I would strongly recomend a Land Rover, long wheel based, series 3, say between 1980 - 1985, diesel with plenty of seats in the back! The route is easy (bar a few sections in the desert and Mauritania)However, you need to know a thing or two about Landies (I did the transatlantic route and then down to Burkina Faso, via Mali and onto Ghana in a Series 3 Land Rover, SWB, petrol). Re-sell value is good and diesel is a must for the local people. Loads of space in the back and room to sleep with a home made bed!

Otherwise a older Peugeot 504, Citroen estates, Renaults, any French vehicle will do but the bigger the better. Keep it simple.

If you take a 2wd then bring brackets and attachments for when you rip off the complete exhaust system, liquid steel when you puncture the fuel tank and lots of water for the radiator. Every vehicle in our convoy had either one section or the entire exhaust system smashed to pieces. Complete mayhem. Then again, they were French and still believed they were driving on the "autoroute du soleil" doing 100kmh and could not understand the impact and ensuing damage when a hidden rock hit the underside of the vehicle. Why had the Africans not cleared the rocks from this track???!!!*** I kid you not.

Anyway, my advice is travel light (weight is the number one enemy) and limit your speed.

Enjoy it. I miss it already