Getting Sorted - Starting Out

JOHANNESBURG - GETTING SORTED – 18 MAY

June 12, and we’ve arrived in Pandane, on the coast of Mozambique, with 2.5 weeks and 2658 km underway and finally some spare time to get our travels down; I’ll be trying to keep a fairly detailed journal of our trip aimed both at those who wish to keep up with our (mis)adventures, as well as for those who may find this blog in their own research as they may be planning such a trip themselves – there has certainly been a very steep learning curve for us so far, so hopefully our experience can be of benefit. When I’ll be able to post is another matter entirely, so I’ll date each entry so a timeline will be fairly evident even if many weeks pass in between getting the info live.

While the idea of a self-supported transafrica overland drive has been on my ‘bucket list’ for over a decade since first reading of the exploits of others on arriving to live in the UK, my thinking had always been a London to Cape Town route, preceded by months of training, planning and preparation. So of course the reality of our trip is the complete opposite: a spontaneous ‘we should just do it’ decision made – in sober mind - while in Livingstone, Zambia, at the end of an organized three week overland trip (16 pax, 3 crew) that kicked off our honeymoon, which went up through SA, Namibia and the Okavango Delta region of Botswana. Successful though we have been so far I would admit up front I’d really not recommend such a winging-it approach if at all possible; though, that being said, we can so far show that it can be done this way.

We rocked up in Johannesburg 18 May – initiating the first of what has been, and I expect will continue to be, many ‘don’t do this in Africa’ actions by getting lost on the way in from OC Tambo airport and driving our rental car right through central Joberg as the sun quickly set to pitch dark, Clare now with head torch on and poorly detailed map from the Lonely Planet guide being nav, quickly pulling down the torch and stashing the map as we approached each intersection and me doing rolling stops through the lights to make any opportunistic targeting us all the more difficult (as I quickly took note all other vehicles were doing) - and began trawling AutoTrader, Ananzi, and every local online Land Rover, Land Cruiser and overland travel forum we could find. Our aim was for an old LR, especially given Clare’s fathers passion for the brand, but I must admit I was keen on a LC 80 if at all possible – price would really be the main factor here though, not sentimentality, but we were open to all as long as we felt the vehicle was up to the fairly daunting task ahead.

As we quickly discovered, order of availability of suitable, fully kitted out and ready to go vehicles in both Joberg and Cape Town (and, oddly enough, though all north-south routes end in CT, there were far more trucks available for sale in Joberg than in CT as we could find listed online) they ranked as the Toyota Hilux far ahead of the pack (and the only vehicle we did not want – for no other appreciable reason than look-cool-factor, which we thought was sorely lacking in them ... Though, admittedly, they do win out for driver comfort, speed and cross-continent prevalence ...), then a close tie between LC’s and LR’s. The huge difference amongst all three however was cost: Hilux’s were going for about 80,000 Rand plus, LR’s mostly in the 135 – 185,000 range, and LC’s starting at 185 and going sky’s the limit from there (we were offered ones at 365 despite stating a max ceiling of 185, sparking off heated debates on the LC owners forum if a “decent” vehicle could be bought for any less or if the new owner was just “throwing their money away” and would never complete the route if going with anything less dear ... A debate won in my mind by the member who jumped in hundreds of responses into it all to say he owned both types and by experience they were equal to the task; and that LC’s were so much more expensive due only to their better resale value, not any head-and-shoulders-above-LR quality many others were spouting off about, and that he had a friend who’d done north to south on horseback 20 years ago so, really, you could do the trip in or on anything if you put your mind, muscle and right attitude into it ...). Damn straight says I, then - as I am a cheap bugger at heart – set about crossing LC’s off the list and concentrating entirely on finding the best LR for our limited budget.

In the end we test drove and picked apart about a dozen trucks, predominantly TD5’s but one terrific old Series 3 as well that had seen it all, most all fantastically kitted out by 4x4 and camping – and truck proud – locals, before finding the perfect option after about one week’s efforts: a ‘96 TDi diesel with 180,000 on the clock and a spotless mechanical record, fully loaded with 120 litre long-range fuel and 40 litre water tanks, a top-of-the-line Outback pop-up rooftop tent on a heavy-duty Outback rack, built-in internal drawer system, jerry cans, hi-lift jack, detachable side awning, solid bull bar (but no bash plate or attached winch) and many other essential bits and pieces being sold by a highly-motivated family man setting about emigrating to Australia and so selling all his possessions off at fire sale prices. While TD5’s are terrific to drive and the more modern of the two LR’s we were flipping a coin over, the TDi won easily with the simplicity of its engine over the fully-computerized and electronic TD5, which I just saw no way to get repaired while on the road should the system fry out in some of the more remote areas we expected to go through, while the TDi could get a complete service overhaul at any bush mechanics seemingly armed with little more than a spanner, wire and a roll of duct tape ... Which – having been previously a dedicated full service and authorized mechanic-only user - was about the extent of my own mechanical ability so the TDi was hands-down the right call for us ... I am later told the tale of a fellow who was stuck in Zambia for 5 weeks while the best minds there attempted to fix his fried TD5 electricals and, despite SA replacement parts being shipped up, it spelled the end for his trip and the vehicle had to be towed back home ...

The electronic funds transfer for purchase arrived at the owner’s bank within 24 hours of leaving my UK account so was a far simpler process than anyone had anticipated (or any other feedback/experiences we’d researched previously had shown, as we’d been reliably informed to expect it could take up to 7 working days to clear). Note though that for any incoming transfers of 50,000 Rand or more the recipient must complete paperwork at their branch before the funds will be cleared in, so have them contact their bank prior to transfer of funds to ensure they are aware what is required their side if you are in a hurry to gain possession of the vehicle. Also try and attach a return spring to those funds should anything go wrong in transferring ownership – there are plenty of stories out about unscrupulous sellers and it’s a bit of a clencher in any regard watching your funds leave but holding only the hope and trust of your chosen seller that they will be there the next day for transfer of ownership as planned (also note there is a bit of a racket going outside of SA in the selling of ZA-registered vehicles that are actually not the sellers to do so, so if thinking of purchasing somewhere on the continent but outside of SA be very cautious and note that you MUST return the vehicle to SA to change ownership, and that it must be a ZA-registered vehicle to cross neighbouring borders easily. All in all, buy only in SA and keep a close watch on the proceedings ...).

The seller must run the vehicle, at their own expense, through the AA (or an AA-authorized facility) for road-worthy testing and is then responsible for getting the vehicle up to code should any defects be noted. Good in theory, but in practise a useless exercise as ours passed with flying colours – even in telling the mechanic out of the owner’s earshot that we were aiming to purchase the vehicle and drive it back to the UK so to be extra vigilant – yet in subsequently getting it overhauled at a specialist overlanding mechanics shop they quickly identified numerous faults that should never have been passed in any thorough testing. Big lesson number one then in purchasing: do the AA testing for the pure procedural requirement of it all but then get the vehicle into a Land Rover or overland mechanics shop prior to purchase and have them give it a thorough once over. Agree only after both tests are run what the owner must cover and what you can consider acceptable post-purchase upgrading of your own responsibility and do not let the AA test be the only marker in any way. Luckily our issues were all fairly straightforward (and inexpensive) and full marks to Rob Leimer’s Land Rover for the requisite parts and Craig O’Briens Overland Land Rover Service & Repair for the install (coffee and beer). More on both of these vital connections in Joberg later.

Transfer of ownership was a remarkably seamless procedure but did take 3 working days to complete. The seller must take in all vehicle registration docs to the Ranburg Licensing Department, Civic Centre along with proof of residency (must be utility bill or the like, not just their driver’s license, which our guy did not know – and fruitlessly argued against – and necessitated his driving back across Joberg to collect one and then start the queuing all over again on return) but there was some confusion about whether my being on a visitor’s visa allowed me to take actual ownership of a vehicle and not just drive it with the owner’s permission – even the signs in the office contradict this with one point saying no and three lines down saying yes ... In the end Elsie, all 4’5” of youthful bustling enthusiasm for overcoming bureaucratic obstacles, took our case in hand and forced her way through it all, finding we must first apply for permission to take ownership via separate documentation (in the same building, but well the other side), a process that required a 3 business day waiting period (but in reality only because they accepted our papers on the Thursday and said they would be ready on the Monday, but only processed them as we stood at the desk Monday morning and had actually made no effort on prior days ... But all friendly and fairly efficient in the end). All a bit confusing but you do ‘own’ the vehicle on initial transfer of ownership papers (day 1) and so we were free to leave with it to finalize provisions, fixes, etc, but you must then wait to gather the next set of papers to gain complete ownership (and clear police verification) and leave the country with it, etc ...

For insurance there are many options available but ignore any differentiating sales pitch, all offer only the exact same coverage for the exact same southern Africa countries only and do NOT cover anything north, east or west of Zambia - we were assured repeatedly by our chosen provider we were covered right up to crossing into Europe but on receipt of the policy found that not to be the case at all. You must also then pick up third party insurance as you cross each border for full coverage. The vehicle must then go into a Glassfit office within 48 hours of ownership transfer to confirm anti-hijacking and theft devices are in place (immobilizer, alarm, etc) and the policy is then priced accordingly and finalized. Finally, the vehicle must go in for a police check at the vehicle testing station off Main Reef Road, where after reviewing all ownership docs and checking the VIN, etc, they will issue both a notarized document stating the vehicle is not stolen, as well as an export permit allowing it to cross all subsequent borders. Note this is only done between 0730-1130 Monday to Friday and by 1130 they mean if they’re busy and in danger of needing to stay on late regardless of the time you’ll be turned back for another try tomorrow and on our day the queue was 30+ cars deep by 10 - so arrive early ...

With all that behind us we were sorted – about a week all told – and free to hit the road.