Our 1995 Chevy G20 Conversion V8 Van lived a previous life as the Benner family's road tripping vehicle. It has been re-purposed as a Pan American Gladiator, and we sincerely hope it will make it down to South America without exploding.
"Conversion" vans are bare bone models of the Chevy Van that were sent from the factory to third party companies to be pimped out.
In our van's case, a company called Glaval took the van and added cushioned arm chairs, a back seat that folds out into a bed, copious amounts of wood paneling, and dubbed it the Gladiator. They also added some mood lighting for good measure.
Me gusta mucho!!... Los espero en Buenos Aires! Anibal
ReplyDeleteHow easy/tough is it to get a US van fixed in LatAm where it was never sold? I have a 10 year old Ford Econoline E-350 diesel, and repairs are expensive and slow even in the States. I haven't seen any of these in South America, so I'm thinking to sell it - would it be not more stress-free to buy something that's actually built or plentiful in LatAm, or maybe fly to Argentina and buy one off of desperate road warriors (unlike you) who need to offload their foreign registered vehicle before flying home.
ReplyDeleteWe have always managed to find Chevy parts on our trip, plenty of chevy vans in Central America. South America a bit harder, but we always managed to find what we needed in bigger cities. If you want a vehicle where there are parts everywhere, you could look into a Toyota hilux or 4runner, we see them everywhere. Plus they are built like tanks and can go anywhere.
DeleteWorth noting that while parts hard to get, good mechanics are everywhere in Latin America. They are clever problem solvers and work cheap and fast.
Ou van is for sale in Buenos Aires now as it happens, we have three weeks to sell it before we head home: http://drivetheamericas.com/forums/sale-1995-chevy-van-available-now-buenos-aires-julyaugust-2015
I have a question (I'm not sure if you still check this). I am looking to buy a car with a South Dakota plate in Argentina, but I am not sure of the paperwork. Obviously I need the title and proof of Argentinian insurance, but I do not know what else I need beyond that. Do you know?
ReplyDeleteHi Samuel, yep you need title (or a power of attorney to drive the vehicle). You will need to cancel Argentinian temporary import papers and get them in your name. Good info here: http://www.liferemotely.com/trip-shenanigans/vehicle-info/311-vehicle-ownership-transfer-in-argentina
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