1. The Beginning: Choosing Suzi Santiago

To travel across South America by car, we bought a vehicle. The transaction was arranged through “Suzi Santiago,” an agent connecting backpackers buying and selling cars.

“This will give us freedom to travel across South America.”
We believed it.

Before buying, we asked many times: “Is this car really okay?”
The answer was always the same: “Yes, yes, perfect!!”

We trusted those words. But after all the payments and signatures were completed, we were handed one sheet of paper.

— Previous engine repair: 1,700 USD.

At that moment, a vague doubt turned into certainty. But there was no turning back. The journey had already begun.

2. From Paradise to Collapse: The Patagonian Desert

About one month into the trip, in the desert between El Chaltén and El Calafate, the car suddenly screamed.

After stopping at a mirador overlooking a lake, we started driving again — and white smoke suddenly rose. We pulled over immediately.

The oil was gone. Completely gone, despite checking it every morning.

In the middle of a desert with no internet, all that remained was a motionless piece of metal.

We hitchhiked for help, and a German camper stopped and shared his internet with us. A tow truck was called: 330 USD, one hour to the nearest town.

That night, we slept in a dark garage in El Calafate, filled with anxiety.

The next day, the cause was still unclear. Only a temporary fix was done.

We began to rethink our options.
At that point, we felt we needed proper diagnostics in a bigger city, and more importantly, the car had been purchased in Chile — so it made sense to deal with the situation there.

“We should go back to Chile.”

We headed toward Puerto Natales, 300 km away.

But after 100 km, white smoke appeared again.

We had to stop every 30 km, refill, and keep going slowly. A desperate, crawling drive continued.

3. The Verdict: Near Total Engine Failure

In Puerto Natales, the diagnosis was devastating: a critical engine failure caused by a temporary fix done by the previous owner. Instead of properly repairing the engine, the issue had only been patched up in a superficial way before being sold as “ready for travel.”

Repair cost: at least 4000 USD, minimum one month. With no guarantee it would even work.

The only real option was an engine replacement. But there were no parts locally — it had to be shipped from Santiago.

In other words: we were stuck.

4. The Collapse of Trust in Suzi

We contacted Suzi. The only response was: “checking…”

Replies became slower. Then silence.

At first, they had been very confident, telling us things like they would always be there to help if anything happened. But when the problem actually occurred, that attitude completely changed.

When we finally got a call through, the answer was always the same: “This is not our responsibility.”

The “Perfect!!” from before was nowhere to be found. Then came the suggestion: “Just tow it back to Santiago.” 3000 km. Completely unrealistic.

From that point, a long exhausting battle began.

5. A Car That Cannot Move, Be Sold, or Be Owned

We tried to sell the car, but it was impossible. The reason was simple: the ownership had not yet been transferred to us.

In Chile, this process takes months. So we were left with:

A car that doesn’t move
A car that cannot be sold
A car we don’t officially own

Completely stuck.

The authorities told us: “There is no way to speed it up.”

Suzi’s suggestion became even more absurd: “Just leave it on the road.”

But if someone stole it or caused an accident, the responsibility could still fall on us. It felt completely detached from reality.

6. Hope and Collapse at the Notary

The only hope was the notary office.

One officer told us: “If you find a buyer, we might be able to issue a special power of attorney.”

We spent three days desperately searching. And finally, we found a buyer.

“This is it. It’s over.” We thought so.

But on Monday, the same officer said: “Actually, it’s not possible without ownership.”

A complete reversal. The hope from yesterday was erased.

We returned again to the notary office, insisting and pleading. Eventually, the same officer reluctantly agreed and issued the document.

The sale went through.

Purchase price: 5000 USD
Sale price: 1000 USD

Loss: around 4000 USD.

The journey ended after just one month.

Epilogue

It was bitter. Painful. And still hard to accept. The cost of this lesson was far too high.

Trusting Suzi. Choosing a backpacker-used vehicle. Prioritizing cheapness over safety.

The regrets don’t end.

But one thing became clear:

Never buy a backpacker car. Long-distance, rough roads, and constant use hide serious damage.
Never fully trust agents. Their goal is to sell, not to help when things go wrong.
If possible, buy a newer car. Roads in South America are harsh, and cars break down quickly.

When the bus left Puerto Natales, I could finally breathe again. Only the view outside the window felt real.

The bitterness remained. But I had no choice but to move on.