Renault Kangoo

[Converse2020]

I have been asked to help in buying a 20+ year old Kangoo to lightly convert into a base for a cheap microcamper car (not removing the rear seats, and no cooking etc ). This isn’t for me, I’m just trying to help steer a potential purchaser away from any pitfalls.

My assessment is that the likely age / mileage / price point I think it’s going to be unreliable mechanically and size wise I think it’s impractical as a camper but I’ve never driven a Kangoo let alone considered camping in one so what do I know.

So any advice is welcome in terms of what to watch for mechanically (suspect everything on a car this old ) and also practically in terms of use as a microcamper.

Thanks

[Salamura]

With a car this old the usual issues with corrosion and general condition would be the most important. More specifically to the Kangoo, it depends on the engine, but they all tend to be mostly robust. The 1.6 K4M and K7M tend to be unproblematic, except for issues with coil packs, crank position sensors, MAP sensors and injectors, but these are usually easily diagnosed during a test drive. The diesels are also OK, the K9K had some injector and EGR problems in older versions, but resolved on newer ones. For both petrol and diesel a timely cambelt and aux belt change is also needed. As it is an older French car, checking all the electrics is also a good idea...

I am building a microcamper based on a Peugeot Rifter XL, a significantly larger car than an old Kangoo, and it seems just about big enough for me. The Kangoo is too small for my money, and too short to sleep comfortably in without having to move the front seats forward and having an elaborate mattress frame. Unless you're a hobbit .

I did use a Astra J estate as a microcamper during Covid,and that was just about long enough to sleep comfortably in. Mind, the Astra is about 70 cm longer than the Kangoo, and the cargo bay can be over 1.8 m long without moving the front seats, whereas with the Kangoo I think that we're dealing with 1.4-1.5 m, so suitable for a child, but not for an adult without some modifications.

Edited by Salamura on Thursday 11th December 09:17

[Converse2020]

Thanks for this. The Kangoo in question had no service history on the cambelt so was dismissed thankfully.
I also thought it was way too small to consider as a camper so fingers crossed the idea has been forgotten about !