"mcseanerson" (mcseanerson)
03/05/2015 at 13:50 Filed to: None
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"mcseanerson" (mcseanerson)
03/05/2015 at 13:50 Filed to: None | 1
| 29 |
I wanted to make a more formal post about this but I think people are getting really excited and things might start to run ahead of us if we don't start getting this all down. This will be a gathering place for anyone interested in the 2017 Mongol Rally Jalop Caravan. If you see this and already know what it's about then jump on in. If this is foreign to you this post is us moving forward with !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! from the front page.
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cabarne4
> mcseanerson
03/05/2015 at 13:56 |
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With budgeting and time constraints (hard for most people to take 4-6 weeks off of work), I'm planning for the 2017 rally instead.
SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
> mcseanerson
03/05/2015 at 13:58 |
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Think that Soviet cars would be more supported once in central Asia than a Panda?
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mcseanerson
> cabarne4
03/05/2015 at 13:59 |
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That's a good idea, how much are you looking at for a budget?
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mcseanerson
> SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
03/05/2015 at 14:04 |
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You can't leave cars there anymore, they are unwanted.
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SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
> mcseanerson
03/05/2015 at 14:07 |
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Yeah, but I'm thinking about how cheap/easy repairs will be in Kazakhstan. I'm thinking that something like a two stroke Trabant might be easier to fix with a hammer and easier to source parts for.
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mcseanerson
> SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
03/05/2015 at 14:20 |
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Well I don't know about Kazakhstan but in Mongolia the primary transport is either horse or motorcycle. The dominant motorcycle used to be a Soviet model but they seem to be moving towards a Chinese bike these days. I am not sure what the dominant model of horse is.
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cabarne4
> mcseanerson
03/05/2015 at 14:33 |
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Budget can vary wildly on things like route, method of return trip (cars cannot be left in Mongolia anymore options are either ship the car and fly back, or drive back), level of accommodation (hotels, hostels, camping), and more but on the cheap end, it can all be done (including airfare from the U.S.) for about $4,000 USD. I'm planning on saving around $5,000, for unseen expenses (medical expenses, food or hotel splurges, souvenirs, etc).
With 3 people per vehicle, it'd be as follows (per person):
- Airfare (from US to London): $600 round trip (if you don't mind an 18 hour layover in Moscow)
- Vehicle: $250 (500 GBP will buy you a crap-enough car, which is roughly $750 USD)
- Insurance: $100 (Vehicle insurance must be purchased at each border once east of Europe. Budget around $300 per vehicle)
- Gear: $400 (clothes, camping, cameras, etc)
- Vehicle expenses: $2,000 (biggest expense. Round trip is around 15,000 miles over rough terrain. Category includes fuel, ferries, and repairs. Fuel would cost roughly $1,000 per person round-trip. Ferries, tolls, fines, and repairs add up. $2000 is an over-estimation, which is good when budgeting)
- Food / Alcohol: $750 (based off 6 weeks, 3 meals per day, averaging $5 USD per meal doable if you cook yourself, food is cheap east of Western Europe)
TOTAL: $4,100
Couple of notes:
- Second-hand cars are much cheaper in the UK / Ireland than in mainland Europe, as RHD is not popular on the continent.
- While GPS use is frowned upon, most teams rely on TomTom in Russia (and other former-Soviet countries) for speed limits. The GPS is actually very accurate with local speed limits, which are often not posted. Nobody wants to get pulled over in rural Russia because the speed limit apparently dropped from 120km/h to 60km/h without a sign following TomTom's guidance, most people survive without a ticket.
- Leave Western Europe as soon as possible. It's very expensive.
- Border crossings are expensive (time wasted, fines, fees, insurance, etc), but also make the trip more exciting. The "cheapest" way to do the rally is to shoot straight through Russia (fewest border crossings, best roads, shortest distance), but it's also the most boring. So you could do the rally for a bit cheaper, but do you really want to?
- Camping in the car is a no-brainer. Hotels are a waste of money, except for hot showers.
- Same goes for cooking your own food. A propane stove and some camping-cookware goes a long way.
EDIT: Forgot to mention Visas Americans get a free pass on European countries, only needing Visas once going east from there. Mongol Rally suggests using the "Visa Machine" a web service for getting your Visas. It's really good, but they also charge a little extra on top. Cheaper to just use the Visa machine as a resource (i.e., find out which countries you need Visas for, and what's offered), and then do the leg-work yourself. Plan on spending ~$500 on Visas. Cheaper if you just go through Russia, more expensive with every country you decide to pass through.
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mcseanerson
> cabarne4
03/05/2015 at 14:42 |
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Damn, I was really hoping for no GPS. Also a bit higher than I was hoping for but seeing about half of it is a high estimate for stuff like repairs makes it more ok.
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cabarne4
> mcseanerson
03/05/2015 at 14:55 |
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Cars:
In the past, vehicles were auctioned or given away once reaching Mongolia. Nowadays, Mongolia has a decent used car market, and families aren't dependent on crap driven over from Europe. Importation laws in Mongolia have gotten more and more strict (which is why, just a few years ago, there were age restrictions and the engine limit went up). For 2015 and on, cars are no longer going to be left in Mongolia. Instead, they must be either transported back (factor in cost of transporting a car, as well as costs of flying from Mongolia back to wherever), or driven back (the cheaper option, and the one I'm going with). With the new rules, the "limit" (read: suggestion) is back down to 1.0L. Organizers will usually allow up to 1.2L without second thoughts.
That said, some of the favorites are
1. Older Nissan Micra. Keep the gerbil fed, and it's good to go all the way to Mongolia. Several of these have made the journey without any repairs needed.
2. Daewoo / Chevy Matiz. It's ugly, it's simple, and it's surprisingly popular in the 'stans. Parts are available and it's very reliable.
3. Citroen Saxo. I don't know anything about these, asides from (1) they're shit, and (2) they're popular on the rally.
4. Older (boxy) Fiat Panda. Dead simple, tough as a brick (and looks like one too!).
5. Skoda Fabia. It's a "large" estate (at least compared to the rest of the list). Also, such a classy front end.
http://www.adventourists.com.au/best-car-mongo
While this site is a bit outdated (still lists age restrictions and an engine limit of 1.2L), it has some good suggestions on vehicles and gear.
- Solid steel wheels are cheap and easy to repair (take the wheel off and beat it with a hammer).
- Good tires is a no-brainer.
- Jerry Cans (at least 20L), because... duh.
- Skid plates, because the "road" through western Mongolia is basically a dirt track with multiple water crossings.
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mcseanerson
> cabarne4
03/05/2015 at 14:56 |
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What would you think of a Suzuki Swift?
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cabarne4
> mcseanerson
03/05/2015 at 14:58 |
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As I said, the rules frown against GPS use and I wouldn't use one for navigation anyways. But having it turned on, it gives updates and warnings of speed limits definitely useful in several countries. You can get by without one, but I'd rather not have to bother with Khazakhstani police screaming at you for speeding when there was no sign of the speed limit dropping.
The absolute-cheapest way to do the rally would be to drive straight east, through Russia (though the current situation between Ukraine and Russia makes that border crossing more...complicated). Less Visa expenses, lower miles, "better" roads (relatively speaking). You could probably get the budget down around $3,000 USD, but it wouldn't be nearly as fun.
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mcseanerson
> cabarne4
03/05/2015 at 15:00 |
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No I definitely want to go through Mongolia. The idea of a country that only 10% of it's road network is paved sounds like a dream to me. I've actually planned for a while that some day when my kids are older I want to trek across the country on motorcycle.
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cabarne4
> mcseanerson
03/05/2015 at 15:01 |
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The Swift has been used by several teams. Definitely works, but personally I'd go with a Matiz or a Micra parts are far easier to come by and they're much better cars / more reliable.
If the plan is to get a large group of people across multiple cars, it'd be advantageous to get multiple of the same car (if one breaks down, you could possibly scrap it and use it for spares / repairs).
I'll be AFK for a few hours gotta go drive a crap '88 Toyota Pickup off a snowy mountain and into the desert. I'll check back here sometime this evening.
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mcseanerson
> cabarne4
03/05/2015 at 15:06 |
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Yeah I was thinking the same thing about us all getting multiples of the same car.
Sam
> mcseanerson
03/05/2015 at 15:14 |
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If you guys want another person on the team, I'd be able to come along. I could manage the time and budget portions. I'd be able to contribute to the budget for the team. Contact me at samuelestoner@gmail.com, if you want me in, I'll try and get back into shape before we do it. If we got enough people, I think we could do 2 teams/vehicles that work together. I don't think it's against the rules.
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mcseanerson
> Sam
03/05/2015 at 15:20 |
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I think the amount of people interested so far we'd be looking at at least 3 vehicles. It's not till 2017 though so for the next year it will probably be informal planning on Oppo and then later organizing formal planning.
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Sam
> mcseanerson
03/05/2015 at 15:27 |
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Alright, if we can set up some sort of list in the next few months we can organize the teams. With backups in case someone has to drop, of course. I think it'd be really useful having 3 vehicles.
Dusty Ventures
> mcseanerson
03/05/2015 at 19:47 |
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SHOTGUN!!!!1!
OliverTestaRossa
> mcseanerson
03/06/2015 at 12:45 |
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I would definitely be interested in doing this; I've been looking at doing this rally for a while. I can handle the budget and I'm looking for an adventure. Let me know of any details I'll need to know.
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cabarne4
> mcseanerson
03/06/2015 at 13:00 |
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Yea definitely a way better idea.
Oh, and the truck decided, while climbing a 5 mile, 6% slope, that it suddenly wanted to be a 3 cylinder. Luckily it was just a spark plug wire that came loose. Safely in the desert now. 85 and sunny is much nicer than 3 feet of snow.
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OliverTestaRossa
> Sam
03/06/2015 at 13:05 |
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Let me know of any details you come up with. My email is olivermccammon@gmail.com I've been looking to do this rally for a long time and would really like to do it with Jalopnik as I'm an avid reader.
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OliverTestaRossa
> cabarne4
03/06/2015 at 13:12 |
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Can you please let me know of the details. I can handle the budget and I've been looking at doing thd rally for a while. If you come up with a team list I'd love to be on it. My email is olivermccammon@gmail.con
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OliverTestaRossa
> cabarne4
03/06/2015 at 13:37 |
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I'm planning on doing the rally in 2017. Put me on any list you may have and share any details. My email is olivermccammon@gmail.com
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cabarne4
> OliverTestaRossa
03/06/2015 at 13:49 |
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Are you on the OppositeTalk facebook page? Thinking about posting something on there, or even creating a new facebook group. Way easier to group people together / judge interest / etc.
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OliverTestaRossa
> cabarne4
03/06/2015 at 13:57 |
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No, I'll join it. Do you guys have an official list yet?
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cabarne4
> OliverTestaRossa
03/06/2015 at 14:17 |
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Not yet, just sort of judging general interest. I've got two friends (one American, one German neither are Jalops) who are definitely down to go in 2017. Chris_K_F is down to go if he can get the vacation time off. McSeanerson is interested for 2016 or 2017.
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OliverTestaRossa
> cabarne4
03/06/2015 at 14:28 |
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Awesome. 2017 will work best for me as I'll be able to take time off. We should maybe put out an official post on Jalopnik in a couple months to see if there are any takers. I would be cool if we could organize an "official" Jalopnik group. What's your username on Facebook?
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cabarne4
> OliverTestaRossa
03/06/2015 at 14:31 |
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https://www.facebook.com/13412N3TT
That'll find me. I'm also on the Oppo-talk group. Thinking I'll make a Jalop-Mongol Rally facebook group eventually.
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OliverTestaRossa
> cabarne4
03/06/2015 at 14:40 |
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Let me know when you make a page. I just messaged you on Facebook