Cotswolds to Cape Town

In the planning stage for departure June '13. Going the Coca Cola route. UK to Turkey, Ferry to Egypt, Eastern route to Tanzania, across to Namibia then down to Cape Town.  Around 13,000 miles, me and my wife living in the van for around 4 months. Having seen the off-road video on  YouTube and visited Danbury I'm thinking a new T2 could do the job. What do you think? Is it reliable enough, will I get parts, what modification will it need, will it handle poor quality fuel, etc? Any advice much appreciated. 

Hi Shedhead...See how they are used in the outbacks of Brazil (You Tube videos are great) and Id say go for it....A simple commercial based vehicle with high ground clearance with a 'Total Flex' VW engine. The trip sounds great fun! Have you thought about meeting people at different stages in the VW Scene that are up for it? That would be some mad VW meet up events and some great pics!

Shedhead wrote:

In the planning stage for departure June '13. Going the Coca Cola route. UK to Turkey, Ferry to Egypt, Eastern route to Tanzania, across to Namibia then down to Cape Town.  Around 13,000 miles, me and my wife living in the van for around 4 months. Having seen the off-road video on  YouTube and visited Danbury I'm thinking a new T2 could do the job. What do you think? Is it reliable enough, will I get parts, what modification will it need, will it handle poor quality fuel, etc? Any advice much appreciated. 

I would say totally unsuitable, for one you'll not get any parts at all, those vans are sold only for brazilian market and despite sharing some parts with old and new vw you'll get stranded at a first sight of trouble. Also service interval of 3000 miles will be a problem - as if you fail to grease suspension youll certainly damage it beyond safe use.Not to mention the regular problems with a gearboxes, gearsticks, ecu's. I'd say you want a Mercedes circa 1980 to avoid any electronic computers - popular in those parts of the world and any garage will be able to repair those without having to use computer.

Many thanks for the advice. I wonder if I could find anyone who's taken one to Africa?

Loads in Africa being used.....Take a supply of parts with you as its all 'bolt off - bolt on' so not rocket science to do...See this link http://www.vwvagabonds.com/SuccessFailure.html

Thanks for the link. Seems quite a few air cooled buses have made the trip. Now all I need is to find someone who's tried it in a Brazillian!

Just a question - what are your plans for the van once you arrive?
South Africa are very strict about imports and it may cost ++++ at the border. I advise lots of research before committing - friends finally went to SA and bought a vehicle they could then drive out and around southern africa and then take it back in - was cheaper than trying to take a vehicle there from outside!!
M

brabay wrote:

I would say totally unsuitable, for one you'll not get any parts at all, those vans are sold only for brazilian market and despite sharing some parts with old and new vw you'll get stranded at a first sight of trouble. Also service interval of 3000 miles will be a problem - as if you fail to grease suspension youll certainly damage it beyond safe use.Not to mention the regular problems with a gearboxes, gearsticks, ecu's. I'd say you want a Mercedes circa 1980 to avoid any electronic computers - popular in those parts of the world and any garage will be able to repair those without having to use computer.

I find this post completely unconstructive and wonder why you felt it necessary to be so negative.

The op is considering buying a new AquaBay which has a modern VW engine the parts for which are in plentiful supply. They are the same as for the VW Fox. Yes the suspension will need lubricating every 3000 miles but a quick stop at a tyre centre would sort that out and relatively cheaply. There are no 'regular' problems with gearboxes and gearsticks. Some issues have been identified but solutions have been found and the percentage of failure is actually relatively small. The only problems with ECUs have come along when inexperience has caused voltage to be sent through the metal casing when touching the battery terminals by accident. We live in a small world with fabulous delivery services. Should a part be required, it is only a phone call/email away. I'm sure Danbury would be happy to help out someone embarking on such an exciting adventure in a New T2.

I say 'go for it' - just remember to keep us posted of your adventures and we'll need lots of photos please.

Thanks again for taking the time to comment.
Apparently temporary importation of vehicles is not too much of a problem as long as you have a carnet de passage. You may be interested to know that these are issued by the RAC, they require a cash deposit or bank guarantee of 8 times the vehicles value (if you are entering Egypt). £35,000 x 8 = £280,000 wow!
I’m going to talk to VW, Danbury and DHL regarding dealer locations, parts and delivery to get a view of how practical on-route repairs are going to be.
By the bye I’m having a look a 20 year old 310D Merc as a possible alternative, my wife thought I’d gone mad when I told me this was because it could be more reliable!