Don't ever get an US model unless its known in SA!!! (Sonstiges)

dinoevo , Mittwoch, 13. Februar 2013, 19:31 (vor 4096 Tagen) @ jazZar

Sorry to hear your troubles jazZar.
Getting an automatic transmission vehicle for a trip along the PanAm (or other third-world-countries) is never a good idea. Yes, there are good examples of vehicle making it all the way, but there are much more of having problems. We met four other overlanders so far who had mayor problems with their auto-tranny. Two of them had to ship an entire new transmission from their home country.

The problem is there are just not many auto-transmissions South of the border of the US and fixing an auto-tranny (compare to a manual) needs a lot of competence as well. Nothing you are going to find easily in all these countries.

There is never a certainty to find the right spare part when you brake down, BUT the likelihood increases a lot if you get yourself a Japanese vehicle. It seems like there are almost everywhere.

Beside the auto-tranny issue, the other issue you need to be aware of used North American vehicles is there are most of the time gasoline powered and not very fuel efficient. That is going to make a big difference for your travelling budget down the road, if you spend twice as much on gas on a 70.000 km road trip.

Just a few thoughts from another traveller.
Cheers