Elliott Kim's Drive to South America

[haven]

Here's a web site that details a young man's 9 week drive from California to southern Argentina in 2007. (Thanks, kerry, for the pointer to this expedition!)

Elliott Kim writes:

"On June 1, 2007, I began the journey from Los Angeles, California with a 1980 Mercedes Benz 300SD Turbo Diesel. Along the way, I was robbed, picked up a few backpackers and a Colombian hitchhiker, and almost drove off the Andes. I overcame a blown turbo, reverse transmission failure, power window failure, broken CV boots, leaking master brake cylinder and a sticking accelerator.

On August 14, 2007, after 14,143.4 miles, I completed this journey by driving to the Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world."

Read more and view lots of good photos of the trip here:
http://www.drivetosouthamerica.com/index.html

The vehicle was shipped from Colon, Panama to Cartagena, Colombia in a container. The Mercedes diesel developed a major engine problem near Rio Gallegos in southern Argentina. So Mr. Kim abandoned the Mercedes. He rented a car and drove the remaining 400 miles to Ushuaia, completing his dream to reach the southernmost city in the Western Hemisphere by road.

 

[kerry]

Thanks for finding that link. I was wrong, it wasn't an MB 126, it was a 116. Since I own a 116 I think he obviously made a good choice.

 

[RedDog]

Absolutely fantastic! I've devoted my entire evening to this adventure.

 

[mountainpete]

Thanks for posting that link!

I've been reading for a bit and one of the first things that stood out for me is his strong recommendation NOT to take a diesel.

Car choice

 

[haven]

I saw that "no diesels" recommendation, too. I think the issue is not diesel versus gas, but rather that the vehicle he chose turned out to be unfamiliar to the mechanics where he traveled. Parts were hard to find, too.

The Mercedes-Benz 300SD is a larger, luxury model that would be rare in South America. I didn't see any explanation why he chose this particular vehicle for the trip. Maybe he wanted a car with a big back seat so he could sleep in the car! Or maybe it was his daily driver in LA, and one morning he backed out of garage and just headed toward the border!

Anyway, it's a great story, and shows that there's an adventure waiting for anyone with the courage to go. Today, there's certainly no reason why a standard passenger car or light truck can't be driven from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego.

 

[kerry]

The recommendation not to take a diesel seems odd to me and not well explained. The MB 616 and 617 diesels have been sold all around the world and they are very long lived. It would seem to be a good choice in a diesel car. The fact that he still doesn't even know how to change his own oil indicates a lack of mechanical savvy leaving the judgment about a diesel suspect. Same goes for his manual shift idea, although I agree more with that. He doesn't seem to have run into any problems that you wouldn't expect of a car of that vintage which hadn't been thoroughly gone thru prior to departure. Window switches and window regulators do tend to fail on older Mercedes and there is a reverse band adjustment which might have needed to be done to solve his reverse problem. I can't remember how many miles were on the car when he left but the fact that a 28 yr old car made it almost the whole way down without having major components rebuilt before departure says a lot for the vehicle he used. After all, how many 1979 cars are still around and capable of reliably making the run to the grocery store?

 

[mountainpete]

I agree - it wasn't clear, but reading it a second time it may be more focused the fact that it's an MB not just a diesel.

Did you also notice the link he had about the potential tourist road through the Darien Gap? I have real mixed feelings about it. Environmental issues aside for a moment, it makes driving tip to tip easier and more accessible. On the other hand, it makes it easier and more accessible - opening it up to more yahoos and Winnebago's.

 

[kerry]

I didn't read the section on the Darien Gap. I agree with you.
I did re-read the section about his being towed 280 miles with a short rope and no power steering or brakes. Not a prospect I would relish. Makes one wonder about the wisdom of carrying some kind of simple towbar for use under those conditions. I sometimes tow my Suzuki Sidekick behind my motorhome and out of laziness, I've been leaving the towbar on the car. It had crossed my mind recently that my laziness could be mistaken for smarts if it broke down.

 

[cruiser guy]

I also cannot understand the reasoning for not having a diesel. My LandCruiser has a diesel engine that is also common to the Toyota Coaster buses, how can that not be common enough?

I will agree with the recommendation to avoid an auto tranny though. I've seen them fail, I've picked up folks whos auto trannies have failed and I've driven from southern Mexico to B.C. Canada with a manual tranny stuck in between 3rd and 4th.