Am i mad [ if anyone knows me ,,,yes ! ] Overland road trip !

 hello ,,,, Spoke to Tom yesterday , he said Mart if you want to know anything come on here ,,so here i am ! Trip i have planned is to drive from the uk to Morocco then drive along the coast road to Israel !
Yes i have been looking up on the net , of the dangers ,,,,yes Algeria and Libya ,,,, " just don`t stop ,,,,keep going " !

Vehicle on my short list is the volvo v70 overlander , as im not going to go and play in the sand , and im going to be driving a lot of roads , and having the 4x4 is a back up ! Time i have thought is 2 months ,,, enough to come back with a tan and a very dirty vehicle ! On the serious side things like visa `s cost of the trip etc ,,,,, and anyone here done it !

Thankyou , look forward to reading a few reply`s  

mart4play wrote:

 hello ,,,, Spoke to Tom yesterday , he said Mart if you want to know anything come on here ,,so here i am ! Trip i have planned is to drive from the uk to Morocco then drive along the coast road to Israel !
Yes i have been looking up on the net , of the dangers ,,,,yes Algeria and Libya ,,,, " just don`t stop ,,,,keep going " !  

Vehicle on my short list is the volvo v70 overlander , as im not going to go and play in the sand , and im going to be driving a lot of roads , and having the 4x4 is a back up ! Time i have  thought is 2 months ,,, enough to come back with a tan and a very dirty vehicle !  On the serious side things like visa `s cost of the trip etc ,,,,, and anyone here done it !

Thankyou , look forward to reading a few reply`s  

The Overland world still waiting for the Maroc / Algeria frontier to open.

Hi Martin, an official welcome from your truly!  

Like the man says, Algeria is still closed, and I would think it will be for a long time to come. It all depends of course when you're planning on going, give it a year or so and everything can change.

Vehicle-wise, as I said yesterday, my choice would be a Mitsubishi Delica - elderly Pajero running gear that bush mechanics can repair, four-wheel-drive, capable off-road, plenty of room meaning you can kip/make a cuppa in it.

That said, I also understand where you're coming from. Like you say, you have to think of fuel economy. Yes fuel is cheaper in North Africa, but you'll be covering a lot of road miles on the Continent both before and after Africa, and the V70 diesel is a cracking car.

Swings and roundabouts mate, although I'd swallow the additional expense and go for the Delica. At the end of the day you're an off-roader, so think of all the extra fun you'll have in a 'proper' 4x4 as opposed to a four-wheel-drive car!  

Hi and welcome  

We are now back from Morocco, and as said you are unable to drive from morocco into Algeria. Have heard that they may refuse you entry if you have Morocco stamp in your passport, especialy if it was the last one. I would do some more research.  

mart4play wrote:

 hello ,,,, Spoke to Tom yesterday , he said Mart if you want to know anything come on here ,,so here i am ! Trip i have planned is to drive from the uk to Morocco then drive along the coast road to Israel !
Yes i have been looking up on the net , of the dangers ,,,,yes Algeria and Libya ,,,, " just don`t stop ,,,,keep going " !  

Vehicle on my short list is the volvo v70 overlander , as im not going to go and play in the sand , and im going to be driving a lot of roads , and having the 4x4 is a back up ! Time i have  thought is 2 months ,,, enough to come back with a tan and a very dirty vehicle !  On the serious side things like visa `s cost of the trip etc ,,,,, and anyone here done it !

Thankyou , look forward to reading a few reply`s  

 
 
Hi Martin
welcome to the forum, don't want to spoil your plan but I'm with Tom about the vehicle type. I think you should consider something more robust and less complicated and Volvo suv's have problems with the electro solenoids for the 4wd, you don't know they're not working until you need it and from what I've seen they are bit fragile too.
 
If fuel is an issue I can tell you that my Jeep Jk 2.8 diesel does 32mpg with 400kg of gear in the back at 55-60mph and I have seen 40mpg at around 30mph constant but that said it too has risks, too much electronics in the ecu etc, crank sensor, cam sensor, exhaust sensor, egr sensor anything modern can only meet eu environment targets with complex electronics and high pressure common rail diesels so the jury is still out on Jeep electronics, ask me in ten years time.
 
when I had to choose which 4x4 it came down to a choice of landy' or Jeep JK, The landy has more space in the back by a couple of cubic metres but the jeep is more comfy and quieter and does more mpg. The Jeep has been voted hardcore 4x4 winner in 2012 and 2013 by 4x4 magazine. I have to say it's not just a Jeep it's a way of life, I love it.
 
I will say though that under the current political climate in the middle east I don't think I would go there in the Jeep, might not be seen in a friendly way by all  
any way welcome and good luck this forum is one of few without a cliquey membership and is full of info, I have lost hours just reading different posts and drawing up lists of do's and don'ts.