Is it possible to sell an old car in some of the east-African countries, Kenia, Tanzania, Zambia maybe? And if possible what kind of car would be the best choice?

I lived in Uganda for a few years and here are a couple of tips from my (Ugandan) perspective. In general buying and selling is not such a problem as registration in this part of the world is a little more relaxed. However, if you are visiting game parks having local registration qualifies you for a big discount - something to think about if you are spending a lot of time there. Any car sold in Uganda should have local registration and tax certificates. If not the purchaser must pay tax on registration (which can be cash and time consuming). As a result, anyone trying to sell a vehicle which has foreign plates (or tax free/diplomatic plates) will usually get a much lower price, reflecting the added cost to the purchaser. When selling a car in Uganda and provided you have time the best places to advertise are Kisimenti or Garden City where there are places for posting adverts. If you have no time you can sometimes off load foreign registered vehicles with some of the vehicle importers in the industrial estate in Kampala. The best cars are light Toyota 4x4's (Prado's or Similar) or Mitsubishsi Pajero's. Landrovers are no longer popular and take longer to shift. Big landcruisers are too expensive to run and people will shy away from these. Old 2x4 sedans are difficult to move unless very cheap.

We are planning to drive 2 old Toyota Land Cruisers (HJ 60) from Finland to somewhere in east-Africa, sell them and fly home. I did it 2 years ago in Mali but I think it´s not so simple in eastern Africa and the prices are not so high. I would be happy if I get the same price that I paid in Finland, in Mali I got the double.

I am familiar with the regulations in Kenya and somewhat familiar with Tanzania. They are much more strict with their paperwork in these countries. To enter you usually have to have a Carnet De Passage or a triptic. This is a guarantee that you will not sell the vehicle in the country or if you do that you will pay the customs in full. For Kenya this is up to 150% of the value of the vehicle, and I think Tanzania is similar % though a little lower. If you lack a carnet then you will typically have to pay the customs on entry and then be refunded on exit. If you manage to get in without these papers then sell the vehicle, it would be up to the person who buys the vehicle to register it and pay customs, the price should reflect this as they will have to pay the fees. The upside is that vehicles sell for much higher in these countries (once the taxes have been paid). You can only legally import a vehicle in Kenya if it is less then 7 years old. Tanzania and Uganda do not have the same restriction on age. I believe that Uganda is less strict then Kenya or Tanzania and you might have more luck there or further south like in Malawi (the customs is generally lower but international currency more scarse), or zambia. You do have the right vehicle as toyota Landcruisers are selling for high price and greatly desired. good luck, hope to see you when you make it. I am in Malawi now in Lilongwe, look me up. william

Vehicles must be younger than ten years old for import & re-registration in Kenya. All foriegn vehicles need to be on a carnet - no triptyques or TIPs here for foriegn vehicles (although EA reg vehicle's can get a local version of the TIP).

Carnets and insurance garantees can be organised in kenya via the AA but they aren'yt very keen & it get's expensive. Plus, if you haven't rereg'd the car, you'll have to pay USD 40 every month (Foriegn Vehicle Tax) for the privelidge of driving on Kenya's "excellent" roads! There are a few foriegn vehicles already for sale - mainly SA reg. Not so sure about TZ though.

What you need, is sell to someone who wants to make the return trip - in other words they'll buy your carnet off you as well. otherwise you'll be lumbered with paying off lots of "fixers" to sort out all your paperwork and to re-register your vehicles. It can be done but is terribly illegal and you might just end up with nothing!

__________________
Enzo

Can someone give me adive on selling my bike in South Africa once I complete my trip?

It will be UK or Polish reg, depending on which works out cheaper.

How do I get around not loosing my carnet's deposit?

Regards,
Witold

Do you really need the Carnet? What's your route? My current info is that only some countries, namely Egypt, Kenya, Sudan, and maybe Botswana, require a Carnet - most other's issue TIP's although using a Carnet is much less hassle. Do some research through the AA etc to see if you can find a non-carnet route. I'd also appreciate to learn which other countries req. the carnet.

__________________
Enzo