Skatering

I was in South Africa a few months ago, and saw three European plated cars driving around. Most were four wheel drives or campervans, and their existence made a lot of sense, as it seemed a great way to see most of Africa (albeit a huge commitment). But, I was driving around Canada last week, and saw another three EU-registered cars. These vehicles weren't anything special, and it made me very curious as to their motives.

Has anybody taken their car further afield than their home continent? What was the reasoning for doing so versus flying and renting?

TTT

Have never done it, but driving the Pan American highway seems to be popular for Europeans. I have seen a fair number of German and Austrian vehicles (usually 4x4) in both N. and S. America. The Darien Gap presents a challenge, but apparently it isn't impossible.

CPRich

A friend of mine returned from an ex-pat assignment in Belgium, shipped his EU-plated cars back, and kept them on as long as he legally could (and longer...)

rankourabu

I wasnt driving, but have gone overland from Rio to Lima in a German plated truck, as well as from Nairobi to Cape Town in a British plated truck.

ajGoes

When I was a boy, my parents twice purchased VW Campers for delivery in Europe. We traveled to Paris, picked up the cars, and toured from England to Moscow over two summers. They shipped the cars home both times, selling the first one and keeping the second. That '66 Camper toured North America from New York to Oregon to Texas, and later (with new owners) to Guatemala.

They bought a Volvo for delivery in London which they shipped home to Los Angeles, and spent a year in Europe driving yet another VW Camper, purchased in California, which they shipped over and back.

The economics of this stuff were quite different in the '60s, '80s and '90s when they were doing it. I don't know whether it's remotely feasible nowadays.

Productivity

Well I live in Atyrau, which sits in Europe and Asia... So I guess at least 3/4 days a week?

sbm12

Does crossing the bridge over the Bosphorus count?

Loren Pechtel

Well, I have been a passenger on two vehicles on intercontinental journeys, although in neither case was I still on the vehicle when it crossed between continents. I was trying to look up the sort of tour it was but the political climate seems to have squashed the African trip (I don't think there's a safe overland route anymore) and I'm striking out on finding anything in Asia, they very well might also be squashed for safety reasons.

Fraser

In the 1960s my mother (in her early teens) and her father picked up a new Mercedes from the factory in Stuttgart and drove it to Masjed Soleyman in southern Iran. They were living there as my grandfather worked in the oil business. Quite an adventure by all accounts.

I've only done run of the mill drives in Europe and along the eastern seaboard of the US.

Another user name to remember

In 2010, my wife and I drove a 30 year old German ambulance from The Hague, the Netherlands to New York, the long way. Bit like the Discovery channel show 'the long way around', but without the multi-billion budget.

Why? Because we fancied a long road trip and took a year off. Route was not set, but after leaving Mongolia and reaching the main road in Russia, we looked left and right. Left: back home. Right: couple more months of fun. Right it was, reaching Vladivostok two weeks later, hopped on a ferry to South Korea and shipped the car to Vancouver. Three months later, we posed at Time Square with the Ambulance.

Great memories!

Gardyloo

Not sure about Canada, but the US allows the use of a foreign-plated vehicle for up to six months before requiring it to be registered in some state or other. (Obviously the owner would need to sort out insurance and visa issues, but this is doable.)

You can ship a vehicle from Europe to the US for around US$1000 - $1500. Renting a vehicle for a period of months (and most rental agencies limit their contracts to 30 days, so you'd need several contracts) can easily cost more than $2000 - $3000, so it makes good budget sense for long-term visitors. Not to mention that pulling up to a burger stand in Amarillo with Italian or Danish plates on your car will make you an instant celebrity.

tmac100

Does bicycling across Australia (on a push-bike) count? I did that: Perth to Adelaide in July 2015 and Adelaide to Sydney in July 2011.

No license. Fully self-supported (aka slept in a tent). Had a helmet on - cuz it is the law in Australia and for me it is safety first.

bensyd

I've done London to Mongolia by car. Went via SE Europe, Turkey, then Central Asia, and finally up into Russia then into Mongolia. If you ever get the chance, I'd say do it. Watching West change to East is fascinating, and we really were able to get off the beaten track. Although Italian tour groups seem to pop up in the oddest of places.

It's not really at all comparable to flying; the journey is the holiday.

BenA

It's possible the plates are only cosmetic and that the vehicles OP saw in Canada are legally registered in North America.

In the US and Canada, many European vehicles can be purchased through European Delivery programs, where you pick up your car at the factory and drive it around for a vacation before having it shipped home on your behalf. This typically nets you a temporary EU license plate that is often delivered with the car.

Some jurisdictions only require rear license plates, so owners of these vehicles may install their European plate on the front. In other front-and-back jurisdictions, I've seen people register the car in North America with a vanity plate that matches, and install the EU plate over top of the North American one in the front - technically illegal, but it can be years before a police officer cares enough to intervene.

Jeannietx

Not literally "across" but Adelaide to Coober Pedy, to Uluru, to Alice Springs. It seemed like a long way with pretty much just us and road trains on two narrow lane roads.