Spike Ferguson's Car Matchmaker
Have you seen the Spike Ferguson show "Car Matchmaker"? I’ve watched a few episodes, and until recently, I thought he did an OK job with his options for potential clients/actors/friends. Of course, his latest episode had to do with choosing a new daily driver for a guy who lives in Southern California and likes to frequent the desert for motorcycle riding, camping, and ‘wheeling. His search parameters were pretty simple. He wanted something mid-sized, so it would be easy to navigate and decent on the fuel economy front. It had to be rugged enough to go off-road and have enough towing capacity to pull his motorcycles. His max budget was $30,000. Sadly, while those are all reasonable parameters, it’s hard to find a new 4x4 under 30k. So, Spike decided to show him two pre-owned vehicles and one over-budget brand new one.
Before we get into which three vehicles Spike lined up, I should point out what they did at the beginning of the episode. They went to an off-road training school and drove what appeared to be a newish Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a Rubicon model. This of course allowed them to play up the fact on how they almost got stuck on a side hill. I guess even car shows have to have drama these days.
Back to the three contenders. The first was a brand new 2015 Chevy Colorado Z71. The fact that it was $34,000 I suppose I can look past, since it was a new vehicle that did make sense for the most part. The second vehicle was about as boneheaded of an option as you could have picked. It was a used Land Rover LR3. Let me put this as eloquently as I can. Personally, I would never own anything late-model that has Land Rover stamped on it outside of warranty. There’s a reason this “deal” was only $16,000.The last option was a little closer to reality. It was a Toyota FJ Cruiser. Aside from being overpriced at $30,000 and extremely difficult to see out of, it’s actually a great vehicle. It was ultimately what the guy picked. From a comparison standpoint, he probably made the right decision.
So, why then am I writing a piece about this episode? Frankly, there should have been a different set of contenders. This is actually a topic I get asked about frequently, so I figured I would put down which three I would have chosen for the individual on the show. The following would all likely need to be picked up pre-owned to stay under the $30,000 cap.
1. Toyota Tacoma
The guy was coming from a manual transmission Honda CRV. It was clear he was team Japan, so why not move over to a logical transition with the Tacoma. The 2005 to present Tacoma platform offers plenty of interior room, ample power, and can be option or later outfitted with a rear locker (a fact that was clearly important to the buyer). These are easy to find in manual and make for great desert machines. The fact that he could also toss his motorcycles in the back is just icing on the cake.
2. Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon
Again, the guy clearly liked the SUV platform as he ultimately picked the FJ Cruiser. Putting a 2012 to present up Wrangler against the Toyota only makes sense if he is an off-road enthusiasts. If they had been driving a Rubicon model while at the off-road school, I believe his outlook on the vehicle’s capability would have been much different. On-road, I will concede that the FJ does have slightly better handling and power than the 2007-2011 Wrangler. But, the 2012 to current versions have great power, interior refinement, and way better visibility over the FJ. The towing capacity is a little low on the Wrangler, but enough to haul two dirt bikes and a small trailer. The selectable front and rear lockers, sway bar disconnect, and plenty of practically with four-doors for his daily needs really makes the Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon hard to beat.
3. Toyota 4Runner
While he did end up picking an FJ cruiser, which has a similar suspension architecture to the 4Runner, the 4Runner is much easier to see out of and way more refined. Sure, the plastic floors on the FJ are great for the desert, but the cheap and slippery lining beneath your feet might get old day in and day out. The 2002 to present 4Runners have ample power (you can get one with a V-8 after all) and they keep a good value. A selectable rear locker along with a great tow rating for its size are also part of what makes the 4Runner stand out. The aftermarket support is very strong for this platform as well. So, am I off my rocker, and Spike got it right? Or should there have been other options?
