Warning: This is a summarized yet long story about what we have really been doing the last four months.
I’m trying to remember when this crazy idea first emerged. At least six months ago, Mark was researching campers in Europe, since we thought/think this will be our new overlanding location. He must have stumbled upon a Mercedes Vario campervan, thought it looked cool and roomy, remembered our German friends Sabine and Michael having one, and focused his research on the 4×4 kind, only to discover that in Europe you need a special driver’s license for this “more truck than van” vehicle, prices wavered around a steep US$100,000, and there are many rules regarding registration, yearly inspections, insurance, and so on.
Driver’s side view of a Vario
It seemed like the Vario idea dead-ended right there. But on June 3rd (I checked my diary), an available 4×4 Vario appeared on the South America Overlanding Facebook page. There were only two problems: it was for sale in Peru with Peruvian plates and it was not converted yet. We inquired at a shop in Uruguay — the only place in South America we knew about — about how much it would cost to build out a van. More research followed and from the moment we realized that a vehicle can only leave Peru with its Peruvian owner and that a new build would cost close to US$90,000, the idea was discarded again.
(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)
Fast forward to sometime in August when Mark discovered that Chile had imported hundreds of 4WD Vario vans from Europe to use in the mines as passenger transportation vehicles. Another problem arose: these vans had been well used and came with a bus door instead of a passenger door. Replacing that with an RV door would prove almost impossible, let alone dealing with the paperwork, the language, and other crazy logistics.
Soon after, Mark had a revelation. For months, he’d known about a Vario van that had been built out by a Chilean and had been for sale for a couple of years. It was located along the Chilean coast, four hours south of Santiago, but he hadn’t been interested because the camper section was poorly built and unattractive.
His revelation was this: it had a normal door and two seats in the cab, it was already registered as a camper (as opposed to a company vehicle), and becoming the owner of a new vehicle in Chile was straightforward and popular. It’s why many new overlanders buy a car or camper in Santiago to start their South American overland travels. Why not buy this crappy camper, gut it, and rebuild the living space from scratch?
Passenger side view of the Pichilemu Vario camper – with a normal door
By then, we had found out that there was a company in Santiago — Suzie Santiago CTW — that built out vans for a much better rate — but inferior quality — than the expensive shop in Uruguay. More research and communications followed with companies regarding the build and the paperwork. So many months of work and focus went into this pursuit! It’s pretty much all we did during our five weeks in Paraguay. We even drew up the perfect layout. Fun!
Continue reading
