The Overlanding Rig No One Saw Coming - 95K miles - 15 Countries
Posted by everydaysandro@reddit | overlanding | View on Reddit | 76 comments
Let’s be honest, the Tesla Model X engineers never initially designed their ultimate mum mobile to overland the Americas, or did they?
95K miles, 15 Countries, 4x4 routes, I really like to explore. So why a Tesla Model X?
Tesla has never paid me to promote their products, and that’s the way I want it to be. Independent and free, keeping things as simple as possible. Posting videos about whatever is on my mind! They have been supportive by answering my questions online!
Belugita is a 2023 Tesla Model X Long Range 5 Seater that I purchased used with 100miles on the odemeter in April 2023. My Model X is still mostly stock, besides 300 Watts of custom solar on the hood and 19” rims with Falken Wildpeaks 255/55/R19 A/T tires. On a 100% charge, I can get a solid 530km of range, even pulling over 560km range through the Andes once in Chile!
I love to drive, and when I get tired on long driving days, I turn on Full-Self Driving and sit back and enjoy the view. Feels weird to say, loving to drive but having your car drive for you…
The shear ride comfort, Tesla Supercharging, lack of regular maintenance, massive interior potential and camp mode baked into the software made roadtripping across the US and Canada so fun and a breeze. None of these comforts exist or work after leaving Mexico.
South America is where new charging puzzles began. Larger distances, bureaucracies and add little no information on charging, the first week entering a new country meant a large learning curve. I haven’t been left stranded because of a bad charger, as a regular outlet is a powerful backup!
I have driven across some of the most remote regions in the world, and most people driving the Americas do the same. Sure, charging sometimes is a bit of a puzzle, but the unique connections I have been able to make through the car is worthwhile for me.
Most vehicles overlanding the Americas are one offs, heavily modified rigs to roam into the unknown. I feel like my Model X fits right in, just in a different form, the one no one heard coming on the trial. :).
Many people have nicknamed me ‘El Chico de el futuro’, translating to, “The Boy from the Future’, which feels right in someway. I have seen cars here in the Americas that are way older than myself….so the nickname does feel fitting!
I am amazed on how well my Model X has held up…which just shows that the ultimate mum mobile is build tough by the engineers, doing things it might have never been designed for.
I also don’t carry a spare tire with me. The secret is to collect nails you find on the street and put them in a small ziplock and carry it around😉. We all have our own tolerance for risk right?
I am loving Reddit because I feel like my thoughts can come together and people can chime in. Comments, questions, concerns, write them below!
Sandro & Belugita 📍Argentina
Oak510land@reddit
We definitely did nazi that coming.
everydaysandro@reddit (OP)
Meaning?
Oak510land@reddit
You don't know anything about the owner of Tesla?
Kermit-de-frog1@reddit
Hope you never drove a VW or a Mitsubishi 😉
Oak510land@reddit
I'm talking current affairs.
Kermit-de-frog1@reddit
Don’t learn from history 😎. Though I’d be willing to bet that when Tesla first came out you were hailing ole Elon as the second coming for his EV work . Gotta be tough to live with ……
OP, don’t let them get ya down, Enjoy the trip, may the sun always shine on your panels 😉
Oak510land@reddit
Not at all. My buddy was an engineer for them for 7 years and designed the structure around the battery (not the actual battery just the bomb shell it goes in). He worked directly with him a few times and never had anything good to say about him, this was before we knew he was a nazi.
Btw my buddy owns like 7 vehicles and would never buy a Tesla because he knows intimately about what absolute death traps they are (except the battery enclosure since he stamped that out lol).
Anyhow, supporting Nazis is bad.
Scoutron@reddit
Why are the death traps simultaneously the least likely vehicles to catch fire and the highest safety rated vehicles in America?
Oak510land@reddit
Because you can't open the doors when they crash and people are burning to death in them:
https://localnewsmatters.org/2026/03/24/piedmont-cybertruck-crash-third-lawsuit-tesla-design-flaw/
Scoutron@reddit
So one single crash denotes all the millions of teslas? Because if you actually extrapolate all of the data and compare to other automakers, you’ll find the opposite.
Oak510land@reddit
Ok we get it you love Nazis...
Scoutron@reddit
The nature, adult way to type that out would’ve been,”Okay, I see your point, you may be right.” But I got your point either way.
Oak510land@reddit
I'm not able to take your comment seriously if that's not obvious, hence my dismissive reply. Sounds like Elon fanboy crap. The cars have the worst build quality of any manufacturer and they have done serious safety flaws... Including not being able to open the doors in a wreck and people getting stuck inside. It's not just "one" incident, get real.
Scoutron@reddit
I’m speaking from the data and personal anecdotes. Have you been in a modern Tesla or are you basing your build quality claims on their first attempt at auto manufacturing? The new ones are very nice, especially for their price point. As far as not being able to get out, that’s just not true. The doors are primarily electric, but there is a manual override. It’s no different from a corvette or any other electrically operated car doors.
Oak510land@reddit
I have. My buddy picked me up in one at the airport. When I put my bag in the trunk and closed it the left hinge was sticking up almost half an inch higher than the other side. When I got in the interior trim was falling off. I own three 30+ year old cars, a mix of euro and Japanese and none of them have those kinds of build quality issues. They also took over the NUMMI plant which used to make top quality cars, they have no excuse for making such poor quality vehicles.
As I mentioned in another comment here, a good friend of mine was an engineer for them for 7+ years, he owns lots of cars but would never think of owning a Tesla because he's seen how shitty they are inside and out.
And you're tripping if you think it's acceptable for people to get stuck in them with no escape. They're not even legal to sell in some countries because of this critical issue. Like who thought it was a good idea to sell cars with no mechanical over ride? Maybe they fixed it now after being forced too... But again that's just poor design ethics.
Scoutron@reddit
I just told you they have a manual override, and by the sound of it I don’t think your buddy’s was a newer one. I haven’t so much as heard of an issue like this on the newer ones, much less seen it. I’ve been in like ten 2020+ teslas at this point and they’re all at or above the build quality I’d expect for a 30-50k car
Oak510land@reddit
Again, that shows questionable engineering ethics if they even released a car without manual over ride. Even on the new ones the manual over ride is pretty hidden and obscure. People are still dying from this issue.
Any Toyota or Honda has better build quality than Tesla. Just Google for quality issues with Tesla and you'll see way more reports than any other manufacturer.
Not to mention they're resale value is basically zero because they charge $25k to replace the battery that KBB thinks is worth less than that, and the brand is tarnished because of the owners demonstrated lack of any ethics.
Despite all that you seem to want to believe this is some kind of magical amazing car counter to all evidence and feel compelled to ignore the fact that the owner of the company is neo nazi. Why don't you just go ahead and say it... Aren't you people really proud of what you're doing?
Scoutron@reddit
It's like you're purposefully trying to hate the cars because you want to hate them, as opposed to hating the cars because they're bad cars. They're the least stolen cars in America, they're super cheap to maintain, they have a great warranty, a great buying experience and are the safest cars in America. The manual overrides have always been there, and they're incredibly obvious, I even have to warn people not to use them over the electric ones because they are right there in the open. The battery costs about half of what you cited to replace, and the cars commonly make it past 300k miles on the OEM battery.
Accurate_Summer_1761@reddit
100 years ago vs present day
CraigJay@reddit
Actual Nazis vs Elon Musk
Let’s be honest, no one actually thinks he’s a Nazi jfc. And if anyone does, it’s the most disrespectful thing I could ever imagine; diluting the horrors and pure evil of actual Nazis
ThisTimeImTheAsshole@reddit
I consider him a neo-nazi. Check out his comments on X, what he speaks, and Elon throwing a sieg heil pushes it in to the very likely.
donald-trompeta@reddit
Draymond_Purple@reddit
If this was 1940 people would say the same about VW and Mitsubishi
AdCareless1761@reddit
lol
WeissMISFIT@reddit
lol at the people politicising this post
rivalpinkbunny@reddit
Is hating Nazis political now? I thought it was universally accepted.
Scoutron@reddit
No, it’s inherently political, as is calling everyone you don’t like a nazi in order to justify openly hating them and calling for violence against them
wrapstarflytying@reddit
we're all talking about Elon Musk here right? The guy in the Epstein files multiple times who chucked up a Nazi salute? Just checking.
Scoutron@reddit
Generally when you use a nazi salute as a good faith way of proving someone is a nazi, you capture an instance of them doing it in serious support of nazis. I just hit a nazi salute before typing this sentence, just to say I did it. Are all of my political views now out the window and I am instantly a nazi? Is an Iranian general now an America supporter because he scratched his right eyebrow and it looked a hell of a lot like a salute?
rocklol88@reddit
yup, you confirm what user above is talking... you are prob also ok with your president raping children?
omar4nsari@reddit
ngl I didn’t realize overlanders were this left leaning!
spacefret@reddit
Can't tell if this is satire or not but the outdoorsy type does tend to lean left. Probably some reasons for that.
HairyHutch@reddit
Eh depends, im a wildlife biologist, back when I was taking classes, the students were split about 50/50 politically. It was honestly super weird, as 1 minute people would be having cordial conversations about the class topics, and the next be ruthlessly attacking eachother over politics. Similar goes with people I've met in TPWD.
tallgeese333@reddit
My wife is a conservation biologist with a huge non profit. They have a lot of discussions with staff about how the largest demographic they work with is rural farmers.
The rural farmers are generally very receptive to conservation and sustainable practices. They love the land and maintaining it, they love national parks and federal lands.
It is very difficult to understand how they can constantly vote against their interests. Identity politics really did a number on everyone.
That and they literally can't read very well. Another huge discussion is how to get information to them in a way they can comprehend it, most of them read below a 6th grade level.
TheGuyUrRespondingTo@reddit
Outdoorsy community leans left but 4x4 community leans right. Overlanding is the marriage of the two, & my experience has been that both political affiliations are pretty equally represented in this community.
xrelaht@reddit
That’s not my experience. Hunters are often both right leaning and pro conservation, and loads of conservatives go camping.
Genetics@reddit
That’s becoming an oxymoron with the current admin’s dismantling of the National Parks Service, BLM land privatization, massively expanding mining and drilling leasing on public land, etc. I could go on for a while but you get the point. The shooting club I belong to has become an interesting mix of hunters that still support Trump arguing with the more conservation-minded hunters that have become quite disenfranchised.
omar4nsari@reddit
not satire, didn’t know. outdoorsy folks yes, but the term over landing kinda sounded to me like people with giant rigs driving over fields
WhichAd366@reddit
You’re describing off-roading
omar4nsari@reddit
In a literal sense over landing sounds similar to off-roading to me
Oak510land@reddit
The brand politicized itself, people are talking about it. How bizarre.
No_Way_Kimosabe@reddit
It’s a political brand. What do you expect?
Jmauld@reddit
Serious question. Did you have any issues with the gull wing doors? I’ve been considering getting one of these. But those doors…. We looked at a used one and the passenger door wouldn’t close. The car dealer did something to it and it started working again.
I’m asking YOU, not to be a smart ass, but if anyone is having trouble with those doors it would be someone who has driven the car like this.
SoundofPsithurism@reddit
I’m a Tesla body tech. They’re discontinuing the s and x mainly due to quality control issues. I will tell you from first hand experience that there is tons of issues with the doors and countless other things. I describe working on the s and x like working on a homemade car. Steer clear
C-Hughes@reddit
I think you forgot the most important part of an overlanding rig is to make sure people can tell you overland just by looking at it. You need a rack and some unused maxtrax on that thing, so people know who they are dealing with.
wrapstarflytying@reddit
To me this is more a question of why would you ever support that guy, or handicap yourself with a vehicle like this when there are so many other options available but I cannot deny it's impressive! Good luck in your travels!
fantasticgoat7171@reddit
Damn now this is dumb as fuck
mcdisney2001@reddit
“You made an Rv…out of a DELOREAN???”
Sad_Information_1053@reddit
Do you carry a generator to charge for emergency charging?
CryptographerHot4636@reddit
Cute, but it's still a swaticar
everydaysandro@reddit (OP)
That was 2025
rivalpinkbunny@reddit
And you think that because you purchased the car the year before that, that you should feel free to actively promote a vehicle that a Neo-Nazi sells? I’m just confused on what your position here is.
Let’s assume that you do get off the hook for owning a car by a car company that’s owned by a Neo Nazi and generally abhorrent human being because you bought it “before Elon went crazy”. It’s one thing to slap a sticker on it disowning him and never talk about it again and quite another to make post after post about how awesome your Mercedes “grosser” circa 2026 is. Maybe enjoy your car and stop with the free Tesla marketing.
Jmauld@reddit
Complete insanity
CryptographerHot4636@reddit
He's been a public asshole as far as 2018.
overlanding-ModTeam@reddit
Be Kind, Be Respectful
Powerful-Chard2635@reddit
This is fascinating! Any issues with the air suspension? Did the navigation work outside of the US? What services did you need done to it? Any failure from the charger or Falcon wing doors? How banged up is the pack? Did you put any aftermarket under shielding on it?
Itchy-Stage1230@reddit
Ignore the idiots it’s a beautiful vehicle.
a_lostsoul@reddit
Not a Tesla fan but bad ass trip you embarked on in your rig!! Sucks you getting downvoted thanks for sharing man
Tr0yticus@reddit
An interesting choice. I’ve never seen someone so blatantly expose their Nazo idealism this way
TemporaryMenu4381@reddit
Nice swasticar. You must be a tech bro or something. Or super living in an alternative universe. I’d be ashamed to show my face driving one of those vehicles.
everydaysandro@reddit (OP)
I do live in my own reality and love to spark a conversation
TemporaryMenu4381@reddit
I wouldn’t call this a conversation. Go do it in a regular EV.
TemporaryMenu4381@reddit
I truly love the mod bot is telling me to be kind yet someone else who said the same thing earlier did not.
overlanding-ModTeam@reddit
Be Kind, Be Respectful
dikkiesmalls@reddit
Really impressed you made it half the places you did! Just shows that a large portion of overlanding is in the tires!
MartiniCommander@reddit
Did it ever leave the road?
shorty5windows@reddit
Have you gotten it stuck in mud or sand?
The_Wrecking_Ball@reddit
Epic! Love to see and hear about folks getting after it - pushing the boundaries of adventure. Get some!!
throwaway72592309@reddit
I’ve always been a skeptic of electric vehicles but this is undeniably cool
AccordingIy@reddit
cool! you've done more actual overlanding than 90% of the trophy truck builds with 50 milwaukee pack outs
shorty5windows@reddit
Trophy trucks don’t do overlanding.
everydaysandro@reddit (OP)
I also feel super fortunate with my YouTube community carrying us forward gifting us this freedom
AccordingIy@reddit
im exaggerating but i mean these kinds of builds i see rolling around from time to time https://www.reddit.com/r/overlanding/comments/1jco7mg/socal_overland_expo/
AnyBeat2166@reddit
Where / how do you sleep? Can you send a picture of your bedding arrangements ?
everydaysandro@reddit (OP)
everydaysandro@reddit (OP)
https://youtu.be/W5o_ydH94NY?si=3NpK2nOSrbKh0cKp