We were tasked by my GF's mum to find a vehicle suitable for taking her nan & friend to Italy a few times a year, including large amounts of luggage, and that it must have space available to sleep up to 4 people.
Her original idea was a full on Caravanette (or, preferably a Winnebago!), but, there are issues to that - firstly, there would be nowhere to park it, secondly, there may be issues with actually being able to drive without taking additional tests, it as it'd likely be over the 3.5 tonne weight limit.
So, we had the idea of an MPV that was, or could be, converted into a quasi-camper, with a small hob/sink/fridge for basic heating of food etc whilst stopped en-route.
After racking our brains for ages, old VW busses were out, as they're too old and expensive. Newer VW's were coming in too expensive, too (and, their current VW (57 plate Touran) has been nothing but hassle, so another VW was crossed off the list). Anything French was out, and most other options were coming in at 15-20 years old, anyway.
So - we decided on something else.
So, (just for [TW]Fox), I present:
A 1997 Mazda Bongo Friendee, 2.5TD 4WD automatic with AFT (Auto Free Top)
It is a fresh import, only registered last Wednesday, so we're the first UK owners. Only 70,000km (~43k miles) and absolutely spotless.
It's currently completely standard, as an 8 seater MPV. We are going to run it for a couple of months and then decide exactly how we want the inside converted.
Do we want a front kitchen? Back kitchen? Half-length side kitchen? Full-length side kitchen? How many seats? 4? 6? We couldn't have made a proper decision without having the vehicle in our possession and seeing what it is actually like.
We will also have full use of it as and when we want (providing it's not in Italy), so will be great for having odd weekends away from home, as well as any car shows we attend throughout the year.
I know it's not to everyone's taste (Fox, I'm looking at you!) but we felt it's the best vehicle for the brief - plus, unlike a full on Caravanette/Winnebago, it can be used every day, and it's not much larger than a large saloon car (it's actually about the same size as our Galant/Legnum). Only issue might be the height, with the AFT it makes it a little tall for some multi storey car parks, but that won't be a huge hassle.
Her original idea was a full on Caravanette (or, preferably a Winnebago!), but, there are issues to that - firstly, there would be nowhere to park it, secondly, there may be issues with actually being able to drive without taking additional tests, it as it'd likely be over the 3.5 tonne weight limit.
So, we had the idea of an MPV that was, or could be, converted into a quasi-camper, with a small hob/sink/fridge for basic heating of food etc whilst stopped en-route.
After racking our brains for ages, old VW busses were out, as they're too old and expensive. Newer VW's were coming in too expensive, too (and, their current VW (57 plate Touran) has been nothing but hassle, so another VW was crossed off the list). Anything French was out, and most other options were coming in at 15-20 years old, anyway.
So - we decided on something else.
So, (just for [TW]Fox), I present:
A 1997 Mazda Bongo Friendee, 2.5TD 4WD automatic with AFT (Auto Free Top)
It is a fresh import, only registered last Wednesday, so we're the first UK owners. Only 70,000km (~43k miles) and absolutely spotless.
It's currently completely standard, as an 8 seater MPV. We are going to run it for a couple of months and then decide exactly how we want the inside converted.
Do we want a front kitchen? Back kitchen? Half-length side kitchen? Full-length side kitchen? How many seats? 4? 6? We couldn't have made a proper decision without having the vehicle in our possession and seeing what it is actually like.
We will also have full use of it as and when we want (providing it's not in Italy), so will be great for having odd weekends away from home, as well as any car shows we attend throughout the year.
I know it's not to everyone's taste (Fox, I'm looking at you!) but we felt it's the best vehicle for the brief - plus, unlike a full on Caravanette/Winnebago, it can be used every day, and it's not much larger than a large saloon car (it's actually about the same size as our Galant/Legnum). Only issue might be the height, with the AFT it makes it a little tall for some multi storey car parks, but that won't be a huge hassle.
