“Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?”
—Janis Joplin
A journalist’s intrepid endeavor to...
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reviews
Feb 23, 2010
Tony
rated it: 
There's a certain breed of travelogue I enjoy, in which some intrepid person sets out on an outlandish adventure that I would never take myself, but am eager to experience from the armchair. This book, about a Dutchman who drives a Mercedes from Amsterdam to Benin to sell it, fits my parameters perfectly. It's a short and sweet detailing of the trials and tribulations involved (none of which should be surprising, from the con-artist guides, to the bribe-demanding border guards, to the inevitable
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Aug 04, 2009
Iowill
rated it:
I'll file this one under the genre of "Questionable Travel Narratives". It's a breezy and quick read...provocative on a number of worthy points ("Africa" as something writ large for non-Africans), the unintended consequences of global trade, Western (and now increasingly Eastern) consumerism, NGOs and the rise of the "African Internship as Resume Line For Sale" industry, meditations on 'time' and 'waiting' as they relate to travel and especially non-Africans trave
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Apr 19, 2011
LadyHeather
rated it: 
I like travelogues, so I liked this one to but just a little. I can't really put my finger on why I didn't really liked it. Maybe it had something to do with the recurring references to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values, although I'm currently reading that book as well and I like it... I just don't need to read that book through someone else his eyes... Maybe it had something to do with the tone of voice... Maybe... well I don't know. It could only engage me for a
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Jan 16, 2012
AfricaAdventureConsultants
rated it:
This was a brief but entertaining read. The author buys a used Mercedes to drive from Europe to West Africa...don't forget that the Sahara desert is smack in the middle of that journey!
Van Bergeijk is not the first to take this type of trip nor will he be the last; his account is engaging though not ground-breaking as he weaves in history of others' journeys, the provinence of his particular used car and tales of his missteps along the way.
We'd rather be an armchair trav More...
Van Bergeijk is not the first to take this type of trip nor will he be the last; his account is engaging though not ground-breaking as he weaves in history of others' journeys, the provinence of his particular used car and tales of his missteps along the way.
We'd rather be an armchair trav More...
Jul 15, 2009
Unwisely
rated it: 
A Dutch guy drives from The Netherlands through West Africa, in order to sell his car. I like travelogues, this one's modern and goes through a part of Africa I have only read about (he goes through the Western Sahara, where they shipwrecked in one of the books I read earlier this year). It's a little different from most of the ones I read, because instead of just wandered around, he had a specific purpose.
There's a little history, a little musing on development (only sanctimonio More...
There's a little history, a little musing on development (only sanctimonio More...
Mar 01, 2010
Robin
rated it:
Book club book for March.
As the two-star rating should tell you: it was OK. Something about the tone/voice left me cold. I felt like I still didn't know the author very well even after being "with" him on the road for three months. And it seemed like he didn't meet very many nice people or have many positive experiences.
But he does give a pretty good picture of West Africa from a foreigner's point of view. It was fun to read his perspectives on Bamako, Ouagado More...
As the two-star rating should tell you: it was OK. Something about the tone/voice left me cold. I felt like I still didn't know the author very well even after being "with" him on the road for three months. And it seemed like he didn't meet very many nice people or have many positive experiences.
But he does give a pretty good picture of West Africa from a foreigner's point of view. It was fun to read his perspectives on Bamako, Ouagado More...
Aug 29, 2010
Michael
rated it:
I liked this quite well - the Dutch author's laconic narrative was fine for me, although it might drag for some folks. He intersperses a bit of history of the Mercedes and the previous owners of the aging D-190 that he is driving to sell in Burkina Faso, but not such that it detracts from the main narrative. And really, there is something funny about how some countries are associated with particular used car makes - a New York Times article in the last few days talks about the popularity of To
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Jul 28, 2009
Andrea
rated it:
I have read other Sahara/travel books and enjoyed them, so I picked this up. I gave up because the style didn't engage me, and the writer seemed to be stalling for time, dragging out the opening. First, a long summary of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," apparently connected to how he views his car, then a long description of his trip to the Mercedes factory in Bremen. At that point I gave up.
Oct 14, 2010
Todd
rated it:
Sometimes I want to read an introspective travel book where the author explores their own psyche as much as they explore the outside world. Other times, it's fun to just read about someone having interesting adventures in far away places. This book's a fine example of the latter category. A very light, quick read but also quite enjoyable.
Oct 05, 2008
Katrina
rated it:
Since I'm home all day with three preschoolers, I'm looking for books that allow me to travel - not just fantasy literature, but authors who have really traveled somewhere interesting in our world today. This book is more than a travel adventure, as the author has some good insight into how to really "help" the developed world. He points out that he has no scruples about the trade in used cars. He drives his 1988 Mercedes Benz from Holland, through the Sahara and down through severa
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Jul 21, 2010
Laura
rated it:
I don't know why I can't get into this book. It has a moderately interesting topic and I am not a super fiesty book critic. I usually devour all literature. I have 25 pages left in this book and I WILL finish it tonight.
I do have to say that the way the author jumps around from past to present is a bit confusing. There is not a good transition between. Meh...
I do have to say that the way the author jumps around from past to present is a bit confusing. There is not a good transition between. Meh...
Oct 25, 2010
Emily
rated it:
Pretty interesting journey. I only picked this up because this book was the only one available to me while on vacation, but it kept me entertained and I learned a lot about cars and Africa.
Apr 22, 2010
John
rated it:
Although I wasn't all that interested in the author's secondary quest to track down the vehicle's previous owners, the main story of driving through Africa made for a good travel narrative.
Sep 26, 2011
Jon
rated it:
A great tale of a travel across Africa and the process of falling in love with a car and learning about yourself along the way.
Feb 16, 2009
Grace
rated it:
A fun read. My first travel book, really, and I liked it, although it didn't really make me want to go to Africa!
Jan 10, 2012
Skigirl
rated it:
Not great but quite fun. I always like a good road trip story...especially through the Sahara.
Jan 06, 2011
Houston
rated it: 
A genuine modern adventure story with interesting cultural awareness and commentary.
Jul 02, 2009
Rick
rated it:
It seems I've been reading many travelogues this year. This one was quite interesting.
Nov 17, 2008
Amanda
rated it:
I expected so much more from this story.
Think of the potential: A man, dragging a REALLY old piece o'junk Mercedes across the African desert in order to sell it for a profit. Very cool.
Instead, we get Van Bergeijk's bland account of what could be much more interesting. He gets stopped by border police all of the time, his car breaks down, he meets some very interesting characters doing the same thing that he is. However, he tells all of this in a flat, telling NOT show More...
Think of the potential: A man, dragging a REALLY old piece o'junk Mercedes across the African desert in order to sell it for a profit. Very cool.
Instead, we get Van Bergeijk's bland account of what could be much more interesting. He gets stopped by border police all of the time, his car breaks down, he meets some very interesting characters doing the same thing that he is. However, he tells all of this in a flat, telling NOT show More...
Aug 27, 2009
Stacey
rated it:
Not what I thought this would be... was expecting a little more humor, or a little more about the culture... still enjoyed the book, but not as great as I was hoping.
Aug 11, 2008
Kris
rated it:
Fun, interesting, kept me flipping between the page I was currently reading and the map of West Africa at the beginning to track his journey. A nice complement to "Long Way Down" which I just finished. Two treks into Africa, accomplished in two totally different ways.
Loved the fairly truthful (I'm assuming...) assessment of the people he encountered along the way: the hardworking, the honest, the struggling, the lazy, the cheats, all of them.
Loved the fairly truthful (I'm assuming...) assessment of the people he encountered along the way: the hardworking, the honest, the struggling, the lazy, the cheats, all of them.
Jul 27, 2008
Turi
rated it:
Short but interesting book about a man who decides to drive an older model Mercedes across north Africa to sell - not an uncommon trip, apparently. Learned quite a bit about the car trade in Europe and Africa, and about Africa itself. I love non-fiction like this - something I'll never experience myself, presented interestingly and thoughtfully.
Dec 25, 2008
Nadir
rated it:
Fun book - I like the spirit of adventure this author brings to his tale - he shares both his frustrations with his journey, but also with his "wish" for his journey, or his "dream" of what it should be like. Not sure I would try the same thing (the border crossings sound fairly sketchy for an inexperienced person).
May 16, 2009
Tina
rated it:
A man's diary of buying a very old Mercees and driving from Europe to West Central Africa. Apparently this happens more often than we would ever believe it would. It's a challenge to rive a car across the Sahara Desert and that's some of the allure.
Mar 28, 2011
Judith
rated it:
Interesting travel book. Things I liked: the travelogue across the Sahara, the historical accounts of Saharan explorers through the years, interwoven throughout. Things I didn't like: the profanity.
