30/01/2026
Territory's get so much hate for being unreliable blah blah blah. Well this is the story of my 2005 SX AWD Territory. Best car I've ever owned.
The first time I ever saw this car was at a little dodgy looking Brisbane car yard about 8 years ago. At the time I'd just sold my last Nissan Skyline after blowing up yet another RB motor. I wanted a cheap run around for work. Enter my first Territory and barra powered car. $3400 RWC and on road costs included and all of 149,000kms on the clock.
For the first 2 years it was just used as a work daily loaded with tool's and crap no appreciation for it at all. It all changed one day after coming across a lifted modified turbo Territory on Facebook and the Ford Territory Camping & Offroad facebook group. I always had a passion for modifying cars in my own unique way and this looked like fun. Little did I know then the adventure and really way of life that would unfold.
The pictures really tell the next part of the story very well. Massive photo dump with this post. Was hard to narrow it down this much.
The mods started with a very basic lift and some very cheap AT tyres. It escalated quickly from there. Well I'll never sell the SX at this point the mods have stopped and maintenance is now all it gets. The adventure hasn't stopped it's just been upgraded to a different model but that's a different story.
Over the last six years I've pushed this poor car hard in ways it was never designed for. It's been full of water a few times, mud, dust and lot's of road trip rubbish the kid's love stuffing in places you never thought possible. It's still been very reliable with way less issues than you would expect from been used in such a way. Thing's have obviously broken over the years but nothing I couldn't fix myself. Maintenance has always been high and working on it has always been super easy. So don't believe all the horror stories people tell you.
I've always had confidence in it's reliability so I've never hesitated in loading up the family and driving thousands of kilometres across Australia. It's seen the outback, deserts, beaches, high country, countless bog holes and river crossings plus so much more. It honestly has been from the most southern point of mainland Australia (Wilson's Promontory) to the most northern part of mainland Australia (Cape York). In between all it's adventures it's still used daily for work, school pick ups, grocery runs and even as a tow car. It's not the normal car you would expect to see at a car show but has still seen many including somehow taking out most modified at a 4X4 show.
The odometer is now sitting at 370,000kms and it's showing no signs of stopping any time soon. So hopefully this helps show what a great car the Ford Territory can be instead of the cry babies who bag them out.
