Colombia and S. America Expedtion Summer 2007

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Well I just got done reading all 12 pages of his trip and all I have to say is that it made me even more excited. I couldnt stop reading about his trip through Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru and all the stuff in between is just pure amazing. He was only gone for two months and for him that wasnt enough to really explore. But One thing I am convinced is that I am happy to own a Landcruiser.

TAPAGE & RMiranda - I have a whole bunch of questions to ask Silviu, is there any way I can get ahold of him via email????

I also remembered that I have family members in Colombia that can help us with the Customs and shipping of the Cars from panama to colombia.

I have thought of a route to take in south america> I would like to do the same route that Silviu made. From Venezuela down through Brazil, etc....
 
FloridaFJ80 said:
TAPAGE & RMiranda - I have a whole bunch of questions to ask Silviu, is there any way I can get ahold of him via email????
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Letme ask about this ..

FloridaFJ80 said:
I also remembered that I have family members in Colombia that can help us with the Customs and shipping of the Cars from panama to colombia.
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I thought you have 2 options .. or ship you cruiser direct miami - cartagena and perform the trip throught south america .. or start your trip from USA to Panamá, and then ship to Cartagena and continue to South America ..

The second options are a really long trip .. keep in mind it.
 
This sounds like an adventure of a lifetime. I like the idea of cuttting the drive time/trip time down by shipping vehicles to SA, but missing the driving through Mexico and other countries is what the trip is all about. Taking that much time off work would be hard, but anything may be possible for me. I would love to do an adventure like this. I'm just an old Gringo though and I would stick out like a sore thumb at road blocks and such.
 
RUSTY - Dont worry about sticking out, we will always stick out no matter where we go because of rigs, they draw attention..!! But if we get a good group of people to come it will definetely be worth it, because we will all be there to help one another out.

TAPAGE - Depending on interest I think we will most likely be shipping from PANAMA to CARTAGENA.

Just got back from Colombia took some pics of a nice 80 and a 70 series.. I will be posting them soon.
 
Wish I had this 80 here in the states. It has DUAL A/C, and center console fridge.

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This is my favorite LC in the World.

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Awesome pictures, nice looking 80's, it seems that Venzuelans have the most fun and nicest rigs. Any colombian expeditions out there or rigs????
 
rmirandayopo said:
the more than I read about Central America (Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua) the lest that I want to drive for it...make a lot of sense to ship the rigs from Houston or Florida to South America directly...
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Why?!? I've been in Guatemala City for the last two years on Canadian plates. I've driven all over Guatemala, Honduras and through El Salvador many times with no problems. When I hear about Columbia and the FARC rebels or about the loonie Chavez who's boss in Venezuela then I get worried.

Yes, I've been stopped by the cops a few times but NEVER had a ticket or been severely hassled in any way. My spanish language skills are terrible too so that is not helping me any either.

As for fuel costs, right now regular unleaded is Q25/gallon and diesel is Q21/gallon. A $US is about Q7.6 this is in Guatemala. Mexico is significantly less and Honduras is slightly more.

Look closely and you'll see my plate is from British Columbia!
elsalvador.webp
 
cruiser_guy said:
Yes, I've been stopped by the cops a few times but NEVER had a ticket or been severely hassled in any way. My spanish language skills are terrible too so that is not helping me any either.
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you make me smile dude .. I thought in the scene .. you talking with traffic officers .. and their still thinking ..

Vamos a darle un chance a este gringito ! :D ( anycase you aren't USA resident all english spoken are gringos I thought .. hahahahahaa )

funny !
 
Hey FloridaFJ80

My wife and I are planning a trip from San Francisco to Tierra del Fuego and back in 2007-2008. The current thinking is to take about a year off to do the expedition.

Since we are currently novices when it comes to auto mechanics we have enrolled in a automotive mechanics program to get us up to speed. We are planning to take a FJ Cruiser due to its smaller size, better gas consumption, and relative low cost.

We have not yet decided a departure date but if we can hookup with some TLC folk for at least part of the way it would be great.
 
Quixote said:
Hey FloridaFJ80

My wife and I are planning a trip from San Francisco to Tierra del Fuego and back in 2007-2008. The current thinking is to take about a year off to do the expedition.

Since we are currently novices when it comes to auto mechanics we have enrolled in a automotive mechanics program to get us up to speed. We are planning to take a FJ Cruiser due to its smaller size, better gas consumption, and relative low cost.

We have not yet decided a departure date but if we can hookup with some TLC folk for at least part of the way it would be great.
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I recommend you get the vehicle you're going to use now. Get familiar with it, fix it when it breaks down. You need to know it inside out.

Personally I wouldn't go with a new vehicle, especially a new vehicle made for California. You want simple. I'd find an older FJ40 with the carburated 2F and use that or a '60 series with the carburated engine. If you have the possibility of getting a diesel 'Cruiser I'd do that but they are not common in California. Mechanics in Central America and I assume also South America are NOT familiar with smog control stuff so try to avoid it as much as possible.
 
We went through a lot of angst over this decision. California has recently changed their laws for diesel emissions and has effectively eliminated all diesel cars until cleaner burning versions are developed. Hopefully in a year or two we'll start seeing diesel vehicles again.

Most South American countries have now switched to selling unleaded fuel. My wife had an email back-and-forth with a girl motorcyclist who went about a year ago and she confirmed this.

Our first choice would have been a diesel car, but it is not possible for the reason above. Our auto instructor suggested that a newer vehicle will have a lesser probability of break down, but even with a new car I am sure we will see our share.

We also need a car to drive about while we are planning/saving for the trip. So hence the FJC. I have some misgivings about the choice - new vehicle, untested, gasoline engine, too flashy, etc, etc...

But given our level of mechanical expertise and requirements it seems like the right choice. I can tell you for certain only after I have returned from the trip!:D
 
FJC? you're going to stay in hotels everywhere? :)
not too much room in and on that thing, is there? how about a FJ60? nice compromise between simplicity and lots of room, very capable, parts everywhere in So.Am...
 
A newer car will possibly have fewer breakdowns BUT when it does the mechanics in Central and South America will not have a clue about the emissions gizmos and gadgets. They will simply start clipping wires and pulling off hoses until the problem seems to go away. The problem with that is they only create a multitude of new problems!

Unleaded fuel is not a problem, clean fuel can be a problem!

While you are taking mechanical classes that in itself doesn't make you a mechanic. It's only when you work on your own vehicle that you truly know what it does. That's why I suggest that you get the vehicle NOW, drive it and fix it as you prepare for the trip. You won't do that with a new car because it's under warrantee so you won't learn anything until it's too late and you're in the middle of Mexico and something goes "bump" and you can't find a place to honor your warantee anywhere and you've never lifted the hood because it's under warrantee!

I've driven my '82 BJ60 since 1989 and I have fixed EVERYTHING except the diesel injection system on my own. I have even rebuilt an engine like the one in my truck. I think I know it reasonably well.

btw, it has a mere 450,000kM's on it and we're driving to Canada from Guatemala City next week with it!
 
I jumped! I went to the dealer today and got the FJC. I should have checked your posts first, I might have changed my mind...

I think cruiser_guy makes a lot of good points - I am going to learn as much as I can about this little truck before I leave in 2007. Will I become a mechanic by then? Of course not - it takes many years of experience with cars to make such a claim. But hopefully I will know enough to do my basic maintenence and spot common problems before they occur. Hopefully I will know enough to know whether a mechanic is telling me the truth or scamming me.

This will be our first international multi-month road trip. We plan on being conservative and cautious. Once we have this one under our belts then we can attempt something more ambitious and we will know whether these long road trips suit us.

e9999:
We plan on building a foldable plywood platform to be supported by some type of large roof rack. Alternatively we were thinking of one of those Maggiolina roof top tents. I am embarassed to say we were planning on staying in hotels a lot - we're middle aged!!

Live to Ski:
I am currently running a Windows based scan tool on my Dell laptop. I also have a bluetooth over serial connection that connects to my Pocket PC based cell phone for real time data collection. The data can then be analyzed in something like Excel...
 
Quixote, if you want to chat over a Coke or whatever, we're passing through Sacramento on about the 12th of June. PM me if interested. We're also doing a meet/campout/run in Big Bear the weekend before. http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3901
 
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