Oh, I would totally do it in a New Ford Maverick with a pop top tent on top, or a custom slide-in in the back.
The Hybrid one gets like almost 40mpg. Gas cost being the biggest factor, in my option, so something with the best fuel economy is the way to go.
I wouldn't pick anything with:
An in-tank fuel pump nor anything turbocharged. Or with a high compression ratio.
You're going to find some abysmal quality gasoline along the way. Almost certainly you'll end up having to change a fuel filter or two.
There's a terrific book called "Road Fever: A High Speed Travelogue" by Tim Cahill, former editor (publisher?) of Outside magazine. It narrates the ~1987 record-setting trip he did with Canadian driver Gerry Sowersby, IIRC, from Tierra Del Fuego, Chile/Argentina to Point Barrow, Alaska in a GMC Sierra.
Cahill's not especially a car guy and it's not especially a car book, but boy oh boy he can craft a sentence and it's a great, great read about travel and humanity.
I've done a few of the stretches in a grand vitara with a stick. Handled it just fine, didn't care if it guzzled garbage, and could get off the road easy. Oh and cheap.....Remember cheap.
I want to drive up to Hudson Bay with my Stingray once it's running again. From Vermont where I live. I think that's totally doable. Right?
bmw88rider said:I've done a few of the stretches in a grand vitara with a stick. Handled it just fine, didn't care if it guzzled garbage, and could get off the road easy. Oh and cheap.....Remember cheap.
That's the thing with these expensive Mercedes-based camper vans, Or the Unimog with a bulletproof castle on the back. To me it seems kinda rude, showing off your flash in third-world countries. Also might put a bit of a target on your back. I mean, you have to get out of those things sometimes, or what's the point? My uncle did most of the trip - Alaska to Peru if I recall in an old 4-runner towing a small camper. Did it caravan style with a couple friends in similar rigs, which came in handy in a couple situations.
Not the same route, but here are a couple of mega road trips I liked reading.
Dargle to Dargle - South Africa to Ireland in a '65 Alfa Giulia Sprint. He used to have a wordpress blog, but the entries are gone. Maybe he's got a book deal?
The Pub2Pub Expedition - Driving from the northernmost pub in the Norwegian arctic to the southernmost bar in Tierra del Fuego in a TVR Chimaera.
I think if I were going to do this trip, a Series II-III Land Rover 88, 2.25 Petrol, with a Fairey Overdrive. That way you have eight forward speeds if you really want (since the OD can be kicked on in any gear). Weber carb, slighly higher lift cam, maybe a Fairey winch too, since it's light and robust.
I've covered most of that route at different points, with one trip covering from Northern Canada to just shy of the Darien gap.. That trip I was driving an '85 S-10 extra cab 4x4 with a 5 speed and the 2.8. Other than an overheating incident due to a dust clogged radiator on a side trip to Baja, that was entirely my fault, the truck never let me down, and I rarely used the 4WD. I had a standard cap on the bed with a mattress and such back there. That was in the late 90's. Over the last 40+ years I've traveled extensively in Latin America, and spent some time living there as well.
I just did the last 2000 miles (roughly) of the southbound trip earlier this year, brought the wife and kids and met up with some friends in Buenos Aires and drove to Ushuaia in a pair of manual Diesel Discos the friends own. Saw lots of VW pickups, land rovers, and 4 runners when you got off the highways, tons of little Korean, Chinese and Japanese econoboxes on the highways along with all the commercial stuff.
At this point the roads in SA are much better than they used to be, we probably could have done all of the highway driving in a corolla, but the 4x4 let us get to some really beautiful and interesting places off of the highways in Patagonia. The dust, along with livestock and wild animals wandering onto the road were the only real hazards for most of the highway driving. Thankfully none of it ever turned into an issue for us. We did see the immediate aftermath of a little VW passat (I think) hitting a Guanaco at speed though, it wasn't pretty. I was immediately reminded of why the discos had large 'brush guards' out front.
We stayed in Hotels and homes along the way. Our friends made the arrangements. I wouldn't have minded camping, It was summer there, and camping wouldn't have been too bad, but the kids and wife were happier this way.
Honestly I suspect the most challenging part of the drive is still through Central America. The roads haven't gotten any better in the last 25 years, I think the corruption and bandits are worse, The mountain roads are some of the worst I've ever driven, made worse yet by the local traffic (chicken buses, I'm looking at you) and getting parts can take forever if you need them.
One day I'll run the entire route in a single go. Probably with a co-driver, and without the kids or wife. I think an old Disco or 4Runner would be good choices due to how common they seem to be for much of the trip. They don't stand out, and should be *relatively* easy to get parts for.
Toyota 4Runner or Land Cruiser. I wouldn't have any issue at all taking my current Land Cruiser on that drive. As far as camping, once you get south of the border there really aren't as many opportunities to wild camp as you'd think. Alot of the land is privately owned and fenced off. Also hotels/hostels are stupidly cheap, so it doesn't necessarily make sense to carry all the gear....
You'll also need to figure out a way to ship your car across the Darien Gap....
I like the Toyot LC suggestions but I think I'd go 1st Gen Tundra. 4wd with a camper shell on the back. Sleeping platform with drawer slides in the bed, solar panels on top of the camper shell. Same 4.7 as the LC, but with more room in the bed. Lots of parts cross over from other Toyotas. V8 power albeit not a monster one. Lots of bolt on parts of that is your thing. Stealth camping option since they are all over the place. Will run forever. Sucky gas mileage in the 15-16mpg no matter how you drive it.
For a Toyota, I like these:
They don't really have a website. They have a Facebook page and a YouTube channel. They don't meet my personal needs for keeping bikes inside, but I do like them for expedition style trips. They run around $120K.
My own thoughts for a vehicle for doing the Pan-Am Hwy is my current 1992 E350 after the camper conversion. Once the electrical issues are sorted (yay PO issues), my general understanding is a 7.3 IDI will pretty much run on any quality of diesel fuel. Another advantage is from the outside, it'll look pretty innocuous and not shout, "Hey! Look at the wealthy American!" as I'm wandering about.
While I have dreams of doing a Cummins 12V/Allison/4WD conversion to it some day, that will be more for doing off-grid Alaska trips far off the beaten path where 4WD is actually a requirement.
As long as it says "Toyota" it should be good for the route.
Steel wheels might have a better chance of still being on the car when you finish. Stay away from non-stock tire sizes.
My personal thoughts when traveling are to not be showing off wealth as much as possible.
What kind of budget are we working with? The answers are going to be very different if you can afford a 200k sprinter van camper vs. an average middle income person's 50k 4Runner vs. a hooptie while channeling Hunter S Thompson and Anthony Bourdain
In reply to RaabTheSaab :
Since this thread predates the pandemic, the choice is yours.
After that long, I would just get something new. Stay at hotels. Find a ferry across Panama. I think we underestimate central and South America.
Check out c90adventures on youtube
He went from Alaska to Argentina on a Honda step thru C90 ,
It will at least give you an idea on traveling thru these countries , going thru the borders etc
I would probably take an older Toyota 4WD pickup with a roof high fiberglass shell .
In reply to BoulderG :
You left out they do it in twenty three and a half days. 
Gumball, anyone?
It appears there are a few Lada Niva's for sale in Canada. Go to Canada, prep the Niva in the parking lot of a Canadian Tire, go north.
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