A what car, Mongol rally edition.
Discussion
A what car topic with a difference…
In 2024, myself and 3 friends are going to do the mongol rally. It’s an idea I’ve kicked about for several years and I’m fast approaching the age of, if I don’t do it soon, it’s not going to happen ever.
So for those that haven’t heard of this event.
It’s basically a long distance endurance rally across 2 continents, in shed budget superminis to raise money for charity.
The starting point is just outside Prague.
The finish line is in Russia in a plate called Ulan-ude.
How you get from these places is your own choice. Either a direct or a convoluted mess of a route.
So you can go direct through Russia, or go through the Middle East and into unpronounceable countries that end in Stan.
There’s a few basic rules to it.
Raise minimum of a grand for charity. Ideally more.
Cars should be super mini class.
Engine size should be 1.4 litres maximum.
Even then that’s being a limp wristed sell out as many will do it in 1.0-1.1 engines.
The bigger your engine, the more you are expected to raise for charity. As punishment for being a coward on engine size.
Fuel should be petrol.
It’s to be cheap. We are taking shed budget.
£1500 max is my limit and ideally below a grand for the car.
We are taking 2 cars for the 4 people in our group.
Saves overloading a car as that’s a common issue which sees the back suspension collapse.
2 of my teammates are in this forum and the other is the wife of one of the forum members.
The default car of the rally is the Micra.
It’s been used more than any other car according to records and the vast majority make it to the end.
The Panda is also a popular choice but they seem to suffer catastrophic engine failures and then need towed or trucked to the end so that’s a worry.
I’m ruling out Corsa D’s as the seats in them give me chronic back ache so that’s a no go for doing 10,000+ miles in.
I’m swaying to a Mk6 fiesta with the 1.25 engine as it’s tried and trusted, it’s very common and generally seem a solid good car.
So what would you pick going with the criteria above?
There is no age limit for the cars but it is generally a 1 way trip as the cars with be trashed, although I’m sure someone on the shed thread would take it on and run it for 5 more years.
Some brief videos of what to expect.
This is a superb video of the 2018 rally in a Panda.
Now car prices are currently all over the place so the car won’t be getting bought any time soon but let’s see what people lean to with this.
In 2024, myself and 3 friends are going to do the mongol rally. It’s an idea I’ve kicked about for several years and I’m fast approaching the age of, if I don’t do it soon, it’s not going to happen ever.
So for those that haven’t heard of this event.
It’s basically a long distance endurance rally across 2 continents, in shed budget superminis to raise money for charity.
The starting point is just outside Prague.
The finish line is in Russia in a plate called Ulan-ude.
How you get from these places is your own choice. Either a direct or a convoluted mess of a route.
So you can go direct through Russia, or go through the Middle East and into unpronounceable countries that end in Stan.
There’s a few basic rules to it.
Raise minimum of a grand for charity. Ideally more.
Cars should be super mini class.
Engine size should be 1.4 litres maximum.
Even then that’s being a limp wristed sell out as many will do it in 1.0-1.1 engines.
The bigger your engine, the more you are expected to raise for charity. As punishment for being a coward on engine size.
Fuel should be petrol.
It’s to be cheap. We are taking shed budget.
£1500 max is my limit and ideally below a grand for the car.
We are taking 2 cars for the 4 people in our group.
Saves overloading a car as that’s a common issue which sees the back suspension collapse.
2 of my teammates are in this forum and the other is the wife of one of the forum members.
The default car of the rally is the Micra.
It’s been used more than any other car according to records and the vast majority make it to the end.
The Panda is also a popular choice but they seem to suffer catastrophic engine failures and then need towed or trucked to the end so that’s a worry.
I’m ruling out Corsa D’s as the seats in them give me chronic back ache so that’s a no go for doing 10,000+ miles in.
I’m swaying to a Mk6 fiesta with the 1.25 engine as it’s tried and trusted, it’s very common and generally seem a solid good car.
So what would you pick going with the criteria above?
There is no age limit for the cars but it is generally a 1 way trip as the cars with be trashed, although I’m sure someone on the shed thread would take it on and run it for 5 more years.
Some brief videos of what to expect.
This is a superb video of the 2018 rally in a Panda.
Now car prices are currently all over the place so the car won’t be getting bought any time soon but let’s see what people lean to with this.
A few years old now but here are some previous ideas:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=16...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=16...
Hyundai is the answer. If you are planning to drive through some of the lesser known countries, Uzkeb and the Pamir highway being prime examples, you will find it very hard to keep the car alive if its european or japanese, I have done this event when it consisted of 1000km of off road through mongolia, which is now largely tarmac, but back then the sand ridges on the roads destroyed suzukis, fiats, nissans etc, but the hyundai accent motored on, albeit with knackered rear shocks.
You will find in Khazak, Uzbek, Eastern Russia etc the Hyundai will be the car that the locals gravitate towards, as strange as it may seem!
You will find in Khazak, Uzbek, Eastern Russia etc the Hyundai will be the car that the locals gravitate towards, as strange as it may seem!
I would go for something like this:
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/12679979
Quick Google suggest they were made in the Czech Republic, Poland, Bosnia & China so should be more familiar for local garage's should you need them.
There is a YouTube video where some young lads went from Denmark to China in a Peugeot 306 and ended up living with some random bloke for a few days while the local garage tried to fix it!
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/12679979
Quick Google suggest they were made in the Czech Republic, Poland, Bosnia & China so should be more familiar for local garage's should you need them.
There is a YouTube video where some young lads went from Denmark to China in a Peugeot 306 and ended up living with some random bloke for a few days while the local garage tried to fix it!
I've not done the mongol rally, but have driven to Aus via Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, China etc.. We had similar recommendations about 'oh, you have to take a Toyota Landcruiser so you can get parts.." etc. We took a Subaru Forester. It was fine 
So honestly, I wouldn't worry about taking 'local support' into consideration. Even if you buy a 'local' car, it's not very likely that you'll break down next to a Hyundai/Skoda dealership who happens to have your broken part in stock.
I'd instead try to be somewhat self sufficient, so perhaps chuck a spare alternator/waterpump whatever in the boot, but otherwise don't worry about it too much. Which honestly will probably be a waste of time, but gives you a sense of comfort that you feel 'prepared'.
On topic, my choice would be a Toyota IQ. Toyota for the reliability, IQ for the complete inappropriateness for an overland trip
So honestly, I wouldn't worry about taking 'local support' into consideration. Even if you buy a 'local' car, it's not very likely that you'll break down next to a Hyundai/Skoda dealership who happens to have your broken part in stock.
I'd instead try to be somewhat self sufficient, so perhaps chuck a spare alternator/waterpump whatever in the boot, but otherwise don't worry about it too much. Which honestly will probably be a waste of time, but gives you a sense of comfort that you feel 'prepared'.
On topic, my choice would be a Toyota IQ. Toyota for the reliability, IQ for the complete inappropriateness for an overland trip
A.J.M said:
Cars should be super mini class.
Engine size should be 1.4 litres maximum.
Even then that’s being a limp wristed sell out as many will do it in 1.0-1.1 engines.
The bigger your engine, the more you are expected to raise for charity. As punishment for being a coward on engine size.
Fuel should be petrol.
It’s to be cheap. We are taking shed budget.
£1500 max is my limit and ideally below a grand for the car.
I always thought the Daihatsu Copen was a suitably stupid mongol Rally car - tiny, two seats, a 0.7-litre engine and a folding hardtop for no apparent reason. It does have a turbocharger, though, which I’m sure is frowned upon in mongol Rally circles… Engine size should be 1.4 litres maximum.
Even then that’s being a limp wristed sell out as many will do it in 1.0-1.1 engines.
The bigger your engine, the more you are expected to raise for charity. As punishment for being a coward on engine size.
Fuel should be petrol.
It’s to be cheap. We are taking shed budget.
£1500 max is my limit and ideally below a grand for the car.
How about a Citroen AX? If you get stuck, it’s so light you can pick it up and carry it through/over/around any obstacle you encounter:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112310...
Daihatsu Charade: very light and I imagine most Daihatsus are pretty bulletproof. It’s also quite quick for a 1.0-litre:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201251...
Fiat Seicento: tiny 0.9-litre engine with 39bhp. That’s got to get you some mongol Rally points for weediness:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110248...
VW Lupo: not the toughest but looks very good value:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201221...
Toyota Aygo: sensible choice? Lighter and simpler than a Yaris:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110118...
RoVoFob said:
I always thought the Daihatsu Copen was a suitably stupid mongol Rally car - tiny, two seats, a 0.7-litre engine and a folding hardtop for no apparent reason. It does have a turbocharger, though, which I’m sure is frowned upon in mongol Rally circles…
Ooh, good shout. This better/worse than an IQ A £1500 Copen would be incredibly ropey, if you have mechanical problems you could just put your feet through the rust holes in the floor!RoVoFob said:
Great idea, but would the skinny plastic fuel tank under the passenger seat be an enormous liability…?
I didn't know this was a thing. Do they ever fail? Knowing Toyota I'd assume it could handle a few rocks bouncing off?Stretching the supermini brief a little bit, but as they are considered as ‘Kei’ city cars in Japan, how about the Suzuki Jimny?
Or is that cheating as 4WD?!
Suzuki Ignis is 2WD but seems to have loads of ground clearance.
Would a Civic/Jazz be small enough? Both have a 1.4 so right at the maximum but Honda are famously reliable and the spaceship shape Civic is actually pretty comfy.
MINI One for something kind of cool looking and different to the fleet of Micras participating?
Or is that cheating as 4WD?!
Suzuki Ignis is 2WD but seems to have loads of ground clearance.
Would a Civic/Jazz be small enough? Both have a 1.4 so right at the maximum but Honda are famously reliable and the spaceship shape Civic is actually pretty comfy.
MINI One for something kind of cool looking and different to the fleet of Micras participating?
walamai said:
Ooh, good shout. This better/worse than an IQ A £1500 Copen would be incredibly ropey, if you have mechanical problems you could just put your feet through the rust holes in the floor!
I didn't know this was a thing. Do they ever fail? Knowing Toyota I'd assume it could handle a few rocks bouncing off?
£1,500 Daihatsu Copens are possible…just: A £1500 Copen would be incredibly ropey, if you have mechanical problems you could just put your feet through the rust holes in the floor!I didn't know this was a thing. Do they ever fail? Knowing Toyota I'd assume it could handle a few rocks bouncing off?
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/31154188...
No idea about the iQ fuel tank, but as it’s between the axles, I imagine it’s more vulnerable to impacts than those more typically located between the rear wheels…
Staying with the Daihatsu theme, what about this beauty? It’s over budget, but I’m sure some haggling would quickly knock it down:
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/60582290...
It’s even rally-proven: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoL5qOgXhR4
Edited by RoVoFob on Wednesday 26th January 18:23
Where's the fun in having something that's going to be utterly dependable? Add an extra element of jeopardy and excitement with one of these
Mazda RX-8
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201261...
Or why not do it in style & stand out with one of these?
Alfa Romeo MiTo 1.4 16v Veloce
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110068...
Mini One 1.4
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201131...
Smart ForTwo 0.6
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201241...
Audi A2 1.4 SE
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201151...
Renault Twingo 1.2
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201111...
Daewoo Matiz 0.8 SE
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201231...
This Fiat Uno 1.1 ie is almost too nice to get wrecked driving to mongolia
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202102038...
Or fly the flag for British engineering with the Rover 25 1.4 16v
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201181...
Mazda RX-8
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201261...
Or why not do it in style & stand out with one of these?
Alfa Romeo MiTo 1.4 16v Veloce
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110068...
Mini One 1.4
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201131...
Smart ForTwo 0.6
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201241...
Audi A2 1.4 SE
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201151...
Renault Twingo 1.2
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201111...
Daewoo Matiz 0.8 SE
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201231...
This Fiat Uno 1.1 ie is almost too nice to get wrecked driving to mongolia
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202102038...
Or fly the flag for British engineering with the Rover 25 1.4 16v
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201181...
I did it in 2016 with my brother, the best experience of my life.
Look up mongol Rowley on youtube if you get bored (our surname is Rowley)
We did it in a 2002 3 cylinder polo. In a way it was awesome as it was really comfortable but also it didn't have enough power to go up some hills, which meant we had to slip the clutch which eventually killed it in the Kyrgyzstan mountains. We then had to do a two day walk over two mountains to get out.
I've got so so many stories, it was an absolutely fantastic trip and only the threat of divorce has stopped me going again.
If I did it again I'd do it in an old school fiat panda 4x4 I think. Or a newer one.
We bought cars for other teams in other countries to raise some cash, the cars that made it were:
Micra x 2
Hyundai atoz (great car)
Yaris (it's done it twice now)
Some small crappy diahatsu that I can't remember the name of
Vauxhall agila
Suzuki wagon R
Cars that didn't make it:
Polo (ours plus two more!)
Suzuki Vitara
Some hints from doing it:
100% get a sump guard. Once when I was driving I hit two potholes at once and slapped the bottom of the car on the floor. It woke my brother up!
Do iran if you can, not the ferry.
Joke about with border guards and make friends. It speeds up the process a lot.
Van tyres are a lot stronger than car tyres. We didn't once get a puncture.
Don't over pack. We didn't once use the kettle or the hob or most of the tools.
Don't accidentally leave £500 worth of Russian rubles in the car when you give it away at the end...
Jerry cans are useful.
Convoy it up, it's the people you do it with, not where you go.
Don't wuss out and get a car with air con!
Good luck, feel free to ask me anything
Edit: it wasn't a diahatsu, it was a perodua kelisa!
Look up mongol Rowley on youtube if you get bored (our surname is Rowley)
We did it in a 2002 3 cylinder polo. In a way it was awesome as it was really comfortable but also it didn't have enough power to go up some hills, which meant we had to slip the clutch which eventually killed it in the Kyrgyzstan mountains. We then had to do a two day walk over two mountains to get out.
I've got so so many stories, it was an absolutely fantastic trip and only the threat of divorce has stopped me going again.
If I did it again I'd do it in an old school fiat panda 4x4 I think. Or a newer one.
We bought cars for other teams in other countries to raise some cash, the cars that made it were:
Micra x 2
Hyundai atoz (great car)
Yaris (it's done it twice now)
Some small crappy diahatsu that I can't remember the name of
Vauxhall agila
Suzuki wagon R
Cars that didn't make it:
Polo (ours plus two more!)
Suzuki Vitara
Some hints from doing it:
100% get a sump guard. Once when I was driving I hit two potholes at once and slapped the bottom of the car on the floor. It woke my brother up!
Do iran if you can, not the ferry.
Joke about with border guards and make friends. It speeds up the process a lot.
Van tyres are a lot stronger than car tyres. We didn't once get a puncture.
Don't over pack. We didn't once use the kettle or the hob or most of the tools.
Don't accidentally leave £500 worth of Russian rubles in the car when you give it away at the end...
Jerry cans are useful.
Convoy it up, it's the people you do it with, not where you go.
Don't wuss out and get a car with air con!
Good luck, feel free to ask me anything
Edit: it wasn't a diahatsu, it was a perodua kelisa!
Edited by james6546 on Wednesday 26th January 21:19
georgeyboy12345 said:
Where's the fun in having something that's going to be utterly dependable? Add an extra element of jeopardy and excitement with one of these
Mazda RX-8....
The RX8 isn't a totally stupid answer, they are fundamentally reliable, you'd just have to rebuild the engine before the off. Mazda RX-8....
Also, up the fuel budget slightly from what a 1.0 hatchback would use.
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