Warrnambool’s Aidan Nicolson and Adam Finch will drive the Saab they bought for $500 from Mildura to various remote locations as part of the Mystery Box Rally. 

The Cancer Council fundraiser sees teams drive cars that are more than 25 years old along a mystery route over five days, covering up to 3000 kilometres. 

They depart Warrnambool on October 19 for the rally which begins in Mildura on October 20.

“It’s a mystery box because we don’t know where we’re going,” Mr Nicolson said. “Every morning when we wake up we get a new map from the rally organisers. We go to some extremely remote areas.”

He said they bought the car, which has 424,000 kilometres on the clock, from Ballarat sight unseen. Each team has to raise a minimum of $3500 to enter. 

“Our team name is the Booligans because we’re hooligans from the ‘Bool,” he said.

Mr Nicolson said it was the pair’s second rally together. Their last one was out of Brisbane in 2014 in a 1994 Honda Prelude. He said it was a fun way to meet new people and see tiny towns in the Australian outback. 

“Not only are you going on a holiday but you’re seeing some of the most remote places in Australia that you would never go to, but you’re doing it in a silly fashion of driving a 1987 Saab. It’s bonkers but it’s great fun,” he said.

“By the end of it they’re so dirty. There’s red dirt everywhere. They’re a mess. You can’t have any more fun that this in a 1987 Saab.”

He said there were support crews on the rally which he likened to bush mechanics: “They will stay up all night if they have to in order to get the car up and running. If something happens they’re very good at getting them going again.” 

Mr Nicolson entered the rally with a mate from Melbourne in 2016 and he’s hopeful of the Saab making it to a future event.

“All going well we’ll be back. The problem is we have to drive this car to Mildura but if it blows up on the rally we’ve got no way to get home,” he laughed.

To donate go to 2018.mystery-box.com.au/booligans