Photo: Classic Autotrader Private Seller
A good portion of our audience is young petrolheads with even younger families. People who lament having to ditch their drop tops and sports coupes for something big enough to hall the kids, their stuff, and all their friends back and forth from school, the mall, and football practice. The usual suspects, your Odysseys, Siennas, and Caravans, are all fine on the face of it. But we think it's a bit of a bummer to see the same gosh-darn three minivan models take up all the real estate on American roads.
For this reason, this 1996 Mazda Bongo is a breath of fresh air. Fresh off the boat from Japan once its 25-year import embargo lifted, this humorously-named Japanese people carrier was a bit like the Ford Econoline for the region. With a nameplate that stretches back to 1966, the Bongo van isn't much younger than the all-American Econoline. Also known as the Ford Spectron/Econovan in Australia, owning to Mazda's on-and-off relationship with the American brand at the time, the Bongo took on more forms and nameplates than can be concisely explained without a few thousand words.
But what you need to know about this 1996 Mazda Bongo is that it's built for practicality first and everything else a distant second. That includes luxury and performance, mind you. Diesel passenger cars are taboo here in the States, but not so overseas. That's why this modest but durable 2.5-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel engine has less horsepower than some modern side-by-sides but enough grunt to keep chugging pretty much indefinitely. But even beyond the drivetrain, the ergonomics of this Mazda van are pretty darn impressive.
Just look at the way the rear hatch flips open. The whole rear of the vehicle folds out! In short, you can imagine how easy it would be to lug heavy shopping bags into the back of one of these JDM vans. The way the two rear rows of seats fold back into an impromptu mattress makes for a vehicle you could genuinely spend a long-term stay in if necessity made it so. Depending on the climate where you live, this Mazda could become an apartment on wheels with just a little effort.
With a full-time four-wheel drive, you'll be able to make your way up minor off-road trails to camping spots if that's more your speed, rather than living that van life out of strictly financial necessity. But more to the point, this 129,000-mile veteran of Japanese roads sure is a treat to see on the road compared to endless Siennas and the occasional Kia Carnival. At $9,000 out the door from a private seller on Classic Autotrader, you'd be hard-pressed to find a Sienna in decent shape for less than that.
But what you need to know about this 1996 Mazda Bongo is that it's built for practicality first and everything else a distant second. That includes luxury and performance, mind you. Diesel passenger cars are taboo here in the States, but not so overseas. That's why this modest but durable 2.5-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel engine has less horsepower than some modern side-by-sides but enough grunt to keep chugging pretty much indefinitely. But even beyond the drivetrain, the ergonomics of this Mazda van are pretty darn impressive.
Just look at the way the rear hatch flips open. The whole rear of the vehicle folds out! In short, you can imagine how easy it would be to lug heavy shopping bags into the back of one of these JDM vans. The way the two rear rows of seats fold back into an impromptu mattress makes for a vehicle you could genuinely spend a long-term stay in if necessity made it so. Depending on the climate where you live, this Mazda could become an apartment on wheels with just a little effort.
With a full-time four-wheel drive, you'll be able to make your way up minor off-road trails to camping spots if that's more your speed, rather than living that van life out of strictly financial necessity. But more to the point, this 129,000-mile veteran of Japanese roads sure is a treat to see on the road compared to endless Siennas and the occasional Kia Carnival. At $9,000 out the door from a private seller on Classic Autotrader, you'd be hard-pressed to find a Sienna in decent shape for less than that.
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