Hi there,

-I am planning a trip to senegal (from Belgium) at the end of this year.
Can anybody tell me if I could sell my Ford in Senegal?
Ford Escort Diesel 1600cc 1986
5 doors, grey.

-can you tell me what kind of vehicles are wanted in Senegal?

Thanks

Steph

So, we decided to leave with cars to Senegal and not by bus. (See the discussion about the bus). And so we can find out which possibilities there would be anyway for the future of getting there with the bus. We are 6, so we think of going with 3 cars.
So, Steph is already driving his Escort over there.
And so our main question is:
-Or we buy some ford sierra for 100 euros, so we only have our variable costs such as diesel, insurance, repairs, spare parts,...
But ford is difficult to sale in Senegal I presume.
-Or we buy a Renault, Peugeot, Mercedes,... e.g. for about 1000 euros and can sell it in Senegal with some profit, so we can recycle a part of our travel costs. But then we have off course more risk too (in case we don't get there).
It is not our intention to do big business, just having an interesting but cheap trip.
Advice is very welcome!

And in the mean time we have some more questions:
-Is beginning of November a good time to go from Belgium to Senegal
-What would be the approximate price for a ticket back to Europe from Dakar, St-Louis and tips for airlinecompanies, travelagencies in Dakar,... We plan to come back around 14 December.

Hi !!!!
Last April I drove from Madrid to Gambia (parked my car there safely ,intending to resume my trip later on the year), get a cheapo fligthh from Gambia to Dakar (50 EUR) , expecting to find a cheap / easy way to fly from Dakar to Europe.

and to my despair.... I found the airline prices from Dakar to Europe extremely expensive.
Also .. the Dakar airport ... is really anoying full of hustlers , beggars , etc... etc.

Air France (Dakar ->Paris / Marselle ) 600-800 EUR , Senegal Airlines' clerk just refused to give me a quote (suggesting a bribe!) .
Forget the airport !! , shop around the city -if you dare!!-

At the end , I had to get a Bus , go to the Central Dakar (plaze independencie ) , and -after shopping around for a while - I found the cheapest ... From Dakar to Madrid @ 440 EUR !!!! , daily with IBERIA airlines.

Just one note. All the travel aggencies/airlines are located in the central "plaz. independence" which is world-famous for their muggins / robberies , etc...
Locals actually know that people looking for travel agencies have lots of cash with them (to buy the tickets) ... and sometimes mug the turists with brutal violence .

One final TIP . in your -endless- trips beetween the airport AND the centre ... use the bus (number 8 , 0.25 EUR) instead of "dubious" taxis .

Also ... In my experience , selling a car in Senegal is becoming a nightmare , and from now on .. is no longer legal . Try better in Gambia (just 300 Km from Dakar).

Enjoy

>What would be the approximate price for a >ticket back to Europe from Dakar, St-Louis >and tips for airlinecompanies, >travelagencies in Dakar,... We plan to come >back around 14 December. [/B][/QUOTE]

Please see below one of my old posts regarding air tickets.

posted 11 January 2003 08:18 AM
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Just purchased 3 o/w tickets Dakar - Paris at Nouvelles Frontieres, a large French company, 3 Bld De La Republique, Dakar. Tel: 823 3434 Fx: 822 2817.
Cost: CFA 214 000 (appox' E$326) If purchased 2 weeks earlier, cost CFA 207 000.

Have dealt with them before & they were reliable.

You can sell any car you want in Senegal, but the prices vary a lot. For the escort dont expect much more than 500 Euros, maybe more maybe less. For a sierra diesel maybe €800, for a merc 200 diesel 1980 maybe €1500-1800.

Buying a ticket in Dakar is maybe not as dramatic as Madrid-Capetown suggests. Off season tickets to Paris start at €280, high season about €40 more (see Tubarao). For Paris trty Dakar Voyages behind the Air Afrique building at the top of Place d'Independence or Jet Tours just across from it. For other destinations try Air Algerie or Mboup Voyages both beside each other on Place d'Indep.

>>>You can sell any car you want in Senegal,

I dont doubt that .. (I have seen lots of people doing it ) but ...

How the hell can people sell cars in Senegal ?(assuming they are not using a fake carnet )?

Last April , I wanted to GIVE AWAY FOR FREE my car .. (I was too tired , short of time etc.. ) and I could not do it .Figure it , giving away a fairly good condition Suzuki Jeep in Sengal , and -to my surprise- I Couldnt give it away as -either me or the new "owner" , had to pay the douanne tax (about 800.000 CFAS ! for a small Suzuki Jeep which make the whole operation unecconomicall . Consecuiently , I drove to Gambia (where they dont write down vehicle details in the passport ) and left the car in Sukuta Car Park , flown home , etc.. etc..


How can people -legally- sell cars ? Do they pay the absurd ammounts for "clearing" customs -and hence the passport -? , or they just cheat ? . How can they leave the country then ? 2 passports ?

Alternatively , if they dont get the passport written with the details , (that trick at the Dam ) your car would be impounded in the first police checkpoint (they seem too interested in that point!).

Is it a "legal" way ( I mean , a way without involving forgering , cheating , bribbery , etc) to sell a car in Senegal ?

Have fun !

[QUOTE]Originally posted by MADRID_CAPETOWN:
[B]

How the hell can people sell cars in Senegal ?(assuming they are not using a fake carnet )?

Couldnt give it away as -either me or the new "owner" , had to pay the douanne tax (about 800.000 CFA.)

How can people -legally- sell cars ? Do they pay the absurd ammounts for "clearing" customs -and hence the passport -? , or they just cheat ? . How can they leave the country then ? 2 passports ?

Alternatively, if they dont get the passport written with the details, (that trick at the Dam ) your car would be impounded in the first police checkpoint (they seem too interested in that point!).

Is it a "legal" way (I mean, a way without involving forgering, cheating, bribbery, etc) to sell a car in Senegal?
------------------------------
We sold our Peugeot 504 in St Louis back in 1999, it was a breeze. And AFAIK, the situation hasn't changed the way Madrid-Capetown describes it.

You don't need a carnet to enter the country. Yes, the vehicle details will be entered into your passport, but the cost for clearing this at the sale shouldn't be more than 50 EUR. The seller must be aware of the proceedings, and you will both travel to the douane office together to clear the papers.

In St Louis, you can make use of any "third party" fixer, who usually frequents the campings. The are very useful, for a 5% commission it's their job to secure deals and make sure that the paperwork is done in a straight way.

And for flight tickets, it's true, Place Indepence has a lot of hustlers, but don't let them get to you. If you're easily intimidated, strike a deal with a taxi, tell him to drive you around to all the travel agencies and wait outside while you get quotes.

The one's mentioned above should give you a good grasp of the market.
We bought one-way Dakar-Stockholm (w/ TAP) for only FF 3400, but this was a few years ago. I trust Kevin to have the most recent figures, he's a pro.

Also, I don't see the point travelling back and forth to the airport the way Madrid describes it. Simply take a cheap hotel near the Place d'I, and you can do all your shopping at one go.

Good luck,

Jan

Hi all !! .

I can ASSURE that I was "officially" told in several senegalese DOUANNE offices (St Louis "city" and -even @ the border- ) , that the fee for clearing the vehicle details from my passport was 800.000 CFAs -flat fee- for a 4x4 vehicle . I was shown a printed table .Didnt matter if that vehicle was a tip top Land Cruiser or a humble suzuki .800.000 CFAS to get the passport clear if a 4x4 vehicle car was written on it. Even the ZEBRABAR owners couldnt avoid paying those 800KCFAS ->hence I had to leave the car in The -hassle free- Gambia.

>>We sold our Peugeot 504 in St Louis back >>in 1999, it was a breeze. And AFAIK, the >>situation hasn't changed the waMadrid->>Capetown describes it.
>>We sold our Peugeot 504 in St Louis y back >>in 1999, it was a breeze. And AFAIK, the >>situation hasn't changed the way Madrid->>Capetown describes it.

Hi all, this is my first msg...
concerning the possibility to drive with a small car 2WD (like peugeot 205) from Morocco to Dakar (even to Gambia if we'll arrive near to...)
The trip will be done next august...

The quest is:
reading all the previous messages, it seems to be difficoult to reach Nouakchott... is it true? even driving the 2wd piste?

another one:
that car will be leave as a present to a friend of mine in Dakar... (he comes there from Mali)
It will be possible?

thanks for all the advises....

Note that the vehicle is not mine but I'll have the notarial delegation for the guide of the vehicle.

All you need to know about driving cheap 2wds to Dakar!!

www.plymouth-dakar.co.uk

Sam.

"Madrid-Capetown", did you use a carnet or not? I have an idea what this 800,000CFA was. It is a flat cahrge if you want to abandon your car in Senegal but as far as I know nobody has ever paid it. It could also be the new customs charges that are supposed to come in sometime this year. Do you know what kind of a "printed table" it was and who showed it to you i.e. his name or where was his office.

Kevin, do you means that such a $$$$$ is related to the Carnet de Passage???

So, I don`t have the carnet... it isn't necessary now, so I'll be very happy to save my little money for another trip...