[Closed] Show me your Mazda Bobgos

had one for a few years, thirsty as hell , a bit tippy, but inside is great although a pain that the front seats dont rotate
check for smoke from cold statup, as there is no warning that the coolant is low it can cause gasket issues
RWD can get tricky in muddy fields get 4WD but then even thirstier
electric blinds and electric poptop was great
had no reliability issues at all, and everything worked even though it was 1996 model.

i think the toyota hiace version has turning front seat and better fuel
(also RWD) not many have poptops though

also the nissan elgrand i think has similar seat configs, but i think the front and MIDDLE seats also rotate around if you want, not many have poptops thought

Had our 1996 2.5 diesel since 2012. It's taken us down to Croatia and back ( https://www.flickr.com/photos/pimpmasterjazz/sets/72157631537644890/) but we're currently contemplating selling as we're not using it as a camper, and are unlikely to for a few years.

To add to back2basics:

thirsty as hell , a bit tippy, but inside is great although a pain that the front seats dont rotate...

Depends what you compare to. High 20s/low 30s MPG for the diesel. Ours isn't particularly tippy, but then it's on lower profile tyres and has air supports inside the rear coils. Seats don't turn, but can be made into rear facing seats; people have fitted aftermarket swivels too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6IkMN3HB-A&spfreload=10

check for smoke from cold statup, as there is no warning that the coolant is low it can cause gasket issues

Agreed. Can also be a sign the glowplugs are on their way out on a diesel.

RWD can get tricky in muddy fields get 4WD but then even thirstier

Common discussion - 4WDs apparently handle better but 2WDs are marginally more fuel efficient. We've got a 2WD with no added electrics (manual blinds, manual wing mirrors etc.) as we figured it was less to go wrong. A lot of owners up north run 2WDs and put on winter tyres when it gets cold with few issues.

The elevating roof is brilliant. Makes the space in the rear a LOT more usable.

Other common problem in the UK is rust round the arches. Because the Japanese don't grit their roads, all Bongos are aftermarket undersealed when they come to the UK. It's not ideal, and consequently our gritted roads can cause corrosion problems. The first place to go is normally the nearside rear arch. It's not a huge issue in itself, but is a pig to treat - it normally involves new arches, which will cost about £4-500 all in.

When buying I wanted a manual (which are quite rare) but was advised against - the gearing is apparently very short and the auto box is pretty bullet-proof.

Regarding carrying bikes, there's loads of options including towbars and rear racks.

I could go on as there's loads of benefits and things to look out for, but that covers a few basics. 🙂

Pimpmaster Jazz - where are you? What sort of price are you thinking? Sorry for the thread hijack!

We bought a 95 N reg 4WD Bongo last year its got a few spots of rust which I will be sorting out this year buts its great! It will do about 25MPG if cruising but its only used when we go camping so we just add the fuel to the cost of the holiday.

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This was this weekend in Purbeck
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There's a great Bongo community on Facebook and BongoFury. You can find an answer to anything you need.

My son usually sleeps upstairs and we have a memory foam mattress up there which is surprising comfy.

I use a Thule towbar mounted bike carrier which has been rock steady.

The only problem I had with the one I had, and the ones I've been looking at, is that the interiors always look so poorly maintained on the models in my price range.

Every 95/97/98 model I've seen has a badly worn / ripped front seat and just a general grottiness to the interior.

I'm looking for one now as our second car. I do 25k miles a year and she does 4k so a Bongo would suit ours needs perfectly.

Hi Mintyjim,

We're on the Isle of Wight. 😀

We're thinking somewhere around £7k with arches done (got some of the evil bubbling on the nearside arch) a little less without. That's with full Montague side conversion including SMEG hob and electric hook-up, roofbars, bike rack, awning and all relevant kit inside - all you'd need is sleeping bags or a duvet.

As said above, it's 2WD, imported in 2011 and has 52k on the clock. We've also had it serviced at either Montague (who've also done a little work on the conversion since) or a local Jap import specialist on the island. Front droplinks also recently done - something else that Bongos get through.

Apologies for second hijack!

We were selling ours, but we've decided to keep it as the second vehicle, after spending 4 weeks plus a few weekends in it last summer we decided we needed some more adventures in it first. Driving very gently we got about 28mpg (4x4 diesel), it's not the best for long driving days (bit noisy, quite comfy though), but as a low mileage mega flexible vehicle for weekends and weeks away seems pretty good for the money they are.

Any hints on the best way to treat the arches, currently got about a mars bar size bit of rust on the nearside arch, is this something a bodyshop can sort out fairly cheaply before it gets worse?

The rust starts on the inside, and my understanding is once it's in there its virtually impossible to eradicate. I've read stories of people coating the inside with motor oil and regularly spraying WD40 between the inside arch and body, but basically it's a pig to deal with. At the moment I treat with Kurust to keep it in check, but there's been a noticeable increase over the winter - got a little more than a 50p size on the outside now, but there's a few very small patches on close inspection around the inside of the arch. The only benefit is it doesn't affect the running of the vehicle in any way. 🙂

My understanding is there's two methods: treat and fill but expect it to come back, or have new arches welded in. The bodyworker I spoke to quoted £80 to do a temporary job or £400 to weld in two new arches (Merc Sprinters are the usual one as they're a similar size and look) and respray the bottom of the van.

Hi Pimpmaster,
Sorry, that's a little rich for my blood! Plus, we don't need a conversion because we'd only ever be doing one or two nights away. Thanks for letting me know though.

Cheers

Friend has one and she's converted it to dual fuel - unleaded and LPG. LPG improves the mileage and is much cheaper than normal petrol / diesel.

I've driven it a couple of times and at 6 foot I felt a little squashed in the drivers seat - though this may partly be due to the kitchen unit behind the driver's seat.

I've driven it a couple of times and at 6 foot I felt a little squashed in the drivers seat - though this may partly be due to the kitchen unit behind the driver's seat.

I'm 6ft and have no issues as well as room to spare, if that helps.

I have 2.5L V6 Petrol. As everyone says above, watch for wheelarch rust, and coolant/temperature issues and you'll be fine. They hold their value pretty well but are thirsty. I use mine as a dayvan for work and get about 25 mpg, 35 on a long run doing no more than 60mph.
The key thing is that if you have a 99 on version (mk 2), remove the rear bench seat (makes it 5 seat rather than 8) and you can get your bike straight in without doing anything, even a 29er

[url= http://www.bongoforum.co.uk/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1309616277/ ]My Van[/url]

I have 2.5L V6 Petrol. As everyone says above, watch for wheelarch rust, and coolant/temperature issues and you'll be fine. They hold their value pretty well but are thirsty. I use mine as a dayvan for work and get about 25 mpg, 35 on a long run doing no more than 60mph.
The key thing is that if you have a 99 on version (mk 2), remove the rear bench seat (makes it 5 seat rather than 8) and you can get your bike straight in without doing anything, even a 29er

[url= http://www.bongoforum.co.uk/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1309616277/ ]My Van[/url]

We've a 95 4WD autotop. Had it for six or seven years, and taken it from 60k miles up to 120k. Best ever fuel consumption on a tank is 26.9mpg, long term average is 23.2, though it's fitted with the bull bars and driving lights, which probably make a bit of difference.
Very comfy, easy to drive for long distances, not too noisy when it's cruising. Lots of electric stuff, but no cruise control.

It's been on the back of a breakdown truck twice, once with a holed radiator, which the engine survived, once after a hose split, which the engine didn't.
Fit a coolant level alarm to the coolant tank- you're silly if you don't- though I'd somehow disconnected a wire from ours at some stage, so had no warning the coolant was gone when the hose split.

We'd probably have a newer one, but wanted the split rear seats, others (as above) prefer the seat on runners.
Bikes need to go in diagonally unless you take a wheel off, so not as handy as you might think, though you can still squeeze in a couple with wheels on.

Needs a bit of work done most years, latest bill was nearly £500, though that included replacing the gearbox oil, which made a big difference. Parts are fairly cheap, lots being broken now, but some bits are still in short supply. The mechanic we use only does Bongo work, charges £30 an hour, so that helps.
Ours has been waxoyled underneath, no rust problems showing so far.
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