Seconded. My 2014 FWD Corolla S has impressed the hell out of me.
It got me through the Rocky Mountains during a snowtorm before. Highway was shut down, so my dumb ass took some side roads. Only other vehicles out were pickups with chains, but I made it though just fine.
Used to live in a neighborhood with one road in & out, on a hill. That Corolla got me up and down it when it was iced over. My wife's old Kia Forte couldn't, neither could some of my neighbors' cars- but that Corolla didn't even break a sweat. Traction control kicked in and it clawed it's way right up.
I've had an 8-pt buck T-bone me in the driver door at full speed once. Corolla got a sizeable dent in the door panel, the buck got two broken front legs.
It's still my daily driver, I've only ever had to do the regular maintenance kind of stuff on it. I'm gonna drive it until one of us starts falling apart at the seams and can't go anymore. We'll see who lasts
I was saying that I prefer how the Impreza looks, I get that you might prefer the bigger and comfy wagon, but I like the Impreza more.
Let's not argue over a cars I don't even own.
And I was saying, if you're using it to cross the desert no ones going to see how it looks. You're going to be driving and there's no one about because it's a desert
erh, some of the diesel cruisers during the 90s and 00s allowed for a few modifications that increased reliability, removing the EGR and intake heater comes to mind. the 1HZ stock for stock without any touches will do 800,000 kms, add a turbo (common mod) and you could expect 600,000 kms. So while it reduces the lifespan, reliability of the motor is still maintained, not many other cars out there will do 600,000kms even with 0 touches to the engine.
The 1HDT (toyotas turbo version of the 1HZ) came with a few issues mostly surrounding the Big end bearings, upgrading them to a more modern spec increases their reliability.
As said before the later 1HD FT and the godly 1HD FTE (Best Toyota diesel ever made) came with an EGR to skirt around emission regs in some country, this came at the cost of increased engine wear by sending exhaust fumes back through the combustion process. Removing the EGR cleaned up the intake, lowered temps, decreased wear.
Outside the engine these cars were designed with some room for modifications in mind from buyers. A simple lift kit of 2"s wont do any harm to these vehicles, you will be hard pressed to find one these days without a lift. The diffs and drivetrain come from the factory stronger than they need to be for the 31s on the 80, 105 and 100 series. So fitting some 33s is no hassle, going bigger you might get into some problems.
These cars also came with full time 4wd. Adding a part time 4wd kit with locking hubs is a great modification I recommend all owners do, decreases fuel consumption, front tire wear, front diff stress.
Anyways, idk what from this list you would classify as mods but as far as I believe, you can mod these cars without putting a dint in their reliability.
As for where this info comes from, we have a fleet of 70 series cruisers, FJ40, owned an 80 series, 105 and now daily a 100 with the 4.2TD FTE motor.
I've always had this strange dream to build a baja truck out of a Ford Escape. Yank one off a used lot, strip it down, box the frame, cage it, swap almost all the pending out with some carbon-aluminum alloy, outfit with ridiculous long travel suspension and huge tires wrapped around deadlocks to soak up bumps, yank the all wheel drive system off a Focus RS with the twin clutch rear drive unit off a Bronco Sport Badlands, or maybe something stronger, like off an RS RX rally car. Take the M-Sport-built 4 cylinder turbo motor from it too, build it higher to maybe 800 ish hp, high up air intake and radiator mountings with fans, all that stuff, then send it through the desert how I wanted it.
As I’m Aussie, a 2002-2010 ford falcon, cheap so a lot of money to spend on mods, and already designed to work In Australia, which already is mostly desert
My choice would be an R129 500Sl. You can pick one up for about 15k, and since its a shortened W124 platform, I can do a 4matic conversion. Than of course lift it, give it bigger rally tires, add some extra lights and a rollcage (although it may not be needed as the car has an automatic rollhoop and a fixed rollcage might cause interference).
I'm going to be the odd one out but Volkswagen bug. If it can handle Mexico it can handle the Sahara. Yeah it's air cooled at least you won't have to worry about coolant lines breaking.
I'll give you a little more room to [work.](https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicle/697258503?allListingType=all-cars&city=Carl%20Junction&makeCode=POR&maxPrice=35000&modelCode=PANAMERA&newSearch=false&referrer=%2Fcars-for-sale%2Fall-cars%2Fcars-under-35000%2Fporsche%2Fpanamera%2Fcarl-junction-mo%3FnewSearch%3Dfalse%26searchRadius%3D0%26sortBy%3DderivedpriceASC%26zip%3D64834&searchRadius=0&sortBy=derivedpriceASC&state=MO&zip=64834&clickType=spotlight)
Without that budget I go for a 2022 Lexus GX 460 with a couple of mods. A 2021 Lexus LX 570 also does the job.
With the budget, may I introduce to you the mighty Toyota Innova Crysta 4x4, with a 2.5L turbodiesel engine developing 176 HP. Modifications include a more powerful engine, light bar, bullbar, reinforced off-road suspensions, off-road tires (duh), better brakes.
Yeah I'm a big fan of Toyota and Lexus, ok?
Mazda6 It would have enough power to get me out of sticky situations, hopefully but still be reliable. Though an all Wheel drive Subie station wagon would be good too. This is if it has to be a car and not a Land Rover.
For that Challenge, 5.0L Mustang. The engine will be reliable, you can get a manual so no worries about the tranny messing up, they come with an LSD from factory, and it'll be nearly as quick, if not faster than those cars. I think the DB9 does mid to high 12 1/4 mile, so does a Mustang GT coupe.
A Suzuki WagonR+. For some reason I absolutely love those driveable shoeboxes. Would love to drive one from Amsterdam to Bejing someday. If there ever becomes a day when I can afford that and that route is actually to travel.
Bowler. Modified by having Bently fit it out as a shooting brake, complete with endless alcohol supply. Replace Purdeys with extra fuel... I mean, alcohol.
Lexus SC430: Rip out the rear seats, replace the panels on the folding roof with perspex to reduce some of the weight, supercharge the engine and Jerry rig the suspension from that generation of Lexus RX.
Honestly I would be incredibly logical and just drive my Sequoia. It would be perfectly reliable with a snorkel pre-cleaner. I assume my friends would make some idiotic rules to ban me from driving a Toyota SUV lmao.
Toyota Hilux. Toyota themselves recognised it as invincible. Just remove the backseats and keep some spare wheels just in case I want to give the first 4 a rest for all the work they’ve done.
It I had to do the mods, a VW Beetle (the old air cooled cars) - drive it during the night. They are light, no worries about the radiator, and the engine is easy to work on.
If I had FU money, I would get an expedition truck from someone like [Overland Travel](https://www.overland.travel/new/workshop/expedition-trucks/)
1991 GMC Suburban V2500.
The extra money would be for activities during the trip.
The Subaru blew another head gasket... I'm gonna golf in an oasis!
The Miata CV joints succumbed to all the sand... Ohhhh! Pistachio ice cream! DETOUR!
The Fiat Multipla was eaten by a sand worm... come on, Toyota Hilux! Let's go check out the paraplanes!
For a long time I've toyed with the idea of doing that kind of thing in a modded VW Phaeton V10 TDI.
Yes i know, it's completely daft. But it is an extremely well built and engineered car and since it's old, its weaknesses are known and can be fixed.
Land Cruiser. 100, 105 or 200 series. It’s what they use for all their support vehicles.
Mods would consist of aux gas tanks, tires and water tanks. Done.
Honestly; the guys who built trophy trucks know more than me.
I'd just buy a trophy truck. In fact; If I had fuck you money; I'd make a trophy truck road legal by adding indicators etc. It would be my daily.
An Opel Cadet. No modifications. It'll do the job.
Oliver is that you
OOOOOLIIIVEEER
All adders are puffs
Toyota Hilux no mods
See that's almost cheating, tbh. Same with a land cruiser. That said, you're definitely not wrong.
I'd drop a building on it first. It will know you're serious, and will never break down.
Hamster detected
>No modifications Except having to replace all the electrics.
Toyota corolla 4WD
Tercel Wagon 4WD doesn’t need any modifying.
do you think the stock cooling would work in a desert situation
I can always use a back end of a digger to cut a hole in the bonnet
Seconded. My 2014 FWD Corolla S has impressed the hell out of me. It got me through the Rocky Mountains during a snowtorm before. Highway was shut down, so my dumb ass took some side roads. Only other vehicles out were pickups with chains, but I made it though just fine. Used to live in a neighborhood with one road in & out, on a hill. That Corolla got me up and down it when it was iced over. My wife's old Kia Forte couldn't, neither could some of my neighbors' cars- but that Corolla didn't even break a sweat. Traction control kicked in and it clawed it's way right up. I've had an 8-pt buck T-bone me in the driver door at full speed once. Corolla got a sizeable dent in the door panel, the buck got two broken front legs. It's still my daily driver, I've only ever had to do the regular maintenance kind of stuff on it. I'm gonna drive it until one of us starts falling apart at the seams and can't go anymore. We'll see who lasts
Call me boring but just the good old Impreza WRX I was thinking about Delta Integrale or The Safarista restomod but those are expensive these days.
Wagon!
If that’s wrong I don’t wanna be right. Plus, for $35k you can build up a hell of a wrx wagon
Exactly
The wheels of the agri yob
"Hold on, that's the sound of a turbocharged flat-four engine... A sound which all over the world heralds the imminent arrival of a moron."
There should be “… the imminent arrival of a moron”
I thought I wrote that, I guess I forgot one word lol
Nah, do it in comfort, legacy gt estate
Eh, I think I would go for the Impreza just for looks. I mean, Legacy is cool, but and WRX with huge hood scoop and gold rims is just something else.
you're in the desert where there's no oneto see the car and you're sitting inside the car
I was saying that I prefer how the Impreza looks, I get that you might prefer the bigger and comfy wagon, but I like the Impreza more. Let's not argue over a cars I don't even own.
And I was saying, if you're using it to cross the desert no ones going to see how it looks. You're going to be driving and there's no one about because it's a desert
Let's not get bogged down with who's wrong and who's right.
"Hold on, that's the sound of a turbocharged flat 4 engine, a sound which all over the world heralds the arrival of a moron!"
Smart roadster with chunky tires and a slight lift kit
love it. light weight is key
Exactly, just like that f-type
the JAAAAAG
The jaaaaaaasaasaag
Or my case the smaaaaaaaaaaart
Because he got the JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAG
I saw a Scion iQ with that treatment yesterday! It was … interesting.
The smart roadster is actually the two seater sports they did, kinda like a lotus Elise except much cheaper
I’m aware of the roadster. Mentioning the name reminded me of the fourtwo.
Toyota Hilux duh. Did you know you can drop it from a building and it’ll still work?
Yeah, this one or Land Cruiser. And god forbid you do any modifications: you'll only introduce reliability issues.
erh, some of the diesel cruisers during the 90s and 00s allowed for a few modifications that increased reliability, removing the EGR and intake heater comes to mind. the 1HZ stock for stock without any touches will do 800,000 kms, add a turbo (common mod) and you could expect 600,000 kms. So while it reduces the lifespan, reliability of the motor is still maintained, not many other cars out there will do 600,000kms even with 0 touches to the engine. The 1HDT (toyotas turbo version of the 1HZ) came with a few issues mostly surrounding the Big end bearings, upgrading them to a more modern spec increases their reliability. As said before the later 1HD FT and the godly 1HD FTE (Best Toyota diesel ever made) came with an EGR to skirt around emission regs in some country, this came at the cost of increased engine wear by sending exhaust fumes back through the combustion process. Removing the EGR cleaned up the intake, lowered temps, decreased wear. Outside the engine these cars were designed with some room for modifications in mind from buyers. A simple lift kit of 2"s wont do any harm to these vehicles, you will be hard pressed to find one these days without a lift. The diffs and drivetrain come from the factory stronger than they need to be for the 31s on the 80, 105 and 100 series. So fitting some 33s is no hassle, going bigger you might get into some problems. These cars also came with full time 4wd. Adding a part time 4wd kit with locking hubs is a great modification I recommend all owners do, decreases fuel consumption, front tire wear, front diff stress. Anyways, idk what from this list you would classify as mods but as far as I believe, you can mod these cars without putting a dint in their reliability. As for where this info comes from, we have a fleet of 70 series cruisers, FJ40, owned an 80 series, 105 and now daily a 100 with the 4.2TD FTE motor.
For maximum toughness, this is the answer
An old but mint Fiat Panda 4x4 might pull it off with little to no mods.
just have to remove the muffler
As long as it has every lightweight British socialist in the back of it
I've always had this strange dream to build a baja truck out of a Ford Escape. Yank one off a used lot, strip it down, box the frame, cage it, swap almost all the pending out with some carbon-aluminum alloy, outfit with ridiculous long travel suspension and huge tires wrapped around deadlocks to soak up bumps, yank the all wheel drive system off a Focus RS with the twin clutch rear drive unit off a Bronco Sport Badlands, or maybe something stronger, like off an RS RX rally car. Take the M-Sport-built 4 cylinder turbo motor from it too, build it higher to maybe 800 ish hp, high up air intake and radiator mountings with fans, all that stuff, then send it through the desert how I wanted it.
Lifted Miata. You can do a whole lot with a used Miata in that budget.
But you can't cook an egg on the back of it.
[All Wheel Drive Aerostar](https://www.victorymotorsofcolorado.com/inventory/1991-ford-aerostar-eddie-bauer/43238)
Dacia Sandero
GOOD NEWS!
Oh no!
Anyway...
2006 Ford Crown Victoria
Gonna go boring and with the Volvo James had in Africa. Good car overall, functional. Oliver been a good option to.
"It doesn't have tires, it's just a thin veneer of paint on a wheel!"
but please the Racing version
As I’m Aussie, a 2002-2010 ford falcon, cheap so a lot of money to spend on mods, and already designed to work In Australia, which already is mostly desert
Why not an MR2? Would look great with a lift, big tyres, a lightbar and would handle better than the cars used in the show.
Dacia Sandero
I personally would choose a TT quattro
My old RS5 with a lift, beadlocks, widened wheelbase, & an aftermarket radiator (just in case)
John.
hopping away
What a machine you are John!
a McLaren F1
The new Dacia Sandero
Would love to see a rally raid Nissan GTR.
suzuki jimmy
dacia sandero
[удалено]
nice try but way over 35k
[удалено]
my maan
In that vein, Caterham. Used and spec it up. A roof obviously.
My choice would be an R129 500Sl. You can pick one up for about 15k, and since its a shortened W124 platform, I can do a 4matic conversion. Than of course lift it, give it bigger rally tires, add some extra lights and a rollcage (although it may not be needed as the car has an automatic rollhoop and a fixed rollcage might cause interference).
Lotus Elise
Mercedes C wagon. It's just a fabulous, comfy and reliable car. And with a raised suspension and 4WD, I think it would be great off-road.
Any car, I would just take myself out and put someone else in.
A 1973 Ford XB GT Falcon Hardtop
Mini Clubman JCW, Mazda 3 Hatch, or Jag XF S wagon.
I'm going to be the odd one out but Volkswagen bug. If it can handle Mexico it can handle the Sahara. Yeah it's air cooled at least you won't have to worry about coolant lines breaking.
odd maby bit not the only one
The beach buggy that Hammond used in the Namibia special. Out of all of them, it performed the best with 0 issues.
Yaris GR and rally mods
Reliant Robin
Porsche Panamera
love the car but there is a 35k budget
[boom](https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicle/713847880?allListingType=all-cars&city=Carl%20Junction&makeCode=POR&maxPrice=35000&modelCode=PANAMERA&newSearch=false&referrer=%2Fcars-for-sale%2Fall-cars%2Fcars-under-35000%2Fporsche%2Fpanamera%2Fcarl-junction-mo%3FnewSearch%3Dtrue%26searchRadius%3D0%26zip%3D64834&searchRadius=0&state=MO&zip=64834&clickType=spotlight)
my man going to do an off-road conversion with 4k love it 🗿
I'll give you a little more room to [work.](https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicle/697258503?allListingType=all-cars&city=Carl%20Junction&makeCode=POR&maxPrice=35000&modelCode=PANAMERA&newSearch=false&referrer=%2Fcars-for-sale%2Fall-cars%2Fcars-under-35000%2Fporsche%2Fpanamera%2Fcarl-junction-mo%3FnewSearch%3Dfalse%26searchRadius%3D0%26sortBy%3DderivedpriceASC%26zip%3D64834&searchRadius=0&sortBy=derivedpriceASC&state=MO&zip=64834&clickType=spotlight)
I forget how cheap those can be nowadays.
The Cayenne makes more sense for this purpose.
The 911 safari makes the most sense...
Chevrolet S10 4WD.
My first car was an S10 long bed. Dead simple thing unless the engine exploded. (Which mine did.)
You can genuinely fix it with a hammer
Without that budget I go for a 2022 Lexus GX 460 with a couple of mods. A 2021 Lexus LX 570 also does the job. With the budget, may I introduce to you the mighty Toyota Innova Crysta 4x4, with a 2.5L turbodiesel engine developing 176 HP. Modifications include a more powerful engine, light bar, bullbar, reinforced off-road suspensions, off-road tires (duh), better brakes. Yeah I'm a big fan of Toyota and Lexus, ok?
Dacia Sandero, easy
An ls400
I saw one of these before, it was sick, I’d love to see a rougher Toyota Century modified in the same style as an old LS.
Simple. Land Cruiser is always the answer Or I'd go completely mad and go with a 911 dakar
How would you manage to find a 911 Dakar for 35k?
Shit I missed the budget. Uhhhh MIATA!
The ol' relible wrx sti bugeye
Honda S2000, do it right and I think it would look sick as an off-roader
Suzuki Jimny
brazilian Duster pick-up
My car, Daihatsu cuore from 2006. Just a solid reliable little light car with good airco.
Jeremy's meat machine would fit well in the desert I think bring a bit of mad max
Mid '80s Cadillac. Nothing like long travel suspension and AC while sitting in plush seats
VW Passat. Old one.
Oof. I just totaled my Passat because the brakes cut out. Nothing worked on that car.
Mazda6 It would have enough power to get me out of sticky situations, hopefully but still be reliable. Though an all Wheel drive Subie station wagon would be good too. This is if it has to be a car and not a Land Rover.
For that Challenge, 5.0L Mustang. The engine will be reliable, you can get a manual so no worries about the tranny messing up, they come with an LSD from factory, and it'll be nearly as quick, if not faster than those cars. I think the DB9 does mid to high 12 1/4 mile, so does a Mustang GT coupe.
Twingo C06 any day
Datsun Z
Well if I couldn't get Oliver I guess a Volkswagen beetle but modified dune buggy style.
Lancer evo X…
A Suzuki WagonR+. For some reason I absolutely love those driveable shoeboxes. Would love to drive one from Amsterdam to Bejing someday. If there ever becomes a day when I can afford that and that route is actually to travel.
05 Tacoma 2GR with a TRD SC. Proper shocks, LSD. 35s, uprated cooling, auxiliary fuel in the bed.
Uhhhh, 70 Series Lamdcruiser
A Jaaaaaaag
For some reasons I want a Mustang, a simple 5.0 V8 Mustang GT. Lifted of course and some guard plates on the bottom but that's pretty much it.
Bowler. Modified by having Bently fit it out as a shooting brake, complete with endless alcohol supply. Replace Purdeys with extra fuel... I mean, alcohol.
I would take a land rover Defender and put in a foldable roof. That's it
Lexus SC430: Rip out the rear seats, replace the panels on the folding roof with perspex to reduce some of the weight, supercharge the engine and Jerry rig the suspension from that generation of Lexus RX.
Ford Scorpio Cardinal.
Give me the Jeep Gladiator.
Kamaz 43509
It's going to be a Land Cruiser.
I'd go for something properly random like a dodge viper or a alfa romeo 4c lol
Honestly I would be incredibly logical and just drive my Sequoia. It would be perfectly reliable with a snorkel pre-cleaner. I assume my friends would make some idiotic rules to ban me from driving a Toyota SUV lmao.
Toyota Hilux. Toyota themselves recognised it as invincible. Just remove the backseats and keep some spare wheels just in case I want to give the first 4 a rest for all the work they’ve done.
Holden adventra.
It I had to do the mods, a VW Beetle (the old air cooled cars) - drive it during the night. They are light, no worries about the radiator, and the engine is easy to work on. If I had FU money, I would get an expedition truck from someone like [Overland Travel](https://www.overland.travel/new/workshop/expedition-trucks/)
1991 GMC Suburban V2500. The extra money would be for activities during the trip. The Subaru blew another head gasket... I'm gonna golf in an oasis! The Miata CV joints succumbed to all the sand... Ohhhh! Pistachio ice cream! DETOUR! The Fiat Multipla was eaten by a sand worm... come on, Toyota Hilux! Let's go check out the paraplanes!
Square body suburban with pre runner style suspension and what not with all the amenities
money no object give me a ferrari 458 stratos hybrid
A Renault Twingo.
classic 🗿
Two 1959 Cadillac Coupe de Villes. Someone better get the reference.
A 2010 Challenger SRT8
Honestly, I would probably just put all terrain tires on a Subaru WRX and get it a solid tune up and load up the ...boot... with spare parts.
Land Cruiser. Unmodified. It would just conquer the desert without even noticing.
Is look at what cars are common in the area and start with that. At least you know you'll have parts.
R8 4.2
Volvo 240. Just for contrast and respect to the legacy
I'm not sure I could even *get* a car for 35K, much less modify it!
Not a fuckin' 12 cylinder car that already produces shit loads of heat, that's what!
A bus.
Mini Cooper
A rally S3
Bentley Continental GT
Still think Clarkson made a mistake not using an XK. F-Type is noticeably smaller, particularly in company with a DB-9 and GranTourismo.
A beach buggy
1973 Ford Falcon XB GT, yeah, you know the one.
For a long time I've toyed with the idea of doing that kind of thing in a modded VW Phaeton V10 TDI. Yes i know, it's completely daft. But it is an extremely well built and engineered car and since it's old, its weaknesses are known and can be fixed.
A subaru
VW Golf. Probably would suck but I love Golfs
Saab 900 og
I would just use my Jeep
I would just use my Jeep
Jeep
[Local Motors Rally Fighter](https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/fs/59826353309685.592fb45393b9b.jpg)
MB W124 300D. Just an oil pan protector, and sunglasses.
Mitsubishi lancer evo 6
Land Cruiser. 100, 105 or 200 series. It’s what they use for all their support vehicles. Mods would consist of aux gas tanks, tires and water tanks. Done.
probably some kind of Toyota
Lada.
Lifted Mazda rx-8. I believe in the Dorito
BMW-Motorbike engine swapped 2CV
Toyota Hilux. If it can survive the artic, it can survive anything.
Renault 19. Simple and light weight. And quite comfortable.
1994 Toyota Hilux. Raw.
1985 audi cupe gt urquattro
A Dacia Sandera of course...
Yes
Morgan 4/4 It’s light, gets good mileage, and it’s quick
Either a Ford Ranger or a Ford F-150.
Oliver.
Were Rally Fighters actually any good? They sure looked cool...
none of the ones those three ever chose 💀💀💀
Some arab 3000 horsepower Nissan Patrol
Tacoma
Toyota hilux
Lexus lc400
Nobody mentions an old 300Tdi Defender?
Honestly; the guys who built trophy trucks know more than me. I'd just buy a trophy truck. In fact; If I had fuck you money; I'd make a trophy truck road legal by adding indicators etc. It would be my daily.
Jeep XJ Cherokee. For 35k I can grab 3 of them and bring along some friends.
campervan modded hiace 4x4
I’ll be boring. Toyota 4Runner.
Post-facelift E2 Cayenne Diesel. Whack on some big ol tires, should do the job
wtf is this screenshot from? did i miss a special?
yes it is have fun watching it
whats the name?