Planning Ruta 40: help/advice on car needed!
 

Hello friends,

We are planning on doing Ruta 40 from Rio Gallegos up till the end of Ruta 40 (the border with Bolivia). We might also decide to enter Bolivia and Peru later on. We are from Bulgaria and never done a Road Trip outside Europe. I need some help/advice, as info is scarce through the internet.

We still do not know if to 1) Rent a Car; 2) Buy a Car; 3) Import our own 4x4 vehicle.

1) Rent-a-car
+ Seems like the easiest choice.
- All the major companies have all their 4x4 already booked for our period (according to their websites). Small companies (over the net) have no cars available in Rio Gallegos or around :(
- You cannot exit Argentina on a rented vehicle (as far as I've checked)

2) Buy a Car
- No real feedback so far. Websites are in Spanish and cars look incredibly expensive; also impossible paper work!?
- Also I've heard that you can buy a car in Argentina as a tourist but CANNOT take it out of the country, true?

3) Importing our own vehicle

We are checking on this option right now. But seems so tough!:frown: Bulgaria is a small country, no real ports around and all the cargo/logistic companies just hang up the phone when I speak with them. They say they don't transport personal stuff, only work with companies, wtf? :thumbdown:

I would really appreciate any help/advice from experienced people like you! I feel like I've hit a dead end. And it's just the beginning. So any thoughts and suggestions you have will be highly appreciate it!

Thank you very much!

Cheers,
Chris - Bulgaria

I believe you can take rentals from Chile to Argentina (and the opposite) as long as the hire company is aware beforehand. Afraid I don't know if it's possible into Peru or Bolivia (at least without extra expense)
Rio Gallegos is not very large and not exactly a tourist hub, so there will not be a large stock of hire cars sitting around down there. Hire company websites are notoriously poor at giving accurate information on current stock though, and the only way to be sure is unfortunately by phone. If you can find a Spanish speaker to do this for you all the better!
Bringing your own car is likely to involve Grimaldi Lines roro, and you will have to travel with the car to make it worthwhile. (A long voyage but I hear it's not too unpleasant) This is because the car is then treated as your luggage, which makes the temporary import much easier and cheaper. I read recently on the hubb they don't go into BA anymore but stop at Montevideo - suggest you do some searches on here along those lines to verify this.
Buying a car is quite complicated, but might be viable for a more extended stay (or buy another traveller's foreign vehicle in-country and get the ownership documentation changed by a legal professional - check the vehicles for sale section on here)
As far as info being scarce on the internet, the hubb is the place to be. It can just be a bit daunting knowing where to look!
Good luck,
Simon.

Given that recent reports of vehicle confiscations in Argentina on other forums (for instance Autoverkauf Korrupte Beamte konfeszieren VAn in Argentinen - Panamericana-Forum ) - admittedly not many but one is too many if it is your vehicle - involved input from the legal profession - this may not be the best method unless you buy a cheap wreck that you are prepared to walk away from.


Andean Roads hire out motorhomes and they can cross into Chile at least.

NB Route 40 goes up to 5000 metres so the altitude and fuel quality may need to be considered in your choice of vehicle.

Don't miss the Careterra Austral in Chile, amazing scenery. I'm not sure how recent it is but you can now explore these roads using Google Streetview...brought back some memories :)

Thank you all for the replies and suggestions!

Cleland, "we" means me and my father and most probably his best friend. So we are 2 or 3 men on this journey.

Never thought about the camper thing but it won't be an option, I think, as my father snores like the Earth is moving ;)
Mossproof, I'll contact the companies on the phone then and do more asking on the cars and pickups. About the season: we're planning on coming in the beginning of March.

Didn't know there's "Sell/Buy Section"in the forum! Thanks for letting me know!

Tony LEE, thanks for the insight on the confiscation issues. We'll consider it...

I'll go on with researching guys, I'll write back if I have more difficulties! Thank you!

you can to buy a decent car for about $5000, plus $1/liter gasoline, plus $20/day bed person, plus $20/day eat person... and let´s go the live

Buying - forget buying in Argentina. You can maybe do it in Chile, but the process is involved and you'll spend a lot of time paying for life out there while you move the paperwork. You then have to sell at the other end - hard to see how it makes sense for a trip of at least 2-3 months minimum. Google it - people do this all the time with bikes - I can't imagine it's any different for cars.

Shipping - I met a few people who had shipped their cars with Grimaldi lines to Montevideo. Bear in mind that shipping is also highly involved - as you can't predict when the car will be with you you can also spend a fair amount on living while waiting.

Renting:
I used Baires rent a car in Buenos Aires for a day trip when I did my trip last year Baires - Inicio It did everything you'd expect from a rent a car... note their prices are in Argentinian pesos - which means if you come with US$ cash you can pay with black market pesos - not sure what the rates are these days.

For the sort of trip you're considering (just staying in Argentina most of the time) I think renting might be your best choice. But on the road time and money become interchangeable quantities and you haven't set a budget for either, so hard to say more....

Uspeh! (also a Bulgarian :-) )