Subarus in Sub-Saharan Africa (Senegal)

carljwnc said:
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.
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Thats right, as long as you're having fun, thats the main thing. :)

Regards
Mr Turbo
 
carljwnc said:
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.:)
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Supposedly, the daughter of President Wade is driving the unofficial Dakar race. How cool is that?

It sounded to me like the move to LatAm was permanent. But I haven't checked on this further. Given how persistent various terrorist groups have been globally over the last couple of years, I wouldn't expect the problem to go away anytime soon. One could only hope.

carljwnc said:
Please keep us updated, we don't care what your driving.
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mr turbo said:
Thats right, as long as you're having fun, thats the main thing. :)
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Much appreciate your comments, Carl and Mr. Turbo. It's nice that Subie drivers are so open-minded. I don't think Jeep-drivers would react as kindly to a "traitor." With that said, Carl has obviously set a good precedent of selling his Subie, while staying with the Subaru family at heart. (And, of course, it can't hurt that his spouse still has Blubaru.) It's all good, and I'm confident that I'll return to the fold in the coming years. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to some trips, and related reports.
 
Escher said:
Much appreciate your comments, Carl and Mr. Turbo. It's nice that Subie drivers are so open-minded. I don't think Jeep-drivers would react as kindly to a "traitor." With that said, Carl has obviously set a good precedent of selling his Subie, while staying with the Subaru family at heart. (And, of course, it can't hurt that his spouse still has Blubaru.) It's all good, and I'm confident that I'll return to the fold in the coming years. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to some trips, and related reports.
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Family is family no matter what your differences.:)

I've been on here and sf.org for at least five years now:eek:, and try as I might, I'm to devoted, and don't have the time, to even get as involved with my yota forum. (which is www.ultimateyota.com by the way) Besides, there is another Subie in my future at some point in time.:iconwink:
 
Update from West Africa:

So I did end up selling my MY06 Forester back in the US, less than a week before we left the country. Even though I had already bought and installed a SubaX sumpguard and Yokohama Geolandar AT-S tires in preparation for African duty. It went to a good home, at a decent price. The new owners are friends, appreciate the Subie, and we're still in touch.

Two weeks after arriving here in Dakar, Senegal, during which time we used unsafe and run-down taxis, we found a well-used 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser with a 3.0 liter diesel, at a decent price -- approximately the same price that I sold my MY06 Forester for!?! :rolleyes: It's a KZJ95, for those who know and care. To be honest, it has served us better than the Subie ever could have. It burns diesel. It has major ground clearance. It's tough as nails. It fits in with other local vehicles. And, most importantly, local mechanics know the vehicle and we can easily get service and parts for it.

There are some Subarus here. There are American compatriots who drive a gold MY05 Forester, as well as an Outback of similar vintage. I've also seen at least one locally registered (i.e. not an expat/diplomat) beat up Liberty/Legacy Wagon. But given the terrible condition of most roads here, as well as the (non-existent) availability of gasoline in the countryside, our vintage (but new to us) Toyota diesel 4x4 has been perfect.

Yes, I miss the performance and handling of my Forester. An Outback, Forester, or WRX Impreza will be at the top of my list once we return to the States (or Western Europe). But for now, there's no looking back. Selling the Forester -- as tough and heart-breaking as it was -- was the right choice. Our beat-up Toyota Land Cruiser just serves us better here in West Africa.

I've been tempted to pick up a second car. Either a beat up old European compact, like a vintage Citroen 2CV or some Peugeot or Renault. Or a Nissan X-trail with a 4-cylinder diesel. But for now, I've stuck with inexpensive taxis when my wife has taken possession of the Land Cruiser.

I still wear my blue Subaru baseball cap. :cool: And I have yet to register for a Toyota forum....
 
Eastie said:
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.
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Eastie: A year ago, I didn't know what you were talking about. Now, I understand!

What I can confirm is that a Toyota Land Cruiser has better chances of survival here than a Subaru Forester. I have yet to hit a pedestrian, or anything else. Although after sunset, I come damn close every time. I sure as hell am glad I am in now driving a big, heavy, solid vehicle (i.e. a Toyota Land Cruiser), sitting in a raised position, with lots of sheet-metal to protect me.

Even though I miss my Fozza a lot, there's no question that my Land Cruiser is a more practical vehicle to drive here in West Africa.
 
PS: Decent pictures of the new Land Cruiser in action, as well as the Subarus that did make it here, coming up it the next few weeks.
 
Thanks for the update Escher. :)

Looking forward to seeing your pics shortly. :)

Regards
Mr Turbo
 
Escher, Glad to see you checking in!!!:) Go the Yota!!! Jealous of the diesel, and one more thing, do you have a solid front axle??? Then I can be jealous of that as well.:biggrin:

Bring on the pics.:iconwink:
 
Good to find my old Subaru friends are still around!

I'll have to check on the solid front axle, Carl. The Land Cruiser's ride is certainly bumpy enough (speed bumps abound on paved roads here) that I wouldn't be surprised if the front axle was solid.

On a related note, I spent a small fortune replacing the oversize and cheap Chinese tires that we got on the old Yota with stock-size Goodyear Wrangler A/Ts. I couldn't track down BF Goodrich All-Terrains, which I would have preferred. I didn't have time to import them, as the tire-replacement was prompted by a blown sidewall on one of the oversize Chinese tires.

Looking to the future, the Wall Street Journal's Jonathan Welsh is reporting that Subaru will offer the Outback with the Boxer Diesel "within a year or so," i.e. before we get back to the States! See this article on station wagons and this column about diesel wagon options (subscription required). That is way cool! After over a decade of driving slush-boxes (automatic transmissions) with gasoline engines in the US, I had completely forgotten how exciting it is to drive a stick shift (manual transmission) with a torquey diesel. If at all possible, that's what I'll be seeking out when I'm looking for my next car. Chances are that US options will be dramatically improved by 2012.
 
Happy New Year, everybody, and best wishes for 2010!

I took the Land Cruiser on some desert tracks and a few places off-road over the holidays. So I should have some decent pictures to post soon. This was my first-ever sand driving experience, which required multiple tries on some steeper spots. I definitely appreciated the Land Cruiser's plentiful ground clearance on the rutted tracks as well as the locking differential.

Carl: I took a look underneath and am sorry to disappoint. The front wheels are suspended independently. No solid front axle, as far as I can tell.

On the Subaru Boxer Diesel front, I'm hoping to spend two weeks in France this summer. I already stopped by the Subie dealer last visit. And this time, I'll hopefully have a chance to test-drive the Forester Diesel. Old news for those of you in markets where Subaru has already introduced its Boxer Diesel. But something exciting to look forward to for me.
 
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Escher said:
Carl: I took a look underneath and am sorry to disappoint. The front wheels are suspended independently. No solid front axle, as far as I can tell.
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No disappointment, now I just don't need to be quite as jealous.:iconwink: But then, you do have a locking differential...:biggrin:

Happy New Year Escher!!! Bring on the pics.:ebiggrin:
 
I've just caught up on this thread. Though I'm not heading to West Africa or East Africa, the East coast of France, any place ending in 'stan'... not even Western Australia I, too decided to sell my old Subie. However, even though I bought a Patrol with all the toys already fitted so that I could take all my wife and 5 kids out camping on the most amazing tracks it's now quite clear that my Subie won't be leaving us any time soon.. :) In fact, it's been a little over a year now since I bought the Patrol and the Subie's stayed in there waiting for each and every time the other two family cars break down (and they have). Each and every time it's started without a hitch... bloomin' thing's so darned reliable!

So, now that the Patrol's so expensive to maintain (it's a turbo diesel) and we're trying to afford a house it looks like we might end up selling the Patrol and go buy an old Forester.... or perhaps I'll just finish the last of the mods I was going to do on the old Subie that's still waiting patiently for the other cars to break down.

Coming full circle is not something I expected but, like you, I can't think of anything that will be quite as satisfying.

Next week, both my wife's Grand Carnival and my Patrol will go in to get some smash repairs done (both of us having out first claims ever in the same week!).... guess what car I'll be driving in the meantime.:lol:
 
Not my problem any more buddy... You ain't gonna break anything anymore after you replace those drive shafts and I think it'll be either Kevin's (now his Forester is working better) or Mr Turbo's (after the lift blocks are in) :lol:

We can only hope that I somehow manage to keep BOTH!! .... again;)
 
2012's just around the corner now Escher ;)

This has been a fun thread to read & catch up on. All the pre-moving the west africa talk was quite amusing. Especially the "rules of the road" & "this would not have happened if you were not in my country" talk. :lol:
 
dirtyRU said:
2012's just around the corner now Escher ;)
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You're not kidding, dirtyRU! And thanks for digging up this thread, I hadn't caught up on it in a while.

Right now, I'm still doing active maintenance and little mods here and there on our 1998 Land Cruiser and 2008 X-trail. I'm especially hoping to take the former overland later this year.

At the same time, I'm planning trips to DC in April (alone) and June (with family) to start setting things up for our return Stateside in Summer 2012. Top of the list are a house and cars. For my wife I'm hoping to get a Mini Countryman, just because I want her to have a fun car for a change, instead of a boring utilitarian vehicle (her last was a Ford Focus). For myself, it'll probably be a new Forester. Although I'm also toying with the idea of something used that could be more of a project car, like a WRX (to be lifted) or earlier generation Forester. The Outback remains a possibility as well, although it's already on the large side for my personal taste.

The last factor to consider will be timing. Do I buy something this year, or wait as long as possible, i.e. until we actually move back. Our goal is to move back into a turnkey operation (both house and cars). That way we'll be able to stay in Africa as long as possible, and hit the ball running when we return. So we'll have to see whether we end up with 2012 or 2013 models. :raz:

I think I posted pictures in another thread. But I'll see if I can dig up some other African shots.
 
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