Vehicle advise for Madagascar

[carolinasuby]

Hello all. Long time lurker, first post. My brother is with the State Department, and is heading to Madagascar for two years. I am in the process of helping him locate a suitable vehicle to ship there. It seems as if the mid 90's Land Cruisers might be the answer. This vehicle seems to be known the world over, so sounds like a good fit. I am located in coastal South Carolina, so the search will be on the East coast. We have also discussed the possibility of a LR Discovery, though I would be a little worried about the repair issue with those. Any thoughts, suggestions, etc would be greatly appreciated. Great site by the way.

 

[BIGdaddy]

I made this trip in a pickup truck and I have a ton of advice built from my own experience.
First, do not drive at night.
Do not camp out.
Find hotels with a parking lot close to your room.
Figure out a way to securely, and seriously, lock your motorcycle to its trailer or whatever.
Take two spare tires.
Take at least one 5 gal jerry can, keep it filled.
DO NOT try the drive with a vehicle that is financed, i.e. has the banks name on the pink slip, you will not get across ANY border.
Go to AAA and find a way to get multiple "originals" of your pink slip and registration. Most border crossings will NOT accept foto copies. Do the same for your motorcycle. If you cannot get these multiple originals, you will need to go to a foto copy place near each crossing and have the copies notarized before the customs people will accept them
Do NOT drive thru Mexico City. Stay on the Pacific coast.
Have everything organized so the customs people can see it easily without emptying out your truck.
At every border, you will see a line of 18 wheelers waiting for hours or days to cross the border. You do not need to do this. Drive past them to the immigration/customs location.
Be prepared for each border crossing to take ours. What I did was stay in the town at the border the night before, be first to the crossing in the morning. Then you will have to go to the next countries process. By the end of it, you will want to stay in a hotel on the other side, so plan on each border taking a day. when you get to the borders, people (sometimes young men) will try to get you to hire them to help process you thru the station. Use them. They know everyone inside the office. (and they know where the Notary publics are if you need copies.) This is how they make their living. The customs people appreciate you using them, they are all probably related. BUT SET YOUR PRICE BEFORE YOU HIRE THEM.
Have PLENTY of blank pages in your passport. You will get one full page "visa" for your pickup, and another for your motorcycle. That is TWO pages PER country. You can get extra pages in your passport before you leave. And remember, your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the time of entry.
You may well be stopped (especially southern Mexico) by military people. Be very nice, seek out and speak to the officer in charge, compliment him on the beauty of his country and how nice all the people have been to you, and offer before he even asks to show him all your goods in the truck. It goes without saying that you should not have any arms or as much as a rolling paper in your vehicle.
Take your time, do not set a schedule. Stop and stay places where you are comfortable.
Write me back with questions or comments, and have a great trip! :sombrero:

Dude, ****** are you talking about?

MAD-A-GASCAR...THE ISLAND. :coffeedrink:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascar

spam much?

 

[fowldarr]

I read that whole second post, thinking, this is great advice, just the wrong continent. To answer teh original post, An FJ80 is an excellent reliable vehicle, I've owned a few landcruisers now, and have never been dissapointed or let down. Plus plenty of room. Reliable drivetrain, parts should be available in Madagascar (just make sure), and watch out for those crazy cartoons that escaped from the zoo

 

[4Rescue]

HZJ78 Troupy... Game over. or a G-Wagen. I find it funny how similar these vehicles are in looks IMO, espescialy the pointy hoods. I love both of these trucks and would own one in a hearbeat if I could find what I wanted here in N.America. Being that you are NOT in N. America I'd say you;re in business, and Africa should be teaming with 70 Series Cruisers and Land Rovers. both great rigs. the 80 Series Cruiser is also an amazing vehicle and really is very similar to the 70 series but with a more luxurious/comfy interior with amore amenities. Course again since you're in Africa, maybe you could find an HDJ105 with a manual tranny ( :drool: )

I guess basicly what I'm saying is that you;re in the part of the world where alot of us would find ideal in that there are ALOT of good options. Depends on wich one fits you best.

Speaking of where you are... Madagascar sounds like it's beautiful, hows about some pictures of that amazing island...

Cheers

Dave

 

[carolinasuby]

Thanks for the repies. I too was a little confused by the first post after my question. He is headed there in June, and I will be happy to forward pics along as they come in. I am planning on a visit next year since it is not to often you get the chance to go there. Sounds like the LC's or a Rover would be good options. Around here there are a ton of 2000-2004 Disco's available. Seen nothing but the mall parking lot and soccer practice. The LC is a little harder to come by. Thanks again.

 

[uzj100]

I would suggest doing some research on what is the most desired vehicle on the island, buy that one, drive it for 2 years and then sell it when you leave. So basically drive free for 2 years. I am thinking Turbo Diesel Land Cruiser or maybe a 100 series from the states.

 

[TRACTION]

I drove there in a truck too... with a really tall snorkel! :snorkel:

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

Madagascar? You mean that island with a palm tree in the Caribbean, right?




Sounds like a wonderful job, can you divulge any info on what his job entails?

 

[fowldarr]

I live in a yellow submarine.

Seriously though, I would get a vehicle that I can't get stateside. I would kick myself watching all those awesome cruisers cruising, while I drove something I could get when i got back.

 

[luangwablondes]

Hey
I haven't been there, but food for thought.

Is Mad. rt hand or left hand drive?

In Africa, diesel is far easy to find then petrol, let alone finding unleaded.

If you can afford a land cruiser, buy it. You won't need to carry all kinds of spares and tools with you all the time. Generally they tend to be more reliable. I like my landies .

I would check to be sure whatever vehicle you buy, that spares will be available. Lots of Toys made for one part of the world not available in another. You may breakdown and find yourself needing to import spares to repair. Could involve weeks or even months of downtime.

IF you import the vehicle, it will most likely require a carnet. Then what about insurance. This all adds up. Locally you will not be able to satisfy this if imported.

I suggest your brother check to see if there is any embassy staff departing and have a vehicle for sale. Even other embassies.

 

[carolinasuby]

So my brother is with the DS. Its the States Department version of the Secret Service. He will be the RSO in that country. He will be in charge of all security for the US embassy there and the lead in any issue, investigation etc. Its a pretty cool job that has taken him all over the world. About 6 years ago he spent 2 years in Kazakstan. He had a 4 Runner that traveled all over the former Soviet countries. That 4 Runner took a beating like no other car. He sold it to his replacement when he was leaving Saudi Arabia. He has been in contact with the person that he will be replacing, but that guy who has a Land Cruiser wont part with it for anything. Anyway sounds like it will either be a Cruiser or a Rover. Will just depend on which one he can find here on the East coast. Thanks again for all the input and please keep in coming.

 

[Ozrockrat]

This was for sale in Miami a while ago

But the craigslist posting has expired. I am not sure but I think they drive on the right over there so a RHD vehicle may not be practicle but the troop carrier diesel would be ideal for the conditions.

1994 Toyota 75 Troop Carrier $16,000
diesel engine, type unspecified
mileage unspecified
right hand drive
"clean title"
(somehow) currently registered in Florida

imported by current owner
seller lives in Kendall Florida, just south of Miami
contact Kevin (305) 905 7379
kevin.villazon (at) gmail dot com

photos show a clean-looking truck
more photos available by email

 

[DaktariEd]

Drop a PM to Diplostrat.
He's a career man with DOS I think...:sombrero:
He's had a gob of experience in this kind of thing. :smiley_drive:

 

[Xjaddiction]

I have some friends that just shipped out a few months ago to Madagascar. They bought a 4 runner here in the states, and had it shipped. Can't go wrong with the 4-runner over there.

 

[charlieaarons]

Buy a new tropical spec diesel Troopie from www.toyota-gib.com and ship it direct to Madagascar. They specialize in that sort of thing.

Charlie