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#1
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overland vehicle fitting
I'm planning to do some extensive travelling in Africa and to that end will
be buying a vehicle and getting it fitted out for overland travel. I would really welcome any recommendations with regard where to purchase a suitable vehicle, I was looking at Land Rover Defenders or Toyota Land Cruisers, and companies that could outfit the vehicle for that sort of travel. I am very flexible in terms of country. many thanks |
#2
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overland vehicle fitting
psw wrote:
I'm planning to do some extensive travelling in Africa and to that end will be buying a vehicle and getting it fitted out for overland travel. I would really welcome any recommendations with regard where to purchase a suitable vehicle, I was looking at Land Rover Defenders or Toyota Land Cruisers, and companies that could outfit the vehicle for that sort of travel. I am very flexible in terms of country. many thanks Hi. A difficult question. A lot depends on your budget. Landrover is perhaps easier to be fitted out for overlanding and used to be THE vehicle for Africa. I'm afraid that these days the Japanese vehicles are much more reliable and are readily repaired in most African countries. Some would say Toyota but I would go For the Mitsubishi L200 (as named in the UK) In Africa it is the Colt Rodeo. I have one here in Scotland and one in JoBurg. A lot of the new 4x4's will drop into 4 wheel drive on the move these days but the Mitsubishi has been that way for a long time. Good if you are buying second hand. Mine pulls a bush caravan almost anywhere. see http://www.touchthewild.com for a report. Having the conversion done is expensive. If you have time, you could do it yourself, it's not rocket science and I could give you some tips. I am currently building a big one based on the Mercedes 12 ton 4x4 truck.......going to be awsome. Phil |
#3
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overland vehicle fitting
Hi, this is one of my favourite subjects...
For Landrover information in the UK, your best bet is to have a look at http://www.landrovernet.com Which countries are you planning on visiting, and what are you planning on doing over here? ON THE BEATEN TRACK: If you're doing the easier, more established routes, then virtually any vehicle will do, as long as you have a strong chassis, and suitable clearance. You could drive through the whole of Eastern and Southern Africa in an ordinary saloon car if you choose your route carefully, so the modified pick-up trucks are more than adequate. OFF THE BEATEN TRACK: I've been travelling off the beaten track for 12 years now, and I've done over half a million km's all over southern and east Africa, so I have a good handle on what I've seen that works, and what I've seen that is a disaster. I'm a Landrover user, but not a mindless fanatic of the vehicle, but if you are going anywhere off the beaten track, I strongly recommend that you ONLY consider Landrover Defender or Totota Landcruiser and nothing else. Not only do I suggest that you look only at the Landy or the Toyota, but I would strongly advise AGAINST the Defender with Td5 engine and the fancier Land Cruisers such as the Prado, VX, GX etc. Stay away from petrol engines as petrol is often not available. Defenders to look at are the ones with 200Tdi, 300Tdi and TD engines. The only Landcruiser engine to use is the normally aspirated 6 cyl 4.5l engine which is superbly reliable and strong as an ox. Defenders are FAR more comfortable than the Landcruiser and better performers, but the 'Cruiser tends to be somewhat more reliable, if a bit less tough overall. Forget about all the c**p about top speeds, and the fact that these vehicles are slow.Also, don't look at "features" like ABS, HDC etc. What you need is reliability, torque at low RPM, and STRONG drivetrain. The Pajero, and all the pick-up based 4x4's just don't have the strength that a Rover/Cruiser has. You certainly DON'T need ABS, airbags, traction control, HDC etc. as these are simply liable to malfunction, and are virtually meaningless on most African routes and merely a waste of money that you should raher spend on fuel and a good camera. When you're out of the major routes, even in a reasonably organised country like Tanzania, having a computerised vehicle is not a good idea at all. You can get 200Tdi, 300Tdi, and Landcruiser 6cyl NA6 diesel spares almost anywhere (and a mechanic who will fix the vehicle). If you have a computer problem (and this could be ANYTHING from ants or rodents in the wiring, water or condensation in the computer, sensor failure, contaminated fuel, a minor or major grass fire, environmental factors etc), then you are IN A WORLD OF TROUBLE EVEN IF YOU'RE IN A BIG CITY. I can virtually guarantee that you will not properly sort out a computer problem in a late model vehicle in ANY African city outside of South Africa. Apart from computerised vehicles, top of my list of things to forget about on a long African journey is the "offroad trailer". Not only do they dramaticaly increase fuel consumption, but they put unbelievable strain on the chassis and suspension of the vehicle especially in soft sand and when they're actually used "off road". Anything that you need to pack into a trailer is probably unnessesary anyway. What I do recommend is: 1) Lots of fuel storage. I have the standard 80l diesel tank, a 45l fender tank, and I carry 80 to 120 litres in Jerry cans on the roof rack. 2) Water. I carry a 60l tank of drinking water as well as buying bottled water wherever possible. Being dirty won't kill you, but running out of drinking water WILL. 3) I have a small 30l Engel fridge which is fantastic. 4) If you're camping, a fold-out awning with mosquito net side walls (I have a Howling Moon) and a ground sheet makes an excellent sunshade and a very quick, cool sleeping tent if there are no big cats around. If there are cats (particularly hyaena) use a roof tent. Anyway, have a look around at http://www.landrovernet.com where you'll find a friendly forum, and lots of advice. Regards, Marc - Johannesburg, South Africa On Fri, 08 Sep 2006 19:17:03 GMT, "psw" wrote: I'm planning to do some extensive travelling in Africa and to that end will be buying a vehicle and getting it fitted out for overland travel. I would really welcome any recommendations with regard where to purchase a suitable vehicle, I was looking at Land Rover Defenders or Toyota Land Cruisers, and companies that could outfit the vehicle for that sort of travel. I am very flexible in terms of country. many thanks |
#4
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overland vehicle fitting
Many thanks for the very welcome advice and I'll certainly take
it all on board. My plan is to go wherever my fancy takes me and where the sun is shining, avoiding the rainy seasons where possible. The biggest consideration I have at the moment is whether to purchase the vehicle and fit it out in the UK, then either ship it to SA or drive it down through Spain, or buy and fit it in SA. Whereas there is no end of places in the UK that will fit out vehicles and a huge range to choose from, I know nothing about what's available in SA. Personal recommendations are worth there weight in gold. once again many thanks "psw" wrote in message .uk... I'm planning to do some extensive travelling in Africa and to that end will be buying a vehicle and getting it fitted out for overland travel. I would really welcome any recommendations with regard where to purchase a suitable vehicle, I was looking at Land Rover Defenders or Toyota Land Cruisers, and companies that could outfit the vehicle for that sort of travel. I am very flexible in terms of country. many thanks |
#5
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overland vehicle fitting
psw wrote:
Many thanks for the very welcome advice and I'll certainly take it all on board. My plan is to go wherever my fancy takes me and where the sun is shining, avoiding the rainy seasons where possible. The biggest consideration I have at the moment is whether to purchase the vehicle and fit it out in the UK, then either ship it to SA or drive it down through Spain, or buy and fit it in SA. Whereas there is no end of places in the UK that will fit out vehicles and a huge range to choose from, I know nothing about what's available in SA. Personal recommendations are worth there weight in gold. once again many thanks "psw" wrote in message .uk... I'm planning to do some extensive travelling in Africa and to that end will be buying a vehicle and getting it fitted out for overland travel. I would really welcome any recommendations with regard where to purchase a suitable vehicle, I was looking at Land Rover Defenders or Toyota Land Cruisers, and companies that could outfit the vehicle for that sort of travel. I am very flexible in terms of country. many thanks outh Africa are very high Used prices in South Africa are very high so it would be best to buy in the UK. South Africans might be better at fitting out but you have to consider the time you would spend there; if you have the wanderlust, South Africa is not really the place to kick your heels. If you buy there, you need to consider registration problems, and so on. Driving down through Spain? If you don't have the experience, I would say you will never get to the south, there are war zones blocking just about every route. I am not brave enough. The best areas to wander are the southern countries bordering SA: Namibia, Botswana, up tp Zambia, Malawi, maybe Tanzania. They would keep you ocupied for a year or two, they are game rich, speak English and are generally friendy. Best advice: Buy and fit here. Ship to Cape Town or Durban, use a carnet de passage to enable you to cross borders with ease. and get out there! By the way. People all over can repair landrovers as Marc says. You know why? They are always breaking down! |
#6
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overland vehicle fitting
Oh, Ha Ha Philip, like I haven't heard that one before... ;-) (read
this line with a sarcastic tone...) Good advice generally from Philip, however, I'd suggest rather shipping the vehicle unfitted down here, and doing the fitments here. Much of the stuff that gets fitted in the UK is made in SA anyway (Frontrunner, EasiAwn, Howling Moon, B'rakah, Safari Centre, etc.) If the shipping cost is acceptable, I'd ship the vehicle to Johannesburg (although it's 400km inland, Jo'burg is considered a cargo port) and have it fitted in Jo'burg. Why do I recommend fitting in Jo'burg? Well several reasons really: 1) There's plenty to do here while you're spending a few days fitting the vehicle. 2) Jo'burg is far more business-like and customer oriented than Cape Town and Durban, so you'll get more competitive pricing, and better service. 3) Jo'burg fitment centres have FAR more experience with the products. 4) Jo'burg makes an excellent base in which to gather information about routes, planning, last minute purchases etc. I can't emphasise just how much bigger Johannesburg is than any other city in Africa, not in sheer size or population (it has a lower population than Lagos and Cairo), but in terms of infrastructure, access to amenities, business opportunities, access to information, access to expertise, access to local and imported produce etc. etc. etc. 5) It's only about 400km from Jo'burg to the Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho, or Swaziland borders. Cape Town is 1600km away from Jo'burg. Even southern Mozambique (and Jo'burg) is 600km from Durban. Regarding your route... You need to plan VERY carefully if you want to drive from Europe through to South Africa. At the moment your best entry into Africa is probably through Morocco or Tunisia as Algeria is a nightmare, Libya can be very problematic, and there is quite a lot of difficulty with foreign registered vehicles in Egypt. If you get into Egypt or Djibouti or Eritrea, then you have two significan problems along your route: Somalia and Sudan. I strongly advise agains Somalia. There is a VERY GOOD chance that you will either lose the vehicle, die, or both. Sudan will be a problem in the south where it is currently very dodgy. Once you're in Kenya or Ethiopia it's plain sailing (and very enjoyable) all the way to Cape Town, no matter which route you choose. Personally I'd go Kenya, west into Uganda, south through Uganda into Tanzania, east across Tanzania, and then south to Malawi. South through Malawi, then south east into Mozambique. You then go south all the way through Mozambique, or you go south to Beira, and then head west into Zimbabwe, then south to SA. I don't know the westerly route too well, but you have several problem countries: Equatorial Guinea is a problem, and Central African Republic is a definite no-no. DR Congo is a VERY dodgy country to travel through because of an unstable political climate, and because of sheer beaurocratic non-sense. Both CAR and DRC have virtually no road infrastructure, and it's foolhardy to travel through in only one vehicle. I agree with Philip that travelling in Southern and Eastern Africa is more than interesting enough for several years worth of travel. Regards, Marc On Sat, 16 Sep 2006 22:02:20 +0100, Philip wrote: By the way. People all over can repair landrovers as Marc says. You know why? They are always breaking down! |
#7
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overland vehicle fitting
Marc Lurie wrote:
Oh, Ha Ha Philip, like I haven't heard that one before... ;-) (read this line with a sarcastic tone...) Good advice generally from Philip, however, I'd suggest rather shipping the vehicle unfitted down here, and doing the fitments here. Hi Marc....excuse us, psw for talking across you here......I have had 3 landrovers in my time, from an old series one to an early td5 and I just love them. If I had unlimited wealth, I would buy another one tomorrow. I just wouldn't want to be on my own in Koakaland in one, the Japs have it for reliability, I'm afraid. Anyway, I agree with you about Jo'burg, I used to store my Colt and Xplorer caravan there as convenient to get to Botswana. The point I meant to make was that unless you have a friend to help you and put you up for..how many weeks to fit out?.....South Africa, and Jo'burg in particular is not a very nice place to be waiting around in. Phil |
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