A fellow Boy Scout’s dad owned one, and he drove it dutifully to every scouting event, often maneuvering to park the thing so that it was in plain sight of where we were camping–or whatever outdoor thing we were doing.
1979 Bonanza Bandit: Favorite Car Ads
Boy Scout Dads
What made matters worse, was that the kid and his dad insisted on referring to the thing as “The Bandit,” and worked it into conversation as often as humanly possible. “Dad, will we be taking the Bandit to bowling practice Wednesday?” “Yes we will, son. Yes we will.”
(Making matters worse, another Scout’s dad had just purchased a Volkswagen Rabbit, which he referred to often and lovingly as “Harvey. Ugh.)
But, tired as I became of Bandit chatter, I was forced to admit, then and now, that the Bandit was pretty cool.
Toyota Pickup
The Bonanza Bandit was a mini-camper conversion available for Toyota pickup trucks. It was garagably small, likely easy on the gas, and less expensive than larger van-front motor-home conversions. And ownership of one was a point of pride for at least one Scout’s dad.
Bonanza Bandit Production
Built between 1977 and 1987, several generations of the conversion were offered, including the Bandit I, the Bandit II, and the Bandera Bandit II. Apart from bodyside graphics appliqué, the different versions of the Bandit don’t seem to have differed much.
The light-weight fiberglass conversations were reportedly also offered for Datsun trucks and the Chevrolet S10, however there is no photographic evidence to this effect.
Prices
Pricing information has been largely lost to the passage of time, but one estimate suggests that, including the donor Toyota pickup, Bandits retailed for between $8000 and $15,000. Period inflation and equipment (heater, generator, lavatory) accounting for the large price spread.
Note that a 1979 Toyota pickup started around $5000 at the time, this with a manual transmission and without air conditioning.
Sales
Sales figures are not to be had, though one source reports that roughly 180 conversions were produced for 1979, with numbers tapering off in subsequent years.
Orange Interior
Having spent a little time inside The Bandit, I can report decent build quality and a lot of orange plastic, which didn’t seem odd at the end of the Seventies.
Chemical Toilet
Also, and I don’t mean to sound like I’m bragging, but I made use of the Bandit’s loo, which I think ranks me among very few similarly fortunate Bandit guests. That said, chemical toilets aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.
Collector Value
Amazingly, well maintain Bandits in good working order have been known to command as much as $30,000, with “project” examples trading for as little as $1000. Should you purchase one yourself, be sure to refer to it exclusively as The Bandit, and to work it into conversation as much as you possibly can. Or, you can just buy a beater Rabbit and call it Harvey.
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1979 Bonanza Bandit Pictures
(Click below for enlarged images)
