Pan American Hwy

[yellowperil]

Anyone driven Pan Am? What portions? How far?? Is it still doable or too dangerous these days? Is it on anyone's bucket list as a great adventure?

Is the Darien Gap as bad-ass as it sounds? Any stories?

I always thought it would be a great adventure, probably too late now.

Ignore the "We are Here" on map. Some of you may be, I am not.

[ltusler]

Now that's a drive! I wonder what type of vehicle would be best, a 356?

[look 171]

Parts fo Mexico on upward, a 356 is fine and romantic, but some of those places, I would do it in a 4WD for sure.

[Nostril Cheese]

You'll need a 4WD for portions of Costa Rica and Nicaragua for sure. Also carry extra fuel and make sure you have a good spare tire. People for the most part are friendly, just dont act like an ass.

[TimT]

Ive done from Quito, Ecuador to Arequipa, Peru in various rental cars

Parts of it in Costa Rica, and Nicaragua

Some parts are like modern Super Highways, others, not so much.....

[BeyGon]

I drove my F150 4x4 with a friend from Huntington Beach to Costa Rica, and while living there drove to Panama. It's an interesting drive. Borders are different, no problem with gas. DON'T, don't do it, don't drive at night. If you do, it was nice knowing you. I did it in five days from Matamoros/Los Indios bridge. Never drove at night. No sightseeing. Never needed 4x4, ever. Plenty of gas stations, never a problem. When you get to Costa Rica you can drive at night, the only problem there is drunks

I have also driven from Nogales to Mazatlan, then up into Guadalajara and Lake Chepala. Never needed 4x4 and never had a problem getting gas. I have driven most of Baja, never needed 4x4 or had a problem getting gas.
You can always find a reason to use 4x4 but you don't have to have it. If I did it again I would like to do it in a regular car with some good mileage.

[dafischer]

Some shots of the Pan American highway, heading south to San Jose, Costa Rica.

[daiberl]

Friend did it with a motorcycle with sidewagon and dog in it, his girlfriend was driving another motorcycle. You can find the trip report at Panamerikana - von Feuerland nach Alaska mit Hund und Gespann, it's in German but the pictures and what he told me about the trip are fantastic.

[unclebilly]

My dad met these people a few years ago who drove their 1928 Graham Paige from Argntenia to Alaska... With 2 kids...

Driving from Argentina to Alaska to Asia | Workbench

[mikesride]

A couple of young guys I worked with modified a Ram 250 quad cab to run on old cooking oil (Hippies!!!). Quit their jobs, grabbed the wives and kids and took off for a two year journey down that road!!! That will be an adventure those kids will never forget! I was so taken by the passion they showed for the project that (as the employer of one of them) I sponsored the truck build my self with the help of some customers to do the labour. We totally rebuilt the chassis and running gear of that old truck!!!

[creaturecat]

I wanna see pics, if you drive the gap.
Should take you about 2-3 years. If you have help.

[BeyGon]

my truck after I arrived and took the camper off that also had a boat on top. Looking for more pictures.

[GeorgeK]

I don't know if this comic is available in English, but it is a GREAT story around the Alaska-Ushuaia race. Images are great, story is only good.

[yellowperil]

During the recent Master's golf tournament, when Angel Cabrera (Argentinian) was in the final
sudden death playoff, one of the commentators said something like "he'll no doubt be catching a flight home tonight", I was thinking "How do you know? Maybe he's driving home!

Heheheh, Maybe not.

[19-911-65]

Darien Gap:

The first all-land auto crossing (Darien Gap) was in 1985–87 by Loren Upton and Patty Mercier in a CJ-5 Jeep, taking 741 days to travel 125 miles (201 km).

Darién Gap - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Interesting read...I was in the general area in '00 & '01...I heard stories from A-Z and all different colors...its quite the "no man's land"!!

[cashflyer]

A guy I know drove from Panama to OKC in 1997. He drove a pickup, with the bed full of extra supplies. He said it was "difficult" in many areas.

Has it changed in much since then?

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Originally Posted by unclebilly

My dad met these people a few years ago who drove their 1928 Graham Paige from Argntenia to Alaska... With 2 kids...

Driving from Argentina to Alaska to Asia | Workbench

Funny, I met that guy (with his car) in Key West FL back in 2007 when I was down there. Very neat story and super nice / down to earth people. I bought a copy of his book (same title, "Spark Your Dream") to help fund the journey. Heck of an adventure!

[Skytrooper]

I drove some of it in Panama 20 years ago.

[cashflyer]

Originally Posted by GeorgeK

I don't know if this comic is available in English, but it is a GREAT story around the Alaska-Ushuaia race. Images are great, story is only good.

According to Wiki, "In 2007, Studio Graton translated three titles into English: "The Great Challenge" (Tome 1), "China Moon" (Tome 68), "24 Hours Under the Influence" (Tome 70). In 2008, a new collection was launched by Le Lombard, named Integrale Michel Vaillant. This series plans to reprint all past adventures in 20 volumes of 200 pages, each volume grouping several stories. All the titles of the original series are to be reprinted, and many comments, dossiers and unpublished strips added."


Do most 356 owners keep their spare tire on top the engine?

[BeyGon]

Originally Posted by cashflyer

A guy I know drove from Panama to OKC in 1997. He drove a pickup, with the bed full of extra supplies. He said it was "difficult" in many areas.

Has it changed in much since then?

The only difficult part of that drive is the border crossings. and the speed bumps, there are some speed bumps that would tear your car apart at 15 mph and always a welding shop nearby.