My Mercedes Is Not for Sale

Name: My Mercedes Is Not for Sale
Brand: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
SKU: 9780767928694-G
Price: 9.49 EUR
Availability: InStock
Rating: 5 (1 reviews)

By Bergeijk, Jeroen Van

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Description

"Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz?” —Janis Joplin A journalist's intrepid endeavor to sell his used car abroad results in a high-spirited and revealing look at West Africa. "Look, there's my car,” I say, pointing at my Mercedes in the parking lot. "Where?” a fellow desert traveler asks. "There, that Mercedes,” I say. He looks at me, questioning. "You want to drive that through the Sahara?” Jeroen van Bergeijk came up with what seemed like a great scheme for making a quick profit: buy a clunker of a car in his native Amsterdam and resell it in the Third World, where a market even for jalopies still thrives. His chariot of choice is a rusted-out 1988 Mercedes 190D with 220,000 kilometers on its odometer; his route will take him from Holland through Morocco, across the Sahara, and into some of the least trodden parts of Africa. My Mercedes Is Not for Sale is a rollicking tale of an innocent abroad. The author finds himself facing a driving challenge akin to the Dakar Rally but encounters obstacles never dreamed of by race-car drivers: active minefields, occasional banditry—mostly by the border guards—and a teenage, chain-smoking desert guide with a fondness for Tupac lyrics. Food and water are scarce, sandstorms are frequent, and all he has to patch up his many car breakdowns thousands of miles from civilization is a bar of soap, some duct tape, and a pair of women's nylons. Then there's the coup he survived. My Mercedes Is Not for Sale captures more than the adventure—it vividly portrays the impact of globalization on Africa through a surprise-filled journey into its thriving car culture, while asking the question: is the white man's burden really a used car?

Product details

Binding:: Paperback
Edition:: illustrated
Number of Pages:: 224
Release Date:: 2008-07-15
Publication Date:: 2008-07-15
Publisher:: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
Languages:: Original: English
ISBN10:: 0767928695
ISBN13:: 9780767928694
Weight:: 186 g
Height:: 135 cm
Width:: 204 cm
Thickness:: 15 cm

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Condition

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Good

The items bear minimal signs of past use, such as light scratches or memories in the form of markings. These signs of wear give the items a charming character and tell stories of their previous owners, while not affecting their functionality.

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