Drive it to Colombia - Dumb Idea?

[dennislevy]

Jeff S
you re right,


i dont know that much about mexico although I ve been there a few times


i was mostly commenting about Colombia which I know a bit about. 


And I ll agree with you....parts are hard to find for many models of many cars.....if someone is a gringo making this drive and you break down but really break down......I think the premium that will be charged to get you on the road...may dampen a lot of your initial enthusiasm...


.you will get hosed but good.

[fathertime]

 

 


And I ll agree with you....parts are hard to find for many models of many cars.....if someone is a gringo making this drive and you break down but really break down......I think the premium that will be charged to get you on the road...may dampen a lot of your initial enthusiasm...


.you will get hosed but good.

I think a person should get the car really checked out good and bring the necessary tools for easy repairs and even a few basic spare parts.  i.e.  fan belts...fuses hoses, clamps, tranny fluid, coolant, tire sealant, oil, plug, wire,cap and rotor.  all pretty small items.   


Most of the time I don't think life should be lived fretting over possible financial consequences of worst case scenarios.  If potential financial consequences are going to stop a person from doing things like this, then it is best they stay on the couch.    If the car breaks down in a big way and it happens in one of the isolated locations and you have to abandon or spend a fortune towing/repairing it, well then you are unlucky but the likelihood of that are small if you have it checked by a trusted mechanic first. 
I say go for it and damn the what if's! 


Fathertime!

[Jason1]

If you are doing it in order to save money it is a dumb idea. If you have a special car you want and are doing it no matter the cost it is understandable.

I wouldn't want a very nice car in Colombia. Driving it on those roads would tear it apart and the traffic? Forget about it.

[piglett]

When I said goodbye to them, the dad was thinking of flying to Germany, buying the part and bringing  it back personally so he could avoid customs delays.  They had checked Argentina and Brazil aand  found flights from Ecuador PLUS the price f the parts to more expensive then flying to Germany.....

For all of you thinking about this....Im curious, just how many service dealerships for whatever you going to drive exist between say Tiajuana and Patagonia? ?


jejejeje..............

take a Toyota 4x4 pickup with the 22r engine 5speed trans. they are all over SA. with GOOD mud tires & a really good winch you mite juts make it , no boat needed.
 
pig

[benjio]

In terms of cars breaking down, from the trip reports I've read about guys that have done this, they always bring a decent supply of the parts that are most likely to malfunction when a care gets up in mileage. No one can predict everything that can go wrong with a car. But the parts that usually wear out after a significant number of miles are obvious. Spare tire(s), plenty of oil and Antifreeze, a radiator, and plenty of flexible radiator hoses, a water pump, an alternator, a starter, extra spark plugs, an extra battery, a distributor cap, a timing belt, and a thermostat. Because you'll be driving over rough terrain you'll want to bring extra suspension parts. Strut assemblies for each side of the car, CV or Ball Joints (depending on the vehicle), an extra oil pan (reportedly very importantly as you can easily damage one driving over a bad pot hole). This stuff is all readily available and should be carried with you during the trip. Even if you have to pay someone else to put them on.
 
Again, this is just what I've read from the people that have actually done it. You can very easily fit all of these things in the back of a nice size SUV along with a good supply of tools. Now when you're talking about massive engine or transmission failure, you're [snip] out of luck.

[Researcher]

         I don't know about taking a spare auto parts store along.There are plenty of small electronic parts, like sensors, that can go bad as well.Seems like taking that much stuff would be expensive.When I was in Mexico getting spare parts and having the work done was negotiable as far as price, just like everything else.

        If you are going to have a car in Colombia it would be a good idea to learn the laws there that pertain to it.For example, my wife says in order to have tinted windows you have to have a permit.If you are stopped by the police and you don't have it they don't just write you a ticket.They take a steel bar or stick and break out your windows.


         Researcher

[Bob_S]

I think the spare parts are for when you're off-roading it through the rain forests of southern Panama and the nearest mechanic is 300 miles away.  Bust a strut there and you are panther munch.

[Traveler]

Nissan Tsuru was sold in the US as a Sentra.  But you are right about parts availability.  Car market in Colombia is completely different from the US: lots of small European and Asian cars, no American made sedans, and very few American made trucks.
 
I also don't think trying to bring an expensive car to Colombia is a good idea.  In Bogota there are many expensive cars, but in other cities, even in Medellin, you will stand out and can become a potential target.
 
I am considering moving to Colombia, and did some research on cars.  I agree with Denis that it is not necessary, but it would be a nice thing to have.  As Zon has put very succinctly, I would like to feel like an adult and drive myself, rather than go in a taxi.      If I were to move, I would buy a used car first, but there are relatively good values in new cars too.  The best value to me appears to be FIAT.  You can get a Punto -a  very decent car for like $17-18K, or a larger Bravo for $28K.  That's even less than the locally made Mazda 3.  It would be a step down from my Audi, but I am not sure I would want to drive an Audi in Medellin in the first place - it's not well suited to Colombia.
 
Driving in Colombia indeed is different from the US, and especially if you come from the Midwest will feel like a derby.  But I live in Miami, so I am used to traffic and aggressive driving.  And I have driven in Russia, and I would say Colombian driving is less challenging.  I would say thought that the only car I would consider for driving in Colombia would be a compact with a manual transmission.  I would be literally scared driving an automatic there.

[Researcher]

I think the spare parts are for when you're off-roading it through the rain forests of southern Panama and the nearest mechanic is 300 miles away.  Bust a strut there and you are panther munch.

      I don't know if it is still the case but that area of Colombia was once FARC country.I'm sure they would love a free SUV!

       Researcher

[benjio]

Nissan Tsuru was sold in the US as a Sentra.  But you are right about parts availability.  Car market in Colombia is completely different from the US: lots of small European and Asian cars, no American made sedans, and very few American made trucks.
 
I also don't think trying to bring an expensive car to Colombia is a good idea.  In Bogota there are many expensive cars, but in other cities, even in Medellin, you will stand out and can become a potential target.
 
I am considering moving to Colombia, and did some research on cars.  I agree with Denis that it is not necessary, but it would be a nice thing to have.  As Zon has put very succinctly, I would like to feel like an adult and drive myself, rather than go in a taxi.      If I were to move, I would buy a used car first, but there are relatively good values in new cars too.  The best value to me appears to be FIAT.  You can get a Punto -a  very decent car for like $17-18K, or a larger Bravo for $28K.  That's even less than the locally made Mazda 3.  It would be a step down from my Audi, but I am not sure I would want to drive an Audi in Medellin in the first place - it's not well suited to Colombia.
 
Driving in Colombia indeed is different from the US, and especially if you come from the Midwest will feel like a derby.  But I live in Miami, so I am used to traffic and aggressive driving.  And I have driven in Russia, and I would say Colombian driving is less challenging.  I would say thought that the only car I would consider for driving in Colombia would be a compact with a manual transmission.  I would be literally scared driving an automatic there.

Great points Researcher. I was thinking of just having a Humvee imported down there. With the huge grille guard with bob wire wrapped around it and all! Let's see those Colombian Drivers cut that off. Talk about drawing unwanted attention.

[Researcher]

Great points Researcher. I was thinking of just having a Humvee imported down there. With the huge grille guard with bob wire wrapped around it and all! Let's see those Colombian Drivers cut that off. Talk about drawing unwanted attention.

      That's not a bad idea but my money would be on those Kamikaze taxi drivers. No one stands a chance with those guys. I was always impressed with their knowledge of just how far they could push their cars. They seem to test those boundaries everyday.


         Researcher

[Zon]

A couple years ago, I was in Puerto Plata, DR and the casino owner's son and I were entertaining some people at his beach house.  We needed some more stuff, so he through me his keys and off I went.  It was a HUMVEE.

I guess I drove for 10 minutes without getting into a small accident that cost me 2K just to go away.  The rich kid did not seem to mind.

The DR is a complete clusterf$uck to drive!  I have been all over that island twice.   Colombia is a step in the right direction

[maritime04]

Currently in Medellin are a black tahoe with california plates, a yellow H-2 hummer with florida plates, a mustang with florida plates...........................Tahoe has been in town for a long while, same with hummer.

I agree with everything said before, it makes you a target, its stupid. but its ALL ABOUT THE WOMEN in medellin...

[vikingo]

Driving through the Darién Gap can be done with a motorcycle or a four wheel drive, preferably a small jeep of sorts. You would have to select the right time of year, in other words the dry season, I believe it is January trough April in Eastern Panama as well as the West, (anyway, it was the dry season where I used to live in Panama near the CR border.) It makes it easier to cross the rivers and creeks too.
Colombia only accepts the importation of brand new cars, to which they attach a heavy import duty of as much as 30 %, but not a new car that has been driven to Colombia - or if you have a car more than 35 years old you can import it as a classic or an antique. In that case an older restored military jeep in excellent condition should do the trick if it clearly shows the year on the registration. Don’t know if a 35 year old motorcycle would qualify as well. Former drug lords imported tons of some very nice classic cars from the States because of the classic car import law.
If you think about bringing your newer favorite vehicle into Colombia in this manner, it only works for people who leave Colombia after a certain time with said vehicle.
You might be able to sell it in Ecuador or in Brazil or Venezuela, which would have to be investigated.
For political reasons, mainly to prevent the flow of illegal Colombian and other South American immigrants into Panama (few illegal’s can afford the plane fare), there is a 45 km stretch of the Pan American highway located in the Darién which has never been completed and you would need the jeep and a good machete (and some spares) to pass through it. If you run into bad luck and encounter some FARC or other Colombian bandits who hide out there you will lose your vehicle and other belongings. Since they consider Americans an enemy, you might get kidnapped or killed if you don’t cooperate, or even if you do. That is the only part I don’t like about crossing the Darién. The natives that live there are usually friendly but will turn you in to the FARC if there are any of their camps nearby. The indios prefer to be on good terms with the FARC so they leave them and their women alone.
Don’t know if it’s a coincidence, but we met a middleaged couple on a small plane from Panama to Barranquilla last year and he was telling me, in German, his wife was from Mexico from where they had driven and that they were shipping an Unimog from Panama to Cartagena which is an older four wheel drive all terrain Mercedes truck, built mainly for the military, which was converted into a camper and they had planned to drive down to Tierra del Fuego.
I asked him about parts availability and he said lots of parts available in Germany, but  the Unimog is kind of indestructible and he probably won't need any.
It’s got to be the same guy, to much coincidence.
Here is a picture of an unimog camper but I doubt they still build them, Unimogs came out in the early sixties:
http://www.google.com.co/imgres?imgurl=http://www.tinyhousetalk.com/wp-content/uploads/mercedes-adventure-camper-unimog-2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.tinyhousetalk.com/mercedes-unimog-expedition-camper/&h=409&w=595&sz=39&tbnid=9YmBwgt6bIkSuM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=131&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dmercedes%2Bunimag%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=mercedes+unimag&docid=DMKB8wzdSunKBM&hl=es&sa=X&ei=Mya0Tpq_NY-2tgehztnuAw&ved=0CDwQ9QEwBA&dur=4188

[dennislevy]

Hi Viking

The Mercedes camper is the only coincidence between the two couples that we described in our posts. 

The couple that I met in Quito and that had the broken down Mercedes camper were at least 60, BOTH were Swiss and they had never been to Colombia before.

They were thinking of driving north through Ecuador into Colombia and asking me for suggestions. I never did find out what happened to them....

[Traveler]

I think if a guy feels he must have a Hummer to be able to attract ladies in Medellin he has problems  .  It will look as out of place as a Smart car on the US interstate.  I could see a point of bringing a BMW or an Audi over there, but Hummer? 

[vikingo]

Well, it seems Dennis, there is more than one of those old Mercedes campers floating around in South America. Unfortunately I forgot to ask the guy for his e-mail as I would have loved to correspond with him. I had a horse in Panama on my ranch and I had plans to bring him to Colombia, as I grew very fond of him. The plan was to ride him through the Darién after the road ended and have him trailered over here from the Colombian side. What stopped me was fear of the FARC, that they would see me easily as he is a paint with spectacular markings. I sold him recently, with a heavy heart.

[robert angel]

Currently in Medellin are a black tahoe with california plates, a yellow H-2 hummer with florida plates, a mustang with florida plates...........................Tahoe has been in town for a long while, same with hummer.

I agree with everything said before, it makes you a target, its stupid. but its ALL ABOUT THE WOMEN in medellin...

So much for maintaining a low profile. I bet these guys driving these USA made, gasoline guzzling dinosaurs in a land where fuel efficient vehicles are more the norm blatantly wear gold chains and fancy wrist watches as well.

[JimD]

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I tried to use the "image" feature here but it doesn't seem to work so here is a link. [Admin Note: It worked just fine for me - see above]
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A few months ago this thing was parked in front of the Casa Blanca hostel near Chipichape in Cali.  It was being driven around the world by a French couple, their website showed it trundling around in Iceland. It was off loaded in Buenaventura and after a few days in Cali they drove north. My friend saw it in Tuluá. I think this thing cost more than a lot of houses. It is a German M.A.N. 4x4 Crew Cab truck with camper body and an off road motorcycle mounted on the back. It looked brand new and like it had every bell and whistle this German truck manufacturer has to offer. I walked around it and even the tires looked brand new. Much lower budget, there was one of those classic  British double decker buses parked at Parque De La Flora (near Chipichape in Cali) for a couple of weeks about seven years ago. I lived a couple of blocks away at the time.  There were a bunch of young argentinos in it. They had some how driven it all the way to Colombia from Argentina. That thing had a 4 cylinder motor and was designed to toodle around London not cross the South American continent.  No idea where it went after it left La Flora.

[JimD]

Here is a picture of an unimog camper but I doubt they still build them, Unimogs came out in the early sixties:

They do still make them...for a certain clientele:
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[maritime04]

I will honestly say i thought about bringing my car on the tourist visa, but decided against it, and bought local. It’s not worth the hassle, makes you a flashy target, and you CAN get in trouble overstaying the visa, or bribing guys to overstay the visa. NOT to mention how pathetically desperate it is to go to ALL that trouble to impress girls that problem only want money from you.

[JimD]

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