Soliciting Opinions: Mazda Bongo Friendee

[OTEP]

Heto pala ang tamang photo:

[bunny]

ok yun bro... looks awesome! actually my dad purchased one of them, looks and ride comfy.. but the problem is its parts.. siguro ganun talaga kapag medyo budget wise ka, and the best thing i saw about our friendee, maayos ang makina i would rate it " B " for me ayos humatak kahit na 2 wheel lang.. hindi mausop like pajero's and FX, kung titignan mo nga parang bago.. ang naging problem lang siguro is yung sa side mirrors nya.. but im loooking forward to replace it maybe another kind of side mirrors that will fit in..

[ptk675]

My pal is seriously considering purchasing an ex-JDM Mazda Bongo Friendee. He claims he can acquire a basic unit for around Php 230K give or take a little. The unit is to be used as his dog hauler and runabout in Bulacan. He has a Civic for a daily driver.

I don't know much about this vehicle. Any info, opinions, reactions, would be most appreciated. We might check out some units soon.

Thanks!

i have one exactly like the one on this pic except the color is green. it has 2.5L turbo diesel engine same as the ford ranger (WL-T) so engine parts wont be a problem. mine's got a matic transmission, but there are manual models available. mine's also got an power moonroof and power (cloth) window shades. i'd say its a pretty good ride, he just needs to check real hard that it was converted ok which is the usual suspect as ex-jdm units go.




pros:

- spacious
- verstaile. 2nd and 3rd row seats slide fore and aft and can be tumbled down depending on cargo load or passenger seating requirements. can easily be removed entirely if max cargo space is needed because its on rails.
- dual a/c with individual controls front and back
- power is pretty good as 2.5L tdic engines go
- driveability is good, ride is even better because it is coil sprung on all fours. on a recent trip to subic, my cousins rode with me on the way home because the ride of their new hilux was jarring.
- awd + abs equipped

cons:

- other parts are hard to come by. if you find what you need, expect it to be expensive. trim pieces, lights, mirrors/glass, etc.. are not readily available in your friendly neighborhood "sarplasan". case in point, my cv joints are starting to cackle, but no one seems to have that part here.
- FC is ok if you feather it. but drill it and you'll not get more than 6km/l. not sure if this is average consumption for the WL-T engine. maybe mine needs a tune up already.
- servicing the engine is a bit of a chore since its under the front seats and you have to remove the center console (a 2 screw affair) before you can raise the front seats, although the oil filter can be removed from beneath if you have a lifter.
- mas maganda yung front fascia and rear clear lense lights nung ford version

[Syuryuken]

Yung Toyota Noah na lang kunin nya.

[OTEP]

Wow, revival. hehehe. My friend decided against getting one muna. He's still in Bulacan. Baka matuloy ang migration niya sa U.S. next year.

[cocoy]

can you compare this van to the starex? because for me the starex is just way bigger than this mazda van.. well dats just me.. the other thing i dnt like bout this van is that the engine is located under the van itself... hmmmm. i guess i just dnt like it..... just my opinion....

[Syuryuken]

Ganyan din binili ng kapitbahay namin problema nila yung accelerator parang naiipit minsan kahit sagad na daw sa apak hindi pa rin tumatakbo minsan naman habang tumatakbo daw bigla na lang humarurot wala pa sa kalahati yung apak.

[russpogi]

Saw this kanina sa school. Maganda sya pero parts availability is the question.

[smarty]

matipid ba sa gas?

[alwayz_yummy]

2.5 makina nito, identical sa local previous ranger/still current everest.

pero makina nito can be troublesome to open! may screws at katabi mo! hindi katulad ng MPV or spacegear.

diesel matic, AWD at 4x2 lang....ung auto free-top di mo magagamit unless nag-jajamboree ka palagi....

eto consider mo din kung friendee kukunin mo...: http://tsikot.yehey.com/auto-classif...&cat=20&page=2

local pa..kaya orig. LHD na! 2.5L turbo diesel din.