After traveling through Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador we will say goodbye to our beloved home on wheels “Tio”. It’s a Chilean plated Hyundai H-100 and we’re planning to sell it near Santiago de Chile around September. As he took good care of us we took good care of him. He never broke down on us or needed to be towed.
********** NEW ENGINE **********
*********************************
- Gasoline, 2.3 engine
- Will have 285 000 kms on the chassis and 15 000 km on the new engine
- May 2017 “Tio” got a full engine overhaul by a professional engine mechanic. After 4 weeks at the mechanic the van had a brand new engine. It assured us to travel without any mechanical problems and the engine mechanic gave a guarantee for another 150.000 to 200.000 km without any motor related issues! Here’s the details what is being fixed. We still have all the old parts and invoices:
- Retainers
- Gasket and seal set
- All the valves (intake and exhaust)
- Guiders, liners, rings
- Pistons
- Main and rod bearings
********** OTHER MECHANIC HISTORY **********
*********************************************
- Build year 1999
- Fuel consumption between 9,5 and 12,5L/100km, depending on driving altitude / type of road
- New starter motor (October 2016)
- Fixed small crack in the windshield (November 2016)
- New gas & air filter (February 2017) and cleaned once every month
- Fixed muffler (March 2017)
- New gas pump (April 2017)
- New hydraulic pump (May 2017)
- New relays for second battery (June 2017)
- Checked the primary and secondary battery and are in great condition (June 2017)
- New cables for the clutch and gearbox so it shifts smoothly (July 2017)
- Oil & oil filter at least every 5000 km
It’s a 2WD but we never missed the 4WD option. Before buying a car we thought a lot about what would be more important — space or 4WD — but now we are really glad that we went for a van instead of a SUV. It provided us more space, sleeping comfort, cooking comfort and in the end we saved a lot of money on eating and accommodation! We could do everything we wanted and never felt limited by the 2WD. We went to… without any problems:
- Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia
- Drove at 4000m+ altitude
- Yungas Death Road (ruta de la muerte)
- Gravel roads in all kinds of National Parks
- Small mountain passages
- …
To be completely honest, the chassis has some wear and tear but that can also be an advantage as it doesn’t look like a tourist van and adds a secure feeling. In Chile it is a very common car among locals. Driving around in a H-100 means that you do not attract a lot of attention and makes it very discrete considering parking and camping. Another advantage is that spare parts are easily available, which reduces mechanical costs.
********** THE INTERIOR **********
***********************************
Also the interior has everything you could possibly need for an unforgettable trip / home away from home!
== THE FRONT
- In the driver’s cabin, there are three seats (the middle one is foldable, has a little storage department for e.g. documents and two drink holders).
- There is an old but functioning radio, but we also invested in portable bluetooth speakers.
- Between the driver’s cabin and the back of the car there is a storage department which we used to store car related accessories.
== SLEEPING/LIVING ROOM
In the back of the van you find a double bed (custom thick foam mattress). There are also 2 pillows, 4 cushions, sheets and blankets for warm and comfy nights. We closed the two back windows of our van with metal plates. This gave us isolation and protection from the heat, cold and light.
The bed can easily be transformed into a sofa during day time and additionally offers a lot of hidden storage space underneath the bed. This storage is easily accessible even when it is in the “bed configuration”.
On the side there is also a closet/desk combination which is easily accessible from the bed or sofa. We used it to store all our clothes. Underneath this closet is another large storage department for bigger things like camping chairs, dirty laundry and shoes.
== KITCHEN
During our trip we cooked almost every day outdoors which saved us some money. The kitchen, food and cooking utensils are stored in the trunk. There is also a foldable table that allows to cut veggies and comfortable cooking/eating. As the trunk lid opens up ways you have an integrated protection against sun or rain. But there’s also enough space to cook inside if the weather gets too bad. There’s also an 18 liter fridge which can be operated with AC as well as DC for keeping your drinks cold or for storing fresh food.
********** SO WHAT ELSE IS INCLUDED? **********
************************************************
== CAR TOOLS
- Fire extinguisher
- First aid kit
- Warning vest and triangle
- Some spare parts and tools like screwdrivers to fix small breakdowns
- Spare tire and all the tools to replace it
- 20 L fuel tank
== SECOND BATTERY AND VOLTAGE TRANFSORMER
This was very handy as we could charge our notebook, camera, smartphone etc. and never ran out of power. There is also a lamp included to allow you to cook outside when it’s already dark. The second battery is connected with a relay, so it’s charged every time while driving. It will never take power from the main car battery so you don’t risk a flat battery when you want to start the car.
== SLEEPING/LIVING
- Custom made thick foam mattress
- 2 pillows
- 4 cushions
- Sheets and blankets
- Curtains that provide you complete privacy
- Different storage options for smartphones, toiletries, etc.
- Cozy led lights for reading / watching a movie
- 40 L solar shower
== ELECTRONIC SHIZZLE
- Portable Bluetooth speakers (including radio, usb and aux/line in)
- Wifi hotspot. Allows you to buy a local data sim, put it in the device and you can immediately connect to the internet with your laptop and smartphones.
- Electrical splitter box to charge all your devices at once
== KITCHEN AND COOKING UTENSILS
- Gas stove with 2 cooking plates
- 5 L gas tank
- 2 sturdy camping chairs
- 20 L water tank
- 18 L fridge (AC and DC operated)
- 4 cooking pots / pans
- Plates, cutlery, glasses, mugs, bowls, cutting boards, everything
- French coffee press
- 20 L water basin to wash your dishes and even laundry
- Thermos
- Water kettle
- Fruit press to make pisco sour
== MISC AND SECURITY
- Steering lock
- All locks are safeguard security locks for optimal safety
- Sunshield
********** PAPERWORK **********
**********************************
All the necessary papers are up to date:
- Revision technica is valid until July 2018
- Permiso de circulación until March 2018
- Insurance for Chile valid until March 2018
We can help you with all the paperwork, finding a good notary, etc. We will gladly help you as we did all the paperwork ourselves. We can also give advice on crossing borders, we never had any problems with that.
Because of the overhaul of the engine, the great condition of the car and the equipment it comes with we are asking for 7100€ (or 8100 USD). You’ll be getting a really reliable, go anywhere vehicle with a pretty comfortable camping situation. Ready for immediate adventure once you have the key.
********** CONTACT US **********
*****************************************
If you have any further questions we will gladly get back to you via:
Mail: miekmat@gmail.com
Whatsapp: 0032 497 35 39 65
Cheers,
Matthias and Mieke (BE)
