Vehicle
Prep - Selecting Where to Purchase &
Outfit the Vehicle:
This problem is somewhat unique to Americans. That's
because unlike the British, South Africans, Australians, and
others, overlanding is relatively uncommon in the US. Consequently,
the availability of suitable vehicles, equipment and expertise
is somewhat limited. This problem becomes particularly evident
if you desire the added fuel economy of a diesel Land Rover Defender
or Toyota Land Cruiser. Both are highly desirable overland vehicles,
however neither are imported into the US. That means you will
either have to do a diesel conversion or temporarily import and
modify a non-NAS vehicle. Both options present unique challenges
that we chose to avoid.
Alternatively, we decided to purchase
and equip our vehicle abroad. While several other countries also
offer suitable options, we quickly narrowed the list of countries
being considered to England, South Africa and Australia. All
are fascinating countries that present few logistical challenges
and offer a wealth of overland resources. Here's a brief
list of the key criteria we used to make our final selection:
Availability of Suitable Overland Vehicles: All
three countries have an ample supply of capable vehicles. Australia
is particularly attractive due to the abundant supply of TLC
75 and 78 Series Troopies – many available with low miles
at reasonable prices through government auctions. England also
offered an attractive option for Defender 110's which are readily
available throughout the country. England also has a large
number of HDJ 80's available as well. TLC Troopies are
nearly impossible to find. South Africa was a bit less attractive
due to steep vehicle prices. Refer to the Vehicle
Selection section for more information.
Availability of Experienced Overland
Outfitters and Expertise: Readily available in all three countries.
Compatibility with Desired Route
Plan: Our objective is to
depart in January with the preferred route heading south from
Morocco in order to take advantage of the cooler winter months
to cross the Sahara. Unlike Australia, should we decide not
to go all the way around the globe, England and South Africa
both offer potential circular routes through Africa, the Middle
East, and Eastern Europe that would not require vehicle shipping.
Australia requires shipping in all route scenarios.
Ease of
Coordination from US: The primary issue here
is proximity to our home in Washington, DC. This gives
England a clear advantage as it minimizes the transportation
costs and logistics. This will allow us to coordinate
vehicle prep from the US, making periodic trips to England
to check progress and handle various issues as they arise.
Australia and South Africa are only accessible via long
flights making coordination from the US difficult.
While
the thought of living in Australia and kicking off our
journey with a test run across the Outback seemed appealing,
we ultimately decided to use the UK as our base of operations.
In the end, England offers the best combination of accessibility,
vehicle availability, compatibility with our route plan, and
overland expertise.
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