Overland vehicles · South Africa

Buy your overland 4x4before you land.

Planning to drive Africa from South Africa? I find, check and negotiate the right vehicle while you are still at home, and prepare your Traffic Register Number so it can be registered in your name the week you arrive.

Plan my vehicle Border papers

Your overland fileReady on arrival

Before you land

4x4 sourced to your route and budget
Inspected by a mechanic
Price negotiated, you approve
TRN booked around your arrival

Before you head north

Registered in your name
Border paper list for your route

Why it goes wrong

The trip starts with the paperwork.

Travellers who buy on arrival lose weeks of their trip to searching, inspections and licensing queues.

Buying against the clock

Your time in South Africa is limited. Every week spent looking at cars is a week not driving.

Hard-used 4x4s

Overland vehicles work hard. Without an inspection you inherit someone else's problems on a remote road.

Old forum advice

Licensing and border rules change. Advice from a few years ago can cost you days at a counter or a border post.

What I handle

From your brief to the open road.

One person on your side in South Africa while you plan the trip.

Sourcing for the trip

4x4s and bakkies searched against your route, budget, seats and the kit you want, from dealers, private sellers and my network.

Mechanical inspection

A physical inspection before you commit, with the report reviewed with you.

Negotiation

I negotiate the price. You approve the final number before anything is signed.

TRN and registration

Your Traffic Register Number prepared and booked, then registration in your name after you land.

Border paper list

What to carry for the countries on your route, so you leave South Africa prepared.

Ready where you land

The vehicle held or delivered in the city you arrive in.

Border papers

What a South African registered car carries north.

Requirements depend on your route and change over time. These are the papers travellers are most often asked for. I confirm the list for your route before you leave.

1
Registration papersThe registration certificate in your name, with certified copies.
2
Police clearanceSome border posts ask for one on South African registered vehicles. Worth getting before you leave.
3
Carnet de PassagesCompulsory for Egypt and Kenya and recommended outside the Southern African Customs Union, according to the AA.
4
InsuranceThird-party cover for the countries you drive through, bought before you go or at the border.

Pricing

Priced by the value of the vehicle.

Vehicles under R350,000From R18,000

Most first cars, bakkies and everyday SUVs.

Vehicles R350,000 to R800,000R28,000

Newer SUVs, double cabs and well-kept 4x4s.

Vehicles above R800,000From R45,000

Scoped individually for higher-value cars.

TRN preparation is included. Inspection, transport and registration are billed at actual cost and shown to you separately.

Questions

Overland, answered.

Every route is different. Send me yours and I'll tell you what applies.

Can a foreigner buy a car in South Africa for an overland trip?

Yes. You register it in your own name with a Traffic Register Number, which I prepare before you land. You attend that appointment in person.

Where can I collect the car?

I source across South Africa, and the car can be ready in the city you land in, whether that's Cape Town, Johannesburg or Durban.

What do I need to take it across borders?

Carry the registration papers, certified copies, and your passport. Some border posts ask for a police clearance on South African registered vehicles, so it is worth getting one before you leave. I give you the list for your route.

Do I need a Carnet de Passages?

According to the AA of South Africa, a carnet is compulsory for Egypt and Kenya and recommended for travel outside the Southern African Customs Union. Whether you need one depends on your route.

How early should I start?

Six to eight weeks before you land. That leaves time to find and inspect the right vehicle and to book your TRN appointment around your arrival, especially over December and January when offices run reduced hours.

What does it cost?

The same as the full service for buyers from abroad: from R18,000, scaling with the value of the vehicle, with the TRN included. Inspection, transport and registration are billed at actual cost.

Plan the rest.

Start your enquiry

Send your route. I'll find the vehicle.

Fill this in and it becomes a WhatsApp message to me, ready to send. Add your route in the last box.

luyanda@avaloncapitalgroup.co.za

+27 71 220 5313

Based in

Pietermaritzburg. Buyers anywhere in South Africa and abroad.