A Veteran Lives in His Modded Porsche Cayenne S
High-performance German automaker Porsche apparently makes vehicles so luxurious that you could live in them! Although it isn’t necessarily recommended, a Navy veteran is living in his Porsche Cayenne S. The veteran converted the Porsche Cayenne into a camper and has been off-roading throughout the U.S. thanks to some modifications he made.
How a Porsche Cayenne S became an off-roading camper
When you think of campers, Porsche isn’t exactly the first brand that comes to mind. In fact, Porsche is, in many ways, a representative of the complete opposite of campers. Campers need to be sturdy, durable, and able to tackle trails if needed. Porsches are part of the luxury performance world.
This mattered little to Harrison Schoen, a Navy Veteran who felt trapped in a monotonous daily routine before making a major lifestyle change. According to AutoEvolution, Schoen purchased a 2008 Porsche Cayenne S for $9000. The resourceful veteran knew he could convert the performance SUV into an awesome off-roading camper with a little creativity and elbow grease.
Harrison converted the 2008 Porsche Cayenne S into an off-roader by adding 18×9-inch wheels and 33×12.5-inch Nitto trail grappler tires. He also added a Eurowise 4-inch lift conversion kit as well as upper and lower control arms. These modifications got the V8-powered German SUV trail-ready.
A performance SUV that you can live in
Harrison Schoen’s external modifications were important for getting the Porsche where it needed to go but making the SUV habitable was equally important. The point was to build a vehicle that could become a long-term escape rather than a temporary thrill. The 2008 Porsche Cayenne S needed to be redone from the inside out to suit the veteran’s unique needs.
The modified 2008 Porsche Cayenne S works as an off-roader but also doubles as a camper. It houses a fridge, a generator, tools, and an entire storage system. It even has a road shower. A roof box contains more of Schoen’s personal belongings to conserve space. The Navy veteran claims that the modded SUV turned off-roading camper could accommodate three people if needed.
How expensive is the modded Porsche off-roading camper?
The Nitto trail grappler tires are some of the most expensive additions to this Porsche off-roading build at $300+ per tire. The wheels could have racked up several hundred dollars depending on where they came from, though eBay offers some inexpensive used options. The upper and lower control arms, as well as the lift kit, all cost a few hundred dollars and are relatively inexpensive considering how vital they are to the build.
Overall the parts necessary to convert this high-performance SUV into an off-roader amount to approximately less than $5000 without the cost of labor, assuming the wheels were amongst the most expensive parts. If Schoen saved money on the wheels then the build could cost under $4000 to be trail-ready.
Even adding the price of a power generator, fridge, roof rack, roof box, and road shower would bring the total cost of the modified Porsche Cayenne to under $20,000, including the original purchase price. Schoen’s camper is extremely inexpensive, considering it is also an off-roader with a V8 engine. The Navy veteran wanted to break away from his normal routine and explore the country’s trails and wilderness. He didn’t have the right vehicle for the job, so he built one instead.
