Lookin for my first Bongo - help please!

[Driver+Passengers]

serious bongo searching on the cards......going to campercraft, dairsie and dicksons tomorrow!! (time permitting!!!)

PM sent.

[The_Gordons]

We bought our bongo newly imported from Campercraft last March. We started looking at side conversions then rear conversions after we decided that the bed was too narrow for our liking in a side conversion. Bill at Campercraft suggested an unconverted bongo with a removable rear unit that sites between the rear seat and the back door which can be lifted out when required. We aslo had the following little touches added:

1) Middle seat turned around so that we can face each other when eating.
2) Detachable table to fit between the middle and rear seats.
3) Overhead cupboards for storing small items and with downlighters.
4) Fiamma side canopy to keep the area around the side door dry when it is wet.
5) Leisure battery to drive the internal lighting and electric blinds.
6) Electric hook up so we can drive a cool box and small heater if required.

Our plan was to run this configuration till we made out minds up what we wanted. Having run this configuration for a year we have decided not to get any conversion done as this offers us such a versatile vehicle. For sleeping we use a 30mm thich self inflating mattress on top of the original middle and rear seats and find this to be comforatable enough for us.

[dave_aber]

You're welcome to have a look at my home-built conversion if it's of any use to you. I'm based in Elgin. PM me for details. (Click on the "There" link in my sig for pictures)

Cheers
Dave

[mikeonb4c]

Hi Diplomat,

or though I don't think you are a Bongo Diplomat. A coach built Bongo is sheer luxury compared to a cardboard box or milk carton containers let alone VW's we are trying to flog two VW's the blighters. My Chris tries to sell the VW's then shows off our Bongo and the punters walk away! Next time we have some interest in them I will drive our girl out of the scene lol. We have had a Bongo for longer than we have been on this site she is as personally comfortable and as big or small as we care to make her. Chris looks at other "motorhomes" but I tend to find the negatives in them, such as drivable in the lakes as we are or they are two wheel drive which do kind of get stuck sometimes, and "Do we really need that"?

OK I totally LOVE our girl other reason's behind my infatuation also.

I hope she is listening as I type lol

Jo

Carboard boxes get soft after too much exposure to damp climates, and underseat plastic boxes are annoying as they don't move with the bench seat. I made a cheap as chips and simple to build under-bench kitchen drawer unit type box that I keep all my kitchen stuff in on board at all times, and remove for my camp kitchen on site if needed. I did a thread about it years back, but some pics are at:

http://s185.photobucket.com/albums/x259 ... er%20Unit/

I have since finished the unit off in silent silver and lacquer so it blends nicely with the Bongo interior and looks quite classy, in a simple DIY kind of way.

[Driver+Passengers]

Nice, Mike! That's my kind of fix!

Klikchik - any joy today?

[Klikchik]

Feeling a bit bongoed out but feeling a lot more ready to make a purchase thanks to you guys and a lot of looking!

Had a good day yesterday and with our visit to Dicksons, Dairsie and Campercraft and a private owner, feel much more knowledgable and know roughly what we are looking for. Had a good chance to look round the wheel arches and underneath varying ages of vehicles and could see condition wise what youre getting for your money.
Also had a chat with 321away who have more choice ready converted.

We will probably get a driveaway awning but knowing our camping habits we dont stay anywhere too long when travelling ourselves.

So we now know we would like some sort of conversion, rear across the tail gate vs full side but we still have a few of thoughts:
1) will that rock n roll bed with the side conversion be wide enough for comfort? Bill at Campercraft very kindly let us lie down and test it out but still not sure.
2) can the rear kitchen have the fridge facing in the way as in one of the photos at 321away? and will that extra wide bed made of seats be too bumpy?!
3) 321away will deliver, can we trust their word to buy without actually seeing the vehicle?!
4) is a boot box a good idea?
5) do we need night heating?!!!
MMMmmmm, what do you think???

Klikchik x

[mikeonb4c]

Feeling a bit bongoed out but feeling a lot more ready to make a purchase thanks to you guys and a lot of looking!

Had a good day yesterday and with our visit to Dicksons, Dairsie and Campercraft and a private owner, feel much more knowledgable and know roughly what we are looking for. Had a good chance to look round the wheel arches and underneath varying ages of vehicles and could see condition wise what youre getting for your money.
Also had a chat with 321away who have more choice ready converted.

We will probably get a driveaway awning but knowing our camping habits we dont stay anywhere too long when travelling ourselves.

So we now know we would like some sort of conversion, rear across the tail gate vs full side but we still have a few of thoughts:
1) will that rock n roll bed with the side conversion be wide enough for comfort? Bill at Campercraft very kindly let us lie down and test it out but still not sure.
2) can the rear kitchen have the fridge facing in the way as in one of the photos at 321away? and will that extra wide bed made of seats be too bumpy?!
3) 321away will deliver, can we trust their word to buy without actually seeing the vehicle?!
4) is a boot box a good idea?
5) do we need night heating?!!!
MMMmmmm, what do you think???

Klikchik x

I think one option that is not considered enough is a rear unit that can be swung out under the tailgate to allow the rear seats to go flat as part of the double bed. Hotpot has one of these, and NorthernBongo (Chell and Ady) have/had one. It might be worth PMing them for views. You'd want a tailgate awning of some sort to make full sense of this idea. But not frying up inside the Bongo is just one reason why I'd find this arrangement attractive. And it could be taken out altogether if/when you need to use the Bongo as a rear loading van. And many find the standard seats are quite OK as a bed, which saves a lot on cost there plus retains versatility. And one person recently had their standard seats reupholstered to make them flat, which is another option.

Night heaters can be noisy and hard to turn down enough so they don't overheat the interior. But a great idea for camping in seriously cold weather (though some say a really good sleeping bag does just fine anyway, and you can always turn a cooker burner on in the morning to warm the interior before you get out of bed). Saves another £1k as fitting these devices is not cheap unless you ebay and DIY, which is not for the faint hearted.

321Away (Julian) appear to have a very good reputation for commitment to customers. I think their word would be their bond. Do you mean buying from them on their word and without seeing the vehicle? Its possible a local member might nip over and take a look for you just in case, if you put a request on here.