Horst was an old cowboy when we got to know him. His jeans were torn, he had toured the continent many times, but still there was some life left. When we bought Horst, he had dents all over his left side, a leaking diff (no, of course we did NOT see that, when we exchanged key for cash) and 530.000km on the speedo. We only kept him for about 5 months, but have nothing but fond memories of him (after we got the diff repaired). // Toyota Hiace (June-November 2012)

Helga was the only four wheel drive we ever owned. She was quite a character, but still fairly reliable despite her age. Being a proper women in her best years she had a bigger butt, was powerful, put only little effort into fancy looks or outfits, but worked hard and had already seen a lot – hence her name. She disliked rain (same as Fran), liked offroading (same as Chris) and  generally preferred things slow – too much speed was not her thing, you could literally hear her complaining. Helga saved us, when we hit an unexpected wash out during an off road beach trip and wrecked only iron and rubber, but no bones. We are ever grateful and found her a good home when our time in Oz was up. Still, Helga was high maintenance, on her we spent more dollars at the mechanics then on any other vehicle before or after (same on fuel) – not to mention the time spent waiting during repairs (those of you, who have owned a 4WD know what we’re talking about). Time to spare we had back in the days in Australia, but not during our later travels. That’s why we never owned another  girl after Helga. // Toyota Hilux (December 2012-February 2014)

Primus had only one flaw, he was a sedan, not a car that we could do a build on to create a travel car. Exept for that he lived up to his name. He was the perfect companion during our times working in Queenstown, NZ, he never made a problem. We took him on a few weekend trips, too (yes, you can use driver and passenger seat to have a snooze), but Primus loved his hood (and we don’t like sleeping in recliner seats too often). When we left Queenstown to travel, he stayed. // Nissan Primera (March-October 2014)

Nelson was the car we choose to travel NZ. A 7-seater family van, he was spacious enough to  make room for a bed and enough storage for gear, tools, our belongings and food. We had a good time with him, sold him to a friend when we left. Chances are he’s friends with Primus now in Queenstown, NZ. // Mazda MPV (November 2014-January 2015)

Eddie was a manager in a black suit turning outdoorsman. After 7 years in downtown Vancouver we released Eddie into the wild. He was the car we owned the longest, we paid the highest price and the least repairs for, we drove the most km with (nearly 45.000) and we  had the most faith in. What Helga was to us in Australia, Eddie was to us in North America – just different. We took each other to the Yukon, Alaska, B.C. and Alberta, the American South West and all the way along the California and Oregon Coast. He was a 7-seater Volkswagen family van, similar to Nelson, but more spacious. Our build almost converted  him into a real campervan. He endured the heatwaves of spring in the Arizona desert (plus 40 degrees Celsius) and the harsh Canadian winter, only complaining below minus 30 degrees Celcius (but still the engine would start). Eddie made an incredible road trip possible, we drove infamous roads like the Dempster and Top of the World Highway and  world-reknown ones like the Californian Highway One. Only one trip, he wasn’t determined to do: The trip across Canada. He was ready for a little rest after 15 months of adventures. We brought him back to Vancouver and sold him there. // Volkswagen Routan (June 2016-September 2017)