We Bought A Car in Africa
“Why Africa?”, or “Uh, what are you doing?”
These are the questions we are asked. And frankly, I’m unsure how to answer because I’m a little unsure how we arrived here ourselves.
In 2013 Jenny and I had the good fortune to be able to tag along on a discounted safari in Namibia. 10 days through some of the highlights, Damaraland, Etosha, and the Africat foundation. It’s a long way to fly from California, and we since 10 days wasn’t enough we thought we’d add on a bit of travel of our own after the tour.
Years ago a good South African friend of mine said he wanted to drive from his farm in South Africa to Victoria Falls someday. This was something of an epiphany for me, “You can do that?” Well, yes you can, there are roads after all.
This hazy memory rose back up to the surface and I started searching around, could we drive from Windhoek to Vic Falls? Yes, and not only that, you can rent a 4×4 to camp in all on your own. Veterans of overlanding will be laughing at this point, and to many South Africans this is simply referred to as “a road trip”, nothing too spectacular, but for us it was a revelation.
So we did. I arranged to hire a Toyota Hilux with roof top tent and off we went (theres a tent on the roof?!). Suffice to say, it was a success, and not nearly as intrepid or difficult as it might sound to some.
This experience stuck with us and we vowed to come back for more. As time went on and we dreamed and schemed of our return, the idea took hold to buy our own vehicle. There is something about buying the vehicle that makes you fully invested, and not just financially, in the journey. We are now planning our own little expedition. No longer is there a company arranging all the paperwork, or planning the perfect itinerary for you. It’s just us, lost in a morass of logistics and dirt roads and conflicting information, savoring the uncertainty of all of it.
The Vehicle Purchase
In 2016 I began researching the vehicle purchase, still thinking that maybe we should look for a long term rental. And could we buy outright? Can a foreigner without residency own a vehicle in South Africa, or another country? Which country? Could we buy here and ship? The questions are legion.
This lead to a very deep, very long, trip down the rabbit hole of the internet. In 2017 our plans firmed up to go for the purchase as apposed to a long term rental. In the summer, with a lump in my throat, we put the deposit down on a used 2014 Toyota Land Cruiser 79 double cab, 4.2 liter diesel with 165,000 km on the clock. Just broken in.
As a side note, buying any car is a pain in the ass. Buying a car sight unseen is a pain the ass, and possibly foolish. Buying a car sight unseen in Africa…well, you get the idea. It can be risky. The South African version of craigslist is called Gumtree, and just like in the USA has its fair share of scammers. Dealing with this remotely, or flying in to inspect a vehicle at the last minute seemed impractical. I would have preferred to spend time in the country checking out various vehicles, shopping for the best price and so on, but we just didn’t have the time.
In the end we purchased the vehicle from Bushlore, a reputable 4×4 rental company that sells their rental vehicles after they get older. Dieter Marx was our contact there, and he was highly professional, very patient and a pleasure to work with.
The Sea Trial
In September 2017 we came to South Africa to pick up the vehicle and do a shakedown trip. The actual purchase of the vehicle was shockingly smooth. Bushlore picked us up at the airport and drove us to their depot in Midrand (Johannesburg). We were given a thorough tour of the vehicle and all its equipment, followed by a chance to ask questions and poke around the vehicle and look for issues. We’re not mechanics, so our investigations were limited, but it came with a 30 day warranty, so we felt less pressure than if we’d been buying from a private seller.
4000 kilometers and three weeks thoroughly acquainted us with the cruiser, and we had a great trip through South Africa and Lesotho. We parked the vehicle on my friend’s farm with plans to return for our big trip to Kenya next year. Africa awaits!
