Right Peeps, its time to invest in a new van. Old sturdy Transit has done me and cruisewirral proud for a number of years but she dosnt meet my requirments any more and rather than invest big money into her to mod it up i am looking at buying a newer van and modding this one up instead.

That sounds simple, well not really as i need the van to do several things

• Good for Towing (Car Transporter)
• Powerfull
• Good for the beach (4 wheel drive for Launching Jetski's)
• Everyday runaround
• Look good (Obviously)
• Practical

Now, these qualities are easy to come across in a van apart from the four wheel drive bit but that is a must. I got the Transit stuck on the beach recently and very nearly lost her to the mersey. The water was almost coming in the doors then a friend arrived at a rate of knots in a Rangy and dragged me out. Very scarey indeed.....

So, where do you start ? I have done allot of homework and i think i have come up with a good soloution

Mazda Bongo 2.5 TD

This is the one i am looking at buying.



Okay, she looks a bit plain should we say so i hit Photoshop and planed some mods to see what she would look like.
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20" alloys and smoked glass



Removed the Grafix



This made her look all abit basic and NAKED so i thought i would jazz her up a tad with some new revised Grafix



Personally i am liking this allot. Okay the grafix wouldnt be exactly as in the last pic but it gives an idea what she could look like.

The bongo has the following features :

• Electric elavating roof (Sleeps 2)
• 8 Seats(Fold into a double bed)
• Automatic Gearbox
• 2.5 TD engine
• Four Wheel Drive
• Electric blinds on all rear windows
• Parking sensors
• Tailgate rear door (Ideal for what i need)
• Side loading door

Its even a camper van sleeping 4 people inside it .... Now thats a bonus for car shows etc.

Whats everyone think and can you think of any other vehicles that would do the same job or better as i need to sell the transit soon and get something better.

Answers on a postcard or simply post below.

Of course I would be biased in this situation as Im a Land Rover nut, but it all makes sense!

Land Rover 90/100 ? Defender



* Constant 4x4
* Engine choices of 200/300tdi or for even more power Rover V8 ?! TD5 is the newerr type engine but is more sluggish than the TDi's
* Diff lock, enables different offroad settings on transfer box high/low box ratio (I think)
*Large wheels and tyres
*Simple to work on > Bolt on bolt off
*Cheap parts
*9 seats possible and even 12 seats also possible
*Excellent for towing, allows different towing hights, by simply pulling out a pin
* Lots of bodywork space for graphics
* Easy to repair, alluminium
* Land Rover supermarket based in Liverpool (For parts)
*Easy acces to rear, swingin back door with spare tyre .. advertise cruise wirral on?


ETC!

You know you want to Possible choice maybe..

And If you really wanted to...


Lund

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Haha nice, but didn't he want a van? even if he got the van version it wouldn't have the interior height of a normal van.

TBH I'd steer clear of the Japanese MPV/4x4 crossovers as all they tend to be good for are icey roads, they lack the torque for anything more than a slight gradient, let alone on the beach or towing a car. It's not down to the engine, it's down to the gearing.

Personally I'd go for a Merc sprinter 4x4, but if you could make do with a proper 4x4 I'd say Toyota Hilux with a hard top over the back.

Ok then get a Land Rover 130! lol

Or



Camper conversion? lol

Alot of car for your money...

Ebay link

Ebay link

Ebay Link

Ok not the best examples, but it gives you an idea

Tom

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Just to pick up on the point! lol I would go off on one about why Scoob should buy another Land Rover, but I'd probably bore the hell outta you

Defenders are provisionally for off roading and not the best looking of vehicles....

Jim, the 4 wheel drive is only for launching/recovering on hard sand. I agree the 4 wheel drive system is NOT the best but it will stop me bogging down on loose serfaces. Thats all i need the 4x4 system for, not for any form of serious off roading.

A friend of mine uses his bongo for launching his jetski and has no trouble as long as your carefull.

I quite like the "Laura Croft" land rover but i think they are rattle boxes

I likes the Bongo thing, i dont understand most of the things your going on about lol but still Bongo looks and sounds good

Another female point of view

So no Land Rovers? lol

This may sway you then:



If not:




Aww and you'll laff, guess who went in one?! V8...



lol

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Izzy, thanks for your valuable female point of view....

...erm good point lol quite alot :rolleyes:

You having problems with the Rangey!?

Sorry kinda goin off topic here... The Bongo's what Pete's got isnt it?

Yeah, having huge problems with the rangy, its been in dealers for a month and i got it back after £9,000 of warranty work and its still not right.....

Ive just had a "Play" with petes Bongo and its FULL of toys, the roof area is awesome, you elevate the roof (Electric) and climb into the roof area to sleep, it even has a sky light (Sunroof) in the top bit so you can watch the stars when going to bo bo's....

Looks like i will be getting one

Oh dear! They had alot of problems with the first new range rovers, is your one of the first made? Sorry to hear that you have problems with the Rangey...do they know whats wrong with it?

As for the Bongo, I really like Pete's, well nice, air con too! Double exhaust :rolleyes: lol Get Pete to do what he did with his for yours

get a bongo! nuff sed. Altho, why not use the rangey as that meets all the criteria u listed above?

Thats if it works lol

The Rangy is going as soon as its fit to sell guy's. Too much cash tied up in it and i dont have ANY Faith in it anymore. Im scared to drive it incase something else goes wrong with it

am wid lund get a landrover defender they r very reliabule an they r nice 2 drive aswell

Easy to work on!

This was my mates Defender that did 102mph lol



See holes...weld a patch:

Very brave man (Or on a death wish.....)

One of the guys in work has just bought one of these .

(Typed "VW Transporter" in the e-bay search)



Ex "AA" vans, 2.5 TD, VW 5 Cylinder engine, hes just about to get his mapped to 170bhp, loadsa space, reliable and nearly 40mpg at 80mph on the motorway.

He also does a lot of Kite surfing and uses it on the beach, and as yet has had no problems...
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Or complete idiot

Yeah, i looked at them Stuy but i really need 4wd. The transit is great on the beach right up until you get in softer sand close to the water.

It has only got stuck the once but that once scared the shit out of me....

Forgive me if Im wrong but dont they do a 4x4 Tramsit? Ive seen an old one knockin about around here...I dont know if they've ever been in production

How much are you willing to spend?

Diesel/Petrol?

web page

web page

web page

web page



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Bongo bongo bongo.It meets ur needs,looks good and outclasses the defender any day of the week.

How do u up the boost on the landrovers then lund? i fancy a tweak with the one at work heeeheeee.its a 53 plate so is low mileage and a modern engine so is torquey as hell as is. Still wanna up the boost tho

Tut tut tut! LOL Hold on, let me put my thinking cap on. lol Am I allowed to go off topic?

create a new topic "raising defender boost"

PM sent Scoop

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the bongo will never out do the defender ay day of the week, an u can even drive wid the engin under water an it will out live the bongo.

For example my friends Defender:





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If i wanted a Submarine i would have bought this :



You carnt sleep in a defender, well not as comfy as a Bongo....
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102mph? Woop dee ****ing doo!

107mph out a standard 1.3l samurai now that's scary!

Why Buy a Defender? Just for Jay



They are easy to fix and add things to and don't really need too much modification to go off-roading in, as you can fit big tyres without having to change the suspension, which wouldn't be the case with many 4x4's.

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Simply THE BEST 4X4XFAR...
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You can just open the doors and hose them out. A landrover defender just has that feel of freedom to it , you could be anywhere driving one , from the african sunsets to the blizards in the artic circle , even though you are just stuck in traffic. Above the rest, be the best

How many other vehicles do you know of that you can fix with a big hammer? lol “If a hammer don’t fix it , its technical!”

Theres some very nice 4x4's out there... very shiny, some pretty fast too, but often you look at them on the road and say.... "i like that nissan... no wait, its not a nissan its a mitsi L200" and so on...

Look at a land rover, and you know what it is everyone else knows what it is too... and so you will never be driving a vehicle that will be unknown the vehicle that many of the tribes in the remote places around the world saw first is a land rover! lol

It doesn't have the level of finish or detail that you find in the Japanese vehicles - in many respects the Japanese deliver stunning user comfort and ease of use that Land Rover may never match. But a Landy will get you out and home again, almost regardless of what you encounter. And the Defender can carry alot of gear! But Landies demand more attention than any other vehicle! As you know If not looked after, they wont look after you lol and when you need to carry out repairs Land Rovers are a lot more owner friendly than any of the Jap/European models out there as well as most spares/consumables being a lot cheaper and more readily available... Defenders appear to be the most ‘user friendly’ 4x4s, whatever your needs. Like you said, it took a land rover to pull you from the beach lol! They will go in what ever direction you point them in and go until you stop, then get you home again...


Tom

I think that says it all bud

I think that says it all bud

Lmao! Yeh it adds to the character, you know you want one I'll show you our Series motor

" But a Landy will get you out and home again, almost regardless of what you encounter. And the Defender can carry alot of gear! But Landies demand more attention than any other vehicle! As you know [Wink] If not looked after, they wont look after you"

Bit of a contradiction there. Will get u out and home again,if u look after it,if not they break

Not sure about the bongo but if its anything like most jap cars it wont need much "looking after" and will keep on going and going. Landies are fun off road.and thats about it.I would'nt use one on the street,theyre too wobbly,uncomfy,bare,and the controls are terrible. Gearknob with a 2ft throw and even when its in gear the knob can be moved a good few inches,then theres the heavy clutch pedal

[/QUOTE]If i wanted a Submarine i would have bought this [/QB][/QUOTE]

yeh but a submarine hasent got wheels jay n plus u cant realy modify a sub

Given the chance.. im sure you could

That is half the fun with these iconic cars.

I would only buy a Land Rover for fun, but i know plenty of people who have them as there main cars. Apparently something like 90% of all Land Rovers ever made are still in use. Unlike the old VW Beetles of the same era.

yeh even the very 1st landy is still workin an thats aba 50 years old. an they even proved it on top gear that the best 4x4 is the defender

The best 4x4 may be the defender (altho Jezza proved the new disco,or was it range rover,anyway,jezza proved this car was the best by it being the only car to reach top of this mountain he went to)


Back to topic, jay wants a van not a 4x4 and i quote "Right Peeps, its time to invest in a new van."

The Land Rovers without seats in the back and no side windows are classed as vans.

Jay wants a 4X4 Van.

Lund,u shud either a)work for land rover

or

b) buy one,u harp one about em so much.ITs only launching a jetski,its not like hes trying to scale everest. what do ya think jay?

The lifeguards have Nissan Navara.... :cheers:

I basically have got 1

They have a new 06 Navara in BRIGHT Yellow and a new Jetski jet again in BRIGHT Yellow for this season....

Im after a 2.5 TD and it must have low miles (50k approx) and the lift up roof... Feel free to browse fleabay bud....

what about somethin like this


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roflmao thats great that whelan

get the a-team van scooby!!!

Well i got this a few days ago.......













I have started a Members Modified cars topic to continue the discussions.

Click here to continue discussions in the MMC Topic..........