2001 Mitsubishi Montero Sport (Challenger)

We bought our Montero Sport after arriving in Santiago, Chile in 2015. The Montero Sport is also known as the Challenger in Australia. It is a mid-sized 4WD wagon with a 3L V6 gasoline powered Mitsubishi engine.

After a few weeks of dealing with frustrating Chilean bureaucracy and meeting some new friends, we finally managed to get our awesome 4WD wagon converted into a camper; complete with our original prototype folding system which allowed use of the rear passenger seats if needed.

Thankfully the previous owner (an Australian) had a major service and overhaul performed on the vehicle before we purchased it. We were lucky enough to only need to do one standard service (oil change) while we owned it. The previous owner also designed and constructed the two water storage tanks (attached to the roof bars). The combined storage was approximately 40L and each tank had a tap and handle fitting for easy use. This proved invaluable, as accessing fresh water proved difficult in rural, arid areas of Chile. We also purchased a 20L fuel canister (also attached to the roof) which allowed extra range and security. Another essential feature given extreme scarcity of gasoline in remote areas of Chile and Bolivia.

We spent the next few months travelling around, chasing waves, meeting new friends, and exploring Chile and Bolivia before selling it to another Australian couple who had plans to ‘carry the torch’ and spend six months travelling around South America with it.