- Quick facts
- Total days on the road: 586
- Currently in: USA
- Miles Driven: 36821
- Countries Visited: 17
- Days Camping: 389
- Days Indoors: 202
- Get Updates via Email
Vehicle Information
It was not an easy task to choose the car we would take with us to the end of the earth. We’ll travel an estimated 30,000 miles on freeways, toll roads, dirt roads, and some things you probably wouldn’t even call a road.
Here you’ll find information about our 1997 Toyota 4Runner, named Blue, including the modifications we’ve done, problems we’ve had and lessons we’ve learned.
1997 Toyota 4Runner Not for Sale - photos
Blue is not for sale anymore.
Photos of our 1997 4Runner taken in El Bolson, Argentina on February 25, 2013.{jcomments lock}
Front view.
Front left view.
Left side view - Note that driver's side door lock does not lock with the key. The lock was damaged in an attempted burglary in Huaraz, Peru. The car still locks perfectly fine from the passenger side, or with the remote.
Rear view - There is a small dent on the center of the rear bumper. We can send a better photo if you really want.
Rear view - all lights work, no cracks or scratches.
Right side view.
Right front view.
Front seats from the driver's side door.
Driver seat view - all dials and dash lights function. The trip odometer does not work, but the main odometer does. The vehicle is equipped with dual airbags, power windows, Air conditioning, a USB / CD radio, cruise control and a automatic transmission.
Passenger front seat - The USB cord coming from the stereo runs under the center console to the back seat so the person in the back can also control the music via an iPod or other USB device.
Rear seat, driver's side door view - Edgestar 43 quart fridge powered by dual battery system. mounted behind the fridge is a fire extinguisher and custom lock box big enough to hold three 15 inch laptops and valuable documents.
Top view of the fridge and lock box.
Right rear passenger seat - lots of leg room and storage on the seat in front.
Power strip to charge laptops and other electronics. The inverter is mounted upside down under the board where the power strip is located. The black USB port on the lower right is connected to the stereo system.
800 watt power inverter to provide electricity to charge electronics. (This view is from the back seat (driver's side). It's mounted so the passenger and driver can access the outlets on the other side.
Custom rear storage shelf - the shelf is hinged and allows you to store items on top or below the shelf. More details on this modification in the original For Sale posting.
The tires have more than 50% of tread left and and wearing evenly.
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Selling a US Registered Vehicle to a Foreigner in Argentina
{jcomments lock}For those of you who want to know, here is the basic process for selling a US plated car to a foreigner in South America.
- The seller magically finds a buyer. (They can be from anywhere, except Argentina.)
- The seller creates a bill of sale for both parties. (it is signed and notarized).
- The seller signs the title and hands it over to the buyer.
- The seller and buyer go to a notary public (i.e. Lawyer) in Buenos Aires and have a power of attorney created. This notarized paper states simply that the seller has permission to drive the car everywhere for an unlimited period of time.
- Seller and buyer go to a customs office in Buenos Aires (or cross a border). Here the temporary vehicle permit is transferred from the old owner to the new owner. This allows the old owner to leave the country. And gives the new owner the correct paperwork to legally be driving in Argentina.
- The seller reports the car sold to the Department of Licensing in Seattle. This removes all responsibility from the seller for things like traffic tickets.
This is all that needs to happen for the old owner to no longer be legally responsible for the vehicle and for the new owner to drive it legally anywhere in the world.
There are a few more details on Wikioverland: http://wikioverland.org/Argentina#Buy_or_sell_a_car_or_motorbike_in_Argentina
Registering in the US
OPTIONAL: The new owner can choose to re-register the car in their name in the United States. There are two ways to do this. Note that this is NOT required in order to drive the car in Central or South America.
OPTION A: Drive the car to California, hand over the signed title, and register the car. Because California has emissions testing you must present yourself and the vehicle in person. They will transfer the Washington State title to a California title and you get to pay happy California registration fees. For more information on this visit: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/vr.htm
Note that you can register this car in any state that you want. California is the closest stop, and a very easy place for foreigners to register cars. But you could legally register in any state. (And in any country for that matter, assuming you are willing to pay the import taxes). Some states (like Washington) will charge a late fee if you register the car more than 15 days after it was reported sold. In Washington it's $2 per day to maximum of $125. It's not a big deal, but you should know.
OPTION B: The buyer can apply for a new Washington State title by mail. (Note that we are still verifying the details of this process and we are not yet certain this would work for anyone but Washington State residents).
- The buyer must fill out a Vehicle Certificate for Ownership Application form and have it notarized: http://www.dol.wa.gov/forms/420001.html (You must have a have a Washington street address. You may also need a Washington ID number. We are checking to see if this requirement can be waved for non-residents).
- The buyer must have the emission testing waved by completing and notarizing another form: http://www.emissiontestwa.com/e/faq.aspx#4 (See Out of Area Form)
- The buyer makes a very nice looking copy of the title to remain with them in their current country. Just in case the Argentinian authorities ask for it at a checkpoint.
- The buyer mails the ownership application, emmission testing waiver, bill of sale, original signed title, and payment (approx. $50) to the Dept of Licensing in Washington. See full instructions here: http://www.dol.wa.gov/vehicleregistration/transferprivate.html
- The title (and possibly new license plates) are mailed to the street address provided on the Vehicle Application form. (Normal processing time in 8-10 weeks according to the DMV. Last time it took 4 weeks to receive our title. You can pay an additional $50 to have your title mailed immediately).
- Someone at the listed Washinton street address then forwards the new owner the new title (and maybe plates) to wherever they are in South America.
That's all I know. We will update the last section as we recieve more information from the DOL.
The seller magically finds a buyer. (They can be from anywhere, except Argentina.)
The seller creates a bill of sale for both parties.
The seller signs the title and hands it over to the buyer.
The seller and buyer go to a notary public (i.e. Lawyer) in Buenos Aires and have a power of attorney created. This notarized paper states simply that the seller has permission to drive the car everywhere for an unlimited period of time.
Seller and buyer go to a customs office in Buenos Aires (or cross a border). Here the temporary vechicle permit is transferred from the old owner to the new owner. This allows the old owner to leave the country. And gives the new owner the correct paperwork to legally be driving in Argentina.
The seller reports the car sold to the Department of Licensing in Seattle. This removes all responsibility from the seller for things like traffic tickets incurred.
No Longer for Sale: 1997 Toyota 4Runner in Buenos Aires
Blue is going home! That's right we are not selling Blue in Argentina anymore.
{jcomments lock}We spent months researching the type of vehicle we wanted to use for our trip from Seattle to Ushuaia. Our research pointed to one vehicle, a 3rd generation Toyota 4Runner. It had the highest reliability ratings for any mid-size SUV and was imported throughout Central and South America, making spare parts easier to find.
Full details on the vehicle and what is included below. There is a article full of recent photos here. We have just written a step-by-step process explaining the completely legal vehicle title transfer process. Please note because of the cost of importing into Argentina this vehicle is ONLY available to foreigners (i.e. Non-residents of Argentina).
1997 SR5 Specifications
- 1997 Toyota 4Runner SR5
- V6 3.4 L engine
- 4 speed automatic transmission
- 4x4 on demand drive with over drive
- Currently 173,000 miles (Approximately 176,000 on sell date)
- Unleaded Fuel
- We have averaged 18 miles to the gallon on this trip between Seattle and Ushuaia (Ask me for the spreadsheet!)
Last Modifications to Blue
{jcomments lock}Wrapping up loose ends. That's been our story for the past month. The list on the wall seems to grow every day. I cross something off and Jessica adds four new things for us to do. It's a to-do list, in wallpaper form.
A couple weeks ago Kobus and I got around to putting the finishing touches on Blue. We found a place for the wireless router and 3G dongle, added a power adapter to our inverter, mounted a fire extinguisher, ran a USB plug to the back seat, and installed the new roof rack and mounted the Hi-Lift Jack.
Blue Gets a Bit More Junk in the Trunk
{jcomments lock}Stuff. There is too much of it. How do you pack a car for 15 months of travel? We need room for camping gear, hiking gear, clothes, food, work equipment, the list goes on. And on. Jessica aka "The Stuff Nazi" is guardian of the packing list.
Our best bet is to be smart about using the space we have. This means making a few modifications to the rear cargo area to fit more gear.
We decided to build a folding shelf, nine inches off the floor with the intention of storing odd-shaped stuff underneath like chairs, packs, boots, tents, fishing gear and sleeping bags. On top we'd put plastic bins to hold our daily equipment and personal stuff like clothes, cooking gear, food and toiletries.
Blue Gets a Fridge and a Power Inverter
{jcomments lock}One luxury and one necessity. A fridge and a power inverter. We've done long overland trips with a cooler full of warm beer and thawing meat, willing to trade the shirts off our backs for a bag of clean ice and a cold one. This time we figured a fridge would be the one item worth spending a little extra on. Here's hoping it pays off.
We knew from the start we'd need a power inverter. Our ability to work while traveling depends on having charged laptop and mobile phone batteries in just about any condition. This one was a no brainer.
Building and Installing the Lock Box
{jcomments lock}After upgrading Blue's electrics, we decided to turn our attention to storage. More specifically, how the hell we were going to fit 15 months worth of stuff in the back of a third generation Toyota 4Runner.
Security is also a big concern. Keeping our laptops and important paperwork out of sight and making it as difficult as possible for someone to walk off with them is a top priority. We are working on the road, if we lose a laptop it will cost a lot more than just replacement hardware.
Enter: the lock box. A box with a lock that will safely hold three laptops, a couple backup hard drives and a short stack of papers. After a few hours of online research we decided that such a product did not exist. Commercial safes and lock boxes were either the wrong size, too heavy or incredibly expensive. The only choice we had left was to make one ourselves.
Installing the Dual Battery System Part 2
{jcomments lock}Part two of our series on upgrading our Blue's electrics to include a dual battery system. Below I'll go over how we handled the wiring and how the whole system works once all the pieces are together.
What we used:
- Intelligent Solenoid by National Luna
- 29 feet of 1 AWG and 20 feet of 10 AWG wire from Wire and Supply
- 50 amp, 100 amp & 150 amp ANL fuses
- 3x e2 ANL fuse holders
- 10x 1 AWG lugs
- 4x battery terminals
- Blade fuse holder
- 15 amp blade fuse
- Rubber grommets
- Mom's Teflon cutting board
Installing the Dual Battery System Part 1
{jcomments lock}Our 15+ month trip to Argentina will require some luxuries, like a fridge and the ability to charge our laptops and cameras. After months of research we decided to finally put dremel to plastic and steel and give Blue’s electrics a little make over.
What we used:
- Optima Dual Battery Box from RuffStuff
- Optima Yellow top 34/78, as auxiliary battery
- Optima Red top 34/78, as starter battery
- Overflow reservoir pipe, roughly a foot and a half
- 1985 Toyota pickup truck overflow reservoir
- 6 Teflon spacers to support the batteries
- 1Teflon Cutting board as battery base
- 4 x 8m 3.5inch Bolts, nuts and lock washers
- 1 can of Spray paint engine enamel
You’re My Boy Blue!
{jcomments lock}It’s about time we introduce the fourth member of team Life Remotely. Our truck -- Blue. He’s periwinkle blue or as Toyota called it, azul... seriously WTF it’s blue.
Blue is a 1997 Toyota 4Runner SR5 with 140K on the dial. Built solid, back in the day when trucks were not made of recycled aluminum cans and plastic.
Finding Blue was a long and drawn out affair. We had exact specifications that had to be met or the truck was automatically disqualified through the magic of Excel. Color was not a criteria. 
Our criteria for a overland vehicle was as follows:
- Spares available through Central and South America
- Cost under $10k with all modifications, services and repairs
- High reliability and safety rating
- A V6. (V8 = too much fuel consumption, 4 cylinder = not enough power)
- 4x4 with high clearance
Our pickiness pointed to one vehicle -- the 3rd generation Toyota 4Runner. Highest reliability ratings for any mid-size SUV in that was actually imported throughout Central and South America.
See this article for more information on choosing an overland vehicle.
We found Blue in Portland, Oregon, a pampered little baby, with a full service history, a clean title, and the right mileage.