Me and the missus have been, idley, considering selling the caravan and buying a campervan. In a recent thread on here there seemed to be a lot of love for the Mazda Bongo (why did they have to call it that?), so a few questions for owners of said percussive camper –
1. Are they all automatics? (Never driven an auto…. a bit apprehensive about the idea, tbh).
2. As a 6’2″ chap, what are the bed sizes like – in one of our caravan doubles I can easily put a foot through the cupboard door!
3. Mechanically reliable?

Ta.

automatic and 4×4 = thirsty. everyone i know who has had one has got rid of it sharpish. get a sprinter

Sprinter or lwb ht tranny and get some mates who are handy with the tools, couple o base units.sink cooker n beds bingo!!!

You sat in one ?

I was set on one , then had a sniff about a couple of pop tops

Sooooo small inside and thatll be worse if your used to a caravan.

Sprinter or lwb ht tranny and get some mates who are handy with the tools, couple o base units.sink cooker n beds bingo!!!

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3 months into my project and counting. Not quite that simple if you want it done well.
Anyway, the thing that put me off Bongos was the fuel economy and the purchase price, mid-90s ones with 100k miles are still going for £3-4k!
Would be ideal size for me though, bed in the pop-up bit and bikes downstairs.
And no, they aren’t all autos. Find the manual ones listed on ebay just between hen’s teeth and rocking horse manure. That’s the other thing which put me off, I would never, ever have an auto anything and the manual ones are so few and far between.
Not trying to put you off, if you have the funds to keep putting fuel in it go for it.
See also Mitusbishi Delcia

Love ours. We’ve a petrol V6 automatic.

Yes, thirsty but ours is a ‘second’ car so only used or trips /weekends so not as important as it could be. The fact it’s an automatic is neither here nor there to me TBH – it does make it a joy to drive mind you. Can merrily bumble along through long hauls as it’s so easy; high driving position, comfy cabin with air con etc and some power from the V6.

Inside is smaller than most campers (the whole thing is the same length as an E class Merc estate). Easy to park etc but for us (2 kids and wife and I) we’ve a decent sized awning to make camping trips practical. Fold down bed downstairs is a good size though, ditto the pop-up roof. Ours is unconverted so it functions as an 8 seater people carrier too and the seats all slide forward / backwards so it makes a great bike carrier also. I thnk the rear bench can actually be removed too though never tried it. Conversions cut down on the practicality and space (though we’ve had ours fitted with a decent leisure battery, external hookup and power sockets throughout.)

I’d recommend them but as with most things it’s horses for courses! The chap / garage we bought ours from recommended the petrol over the diesel for mechanical reasons – they service over 50 bongos a year so he knows what he’s talking about – reckons that maintained well they’re good for 250K miles…

Sprinter or lwb ht tranny and get some mates who are handy with the tools, couple o base units.sink cooker n beds bingo!!!

I did the half arsed version with a med high 2.0l Transit 75. Worth it in the end but still needed some proper storage & table. Apart from that was great 32mpg ish.

If your over 6ft then look at high tops.

My friends had a good little one. Possibly wasn’t the best conversion. Was a nice little motor but they had to get rid of it as the fuel economy was crippling.

I looked around for a while and thought about VW, Transit etc but settled on the Bongo. It’s a 4×4 automatic diesel with elevating roof and I love it.
Yes the fuel economy’s not great but when I drive it I don’t feel in any rush to get anywhere so just travel at “Bongo Speed” and get about 30-35mpg. Mine’s unconverted apart from reversing the middle seats, overhead o/s lockers and a table but there’s plenty of place to store stuff and it’s always ready for an impromptu trip away being kitted out with a stove, plates, pans, sleeping bags etc
I’m 6’2″ and with the seats folded down the bed is bigger than a double and it provides a great nights sleep.

The main thing is to look at condition and don’t focus too much on age or mileage, condition is everything, mine is 13 years old, has done 130k but the body, chassis and interior are immaculate.

Have a look at Bongo Fury forum and all your questions will be answered

Ive two mates who have / had them. One has had his overheat several times – due to inboard engine and long cooling pipes prone to leaks. Headgasket type over heating.

The second mate flogged his shortly after the fuel cost and mechanical woes.

If your not bothered by fuel cost and can splash out fixing all the gremlins that are likley on an old imported vehicle and dont mind a lack of space – get one.

Personally Id buy a Transit and convert it yourself.

We avoided all problems by having it checked over every 6 months by a Bongo specialist (Ian Taylor Imports).
He caught all the cooling problems before they occurred because he knew exactly what to look for.
Same with other little bits and bobs.

Good cheap supply of spares available.

I never had an automatic before, but I absolutely loved it. Also all the controls are on the correct side (being made for right-hand-drive). Obviously I am now ruined for most euro cars 🙂

Can’t comment on size because I’m only 5’10”

Only real downside is the fuel economy. Don’t believe the 30-35mpg listed above. The record for any Bongo is 32 and that was a 2wd bongolow. Mine was about 28 on a long journey and 24 on the school run.

We used ours as our only vehicle for 6 years and loved it. Sad to see it go. In the end the fuel economy was too much and my in-laws offered to buy us a new car. We took them up on it.
Only ever let us down once in 6 years – The steering fluid oozed out. The steering was too heavy to use safely. Cost £250 for a reconditioned steering rack and associated bits/fitting.

Ours wasn’t converted at all, which was perfect for us. ymmv.

Mate had one as an early attempt at “day vanning” What I mean by that is a van that has the ability to be slept in with windsurfing kit and enough room for a couple and a dog for occasional over night stays.
Bongo was the option as there is a dealer on Hayling Island that imports them.
They chose a petrol v6 auto and had some conversion work done on it with a sink, stove and loo added.
Great van, they made some blinds for it and added some extra power sockets and all was well for a year until they sold it and bought a new Vito and had that converted by Action Vans over Shoreham way.

As said the only comments thay had was it was expensive to run.

So, overall, a bad idea, then? *considers a T4 conversion*

Probably not a “bad” idea as such no, more like a good idea but be aware of fuel costs (depending on model) and looks like some have had issues with reliability.

In all I’d go for a FSH and from a decent importer. As said, the guy on Hayling has about 10+ in stock at anyone time, don;t know the garage name but he’s in Mengham on the Island if that helps.

Is there an owners club on “t’Internet”?

I have had one for just over two years and it is great. Ours is auto, which I prefer and 4wd. Yes it does like diesel but it is a two tonne van, not much worse than a modern people carrier.

More pictures and words here

The Bongo duffbus

Driving an auto takes about 2 minutes to figure out. Ease of use is the entire point. All you have to do is keep your left leg well out of the way and off you go.

not much worse than a modern people carrier

Don’t kid yourself. 40 is reasonable for a modern van or people carrier, I got 46mpg from a 170bhp Ford Galaxy which I hired, whilst putting it through its paces too.

*considers a T4 conversion*

Which are fairly old now ,expensive to buy and hard to find with low mileage.

not much worse than a modern people carrier

@ Molgrips OK, perhaps I should have said “much worse” than a modern people carrier 🙂

I get about 30mpg on a run in mine, worse round town

Toxicsoks, what’s your budget? I started out wanting a Bongo, then looked at a T4, and ended up with a nice T5 Kombi. Glad I went for the T5 as it’s genuinely a pleasure to drive imho.

Don’t believe the 30-35mpg listed above

Why? I’ve no reason to exaggerate what I’m getting from my motor, it’s not like I’m trying to sell it. That’s the mpg I’m getting from MY van but they are all different. As for the recorded being 32, have a look at Bongo Fury on the forum, plenty of stories of higher mileage than that, more than a few that are a lot lower as well though

As for owners club, same link as above

hairyneep – sorry I should have said “don’t factor on getting the 30-35mpg listed”.
I stopped reading Bongo Fury a few years ago and there was a thread asking people to post their full tank mpg. The best was 32. I’ve just had a quick look and it seems there are plenty of people reporting more than that now. Seems the trick is to keep below 2500rpm and 60mph. There also seem to be an electrically controlled fuel pump on some models which helps too.