Something new

[mesobitchy]

As you may or may not know, over the weekend myself and garry went and picked up a new motor :)


I was giving the task to find a large, big, robust car that would do for the trips to and from Italy,
mum was looking into caravanets and winabageo'... hummm fair enough they are big and the rest of it, but they cant be used day to day (witch was another thing it needed to do!) and also be able to park easy with out much if any fuss!

Armed with this info we went on the hunt, we looked at mitsubishi, toyota, nissan and mazda.
after hunting for a good few weeks for about 4 or so hour each evening we found one that ticked all the boxes and then some!
it was perfect, i loved it!
i then joined a forum to learn more about this thing that we was going to get, it took both me and garry over a week to hammer it into mums brain that this is better then one of them luton converted things!
she finaly (or so we thought!) saw sence and handed over the money so we can go buy it, (as this was a gift for my nan).

ok, we did pay a little over the odds for it, but we are the first UK owners, and they guy who sold us it is a very nice chap :)
he will be there if we should ever need anything for it, and we are safe in mind that if anything should go wrong (god forbid!) it can be sorted out in next to no time and at a fraction of the cost!

right well all that said, i guess it is time to reveal what it is we have now in our hands :)

we have, non other then the most coolest named car/mpv/van going!

.................


Mazda Bongo Friendee!


it is a 1997 mid engine, 2.5 TD V6, 4WD :)

here it is, a few hours old and already the list of improvements is large!

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e63/mad_mazz/Bongo%201869/IMG_8054Medium.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e63/mad_mazz/Bongo%201869/IMG_8061Medium.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e63/mad_mazz/Bongo%201869/IMG_8069Medium.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e63/mad_mazz/Bongo%201869/IMG_8074Medium.jpg

first off change the wheels, we have a set of 18" RX-8 ones but need to collect them from Carlisle...
get that radio out and new one in as the original one dose not pick any uk stations up... in fact it dont pick any stations up at all!!
side awning is on order!
bull bars, fog lights, spot lights
and....

a full camper conversion!

along with a built in PC, and a few other things here and there :) keep watching this space!

:biggrin:

[ANTHONY]

looks good, very similar to a VW in looks ...............a guy down the road from me has one but its a Ford which is Mazda i belive

[Turbo_Steve]

Awesome accomodation! You lucky people! Now keep it away from your dodgy neighbours :)

Had a look round one in the hotel car park and was dead impressed. The chap who owned it had a boost controller on it, too!

[davcom1]

Very smart... would love to do a conversion myself one day. Keep us posted!

[Johnny_Cashed]

Glad you're happy with it, you could also have got one of these :smoking:

[miller]

That will be a fine machine to live in away from your neighbourhood!

Well it may wear!

[elnevio]

Looks like a real nice example! :afro:

Anthony, the Ford version is the Ford Freda! :rolleyes4

[Roberto]

Looks good.

Why save for a deposit for a house, when you can just live in that!

[Turbo_Steve]

Rob, I believe it's actually not costing Mazz and Garry anything (as she mentions in the first post): it's actually a parental purchse for "extended family usage", just like a lot of caravans :)

Saying that: perhaps the Winnebago would have been a better idea - at least you can change your neighbours whenever you fancy :D

It's a nice motor, anyway.
How much was Insurance, if you don't mind me asking? They can be a bit steep, as they're a little more prone to (attempted) theft?

[Confused]

Insurance, for the two of us (aged 26/25), fully comprehensive, including European cover, for 10,000 miles per year, with it down as having a camper conversion (as we'll be having it converted within the next 2-3 months), all for a grand total of...


£360.


It is very "car-like" to drive - in fact, it feels lighter than the Galant, but it's not too overassisted, you can still feel the road.

[miller]

So beware its actually uninsured until its converted, or maybe is it on a different policy? I know i had similar dealings with the L300 Delica

[Confused]

Mike - I told the lady that I spoke to when sorting the insurance that it is not currently converted, but will be, and "in two to three months time" - so I entrust that it is sorted correctly and correctly insured in the meantime.

[raph]

looks good, very similar to a VW in looks ...............a guy down the road from me has one but its a Ford which is Mazda i belive

yes the mazda e2200 and e2500 hundred.

are you sure the rx8 rims will fit? i seriously doubt it ..i think they have a bigger pcd on the vans .

oh..ford,mazda,kia and hyundai sold that van.. and on earlier versions..

-->the lug nuts on the right and left had different threading IIRC !! be carefull! im not saying that yours does,but be carefull when taking em off . <---this applys to 1995s ive seen+worked on

[WildCards]

I suspect adding 18" wheels will have a detrimental affect on it's touring capabilities, tyre roar, tram lining etc. You may find it better to leave certain things as standard in that respect.

[Atik]

Garry, it might be worth giving the insurance company a call to confirm. Its not worth taking the risk of assuming that she has done it that way. For all you know she might be just blindly following a series of clicking buttons on the computer.

[I-S]

2.5 TD V6,

You can't have both....

There was a 2.5 petrol V6 and there was a 2.5 TD 4-cylinder, but no derv V6.

[Nutter_John]

I would not fit Car wheels to a van as they just do not have the load abillity of van wheels , you should look ofr wheels rated at around 750kg per corner and user either commercial tyres or 94 load rated

[miller]

http://www.van-insurance-britain.co.uk/purchasing-self-build-camper-van-insurance.html

[Confused]

We're not doing a self-build conversion. The insurance when taken out was explicitly stated by me as currently an 8-seater MPV, but with a professional conversion to follow.

Many people are using RX-8 alloys on Bongos, and with the correctly rated tyres. The RX-8 alloys won't be on there permanently, it'll probably have the standard 16" steels for the foreign trips anyway.

[Nutter_John]

up to you Gary I was just rasing the point

[Confused]

Yup, well aware :) It's something that has been done by many on the Bongo forums with no ill effects so far (of course, that doesn't mean there might NOT be a problem), but it's something that's fairly well tried-and-tested :)

We're fully paid up members to BongoFury - which is to Bongos what ClubVR4 is to the Galant/Legnum :) So, plenty of information, and we've spent HOURS upon HOURS trawling the forum :)

[WildCards]

Who does the conversions then? Got any pics of them all done?

[miller]

Full conversion arent cheap, these are the chaps i spoke with at length regarding my Delica at the time. They had quite a few bongos for sale on site and were midst conversions. I even got a factory walkaround which was cool.

http://www.bongofury.co.uk/ they knew their stuff allright.

If i remeber correctly you are looking at £2500 up to £5500 for full conversions.

Obviously spec differs, here is one of the top specs at £5500


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/The-ULTIMATE-Mazda-Bongo-6-Seater-Camper-Conversion_W0QQitemZ250571838660QQcmdZViewItemQQpt ZUK_Campers_Caravans_Motorhomes?hash=item3a573ed4c 4

[Confused]

There are plenty of companies who do the conversions.

You can have front kitchen, mid side kitchen, full side, rear kitchen.

Or almost anything you want, with 2 seats in the back, 4 seats in the back, etc.


We've taken the option to take it away, use it for a while and decide exactly what it is we want, before spending the money on a conversion.

[WildCards]

Is that £5500 to convert a van you already own yes?

[miller]

yup!

[WildCards]

Hmm, so £4-5000 ish for a Bongo then the same again for a pukka conversion.

[miller]

Hmm, so £4-5000 ish for a Bongo then the same again for a pukka conversion.

or just buy one already done

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mazda-Bongo-AutoFree-Top-Camper-Conversion_W0QQitemZ170436833187QQcmdZViewItemQQpt ZUK_Campers_Caravans_Motorhomes?hash=item27aed3afa 3

[mesobitchy]

there are upsides to buying one already converted, for alot cheaper then getting one and doing what we are doing.

But!

first off, you will need to get in a fully qualified electrician to check all is safe.
Then, you dont know the full extent of the van in question, has it got major issues that need sorting, has the old owner covered up this problem?
Rust, what is the condition of the chassis like, THAT YOU CAN SEE.
rust on the floor inside under the carpet/vinial, is there any there? will it all need ripping out and checking?
belts? have they all been done recently?
is there or has there been any coolant issues?
there is no going back if you get something you think is good and it turns out to be a dog.
no warranty

the list is almost endless when considering buying one of these from some place like EBAY.
and if things do go wrong you can be left with a very large bill to sort.


We are safe in the knowledge that the guy we got ours from has a high reputation to uphold.
and it comes with warranty.

we paid £7999 for this and a FULL conversion will cost us and extra £3500
a kitchen will cost us an extra £500
a mid conversion will cost us and extra £2500


Yes the price is high but all this will come with certificates and we will know everything is safe to use :)

[Turbo_Steve]

That's entirely reasonable, Mazz : plus you have the benefit that it's converted entirely to your specification and taste, with your own choice of lighting and accessories.

Just be aware that it's dead money, though - the conversion loses half of it's resale value the minute it's fitted!

It'll be really nice, though! Perfect for going to shows in, too!

[pezza]

What a cool vehicle.. like it /yes

Always fancied idea of touring round europe or US in something like that... :afro:

[aboo]

I'm Sorry but that nearly 12k for a 14 year old Camper.

I can understand you want it to your spec but if it was me I'd rather buy one converted like the one Mike put a link to & spend a couple of hundred getting an AA inspection then take it to any caravan or camper sales place to get everything checked over & save about 4K.

[Turbo_Steve]

I guess it depends on how long you're planning to keep it, and how often you're planning to use it?

I would suggest, however, that once it's lugging around a back-end full of weight, it's going to be JUICY! :D

[mesobitchy]

it is already JUICY!
we are talking VR4 juicy! and that is it as it is! :quasi:
there is talk around the campfire of 23mpg at its best.
but unlike the VR4, this thing is EXTREMELY toque happy, lots and lots of low down power, in short think hard working tranny van.

but this is something we intend to keep for a very very long time to come!
hell even if we decide to sell after 5 years we will get back more then we spent on it! but i very much doubt we will sell, personally i think this thing is here to stay!
as myself and garry will get full use from it for the shows and trips we make/do

The is the "new age" VW camper van! and them things now fetch anything from 15k upwards for a semi decent just a bout road worthy one.

[AlanDITD]

i still dont unerstand the roof!

[Confused]

i still dont unerstand the roof!
What's there to not understand!

You press a button, the roof raises and you get a "tent" with space for 2 to sleep in :)

[miller]

hell even if we decide to sell after 5 years we will get back more then we spent on it! but i very much doubt we will sell, one.

So in 2015 someone will pay the following

£8000 van
£4000 conversion
£2000 5 years runinng repairs (very conservative)
£1000 profit
-------------------
£15,000

Dreamland i think. 2015 asking £15k for an 18year old Japanese van. They will never be the VW replacement, or havent you noticed VW are still making coach built campervans.

Just my opinion though. Enjoy it and make full use of it, there is a great coffee table book called 501 Great Days out in the UK. This is the best addition to any recreational vehicle and it inspired Anna and I to some brilliant weekends away when we had ours.


Mike

[AlanDITD]

What's there to not understand!

You press a button, the roof raises and you get a "tent" with space for 2 to sleep in :)

Thats exactly what i didnt understand lol, most cars have fixed roof's y'know :D

Love it though looks awesome, somet a bit differnt!

[Beastlee]

What's there to not understand!

You press a button, the roof raises and you get a "tent" with space for 2 to sleep in :)

I understand that bit, it's how you get in and out as well as sleep in it without falling back into the car I don't. I also reckon you'll freeze to death up there!

[Confused]

There is a hatch in the roof which you climb through. Once you're up there, the hatch folds down, and you've got a solid floor.

The sides are like a standard tent - so it'd get as warm/cold as it does in a tent (albeit with a solid roof, rather than a fabric one)


Garry

[Beastlee]

Garry, thanks for explaining, it all makes sense now!

Personally I think the main area converted to a bed looks like it could sleep 6 LOL I'd keep the roof down and sleep in there :)

[mesobitchy]

members attending JapFest will see it there. so feel free to come and have a nose around it :)
there will also be the bongo oc as well 8)

[elnevio]

members attending JapFest will see it there. so feel free to come and have a nose around it :)
there will also be the bongo oc as well 8)
That'll be cool!


So - will you be bringing it out on track? :rabbit:

[pezza]

Just stumbled across this:

http://www.imperialcar.co.uk/the_moonfleet /JawDroppi


http://www.imperialcar.co.uk/the_lulworth

Some nice but pricy conversions

[mesobitchy]

That'll be cool!


So - will you be bringing it out on track? :rabbit:

No track action for this one.

tho.... we may take the VR out on the track for both sessions....
but that is a big maybe!

[mesobitchy]

Right Today we dug out the old stereo unit from the depths of the understairs cupboard were many a random car part lives, if it doesn't go into the garden shed :lol:

it came out from the Legnum cos we put a PC in it then changed it back to a nearly £200 sony that makes you a cuppa while driving.... iv yet to have one made for me by it! :lol:

anyway, i now have radio in the "FUN BUS" 8)

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e63/mad_mazz/Bongo%201869/Bongo%20Mods/IMG_8277Small.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e63/mad_mazz/Bongo%201869/Bongo%20Mods/IMG_8280Small.jpg

This stero wont be in for long, we are going to put a PC in here.. but we are thinking about keeping a radio as well.... see what happens.


next on the list is to send the REX wheels away to be done :)

[mesobitchy]

Its now been handed over to my nan, but untill the new garage has been built it is staying with me for a little while longer :)

here is is after a good wash and wax on the day it was given to her :)

and her cake i made :)

[WildCards]

Has the conversion idea gone out of the window then?

[mesobitchy]

no, we are taking her up to see a selection of different conversions that can be done, then it is up to her to decide what one she wants, if she wants it done.