Subarus in Sub-Saharan Africa (Senegal)

I've been meaning to post a thread asking this question for a while. <drumroll> Here we go...

There's a chance that our family will get to move to West Africa, Dakar in Senegal to be specific, in the next year or two. The million dollar question is: Should I bring along my Subaru Forester to Senegal?

I guess the other option would be to sell the Subie for cash, and then buy a Land Cruiser once we arrive.

Pros of bringing the Subie:
* I love my Forester
* I don't have to remove the ORS.com sticker
* I'll have something to tinker and play with over there
* Legitimate reason to get a strut lift kit
* Just got off-road tires a few weeks ago (Yoko Geo A/T-S)

Cons of brining the Subie:
* Doubt there will be a local Subaru dealer
* Everybody knows how to fix a Toyota (or a Land Rover) in Africa; nobody knows how to fix a Subaru (I assume)
* Would likely have to import spare parts from France and/or US, and have to learn how to install them myself
* Chances are that I will ruin the car I love, or at least abuse it. But you Aussies do that too...
* More time spent on resolving car maintenance means less time to play on the beaches, e.g. kite-surfing

Questions:
* How do I find out if Subarus are imported to Senegal, and whether I can find somebody there to service my Forester?
* How do I find out whether anybody drives a Subie there?
* Is it reasonable to bring the Subie to Senegal?
* Or is it nuts?

Your feedback wanted! Let me know what you think!

Nuts - yes My expeience relates to Ghana - just down the coast in west africa. Firstly the vehicles in west africa are right hand drive and for the most toyota 4x4's as most roads are 'pretty average'.
Secondly, you will need a heap of paperwork to get the car in and another heap of paper/permits/tax/tax papers/tax dash ornements/insurance/customs papers/visa/passport/drivers ticket with you at all times incase you get pulled over: no paperwork = you get detained (if they wont entertain a bribe) and being detained in west africa is an exerpience best avoided. Don't expect the paperwork to be easy or the process to be free of coruption.

One of the best reasons to avoid driving in west africa is to avoid accidents - as a sanity check remember this saying "we are not in Kansas now toto". If you have an accident with a local the best advice I can give you is if it looks like getting ugly then flee (aka get to a safe area) - I'm not joking. If a crowd looks like forming there's a good chance they will impose some sort of payback ....eye for an eye wth a machette. If you''re lucky you will just owe the person you hit a bucket full of de-valued cash and couple of goats or a cow. Any accident will be your fault, no matter what occured, because if you were not in their country the accident would not have occured....

There aren't too many places in the world I no longer wish to go to with work, but west africa is right up there with the ones that end in 'stan'. If I were U I would look at getting a cruiser and a driver, at least until you 'settle in'. Drivers are very reasonably priced - finding one that understands the need to flee after a crash if people with large blades start to gather is improtant though.

Have fun.

Sounds like good advice there by Eastie. I've been around a bit and Africa is one place I have steered clear of.

However, if the money is SOOoooo good that you just HAFTA go, well then.

You could check here:

https://www.subaru-global.com/

and you might notice the nearest in Africa is probably Egg-yipped.
NOTHING where you intend to go.

I refused to go to India because of disease, bad water and food poisoning (though I managed to get poisoned in South Korea the first time..), Africa was off my list regardless because of stories I had heard just as Eastie says, Middle East was just OUT, but everywhere else was [mostly] OK. Loved the USA by the way! (All work stuff)

Personally, If you have a fair job where you are... well, why go at all? (yeah yeah, I'm paranoid..)

Although each region has it's risks, I consider most of asia and the subcontinent to be generally safer than west africa which I put on a par with parts of south america. If you are in a high risk occupation (mining/resources) then make sure your company looks after you and has decent evacuation/repatriation processes.

If you are looking at getting out and about in a 4wd then do some thorough reseach before you head out as a couple of remote regions are still plagued by landmines.

Thanks for the input, everybody. This would be for my wife's job, and worth our family's while without a doubt -- both financially and in terms of life experience. So going there would not be in question. The only question would be about bringing the Subie along.

Transatlantic shipping would be free, i.e. paid for by the employer. So, except for the fact that I might drive the Forester to ruins while we're there, thus making it a total write-off, it wouldn't even be a question of cost.

If we were to go, we would definitely get a Land Cruiser with a driver. The Forester would be our second car, i.e. mine, for fun and non-work transportation. So the choice would likely be between bringing my Forester as a second car, or buying a second Land Cruiser locally as our second car.

BTW: Senegal isn't so bad by African standards. Dakar actually has a significant population of French expatriates. So there's good food. It's a major shipping centre, so there's is lots of trade and commerce. And there are beautiful beaches, less than half an hour outside of town. Yes, of course, it's not California, the Cote d'Azur, or the Great Barrier Reef. But it's not like we'd be going to crisis-ridden Nigeria or ethnic war-torn Sudan.

So, if going to Senegal were a given, would it be reasonable to bring the Subaru?

I am definitely going to check subaru-global.com and will also inquire with my Subaru dealer here in the US. But chances that I will get official support from FHI are small. So it's probably more a question of whether I can make it there without local Subaru dealer support.

I know the reasonable answer is that I should just give up the Subaru and get a Land Cruiser locally. If I want to be adventurous, I could get a Land Rover. But the Subaru would just not be worth the complications, if I can make it work at all.

Eastie: You're absolutely right about a driver and fleeing the scene of a crash. That's exactly what they taught my wife during previous work trips (without family), and she actually did drive away from a minor fender bender. In terms of evacuation plans, the Americans take good care of their citizens and are often the first to evacuate. And that's who we'd be going with. Not that we would expect this at all in Senegal, though. The French, on the other hand, are usually the last to get their citizens out. They don't send the Berets Rouges (red beret paratroopers) to get you until it's almost too late.

Paul: Glad you liked the US. I've been here for 14 years now, after emigrating from Switzerland. And I've liked it enough to stay, which says a lot. As for Asia, I've never traveled further East than Egypt, and never further West than California. So that would be an entirely new world. But it's not an option at this time. And I've never been to South America either. Maybe one day... I've been to several parts of Africa: North, West, South, but never East, except for layovers.

PS, Eastie: I am quite certain that Senegal is left-hand drive, as it is a former French colony. Ghana (like South Africa and Namibia), on the other hand, I believe was British, at least for part of its colonial history. Thus the right hand drive there.

Thankfully, I still have a year or more to make up my mind about the Subaru.

My stuff up - I was typing without reading... right hand drive (read....driving on the right hand side of the road)
I love the freedom of interpretation they have on the roads. Overtaking into oncoming traffic on narrow roads is a blast so long as you remember the rules: truck beats bus, bus beats 4wd, 4wd beats taxi, all of the above beats motorcycles and everything beats bikes & pedestrians. The only exceptions is livestock and animal carts, trafic tends to swerve around them, except trucks.

All of which occasionally results in a bunch of roadkill -- animal, human, and/or vehicular. :sad:

I would leave the Subie behind and get a Rover. If for no other reason than availability of parts. Plus, I would think in a country like that, where you already face the stigma of being an outsider, you would want to blend in as much as possible.

I used to work for an African company and Eastie is spot on. Personally I wouldn't take the Subaru, too mucuh trouble for too little gain IMO. Buy a local 'yota or a Landy or if you're really keen buy one of those while you're still in the US and take that with you (though permits etc will still be a PITA and wallet that way).

Thanks for the comments. Everybody's feedback pretty much confirms what I intuitively expected. No point to bring the Subaru. Whether I like it or not, I'll just have to put it on the block.

In terms of getting a Landie (Rover or Cruiser ), it will probably be easiest to just buy a used one locally. Although I hear that Toyota, and possibly Land Rover, have a nice program where expats (NGO workers and diplomats) can order brand-new vehicles for delivery in the country where they are posted. E.g. our local Volvo dealer here in Washington (US capital with many diplomats etc.) has a dedicated diplomat/military sales desk, where you can order a new Volvo for tax-free delivery anywhere in the world. Of course, with a Volvo you'd have the same maintenance challenges as with a Subaru. But I understand that Toyota has a similar program.

Anyway, the whole thing is still far off. So I have quite some time left to enjoy the Forester and not worry about the future. :ebiggrin:

Definately leave the subie, get a cruiser or a defender, then you'll get anywhere you want. I'm thinking of selling my subie soon and going for a troopy or a defender for weekends and a little zip-zip for driving to work.

Cheyne_r said:

Definately leave the subie, get a cruiser or a defender, then you'll get anywhere you want. I'm thinking of selling my subie soon and going for a troopy or a defender for weekends and a little zip-zip for driving to work.

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Heresy and sacrilege!!!!
Where's an exorcist when you need one?? :iconwink: :biggrin:

Cheyne_r said:

Definately leave the subie, get a cruiser or a defender, then you'll get anywhere you want. I'm thinking of selling my subie soon and going for a troopy or a defender for weekends and a little zip-zip for driving to work.

Click to expand...

That's definitely not where I stand. The Subaru would likely be just fine for my needs, even in Senegal. But ease of maintenance is a major factor. While I love my Subaru, I don't want to own a Subaru just for the sake of owning a Subaru. In the end it's just a car -- specifically a raised AWD station wagon -- that fits my needs better than any other car. But if maintenance is too complicated and burdensome, even though it fulfills all other mission requirements, the Forester will have to stay behind.

On the upside, once we get back to the US, I'm sure that the Forester (MY12 or MY13, I guess) would likely be further improved. And assuming the Impreza WRX and STI are still around at that point, those will likely get serious considerations from me as well. :biggrin:

I haven't visited to ORS.com since early November 2008. Things have been busy with the new baby boy (Sept. 2008) and pending move to West Africa (Aug. 2009). With a little over two weeks to go until we fly out to Dakar, I thought I owed everybody an update.

Until about a month ago, I was dead-set on shipping the Forester to Senegal. It turns out there are already several Subarus in Dakar -- both Forester and Outback models -- which apparently have had no trouble with maintenance. This despite the lack of any Subaru authorized dealers. I added the Geolandar A/T-S tires and Rally Armor urethane mud flaps, in addition to my SubaX sump-guard, and was ready to put the Subie on a boat.

But then we ran into some delays with the paperwork for the ocean shipment. And then I realized I would have to remove the catalytic converter, because you can't get unleaded fuel in Senegal. The straw that broke the camel's back was that shipping takes 2-3 months. With the delay in shipping, we would have been without a car up to 3 months after arrival. So in the end, I decided to sell my beloved Subaru after all.

The upside is that a good colleague from work (actually her husband) is going to be buying the Forester. He test drove it today, agreed that it was a sensible vehicle for a growing family that likes to go camping, and accepted my offering price. So the Forester is going to a good home. And they will take good care of it, as I would.

Once we arrive in Dakar in early August, I'll likely pick up a used Nissan X-trail with the diesel engine. That way local service will be available from an authorized dealer if necessary, I'll be able to refuel in rural areas, and we won't have to wait for the Forester to make its way across the Atlantic Ocean on a slow container ship. The Nissan will also fit in better with the local cars, instead of screaming "I'm driven by a white guy from America -- please rob and steal me!"

I look forward to picking up another Subaru upon our return to the United States in 2012. Until then, farewell, my beloved Subaru Forester. :sad:

to bad you had to sell her mate, but it looks like everything has worked out and thats the main thing.. you know this still counts as a trip so some pics and a few reports would be nice
and make sure you tell your new subie owner where we are.:iconwink:
i wish you and your family all the best and take care

eden said:

you know this still counts as a trip so some pics and a few reports would be nice

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Now that is going to be a trip report & half.

Escher, all I can say is good luck, I hope everything goes well for you & your family whilst you are overseas.
Have fun, be good, & most importantly, be safe.


Regards
Mr Turbo

Escher, been wondering where you've been, I actually thought you were probably over there by now.

To bad you had to sell the Foz, but sounds like the best decision.:sad: Think of it this way though, by the time you get back you should be able to replace it with a diesel.

Hope the kiddo's are doing well (how old is your girl now?), being a parent sure does suck the time right out of you.

Good luck over there, and like mr turbo said, be safe!!! Try and stay in touch, we'd love to see some pics from over there, especially when the Dakar Rally comes through.

Thanks everybody for the good wishes! Even though I haven't been here for a while and will no longer own a Subaru in the coming days, ORS.com is my family. So I very much appreciate the support.

If there is interest in trip reports from Senegal, I will very gladly post some. I might also be able to track down the few Subies that are there (presumably all owned by American expatriates).

What's got me excited about our return to the US in 2012 is that there will be many new Subies to choose from. The latest Forester will be at the top of the list, although I am concerned that it is now a crossover/SUV rather than a jacked-up AWD estate/wagon. I will also seriously consider the WRX and Outback. The former would just be plain fun to drive. And the latter now has an amazing 29 MPG (US) rating with the CVT. (Although I hate the idea of driving with a CVT even more than a slush-box automatic.)

I wouldn't bet on the Subaru Boxer Diesel being available in the US by the time we get back, unfortunately. But I will likely travel to France from Senegal, and hope to test-drive a Subaru Diesel at the very least.

The official Dakar Rally has forever been moved to South America -- Argentina I believe -- due to safety concerns around terrorist activity in the Maghreb. The Rally Paris-Dakar is not coming back to Africa. The organizer has paid multi-million settlements to West African governments to compensate them for lost revenue from the moved rally. But I hear there is an unofficial/underground Dakar rally that is continuing. And I certainly will take whatever vehicle I acquire over there to the beach and out into the back country. That's part of the draw of going over there.

We sign the contract to sell the Fozza tomorrow. At least it'll be a good chunk of cash in the bank, as Subarus enjoy a very reasonable resale value, even in the current economy. The new owner has kindly offered to sell it back to me upon our return, if I really miss it that much -- at a 50 percent premium. :lol: (She was kidding, of course.) And I'll leave the ORS sticker on the back window.

Escher said:

The official Dakar Rally has forever been moved to South America -- Argentina I believe -- due to safety concerns around terrorist activity in the Maghreb. The Rally Paris-Dakar is not coming back to Africa. The organizer has paid multi-million settlements to West African governments to compensate them for lost revenue from the moved rally. But I hear there is an unofficial/underground Dakar rally that is continuing. And I certainly will take whatever vehicle I acquire over there to the beach and out into the back country. That's part of the draw of going over there.

Click to expand...

I thought they were only moving it to South America for a couple of years??? Not really Paris-Dakar anymore.:sad: Well, if they have an underground one going I hope you get to see some of it, and take some pics of course.

Please keep us updated, we don't care what your driving.