OK..... as its a bar and that's where the best plans are hatched....

Within the next 5 years fancy 3 - 5 months break... travelling this time with a car / 4x4 to where !!! starting point; Europe ... budget €15000 including the transport.

So where would you go ? how and when ?

Fancy overland India / Nepal ... Australia .... Africa mybe
America's not so much...

Should add - travel during the European winter months, like the idea of an older land rover defender or discovery ... don't mind shipping it to save on driving times ....




Feel free to share your thoughts and experiances...

Salut Matt

Hi,
There was a similar question a while back which drew in some good answers: while you are waiting for the pearls of wisdom in reply to your query, you might want to skim read this:-

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...on-1-a-30342-2

ps It's nice to have a sensible discussion in the bar for a change; you haven't started drinking yet I guess!!!

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Dave

Sounds like you have a plan allready. Don't get drawn into the trap of buying lots of kit. One of the problems with a long preparation time is you start to plan for every eventuality, boxes of spares, tons of kit then the vehicle becomes precious and as such a liability. Deciding which vehicle, what kit etc is part of the journey and to be savoured along the way but it is a means to an end, or rather a begining.
If I were to go for 5 months then i'd go round the mediteranian, through Saudi, accross to Ethiopia, then see where I fancied from there knowing that 3 weeeks would get me back up through Mali, RIM and Morocco

Well you did ask - i'm off to swallow a little of my own medicine.

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Chris
-----------------
"Never have a stupid argument with an idiot - he gets a lot more practice than you"
there I go again
not too hard really

While reading the posts, I came accross Martynd's thread of how the trip differered from your plan. This bar is probably the perfect place for reviving that thread.
What say you? How about the skinny on what you planned and what happened (just the highlights would do, tales of woe not excluded)?
I can start mine by making note of all the camping gear I packed (during two spectacular weeks of dry summer weather) only to leave on a day of torrential downpours that only ended on the last half of the last day of my trip. Needless to day there were many more "hotel" stops than there were campgrounds on that trip.

Peace(and good weather)
Narly

While reading the posts, I came accross Martync's thread of how the trip differered from your plan. This bar is probably the perfect place for reviving that thread.
What say you? How about the skinny on what you planned and what happened (just the highlights would do, tales of woe not excluded)?
I can start mine by making note of all the camping gear I packed (during two spectacular weeks of dry summer weather) only to leave on a day of torrential downpours that only ended on the last half of the last day of my trip. Needless to day there were many more "hotel" stops than there were campgrounds on that trip.

Peace(and good weather)
Narly

Here's an idea for transport.

I have a part time job driving LWB, Hi-roof, Iveco Daily minibuses for a local Social Services department. I've often thought how ideal these modified vans would be for a conversion into a basic motorhome. Perfect for this kind of trip. They have a wheelchair tail lift which, with modification, would probably take a bike and are big enough inside to partition off giving storage space for a bike with tools and a living area.

Had a flick through this book in Ottakars and the idea appeals to me.
Amazon.co.uk: How to Live Off-grid: Journeys Outside the System: Books: Nick Rosen

If I had 3 months, I'd take the ferry from Newcastle to Norway, travel down through Sweden and Denmark, through Germany and the old Eastern block countries and the Black Sea. Someone better qualified than me will know what visa's you'd need to travel from there, overland to Morrocco, then back up through Spain, France.

Matt,
For that money you can rent a car.... with driver for the 3-5 months. We spend € 22.000 in an entire year in Africa with 2 persons in a fuel guzling Landcruiser 4.2, litterly everything included what we needed from the moment we left home untill we got back home one year later.

Cheers,
Noel
exploreafrica.web-log.nl

One things for sure, my own transport, my own timetable and no driver.... ideal when you're limited in time, but the hole point of the trip is to take it one day at a time.

Silver G good points about too much planning...

But on that note, really start a storm .... how about Landcruiser GX80 or Discovery 300tdi -route 'direction India' !!!!


I look forward to your comments !!!

Without a doubt - Mercdes G Wagen 290 turbo diesel

Attached Images

 

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Chris
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"Never have a stupid argument with an idiot - he gets a lot more practice than you"
there I go again
not too hard really

Silver G, I've been told these cost the earth to fix !!! the Belgium police use them .... a few around in white, holes in the roof and a million kms !!!

The old man has a e220 saloon I guess 5 years old now, 30.000 miles always garaged etc etc its broken down a few times and started to rust... not to mention a broken rear coil / spring and the front where a MOT failure.... Are any parts swapable from a older saloon to the G-wagen ?

Cheers
Matt

Matt,
in the uk you can get an 80s 300gd for £1500 with 100k on it and with a bit of preventative maintenance it will go round the world. Same engine as in the saloon cars, a chassis that will last for ever , coil springs diff locs on each axle for when it gets tough and good mercedes engineering from the 70s and 80s. There's a lot of bollocks talked about G wagens by people who have never tried them. Do some research.
Must confess I do like that peugeot 505 though.
Happy travels (with afew scarry bits)

Chris

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Chris
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"Never have a stupid argument with an idiot - he gets a lot more practice than you"
there I go again
not too hard really

I last worked on a G-Wagen about 10 years ago. Parts took ages to arrive. I have to say they're a bit agricultural but then they were intended more for military use than as an upmarket SUV. The diesel engines are more closely related to Mercedes commercial vehicles than passenger cars.

Fair points Craig - they were designed as military vehicles and then civilised for domestic use with carpets and upholstered seats. They share lots of parts with the van range - engines and brakes in particular. The 460 series, up to 1990 are very easy to work on and while parts are a bit more expensive they break a lot less.
We are talking about a vehicle to go travelling in and as such one would hope it was prepared properly. I think this is where the G wagen can excel because you can stay with Mercedes parts – 8 different springs up to 3.5 ton gvw and the car was designed to take these as standard so no compatibility issues.4 ring and pinnnion options. The chassis on my 25year old is as strong as new and made from steel twice as thick as a landrover/landcruiser. The axels come as standard with mechanical diff locs and the half shafts are strong enough to cope with all the power to 1 wheel with the other 3 spinning. Syncro on high to low range – any gear to any gear on the move. Diflocs can be engaged on the move, and in 2 wheel drive – 2 high rear difflocked on soft sand works very well and you can drop into low box if needs be.
The bodies tend to rust on the outside so you have to keep an eye on that.
They are not as comfortable as an 80 series but a lot more than a 110 and the heaters will give you 20C inside when it’s -20C outside. The suspension is so good that you can drive with a broken shock absorber and hardly tell. 200kg roof load ………….
I could go on but if if you have read this far you’ll be getting bored.

Chris
Cup of coffee then off to grease some propshafts

__________________
Chris
-----------------
"Never have a stupid argument with an idiot - he gets a lot more practice than you"
there I go again
not too hard really

I agree. The older ones in particular are a spartan, thinly disguised military vehicle but all are superbly over-engineered, the way a real old school Mercedes Benz should be. I see them as being like a 4-wheeled BMW GS.

To anyone who wants one, don't be put off by LHD and try searching on:

AutoScout24 Europas Automarkt für Gebrauchtwagen und Neuwagen
or
mobile.de - der Automarkt für Gebrauchtwagen und Neufahrzeuge - Finden oder Verkaufen Sie einfach und schnell ihr Auto

Ok I'm warming to the idea of a g-wagen....and the pug 505 :-) but there again also the s11 LR ambulance ... OK I'm a little sick... but then I do own an old lotus Eclat !! says it all...


Back to reality... this year I'm biking it to Jordan so can't complain... how is it I'm thinking of the next trip !! dropping hints to the wife, time out from work ... more luggage, comfort, maybe rent the house....

At what point do I need to seek help from the doctor ...