What Car? - Mongol Rally

[SammyW]

I'm off to Mongolia next summer and need to start thinking about what car is going to take me and 3 others the 10,000 miles to Ulaanbaater. The criteria is as follows:

Costs no more than £500
Can carry 4 adults in (relative) comfort with luggage (roof rack an option)
1000cc or under
Easy to fix
No 4x4s
Must be interesting

Our first thought was a 2CV, but I'm thinking it might be a little cramped, and it would appear difficult to find something that runs for under £500. I've got a few other ideas but I thought I would open it up to the collective knowledge that is Pistonheads.

Also, if there's anyone out there who has done the Mongol Rally before, I'd love to hear your stories and pearls of wisdom, and tips much appreciated!

[nyxster]

Plenty of space to keep cold beers and snacks,

[jas xjr]

4 people , luggage and long distance , 1000cc . rather you than me .

[msduk]

I am also thinking of going next year. We have a bigger budget though and think micra or fabia.

It also has to be under 7 years old does it not?

[petrolsniffer]

Charade gtti? They're under 1000cc I think? Although might be hard to even find let alone for 500

[SammyW]

msduk said:

I am also thinking of going next year. We have a bigger budget though and think micra or fabia.

It also has to be under 7 years old does it not?

They've changed the rules for 2014, so it's back to old crappy slow cars, much more fun! What it does mean though is that you can't really leave the car in Mongolia because of the import tax (£4000 apparently). There's a recommended budget of £200 to buy the car, I thought £500 might be a little more realistic!

Like the idea of a van, but needs 4 seats ideally!

[matt12023]

We did it in a crappy 1982 triumph acclaim. I like how they've made the rally closer to the original.

Now they're more about bringing the car back could you not up the budget, I'd say morris minor

Is it september next year?

[Wigeon Incognito]

I've done it and took a Swift - the reason being they're rugged, easy to fix, and were sold under licence the world over. They have relatively high ground clearance too. It proved a sound choice as it didn't miss a beat, the only repairs needed were tires and welding to a punctured fuel tank.

The trip threw up a book full of stories so I won't bore people on here.

Advice wise expect all your plans to go to pot, remember you are targets, and expect to be pulled over by the police so carry a selection of items they might like and don't argue the toss.

Car wise lightness is key so carry only the essentials. A puncture repair kit is worth its weight in gold too. Oh, and steel wheels are a bonus as they can easily be hammered back into shape.

Feel free to PM me if you'd like any more in depth advice.

Matt.

[harryowl]

I'm also thinking of doing this. Sensible option seems to be something japanese, suzuki alto's can be picked up very cheaply. However to make it more interesting i'm considering doing it in some crap and british, maybe an austin allegro, maestro or morris marina.

[RockyLad]

Didn't they change the rules meaning the cars had to be under a certain age and upped the engine size?

[msduk]

Glad they changed the rules. Has the cc limit been removed too? I fancy buying an old merc anyway, this seems like a great excuse.

[SammyW]

Here's all the info for those interested:

http://www.theadventurists.com/the-adventures/mong...

The only real rule is that it must be under 1000cc. The sensible choice would probably be something japanese, but I like the idea of something old and British!

[happyWanderer]

I'm planning to do it next year too.

In all honesty it's good that they've changed the rules, it was getting a bit ridiculous with the high entry fees and newer cars.

If it has to be under 1000cc I'm thinking fiat seicento

[poing]

Surely an old Micra is the best thing for the job? £350.

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/n...

[kwak]

I've been wanting to do this for a year already, but so far haven't convinced my boss to give me the necessary time off.
As far as cars go, even though it is not really possible to find one for the required budget, my mind keeps going back to a suzuki cappuccino.

[DR10]

I know someone who did this in a K10 Micra. I believe it made it okay.

[Dalto123]

Was going to suggest K11 Micra, but it seems I've been beaten to it Not sure if its classed as 'interesting' though

[fivetenben]

Forget all the tough, reliable, worthy Japanese stuff; it's all about taking a humble Austin Mini - the only vehicle to truly look at home stuck in a ditch on the Kazakh Steppe. Some friends and I did the rally a few years back in a pair of them and they were, frankly, awesome:






...and here's the full story: http://bencoombs.net/mongolrally_tripreport1.html

...edited to say that if you manage to find on for under £500 these days you're doing well, even though ours cost about £400 each back in 2006. It's a shame Mini prices have shot up so much to preclude them from being an obvious rally choice these days.

Edited by fivetenben on Saturday 10th August 03:05

[GC8]

SammyW said:

I'm off to Mongolia next summer and need to start thinking about what car is going to take me and 3 others the 10,000 miles to Ulaanbaater. The criteria is as follows:

Costs no more than £500
Can carry 4 adults in (relative) comfort with luggage (roof rack an option)
1000cc or under
Easy to fix
No 4x4s
Must be interesting

Our first thought was a 2CV, but I'm thinking it might be a little cramped, and it would appear difficult to find something that runs for under £500. I've got a few other ideas but I thought I would open it up to the collective knowledge that is Pistonheads.

Also, if there's anyone out there who has done the Mongol Rally before, I'd love to hear your stories and pearls of wisdom, and tips much appreciated!

Nissan K11 Micra or a Perodua Kelisa (its a Diahatsu Mira/Cuore).

Without a doubt these are the best two candidates, if youre looking for a serious answer.

With some proper prep (skidding, reinforcing, mount chaining etc) and reinforced van tyres you have a real chance of making it in either of these cars.

Buy the book 'How to Build a Low Cost Rally Car' from Amazon too. Its worth its cost by a factor of 1000x.

[GC8]

You could buy Bens book too, but I think that he might be mental...