Hi all,
After scanning around and looking on some other well known bambi based websites, I have decided that there is a general lack of information regarding what to look out for when buying your bambi except basically 'look under the wheel arches and check the luton top'..quoted from a well known bambi forum. Well I followed that advice and got caught out. ALL Bedford Bambi's will develop damp without proper care, especially after almost 25 years!
Please do not assume I am an authority. I am not, nor do I claim to be an expert or any sort of professional on the subject. The below is based on my personal experience and is by no means a complete and absolute guide to buying these little campers.
First and foremost, accept that unfortunately there are thoses out there who will lie and decieve you, period. The real sociopaths will try and make you feel like you are the 'unreasonable' one by saying no or doubting them somehow. They will talk about their kids, need to get back to Australia, whatever. Honest people are an increasingly rare breed. Some generic advice : Beware sellers who appearing to be dealers yet they are not registered businesses, and those selling 'on behalf' of another person. If your not sure, phone them and say you are enquiring about the vehicle without being specific. If they don't remember or don't know, chances are they have a bunch of vehicles and they are dealers.
I would very very strongly advise reading up on the caravanbuyers guide. It's got some excellent information on how to approach buying caravans. It would be also extremely helpful to anyone buying a Bambi. See their guide (page 1)
http://www.caravanbuyersguide.co.uk/phonecall.htmlNext, depending on your purchase price, say £3000, you might not need to be as thorough on your vehicle checks however it would still be a good idea as there are those out there who would still be prepared to do a 'higher' quality botch up job for a quick sale.
I must stress the importance of this one. If I were to again be a prospective bambi buyer, I would first get in touch with Mr. Thornbury (
http://www.bedfordrascal.com) and find out if he has had any record with the vehicle just to see if any professional quality work has been carried out. If you can get any reassurances or proof (reciepts followed up) from other businesses, follow them up!!
Arrange to visit the bambi in question.
Get up to the vehicle and really spend time over your checks. Aim for 45 to 60 mins to get to know the vehicle. Do not rush this, if you feel rushed or pressured, WALK away fast.
Looks harmless enough, doesn't she!
Before hopping into the cab, you will want to take a look under the front air intake and from under there you can gauge the rust situation. Then, move around to the wheel arches and importantly, the suspension struts as these do have a habit of rusting through. The struts are a structual area and will require welding fixing whatever if perforated. The wheel arches are not quite as significant however but if they are badly rusted over they will require replacements and that will work out to a 3 figure number including fitting and removal of old ones to the best of my knowledge.
This is where you should be looking and what you will want to see ideally behind the wheel.
Next pull up the matt in the cab and check the floor and especially where the floor edge meets the front wall. If you see little specs of light shining through then there is a rust problem thats bigger then it seems. Easily fixed with welding yes but again expensive welders are not cheap and a small hole often has to be scraped away leaving a much bigger one.
When buying a rusty vehicle remember that it will require a rust treatment job. This is a dirty, difficult job that will require a boiler suit as you will get covered in treatment. There are also millions of nocks and crannies underneith behind where the suspension is and the struts and a good level of mobility and physical agility will be required if you do it yourself. Ideally you will also scrape all the loose rust flakes away which is even more awkward. Bare this all in mind. If you dont mind sorting the rust and expect it then OK but take note if your not planning to buy a rusty vehicle then be thorough while doing your checks.
Next, the habitation area check. I would strongly suggest getting a damp meter or probe for this section. I didn't, and I regretted not paying that £25 for a good one. It was a false economy. Anyway enough of my mistakes, I'm writing this to try and stop you making the same ones. Look around inside. Do the metal effects appear to be rusty for no obvious reason, screws hinges etc? Ask questions. Put your nose in every cuppord and locker, if you smell damp then ask more questions. Look for new wall paper and places where wall paper doesnt match.
You'll be amazed how many places water can get into one of these cute little campers.
It should NOT smell damp, old vehicle or not. If there is damp inside it is most likely comming in from the usual place which are the rubber seams in which case the frames will be compromised. You simply cannot reseal from the out side to stop damp. The damp will remain as it cannot escape, and it will over time gradually eat away at the structual frames inside. The only proper cure is to remove where the damp is, i.e the woodwork completely. It's a serious problem, not minor and cannot be fixed with by splashing wads of silicon everywhere.
What looks like a small bit of damp inside and easy enough to fix, will become a massive job once you've ripped it back and seen how bad it is. To put it into perspective, depending on the damage, you will be looking at a very expensive repair jobbie (£2000-£6000). You can do it yourself of course, I did, and it involved ripping out all the furniture, hacking out the foam to get to the rotten beams and using very roughly 145ft of replacement treated batons. To put it mildly, it is not an easy job or one for the faint hearted.
This is the extent of the potential damage.
Trust me, this will only be the beginning. The cooker unit has already been removed as has the shelf above.
I must stress that ALL bambis will suffer the same design flaw with regards to the rubber seam that runs around the vehicle. Unless these have been specifically cared for, and ask for evidence, assume that they are compromised. If they are, your bambi has been leaking like a sieve. I would go one step above and actually PEEL off a section of seam on both side and look for RUSTED screws. If the screws under are rusted you DO HAVE AN INGRESS PROBLEM this CANNOT be stressed enough. Stop and walk away unless you are prepared for a massive job on your hands or have budgetted in this work to be carried out.
Check behind those seems! Notice the hole in the skin. This hole was very tiny but gentle poking revealed it's true size. Caused by the sodden frame on the other side. Look at those rusty screw heads after all!
Now inside, run your finger around the door frame, keep pushing at it right the way down to where the bottle edge of the floor meets the edge of the door frame. If it feels soft then alarm bells should be seriously ringing at this point. Also do this but in the cuppords under the cooker and sink but against the wall as this bottom section is wooden and softness again indicates serious ingress.
This mess was where the water 'ran down' the beam. The top of the beam is sound but gravity takes the water down to the bottom where the worst of the rot will set in.
Move back to the luton area and put your hand right where the roof slope joins to the luton floor. Any mushyness here also indicates problems. Now press with your finger along the bottom edge that runs where the floor of the luton and wall meets. There is a frame here as well and if it is soft again that is due to water. The plywood frame however may disguise this damage however therefore I would still recommend a damp meter to really poke through any covering wood.
Anyway, I'm not a mechanical expert, and my particular bambi was absolutely flawless to drive so I can't comment much on the driving side of things but do give the engine a good fire up and a quick test drive, note any strange rattles and creeks. Worn clutches make rattling sounds and these are a fortune to replace. Find out when the timing belt was doing again don't believe them or take their word for it enless they provide you with PROOF. Someone else might want to add to this section.
This guide is by no means complete though, but it will give you good head start when purchasing. Feel free to add to it
Goodluck and be safe.
Recommended engineers and businesses specialising in all aspects of the Bedford Rascal and or the Auto home Bambi:
Mr. D. Fox (AKA Dellboy)
Contact phone no. 0787 961 5056.
Based in East London (Dartford Essex)
Sorted out my bodged up electrics.
D&A Mobile Mechanics
Contact phone no. 07506139141.
Based in South London and cover much of the capital.
Have worked on my Bambi / Rascal.
Mr. T Thornbury. (AKA Rascalvan10)
http://www.bedfordrascal.comBased in Wiltshire (Near Swindon)
Made an excellent replacement bambi luton panel for me.
