Mazda bongo diesel with starship mileage

[comfortablynumb]

So ive been made aware of one of the above, diesel, 226k ish, mot till Thursday 😳
Been for sale about a year, small village with practically no through traffic, on a drive with a minuscule notice in the screen
I'm aware they do suffer with engine malfunction, but is that just the petrol version?
Good idea? Bad idea? Run away screaming etcetc
TIA
Forgot-about 1994 vintage

[zeberdee]

I’d go on overall condition & any records of servicing .

206k on something that old isn’t a really high average .

I’ve bought high mileage vehicles before & it’s never bothered me .
In fact my MK3 Caddy had 201k on it , gave it a full service & apart from a few minor issues , that’d happen at any mileage , it’s been fine .

[comfortablynumb]

Yeah the miles doesn’t really bother me, my p38 made it to 220k before self-destruction and it was really badly treated 🤫
More bongo specific stuff I'm interested in really, so long as its had regular oil changes a diesel shouldn’t be too bad?

[stealthstylz]

If it hasn't had a new head on by that mileage then it's some sort of miracle from Jebus and should be a site of pilgrimage.

Also they rot like curse word almost everywhere so check for dodgy plating, seen some right horrors come through work.

[jmsheahan]

Jul 20, 2021 11:38:24 GMT stealthstylz said:

Also they rot like curse word almost everywhere so check for dodgy plating, seen some right horrors come through work.

This! One of my friends had one for a few years, 95 model I think. Put many many miles on it, electric everyting, WAAAY better specced than the equivalent dub transporter. It was a reliable old thing but hell you could see the bodywork literally rusting away real time before your eyes and ultimately that's what killed it!

They have a quite a large niche following so parts and owners info is decent should you go for it

[comfortablynumb]

Thanks all, not even seen it in person yet, and it’s not going to happen until the mot is out, so the price needs to be right
Also I’m REALLY not in the mood for another weld fest..,..🙄

[johnthesparky]

Had a ‘95 diesel for 10 years, about 10 years ago

They were all prone to hoses failing and water leaks then, and with the engine so far back it’s easy to miss the signs underneath.
That and the slow reacting temp gauge seemed to kill loads off and earn them a bad rep.

If it’s a runner it’s either been cared for or been fixed at that mileage I reckon, most were autos, 3 speed + lockout slush boxes so had a relatively easy life. But if not mechanically there must be loads of spares available…

Because being J grey import, they love to rust more than anything!
Rear arches went on ours first, and seemed to be one of the first places generally. Sprinter arches were supposed to be close enough (but Stevie Wonder did ours and messed the job up:( )

Other than a few bits; heater blower, roof motor, a radiator leak and it used to eat droplinks on the front (they are same as mx5 or something and not really up to the job. But were cheap, so I just used to swap every year or two). We spent some money on the cooling system when we first got it- silicone hoses and a mod to the temp gauge, it really only needed servicing… but the rot was on its way and the kids had outgrown it

[vitesseefi]

I assisted with the “rescue” in a small way of one these many years ago. Purchased with known “HGF” which turned out to be a cracked head with bore damage from standing water and perhaps a bent rod thrown in. So it turned into a full engine rebuild. Engine removal is a pretty horrific job on a driveway….. and engine access in general is nasty.

He did get it running quite well. Quite a nice, spacious, versatile vehicle. Much time was wasted trying to figure out why it was “so slow and thirsty” before determining it was a feature, not a fault. Then there was the rust. Mostly in the rear arches at that point, but they had already been fairly skilfully bodged.

I’d just run away….. (sense of adventure kicked out of me!)
Nick

Nick

[comfortablynumb]

The more I think about this, the less keen i get
I would really prefer a proper camper than a bit of a ‘halfway house ‘ and I’ve got more projects than I have years of life left anyway so I think I'm going to give it a miss
Anyone want to know where it is (west Norfolk) pm me for details
Once again, thanks for input all 👍

[Soopahfly]

Jul 20, 2021 11:38:24 GMT stealthstylz said:

WAAAY better specced than the equivalent dub transporter.

Hardly difficult. Even T5's are a metal box with an engine and nothing else.


Rot and header tank failure. There's a system you can get that sounds an alarm as soon as the water level drops to a certain point.

If it was cheap enough, I'd take it, even if you just advertise it better and punt it on. Campers, vans, all sorts like that are at a premium at the moment.
If you know the reg, pop it in the MOT check, see if there's any previous warnings about corrosion.

[comfortablynumb]

Did stick it in the mot checker (gov.uk one) and that’s how I found yhe 226k miles, but it didn’t show anything about advisories

[stealthstylz]

I'd at least go and have a look. If it's got to that mileage without snapping in half it must have either been really well looked after or entirely made of Upol P40.

[comfortablynumb]

Jul 22, 2021 17:02:06 GMT stealthstylz said:

I'd at least go and have a look. If it's got to that mileage without snapping in half it must have either been really well looked after or entirely made of Upol P40.

Yeah I suppose I should, but I’ve got loads on atm, and two of my kids have decided to move home within a week of each other, and its 30 miles from here........
Looking for sympathy? Me? 🤣