SA loop with a Mitsubishi
 

Hi folks, just advertising that I'm starting a 25000 km trip through South America with a L200
Blog and pics at www.southing.com
cheers

4x4
 

You say on your web 4x4 not necessary in SA?:eek3: I will be following your site very closely:cool4: I think u will be more in 4x4 than 2 wheel. Somew RSA couple are busy there in a cruiser and they say the roads are hell especially bolivia and south Argentina.!!!!

Any way i wish u good luck. cant wait for updates

I did the whole SA loop many years ago with a 1.4 1974 2WD piece of jet trash, trust me, you can do it with a 2CV if you want...
Ofcourse it's always better to have 4 rather than 2 WD but if I had to choose a newer 2WD with aircon and confort or an older 4WD without, then the choice is easy for a trip of 80/90% tarmac and gas stations every 200km (I was considering a brand new Renault Kangoo before I found the L200 for the same price...!)

Nice
 

Well i take it you stuck very closely to the tarmac:) The last trip reports were a bit off the beaten track and i think they were after the mud:)

L200
 

I was recently "up the Amazon" on a business related trip, and many Brazilian guys seemed to be using L200s as their weapons of choice - plenty of them around with winches, BIG mud terrain tyres and colour keyed snorkels. With the statutory super-blacked out windows they did look pretty hard!!

But seriously the L200 and Hilux seemed to be king! If they can hack the Amazon then I reckon they are fine vehicles.
Gil

made in brazil...!
 

Well as a matter of facts the L200 is made in Brazil under license, and the Hilux in Argentina, therefore the relatively low price, 20000 euros for a new 4WD and 16000 for the 2WD (both dob-cab)
The Hilux is so popular down here that you need to wait up to three month to get one, but I reckon the Mitsu is a little more off-road capable with a rear diff-lock, heavy duty suspension and a turbo-intercooler engine.
In Brazil you can still get the old Landcruiser (the one before the HJ-60) its name is "Bandeirante"

I saw plenty bandeirantes there (old 40 series 'cruisers built under license until recently). Funnily enough they are not engined by Toyota but 'benz! They do look great though - real old rural jalopies... When you see how old 40 series are now classics and people are paying good money for them it was tempting!!!! Luckily reason prevailed. Hope you have a great trip and good luck,
Gil

the risks were
 

...that my girlfriend keeps calling the car a machu-pichu two hundred (women can't differentiate marks and brands or express preferences, a car is a car)

otherwise a fantastic car, fast, economical and a great 4x4 (maybe you were right Surfer, some roads are much worse now than 15 years ago and a 4X4 it's necessary in some places)
cheers
mario