxoyl, will be getting crusty. There are a couple of steel pipes that run from the autobox up to the radiator to cool the oil, and these can also rust through if untreated. And whilst we're looking at the radiator, these too can become silted-up or the cooling fins drop out. On a conventional vehicle, you'd notice steam coming out of the bonnet if a hose popped. In a Bongo, the coolant is in a big line in the road behind you.... Anti-roll bar drop links and the ARB bushes wear out. Ball joint rubbers fail which cause the joints to wear. Electrical gremlins with the central locking and windows crop up and can cause fuses to pop and windows to do daft things.
That's the bad stuff and here's the good news....:

Reputable importers rust treated all their vehicles as they landed and these vehicles will be sound. Check the places mentioned in case the squirter missed. Check the rear arches for repairs and/or plastic covers hiding grot.
Check for history of overheating. Rusty stains around the header tank usually means it's been spewing out coolant. If the vehicle has been cooked, check to see if it has had a new Mazda head fitted. There are cheap replacement heads available and they don't last long. Refilling the coolant on a Bongo is often described as a dark art and there are lots of places who can tell you the 'secret' including youtube and the various foruii. But basically, it's the same as any vehicle is as mush as, you have to make sure all the air is out of the highest point in or the syastem. On a Bongo, there is a bleed hose under the passenger seat. As you fill up the coolant, hold the end of this pipe above the level of the header tank. Keep dipping it below the level to see at what level the water is. Once water is coming out of the pipe, start the engine and keep the pipe raised. As the thermostat opens, the level in the header tank will go down and you'll get a few bubbles from the pipe. Just keep topping it uo to the correct level. Somefolks back-fill the system with a funnel in the hose but either way works.
Coolant level alarms are a good thing to set your mind at rest and are available from a couple of places on the T'web. A better solution is to replace all the rubber hoses before they pop and check the steel pipes whilst you're at it. If the temperature gauge runs just over halfway and the radiator looks a bit crusty, fit a new one.
To mend the electrical gremlins, pull back the flexible conduit between the door and door post and fix the broken wires! Do the same if the rear wash wipe stops working.
Availability of spares has got a lot better over the past few years and the prices for spares has come down.
Radiator £85
Ball joints £45
ARB drop links (use Vectra ones) £12
ARB bushes £12

Buy a snotter, and you'll spend a fortune and hate the thing. Buy a good one, and look after it and you'll love it! My first one was a 2wd which managed about 28mpg up and down the hills and 35 on a run. It was rubbish at pulling my boat up slippery slipways and not too good in deep snow so I imported another one with 4WD. It's utterly amazing in the snow! I fitted a set of cheap snow tyres and it was pushing through snow that was up to the bull bar! I've towed a 6000kg boat with mine but it's happier with my kit car hanging off the towball.
It averages 24mpg locally and 32 on a run. Mine has the AFT pop-up roof which is good for kipping in and all the rear seats fold flat to make another double bed. The seats can be slid about and folded to make seating and a table. Tin-tops, or Bongalows, are a lot cheaper to buy so decide if you need an 8 seater with sleeping for two, or an 8 seater with a tent on top!
Insurance for me is £224 fully comp and there is plenty of brokers wanting to cover imports.
The main forii would be bongofury and bongoforum. I found Bongofury to have tons of info but some of it has to be paid for. Bongoforum is free.

I bought the best I could find and have used it every day since it came off the cargo ship and would recommend anyone to do the same. However, my Bongo will be up for sale in the next few weeks as I've bought a stupid vehicle to replace it!!
Any more questions, just ask!

Wow, thanks for taking that much time and typing excellent information, you could copy and save that in notepad for the next person who asks about Bongos!

My old Citroen Xantia 2.0 hdi does 45mpg, so the Bongo mpg sounds a bit nasty!!, I've been spoilt!!!

I've also been introduced to two vehicles I hadn't heard of

The Nissan Egrand and the Toyota Granvia!

Thanks again everyone

[Edited on 2/5/13 by Surrey Dave]

Dave,

Are you going down the route of caravan/MPV/car now, and not a camper van?

If so, u2u me .....................................

dont worry, im not selling my NEW 4 berth caravan !!
and your NOT staying in it!

Steve