A suzuki grand vitara for a trip around south america
 

Hi everyone,

My girlfriend and I are considering a 1 year break from our lives in Paris. The general idea is to purchase a car, most likely in Chile based on other travelers' advice, and around South America (or part of it).

From what I have read, 4x4 seems to be a good idea. We don't inted to offroad for the sake of it, but we like the idea of being able to reach potentially remote areas where no paved road goes. Unlike most overlanders, we expect to be staying in budget hostels / hotels most of the time, so fitting the vehicle is not an issue for us.

Ideally, we would go for a Toyota Land Cruiser. Now, price is a big issue, particularly in Chile where second hand prices are quite high... So we are looking for cheaper options. One of them would be a Suzuki Grand Vitara.

Is it a good car for such a trip (based on my budget, I would get a 2000-2002 model)? I understand that outside Chile, suzuki cars are not that common so I am a little concerned with spare parts availability in case we run into trouble... What do you think? Also, how does embarking on such a trip without any knowledge of car repair sound to you?

Thanks for your advice and comments.

Cheers

I do not know about other countrys ,but suzuki vitaras.(grand)
here in Ecuador are very very common.
Have a great trip!

Thanks for your feedback. It's encouraging !

I've not been watching for them specifically, but I am pretty sure I've seen a few here in Argentina.

If your travelling so light, would a motorcycle be an option?

Merv.

I once went across australia and back with a Vitara towing a trailer tent , they are as well built as any other , and better than some . The only restriction is they are quite small, but if you load accordingly , they work well off road and on . With any vehicle if the bit that breaks isnt really common then you just get it sent , almost anywhere in the world doesnt take that long with the modern courier companies , and someone reliable to dispatch it . If you are lacking on mech knowledge then get a good workshop manual for your vehicle , and try and get abit of mech basics , eg by helping someone who is prepping your vehicle etc . HTSH

Hi there

I have a Suzuki gv 2.0 petrol 2001, excellent car i have got some bigger than standard BFG A/T tyres on it and it goes anywhere i point it cant really fault it its a bit small but thats about it will go everywhere the bigger boys go and more:thumbup1: