Mazda Bongo Friendee 1999, 2.5L V6 Petrol, Auto Pop-top roof, side conversion

V6 Petrol 1999 Bongo for sale – AFT pop-top, side conversion, reliable and well-looked after!

A very reluctant sale, our beloved Bongo. Sadly the London ULEZ charge has got too much for us. For those that don’t know the ULEZ charge is £12.50 per day for each movement away from its parking spot.

Registration number T502 EAG, I have owned it for 4.5 years, we have had so many great camping trips and festivals in this 1999 petrol V6 (6 cylinder) Bongo.

It has done 179,543 km since new in 1999, and when I bought it in Sept 2021 it had done 154,497 km on the odometer. It has had two new front tyres added last year; a new Bosch starter battery added 2 years ago. MPG is about 20-25MPG.

An extremely reliable example, I’ve owned this eye-catching Bongo for the last 4.5 years and the last 3 years the MOT has come clean with no Advisories (you can check at [https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history](https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history))

I keep it well-maintained, I haven’t done a lot of long trips (about 4,000-5,000 km per year), just camping and festivals with the family, and I have kept it clean and tidy. So many features that make it a sought-after model.

Classic white and silver colour, AFT electric pop-top roof, original tent in the pop-top, electric blinds and new tailor-made blackout curtains to rear (previous owner kept the thin (sun-getting-in) originals and I can pass these over if you want to restore them), and you also get a “Custom Cover” black front windscreen and side windows cover that I bought – making this Bongo fully private when blinds are down, curtains drawn and Custom Cover on, giving ultimate privacy for camping.

Great family-friendly Bongo here – we have two daughters and the Bongo has five fully-MOT compliant belted seats – two in the front and three in the rear (middle rear one is a lap belt).

It has a side conversion, I think done after importing to the UK in 2017, with double gas hob, sink with electric-powered water tap. Plenty of storage under the kitchen unit for food, etc. Large-ish gas bottle feeds the hobs. Fresh water and waste water bottles. Also storage in two units above the kitchen unit at head-height. Loads more storage (pull-out drawer) under the rear seats too, which move back and forward for different configurations.

You get a modern solar panel that trickle charges to an additional leisure battery on this Bongo. You also get a DC/AC 1200W pure sine wave inverter (brand new almost silent model, last month, I replaced an older one that gave up) which means that when the inverter is switched on, the two rear three-pin sockets can run an AC laptop charger, projector, TV, or relatively low wattage device for true off-grid camping. We used the off-grid electricity to create laser light / smoke machine disco raves in the campsite! So much fun.

Two USBs are also connected to the inverter, as well as a USB and a USB-C port. There are also two USBs that plug directly into the solar controller at the back. Electric windows, electric wing mirrors all in working condition. It has a Bluetooth enabled Double-Din stereo system that connects to any phone for you music!

The new owner also will be driving off with a relatively new Bluetooth electric fridge which plugs into the rear DC cigarette lighter-style socket and works fine with the engine running (the fridge will deplete the leisure battery when the engine is not running however). But if you book a campsite with electric hookup, this van comes with a long hookup cable to be able to keep the fridge on at all times and run all other 240V items. Fridge also has a freezer setting to convert from fridge to freezer.

This van has a rear reversing camera that enables when the reverse gear is engaged – really useful for parking and overall safety when reversing.

There’s a custom-built removable “buddy seat” to the rear which doubles up as under-seat storage, and opens out to make the whole “ground floor” a two person bed. Then with the (fully operational) pop-top opens you have 2 people “upstairs” making this Bongo a 4-berth camper version.

There’s also a foldable table that hangs off the sink/gas hob unit for mealtimes.

Lots of original Japanese features to this 1999 Bongo – originally retailed in Utsunomiya city, Japan, that was imported to the UK in 2017. I believe there were 2 owners before me since then.

For the Bongo geeks: Original unused Japanese distress flare, original Japanese tax disc to windscreen, I also have the original Japanese manual and Japanese service logbook.

There is an orange badge to the boot flap that reads:

祈 交通安全 — “Praying for road safety.”

出雲国一宮 — “The principal shrine of Izumo Province.”

熊野大社 — “Kumano Grand Shrine.”

All the classic interior Japanese labels are intact (see photos).

I added some Totoro-themes decals (Catbus to the front, for example) but these can be easily removed if you prefer. The decal on the rear window says “Made in Japan” in Japanese – also can be removed easily.

Registered as an MPV with DVLA which may affect insurance prices compared with a ‘campervan’ categorisation (worth checking)… but going to our local recycling centre is never a bother as I can show them it’s not a “van” but an “MPV”.

Snags/drawbacks: When I bought it, there was a round cigarette burn hole in one of the rear blinds; I have since stitched a patch over it (Totoro themed – see photo). The original tent and fly screen is completely original, zips all work and the all important canvas is in great condition. The only problem came last summer when one of my kids leant against the fly screen on the right; I fixed it by sewing up the vertical tear with thread (see photos). Other people use tape to fix, but that can look ugly. Not bad going for 27 year old material. There are a few emerging rust spots that you can see in the photos, the wheel arches are starting to rust, and one sill is starting to rust but these were not enough to fail or give an advisory on the MOTs over the last 3 years so should be good for a while. (Current MOT valid until March 2027). I had a sill welded 2 years ago, and a new exhaust added at the same time. If you know a good and honest mechanic replacement arches (£60-£80 each + labour) the arches won’t be an expensive job.

Apart from that, here is a nice reliable camper to drive away without worry. Starts every time. A real joy to drive, automatic transmission, power steering, etc. Comfortable, high driving position (the engine is under the front seats). I put in new Nightbreaker headlight bulbs in for extra night-time visibility, and I look after the filters, replacing if needed.

A coolant alarm was added when it arrived in the UK and is fully functioning.

Engine immobilizer fitted and yellow steering wheel lock provided for security. Spare set of keys included.

It comes also with some cute original Japanese manuals and early service records.

And a full English-language electrical wiring manual (in ring binder and CD format) for those sparky-minded peeps!

Asking £9,000 or nearest sensible offer. Buyer pays by instant bank transfer on pick-up – this may have to be done with more than one transaction – all transactions must show in my banking app on collection – UK bank acccounts only – (ignore the ‘cash’ mention in the e-bay settings, it wouldn’t let me change it).

Be part of a cult (and mutually supportive) club of Bongo owners with this reliable 27-year-old classic example, family friendly, lots of Japanese charm and well-looked after.

Welcome to come for viewings, or I can do video-calls if you are far away. Van is outside my home in London (near Blackhorse Road station, E17). Call or Whatsapp me (Matt) on 07989 976 444 to chat or arrange a viewing.