My trusty little six-cylinder 2010 Toyota Camry is known around my town as the caballo incognito: a dark horse that accesses trailheads where it has absolutely no business being. I detest readymade Sprinter vans. Living in a ski town, I see them each and every day. Sure, I understand the practicality of having a full solar setup, a bougie kitchen, and outlets for a heated blanket. I鈥檓 certain it鈥檚 lovely to toss a log on your built-in wood stove as you camp in a quasi-legal and definitely-in-the-way pullout on the town鈥檚 scenic loop. But to me, these kitted-out, prefab vans signify the homogenization of adventure. They are easy, safe, sanitized adventure vehicles that ensure everyone can have fun outdoors in the exact same way.
That鈥檚 why, when I lust after my dream adventure vehicle, I dive into the strange world of backwoods modified rigs whose spiritual and actual nexus lives on Facebook Marketplace. The denizens of the marketplace are听tinkerers, magicians, yahoos, and scammers, kindred spirits who all coexist in a marvelous ecosystem containing deals and deathtraps.
I鈥檝e spent years collecting photos of these vehicles, hoping that one day I would have the funds and the chutzpah to purchase one. After all, what is the great American road trip without the car being its own adventure? Here鈥檚 a peek into my collection of the wackiest Facebook Marketplace adventure vehicles out there.
$3,200
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I first spotted the suspension lift and manual transmission, which will provide clearance over snow and rocks as well as deliver more precise power at low speeds. The oversized rear wing will maximize downforce and the roll cage is vital if you decide to pretend you鈥檙e Ken Block on the winding roads that lead to the crag鈥攏ot recommended. If you do end up flipping this rig on black ice, the bucket seats and custom racing harness should keep you as safe as possible. With 195,000 miles it鈥檚 still a steal at just over three grand. A true hobbyist’s dream.
$120,000
Your Subaru Outback is not the off-roader you think it is. But this tank on wheels can get to the ends of the earth. It will also land you squarely on your local conservation org鈥檚 shit list, so play by the rules, please. Its 71-inch wheels run low pressures so traction won鈥檛 be an issue on sand, snow, or gravel. The Sherp has room for six passengers, so if buying this behemoth sends you into debt, you can just open up a cat skiing operation.
$4,800
Cha brah, we know you surf slush in Mammoth until the swell hits Rosarito. That鈥檚 why we found the perfect rig to bridge the gap between land and sea. It’s kitted with a topper and a ski rack, so you can crash on BLM land in Bishop and catch last chair when the fog of… whatever it is you鈥檙e into wears off come 3 P.M. Then when you tire of the cold, you can cast off the topper and load the pickup bed with shorties and rip down to Mexico. At $4,800, this one鈥檚 probably within your parent鈥檚 budget.
$40,000
If it鈥檚 at home in the Bonneville Salt Flats, it should do just fine in the salted parking lots of Utah鈥檚 premiere ski area. This skinny cruiser was built with a jet engine to break the land speed record. Beating traffic to the base of Little Cottonwood Canyon should be a breeze. Plus, it鈥檚 skinny enough that it can fit in the half-parking spot gap between the two rude 4Runners. Your skis can easily fit inside the elongated cockpit, and you can simply swap the desert slicks for Blizzak snow tires to gain confidence on the slippery road. Think of the thrill of trying to turn your way up the winding road; we鈥檙e not even sure there鈥檚 a steering column in this rocket ship!