Dear Tom and Ray:

My daughter and I want to go to Africa, buy a car and travel around for a year. I am 53, she is 22, and we are both in reasonably good health. We have agreed that if one of us begins to bleed from the eyeballs, the other one will shoot her (from a distance) and run. Neither of us is a good mechanic. What kind of vehicle would you buy and where would you suggest buying it? I have thought about buying a Land Rover in England and then driving down to Africa. I would rather buy a used vehicle, because of the cost, but must have something very reliable. What do you two sages think? New or used? Where should we get it? -- Ann (for Ann and Shannon)

Ray: I'll tell you exactly what to do. You fly into Nairobi, or wherever you're planning to start your trip. You make some local friends there, and you have them help you hire a "guide/driver/translator/bodyguard" for the year!

Tom: What you want is a guide who already owns a Toyota Land Cruiser (the official vehicle of sub-Saharan Africa). Most of them are old, but that tends to make them extremely fixable since they use nice, easy technologies like carburetors, points and condensers. And any guide who owns one (and takes people out on trips) will be -- by necessity -- an experienced roadside mechanic, too.

Ray: And you make a deal with this guy to hire him and his Land Cruiser for the year. It'll probably cost less than buying a car, and he may be thrilled at the opportunity. That way, you'll have an experienced driver, an on-board mechanic, a local translator, a cultural attache, and someone to help you with whatever else comes up during your adventures -- like hungry lions.

Tom: And, of course, someone who can shoot both of you if you both start bleeding through the eyeballs! Have a wonderful trip, you guys! And send us a postcard.

Which is cheaper, buying or leasing? Should you keep a car forever or dump it after three years, before trouble starts? Find out in Tom and Ray's pamphlet "Should I Buy, Lease, or Steal My Next Car?" To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1998 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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