Mongolia in a Micra

Ah the name... Well the original plan was to do it in a micra and we got all our logos and blog organised. Then we kept bumping into people who'd actually been to the kind of places we would be going through and they all said "So, you're doing it in a Starlet then" as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, as there are so many of them in Central Asia. So I guess you can grasp the rest. Thanks for the advice on wheels much appreciated. My team mate has spoken to some people and they were suggesting that unless they were Starlet wheels they could foul up the brakes. This sounded odd to me, do I take it that it's simply not true? Any other advice other than the service on areas to look out for on Starlets or spares we need to take. We'll certainly give it a service, but we're just trying to keep costs down. Roof racks??? Car was £195 with FSH. Pretty cool car. Thanks for the kind words about reliability they are much appreciated...and needed.

Me and a mate head off to Mongolia in July as part of this years Mongol rally and are currently trying to prep our car. We've bought a 1992 Starlet 108,000 miles on the clock, FSH, the downside is that it smokes a bit. Wondered if anyone had any views about how liable it was to conk out on the 8,000 mile trek. It does get pretty hot on the route we're taking and we do go across a couple of desserts so it has got to be reliable. Secondly we have been advised to get skid pans put under the sump and the exhausts back box - anyone know if pre made panels are available? Having looked into it it looks like they're not, but if anyone has any plans or tips on how to make them that would be much appreciated. We also need some spare wheels (and tyres) so we have replacements for the inevitable punctures and are really struggling to get hold of original steel wheels. Has anyone got any ideas of where we can get any from. We're doing this for charity and are trying to keep costs down so any wheezes or bodges much appreciated. Cheeck out the website for more info: http://mongoliainamicra.blogspot.com/