VW T25 or Mazda Bongo

[tec2]

Morning everyone I have finally decided to buy a campervan on a a budget of no more than £5,000.This leaves me with either a VW T25 or a Bongo not sure which to go for, anybody with experiences of either please let me know the highs and lows of either,thanks .

 

[Manacles]

I know nothing of the relative merits of either, but having a minor interest in VWs I understand that the T25 is thought of as an "appreciating classic" so is likely to hoold its value quite well.

 

[tec2]

Thanks manacles I do like the T25 but I have no idea how much work/money a 26 year old van would need.Then again I suppose nobody could give a definite answer to that question.

 

[Gill]

I dont think u will get much for your money in a vw buddy , but i have looked at lots of bongos or ford frieda,s and you should get a good one for that money .Try the bongo forum to see what is for sale or ebay has a few ! To confuse you some more have you looked at Mitsubishi Delica before ? i had one of these for a time and loved it and £5000 would get a beauty.

 

[garethw]

Hi there
There's a massive VW fan base so parts and accessories will be far easier to source. If bits are missing you can get whole 'Westfalia' interiors second hand.
I'd have thought for 5 grand you'd be able to find a reasonable one... I had a T4 camper and sold it for 5000 Euros in pretty good solid condition.
Personally I'd go for the 'Westfalia' Veedub.. Make sure you get a version with a decent motor, they had a few and some of the smaller petrol engines struggle to pull with all the camper fittings. Here's an invaluable source for Veedub bits:http://www.justkampers.com/
cheers
Gareth

 

[robin wood]

I think the difference mainly comes down to what you want it for, they are very different vehicles. Bongo is much smaller, if you want something for one or two people to kip in and make a brew and not much more then Bongo looks good value. T25s are getting a bit old and have made that move to trendy surf bus so are you a mechanic? T4s can be had cheap. £5000 would buy a decent ex AA van or I bought an ex motability vehicle at auction. Mine was £5k 6yr old 17,000 miles carpeted and windows in back but no units. I paid £1200 off ebay for a set of lightweight ply units with cooker and sink that slotted in and look like professional jobs.
Both have good forums the T4 forum has loads of good info on kitting one out on the cheap.

 

[chjo]

Well i can logg in with my old details strange.

 

[Trod]

I had a bongo for a yr and loved it , they are a bit thirsty though but good fun and 5 grand would get u a cracker .Try Wheelquick on the web they are in Wigan and specialise in them .I have an old Delica l300 now that's fun too and run it 50/50 on veg oil .

 

[snozz]

Snap on the Delica front - I have an L400 - again run it on the diesel / veg oil mix.

I have a couple of friends who have Bongos and they love them - they just look too small for me personally - go try one out for size is the only real way to tell.

Bear in mind that most Bongos are the 3 litre petrol engnes - ok if you have a gas conversion but thirsty otherwise...

 

[Trod]

Alot of bongos/fredas are 2.5 diesel too and I hear they can be veg oil friendly too

 

[snozz]

Alot of bongos/fredas are 2.5 diesel too and I hear they can be veg oil friendly too

Ah, ok - I'd only come across petrol ones. May be worth checking out then! (still a tad small for me personally though). I had a T2 VW and that felt a good size

 

[Lee Wright]

VW T3's are on the up in value but only for the right van and can be a complete money pit if you buy a shed, they rot for fun and the petrols are very thirsty. Have a look at www.brick-yard.co.uk if you need to know anything more in depth.

Bongo's are in a similar league to a Delica in the fact that they're more of a day van than a camper.

If I was to drop five grand on a camper I would be looking at converting an LT35 (early sprinter shape, different front end) or an Iveco Daily, nice and big, built for the mileage and modern diesel engines give good cruising speeds and mpg's. LT's are also not as "cool" as the transporter series so you get a lot more van for your money, a nice one could be picked up for around £1500 if you take your time looking, leaving you £3500 to get it kitted out to your exact spec which buys a lot of materials if you're capable or woud maybe even get the van converted to a basic level.

I've currently got 2 VW T4's and a share in an old shape LT35 (mystery machine shape), watch out for "scene tax" within the VW world as it's easy to pay over the odds for a knacker, there are bargains out there but eBay tends to drive prices up.

If there's anything else you need to know, drop me a PM. Hopefully be moving the T4's on in the next couple of months because I've got a T5 ready and waiting which might have to have a stealth camper conversion (I'm not a massive fan of windows in smaller vans...)