[Closed] Mazda Bongotrackworld

A mate had one.  lost a lot of money on it due to the common overheating issues and as a camper not that great anyway.

I had one for five years without any issues, the overheating thing is caused by the temp gauge not being very good so people don’t realise there’s a problem till it’s too late and the damage is done, you can get a coolant alarm fitted that lets you know what’s going on,

It’s the same 2.5 engine as the ford ranger so parts are easy to get and it’s reliable enough if you service it regularly, mine was faultless and was used as my everyday car and went to Livigno, Holland, France and all over the uk without a hitch, They are a bit juicy so expect mid 20’s mpg but are quite car’y to drive and go ok,

the split fold rear seat version is better than the bench seat as when it’s folded up you can use it as a van for bikes and stuff without having to remove the rear bench seat

2wd versions are better than 4wd as there’s less to go wrong and you get an extra coulple of mpg out of em, mine was a rwd and I never got stuck even when in the snow in the alps

theyre all pretty old now so check for rust,

they are smallish for a camper but for solo or two close friend trips they’re great,

saying that if you’ve got somewhere to keep it a small caravan like an *Eriba Puck is better, I got an Eriba after my bongo and loved it..

Stealth add...*i have an Eriba Puck for sale at the mo as we’ve just got a bigger version of for longer trips away... 😏 fully kitted out with leisure battery/solar panel system, cooker/fridge etc, omnistore wind out awning with safari room.....

Another long(ish)-term Bongo owner here. We bought our V6 petrol version about 8 or 9 years ago. It's been a great family wagon - we kept ours unconverted but fitted a hook-up, leisure battery, internal power sockets etc. On the positive side - nice to drive and happy doing reasonably motorway speeds all day, reliable (serviced and looked after), great to sling kids + dogs + family kit in (as well as general light-van duties). Parts are easy to find. It'll fit in all car park bays as it's a similar size to an estate in terms of width and length.

On the down side - it's small for a camper. We did the usual thing and bought a large driveaway awning / tent which solves that in one. Watch for rust - arches are usually the first to go. Ours is a large, heavy thing and invariably a V6 petrol isn't going to be easy on the fuel. Be wary of DIY conversions.

We were advised to go for a petrol over a diesel - more reliable (apparently), fewer issues with 4WD etc. Ours is a treasured member of the family - she's been fantastic.

Go view um.

I saved and saved for one about 10years ago

Wanted pop top with a kitchen down one side and a rnr bed.

Went to view.

Jesus it was a shoebox. The things that made it attractive also made it Tiny thing. i went to daisey autopoint in fife and pretty much decided there and then I was out having looked at pretty much every possible layout in the flesh.

Look at granvia/previa/regius conversion. Slightly wider platform which covers for alot of the downfalls of the bongo (its narrowness being the main one)

Had a 4WD diesel with a full side conversion for about 6 years.

As a camper its fine for 2, but maybe a bit small if you want to take kids/dogs etc.  Bear in mind that although its tall, its no wider or longer than some of the larger 4X4 you see around nowadays. So its quiet easy to park and you can drive it like a car.

If you have one for any length of time, the rear wheel arches will need looking at as they all rust from the inside out.

Fuel consumption is awful. The best you'll get with a diesel is about 30mpg and that's at I nice steady 60.

Looked quite closely at buying one a few years ago. Chose not to as it was just too small. It also clearly looked like it’d be a hobby just keeping on top of the maintenance. At least at the price we’d been looking at.

Weve opted for a SWB medium roof van and  a professional conversion. Although that was with a different budget. And it’s only a partial conversion for good measure.

"Fuel consumption is awful. The best you’ll get with a diesel is about 30mpg and that’s at I nice steady 60"

Which is a special fuel consumption..... Must have been designed by an American to get such low fuel economy from such a small vehicle.  For reference we get 30mpg out of a 7.2m full size fully converted van on all terrains .......

Which actually cost the same as a bongo /cheaper to insure and parts are easier to get everywhere. .....just cannot be used as a daily driver by most  hence the price.

Cheers for all the replies.

I will check out the Toyota as an alternative. Are there any other alternatives to look out for? Do I go for an old T4 etc?

If your happy to go to t4 size then look atvivaro /traffic /primastar. They are a nice size without the VW scene tax

You can also sleep 2x6 foot people sideways in a Vivaro which leaves more floor space as the bed can be hard to rear across the rear wheels...

No you can't.

It's less than 1700 at its widest by the time you add insulation you have no chance of sleeping sideways.

Fiat Ducato and Renault master can do sideways beds though

You can also sleep 2×6 foot people sideways in a Vivaro

<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">If you chop  their feet off maybe.</span>

Pretty sure you can as I slept in the back of a Vivaro sideways - I'm 6'1" and I was almost straight out.

Not a chance sleeping sideways in a Vivaro, unless you’re v.small.  At 6’2 I can only just sleep across my Boxer.

My mate has had one for years and likes it. Don't think you'll need anywhere near 7k for one, he was expecting half that for his when he considered selling.

Problems wise his is about to have a load of new sills welded as rust is a problem. To be fair he's been watching it rust for a few years.

Have been looking at other vans, the Renault and Nissan etc. You get far more for your money. I am very tempted by one of these now, then just convert it myself. Will have far more space and I am not precious about being part of the VW club, we just want a camper we can pop down to Cornwall, Dorset and South Wales in at weekends.

How easy/expensive is it to pop some windows in an old panel van?

Plenty of ham fisted goons out there have successfully installed windows. Just take you’re time and at least triple check everything you’re going to do before doing it.

Or get them installed for you. Anywhere between £100 and £300 depending how pricey the fitter is and if you’re supplying a window. Windows that open cost a bit more as well.

Are you thinking fully converted campervan (pop roof, furniture built in, etc) or a MPV/dayvan you can sleep in from time to time?

If the latter there's plenty of good jap import MPVs in budget that are at that magic 10 year old mark where they can be imported more easily and cheaply - Alphard, Elgrand, Stepwagon, etc. All flexible seating for carrying people or big things and most can be flatted entirely into a bed. No factory pop-top like the Bongo but there are companies that will fit them (and all the other camper stuff) if you wanted to down the line. Been looking at them for a while, there's a lot of ex-Bongo owners on the forums and groups.

Alphard seating configurations including all-flat as a bed: 

Stepwagon seating/bed: 

Open to suggestions really.

Have found a few Vivaros that would make a good base van.

I currently have an Xtrail, any insurance companies where I can transfer my no claims from driving cars to a van?