In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski and Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder. First, they talk about driving the 2020 Bentley Continental GT V8 First Edition, followed by the 2020 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road. Then they revive a format called "This or That," discussing the Jeep Wrangler vs. Gladiator, Subaru Forester vs. Outback, Mustang vs. Camaro vs. Challenger, and whether they'd rather spend $25,000 on a new or vintage car. They've got an update on a previous Spend My Money segment, and, finally, they help another listener pick a daily driver.
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[THEME MUSIC]
GREG MIGLIORE: Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Autoblog Podcast. I'm Greg Migliore. Joining me today in studio senior editor, John Snyder.
JOHN SNYDER: Hey, how's it going?
GREG MIGLIORE: It's going pretty well. It's Wednesday. It is very gray. Looks more like the first week of February here in Michigan, but so it goes. On the phones from mid Ohio, I guess, not the racetrack, but literally, geographically, is Jeremy Korzeniewski, our consumer editor. How's the weather down there, JK?
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: Also gray, also snowy, and also mid-February-ish.
GREG MIGLIORE: Yeah. We've literally slipped right into that kind of late-winter depression. And I like winter, I really do. But I was hoping for another week of fall.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: Yeah, it's just not time for winter yet.
GREG MIGLIORE: Yeah. I mean, so it goes, but you know what really warmed me up was the Bentley Continental GT we had this week. That was a lot of fun. And we're also going to talk about the Toyota 4Runner, which I always liked you like driving those. There are a lot of fun. This one was the TRD off road one, loaded up, pretty cool. So we'll talk about those.
Then we're going to do a segment that you might remember-- longtime readers of the site might remember-- this or that. It's sort of where we debate a subject, like, both sides of it. We're going to basically do things like take positions and have some fun with that. A couple of the subjects, just to tease it out, we'll debate if you get the Jeep Gladiator or the Jeep Wrangler and a couple other interesting topics.
Then lastly, we will spend your money. We do have an update on an episode-- episode 590. We have an update on what Jeff ended up buying. Hint-- it may play into another theme we've already mentioned, so we'll see. All right, let's jump right in, though, with a Bentley. This thing was not cheap, as you would expect.
JOHN SNYDER: [CHUCKLES]
GREG MIGLIORE: Beautiful car. Subtle, understated little bit. Interior had purple lighting, which I thought was cool. Very nice vehicle powerful. This is the Continental GT with the V8 engine, which I think is plenty of motor, actually.
JOHN SNYDER: It really is. You know, I was looking at the specs, and it has-- you know, it's a 4 liter V8, twin turbo charged. It's got 542 horsepower, 568 pound feet of torque. That is-- that's just shy of the amount of horsepower that the original Conty GT 2004 12 cylinder had. Just a few horsepower shy. And it out-torques it by quite a bit. And it still does 0 to 60 in 3.9 seconds. Yeah, definitely plenty of motor there.
This one's also the first edition. So with the GT V8 starting at about-- well, it says 198.5 on this.
GREG MIGLIORE: That's a bargain.
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah. The total price on ours is 280,000.
GREG MIGLIORE: So you're saying we maybe ticked a few options, is that what we did there?
JOHN SNYDER: Yes. Yeah, It's got the centenary specifications, so it's got a bunch of badges.
GREG MIGLIORE: Pretty cool. British flags, things like that.
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah. And the badge on the front says 1919 to 2019. I'ts got the first edition treatment, so it's got some cool badges there, and 22 inch black wheels, and things like that. BNO sound system. But yeah, it's pretty cool. That-- that color, it's called damson, but it's, like a--
GREG MIGLIORE: It's cool name for a color.
JOHN SNYDER: It's like a plum, like a dark plum almost mahogany sort of wine color.
GREG MIGLIORE: Yeah, like a really deep red.
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah.
GREG MIGLIORE: You could have one glass of it and not need a second one.
JOHN SNYDER: And it looks pretty good. The exterior is kind of subtlely purple, but inside, it's-- it's like a boudoir thing going on. That deep purple with lots of quilting and just leather everywhere.
GREG MIGLIORE: The inside, the main hide, which is what you know, normally you would call just interior furnishings, is also damson.
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah.
GREG MIGLIORE: And the secondary hide is beluga.
JOHN SNYDER: Beluga. Yes, so like the headliner I think is that beluga, it's like a darker black. But yeah, fun car to drive. You know, I was going to take it home the other day during that snowstorm, opted out of that.
[LAUGHTER]
And took the 4runner instead, which we'll get to. But I drove this last night. Super comfortable on the highway. Compliant suspension, there's a little bit of road noise. I think that the big wheels and smaller rubber have a little bit to do with that.
GREG MIGLIORE: It's our 22 inchers, five spokes--
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah, they're huge. And the brakes inside there are just enormous. The biggest disks I've ever seen. And huge calipers, too. But yeah, it's-- it's compliant, it's comfortable. Super comfortable. And yet it still feels pretty spry. It's definitely quick. And it feels-- it handles pretty well for a car that weighs 5,000 pounds.
GREG MIGLIORE: I was a little surprised, actually, that the visibility, at least the forward visibility was decent. I mean, not like Subaru Forester or good, but, like-- like, OK. You know, sometimes, you get in cars like that, and you're in like a submarine.
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah, the Hood's pretty high on that, but other than that, it's not too bad. There's not a lot of body in the way. There is-- yeah, there's that high hood and that big leather dash that sort of, you know, you can't see directly in front of you, but you can sort of see your corners pretty well, and get a good sense of making sure you're not going to hit that car in the parking lot.
GREG MIGLIORE: Did you flip the infotainment? Did you do that at all?
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah.
GREG MIGLIORE: It's a cool feature, right?
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah, so when you turn it off, It Just looks like the rest of the dash. Ours is, like, a black veneer with like, a little bright work stripe down it that goes all the way around the entire interior. And then when you turn it on, it flips to the infotainment screen. And then there's another button you can press that makes it flip one more time to-- there's a compass, a stopwatch, and some other analog dial. But it looks really cool.
GREG MIGLIORE: If you want to see a video of it, i just tweeted that out this morning. Check my Twitter handle. That's @gregmigliore. Shameless self promotion. What's your Twitter handle, John?
JOHN SNYDER: It's @jbeltsnyder.
GREG MIGLIORE: All right, there we go. So if you're interested in following along with us, Jeremy, what is your Twitter handle, while we're doing some self promotion?
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: @jkorz.
GREG MIGLIORE: All righty. So there you go. If you're curious, you got feedback from this podcast, or hey, you want to see that Bentley video, do check it out. But anyways, yeah, to get back to the Bentley, I actually really like the exterior styling of this latest generation of the Continental. I think, obviously, it looks like you would expect. But I think they've done a good job of keeping it very proportional, very demonstrative.
You know, I like the black wheels. I think that's cool, too. I think have a car this expensive, it's good to have subtle pieces. Yeah, I really liked it. You know, walking the dog, I'd be coming around the corner of my neighborhood, and it didn't pop out at you like, oh wow, that guy's got a Bentley in his driveway. It's just like, OK, it's a nice car. Wait, what's that?
JOHN SNYDER: For a $280,000, it's-- it's relatively understated, you know? Especially in that dark color. Coming into the garage on a Monday morning and seeing it from across the way, you know, the haunches, it kind of looks like a Mustang in profile. Nothing too flashy or crazy. But as you get closer, you know, you start picking out these details. It's got that, you know, sort of iconic diamond mesh grill.
GREG MIGLIORE: I love that grill.
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah.
GREG MIGLIORE: I think that grill is just spectacular.
JOHN SNYDER: The lights are pretty signature. And then there's just really cool details, little badges here and there, little touches, little patterns inside the housing of the light. And yeah, really, really cool attention to detail. And then you get inside of it and it's just amazing. That's where I think this car really, really shines. It's just that interior craftsmanship, I think, more so than it's power, than its price tag, than anything on the exterior, under the hood. I think it's that interior that really sets this car apart.
GREG MIGLIORE: I'm really impressed with the little details, like you said, on this car. So many things that really make it feel special, make it feel expensive. Decadent without being over the top decadent. You know, just really a very nice car. It's the kind of thing that I think-- I mean, if I were in this segment, I would look for a car like this because it's very drivable.
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah.
GREG MIGLIORE: Like, I didn't feel very intimidated driving it. A couple years ago, I was actually doing a video shoot out in California and we had a Lambo, I think we an Aventador, we had a McLaren-- I forget which one, but it was McLaren. And then I needed a car to drive back to and from the track. And the Bentley was part of another shoot, if you will. It was a Conty GTC-- actually, it was a V8.
JOHN SNYDER: Nice.
GREG MIGLIORE: And at first I was thinking, oh man, do I want to tool around LA in a Bentley? But super comfortable. It was like basically my base of operations for the shoot.
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah.
GREG MIGLIORE: And again, same vibe with this. Drove it around this weekend, took it to Kroger, where I did the like drive up and they deliver your groceries out to you, which I believe is, like, delivery fee-free until the new year. That's not a product placement. That's just I found that out. Love the look when the guy is like, where do you want your groceries, sir, in your Bentley. That's kind of fun.
Otherwise, I didn't get a ton of-- like, a ton of stares or people really being blown away by it. I think the-- you know, again, the color is pretty subtle. I don't know, it's been very dark and gray, so the car is a little bit of a Q-ship. But, Yeah, I mean, that's about what I did with it. Ran some errands.
I ended up driving into the office on Sunday night and swapping out for a different car just for a variety of like, you know, child care transport reasons. And I actually enjoyed that, because I thoroughly got to, like, soak in the car on a Sunday night before the weather turned here, have some fun with it. And then it was waiting for you 48 hours later when you decide to drive it. And for the record, that was totally the right decision to wait out the storm.
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah.
GREG MIGLIORE: Even though this thing's totally capable, I mean, there is, I think, a little bit of like, you know, it would weigh on your mind to be driving a car that costs as much as, actually, a pretty nice house.
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah.
GREG MIGLIORE: And, you know, you like, skid off the road and like, scrape a guardrail. Hey, who cares, you do that in whatever car, but--
JOHN SNYDER: And the first snow, you know, it's other people you have to worry about, too. Everyone just drives like an idiot the first time it snows. You know, pay enough attention as they should or they drive either too fast or way too slow. But anyway, this thing, once the snow is gone, very good. Really nice grand-- grand touring vehicle. It really does the GT thing very well. Comfortable inside, spacious.
The trunk is actually pretty big. I was looking back there. I could probably fit two of me back there pretty comfortable if I wanted to stuff myself inside there. But, you know, big enough for-- definitely for enough luggage for a long weekend. This would be a great car to drive up north and take to, you know, Traverse City and bring your golf clubs and be comfortable on the highway. You get there fast. It just does all those things really, really well. It's not-- you know, it's not the most raucous, athletic, boisterous car out there for that price, but it does yeah, that grand touring thing just super well.
GREG MIGLIORE: Little bit of a lost art these days, too. Like, I really enjoy a good grand touring car. I think that in some ways is really like my thing. You know, I like big cars like that that I have, like, strong motors, but also could be a little bit comfortable. You know, again, it's a lost art. You know, like the Mercedes SL. You those are very good. You know, I mean-- yeah. Just I think if I were like a rockstar or professional athlete, and I wanted a car that was, like-- you know we're not just talking like a very nice Mercedes or BMW, you're talking like celebrity like, you know, level car, I would look at this.
Because it's like this is way more comfortable and easy to drive than like, you know, an Huracan or something, you know? Like, just because you have the money to afford a Lambo like that doesn't mean you're going to enjoy driving it. I really enjoyed driving this. I also enjoyed driving the Huracan, for the record. But on a daily basis? No, I don't want to take a Lambo to Kroger.
JOHN SNYDER: Right. If you don't have to put anyone in the back seat of this, it's actually really practical.
GREG MIGLIORE: Totally.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: I think--
JOHN SNYDER: Go ahead, Jeremy.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: I think there's something to be said, too, for like the-- not quite so ostentatious side of it, too. You know, a Bentley and fly under the radar in ways that something like a Rolls Royce doesn't. I don't know if I've ever told this story on the podcast before, but one time, I had of a Rolls Royce vehicle that I was testing, and I had to get from one place to another. And the way to get there, you had to get on a ferry.
So I was on the ferry. The rocking of the boat that's the alarm off. And so over the entire loudspeaker on this ferry, some guy comes out and says, whoever is rolling in the Rolls, your alarm is going off. You may want to go take care of that. And I felt like super, super awkward getting up and being like, oh yeah, sorry, guys, that's me. You know, it kind of puts you in a weird position.
And I feel like something like the Bentley Continental GT, people recognize that it's a special car and something really great but you're not going to get-- you know, you're not going to get those moments where you're kind of like red faced and almost embarrassed by it a little bit like. You know, I'm not that ostentatious of a person, so, you know, I think I feel like the Bentley kind of fits me a little bit more.
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah, I could totally see that. I agree 100%. It takes-- you know, I did get someone you know sort of circling the car in the parking lot checking it out, but it was someone who was driving an Audi TT. So he already has a taste for good cars. But you know other than that, I didn't really have anyone ogling it or asking me about it. And I like that.
GREG MIGLIORE: Yeah. Sometimes, it is fun to fly below the radar. Like, there's certain cars you pull up in and like, it's just like you know-- like, like a plum crazy Challenger or anything that's just so over the top, it's like, you know people are going to be like, so what's up with that?
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah, having to explain myself at the gas station.
GREG MIGLIORE: Such a first world problem. But I will say that could be fun. But it's also sort of-- it is fun to fly below the radar, I think, you know? Cool, I think-- that's awesome story, by the way, Jeremy. That is only an auto journalist thing. You're on a ferry and the alarm goes off in your roller.
JOHN SNYDER: And you're embarrassed about it.
GREG MIGLIORE: You're embarrassed about it.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: Yeah, good times. You had to get around and varies a lot in the Pacific Northwest in the Seattle area. There's so many big bodies of water to get-- to drive around. So instead of bridges, they just load them on ferries. But yeah, most people don't have those-- those kinds of problems to worry about.
GREG MIGLIORE: I took a ferry in, I think, Norway a couple of years ago, and just-- I really like getting on board those things. Like, it's relaxing, it's usually not a long trip. It's enough to have maybe have a beer or something.
JOHN SNYDER: We could have a whole podcast segment about how cool car ferries are.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: OK, I have one other ferry story. I was on the Jaguar F-PACE launch maybe three, four years ago. And they launched it in Montenegro-- which, Montenegro is amazing if. You ever get a chance to go, it's really cool. It's not the kind of place that I'd be like, oh yeah, top of my list, I want to go to Montenegro. But if you get a chance, go.
Weirdest ferry experience of my life. We could fit like three, four cars on this floating barge of a platform. It was completely underpowered. There was like a huge chain or like, massive rope that went across, and there were like three, four guys standing on the ferry that went hand over hand over hand pulling the barge of cars-- like, three, four at a time across this body of water. It was like one of those moments where I thought, I have got to get this on video, because this is something you're never ever going to see anywhere else.
JOHN SNYDER: That's awesome, man. I can't even picture that.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: Yeah, it's crazy.
JOHN SNYDER: Those guys must have some serious arm muscles.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: You'd think, like, after a little while on that job, right?
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah.
GREG MIGLIORE: Well, I guess we should probably transition over to the 4runner. John and I spent the last couple nights driving one here in the office. Jeremy, though, I know you've been in and out of these recently and just also, for years. Real quickly, what is your like you know immediate take on the 4runner? Like it, don't like it? I mean, sum it up.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: I think the 4runner is great. There's not that many vehicles out there right now that are so true to just what they are. They're not trying to be something that they're not, and I think that's totally the 4runner. It is unapologetically a body out of frame sport utility vehicle. It's not a crossover. It's not trying to be white. It doesn't ride smooth. It's rough and tumble. You know, it is what it is, and I think it's super appealing for that reason.
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah, it was appealing to me when the snow is coming down and there is about a foot of it. Yeah, I drove it home through the snow. Very easy to drive through the snow. Just pop the little lever into four wheel drive. It's not all the time. You've got to do it yourself.
GREG MIGLIORE: I did it all the time. Even this morning, I'm like, nope, four wheel drive.
JOHN SNYDER: But yeah, it was-- I was super confident driving the snow with that thing. It is, yeah, rough and tumble. The suspension, there's a lot-- there's a lot going on there. It travels quite a bit. Yeah, my wife would probably instantly get carsick in it. But I think that kind of thing is cool. I would definitely love to actually drive those off road.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: Yeah--
GREG MIGLIORE: Go ahead, Jeremy.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: Oh, I just think it's not-- it's not the kind of vehicle that everyone is going to like. It's not the kind of vehicle that we'd recommend to just anyone. Oh, you're shopping for a midsize SUV, check out the 4runner. There's a lot more comfortable options out there. You know, the Kia Telluride comes to mind, is a really great three row crossover. It's going to be a lot more comfortable in everyday driving and a heck of a lot more fuel efficient, too. But if you're looking for that, like, traditional SUV experience, the 4runner is great.
JOHN SNYDER: And I feel like Toyota and Lexus to that end do that pretty well. I mean, their actual body on frame as SUVs feel very true to the spirit of SUVs. What you're talking about with McGraw a couple episodes ago about the Toyotas and Lexus sort of land cruiser style vehicles, and you know, the 4runner is the same thing. It's-- it's a classic, you know? It's a modern classic, I would say, in terms of its personality.
GREG MIGLIORE: It's definitely a vehicle I could drive every day. I think I would-- if I were looking to get a daily driver, I would probably look at a lightly used one. You know, let somebody else try to take the depreciation hit. And, you know, everything else on there has not changed. I mean, that's not a modern infotainment system. You know, the rest of the gauges and the dials, it's all-- it's all the same as it's been, largely, you know, for recent memory, if you will.
I really like the exterior styling. To me, it just really hits all the cords. It's fun to drive, you know? I mean, I like that bouncy suspension. We had an optional suspension on there, I think was about 17, $1,800. That's OK.
JOHN SNYDER: And I'll say something about that. I've driven 4runners before, and there's a lot of squat and dive. It's like riding a seesaw. And this one wasn't quite so bad.
GREG MIGLIORE: Might be the suspension, maybe, I don't know.
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah, I thought this one was definitely better. We should mention the price on this one or else I'll get yelled at. Total on this one is $46,942. And that is with-- the kinetic dynamic suspension system is 1,750 on this.
GREG MIGLIORE: Honestly, I would-- if that's having sort of the effect that we think it is-- because like, I remember for a 4runner we had a while ago-- I was bouncing all over the place on that thing. So I'm assuming this suspension is kind of smoothing things out. I think that's worth it, especially if you're going to--
JOHN SNYDER: Oh, for sure.
GREG MIGLIORE: --own this car for a while.
JOHN SNYDER: If you're driving this in traffic at all, yes, absolutely.
GREG MIGLIORE: If you have to break the car under any sort of like time constraints, yeah, definitely. And actually, this is a pretty good riding SUV.
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah, I mean, it's definitely--
GREG MIGLIORE: Sort of what it is, let me qualify that.
JOHN SNYDER: It's bouncy, but it's not, like, that squishy sort of bouncy. It's more of that like, truck-like sort of bouncy, which I can deal with.
GREG MIGLIORE: I love the road view. it's a pretty you know, jacked up SUV with those big tires on it. You sort of-- you know, you see over a lot of things. Maybe not the dude in the, you know, Ram 2500 or something. But, you know, you're flying above a lot of people and that's cool. Yeah, I mean, my son liked it. Put him in the back, car seat fit nice and easy. If it wasn't 9 degrees, I would have vented that, like, window that rolls down in the back, which is cool.
Yeah, cabin's good, it's very usable. You know, everything's laid out. Like you were saying, John, the four wheel drive, like, leverage boom right there. So that's good. I kind of like that more than the knob, actually, which I think is on other 4runners. This is very just basic. You know, you want four wheel drive, you got to pull this lever.
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah.
GREG MIGLIORE: Which is cool.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: One note and the 4runner. If someone's shopping for a brand new 4runner and they're getting in that upper 40, $50,000 range, don't forget to take a look at certified preowned Lexus GX models, also. It's a very similar platform. With the GX, you get a full time four wheel drive system and the 4.6 liter V8, which is-- you know, it's a little bit more powerful and a little bit more refined than the six cylinder that you get in the 4runner at that price range. You end up with maybe a little bit nicer of a car, maybe a little bit quieter, maybe even a little bit less fuel efficient. But definitely something to cross shop.
JOHN SNYDER: Agreed. Yeah, that V8 is nice. We had one of those in a while back, and it's plenty potent. It's actually pretty fun to drive around.
GREG MIGLIORE: Yeah-- excuse me. Yeah, I think, you know, if I were looking for like you know a daily driver or something that you know could have some space, some capability, and I wanted that, like-- you know, wanted the SUV feel, I would look at a 4runner, I would look at a GX lightly used GX, maybe, like you said, Jeremy. Yeah, I mean, frankly, I think it was you earlier, John, was mentioning-- you were mentioning just like how well Toyotas like traditional SUV thos are really sort of carrying through. And I think that's an awesome thing.
I think there's so many like commodity crossovers out there that have no character, they're bland, they're boring to drive. They don't have guts or they look weird, you know? Like, I mean, even some of the other Lexus SUVs. I think it's great that if you want an old school SUV that's still like a modern, reliable, safe vehicle, that Toyota is more than willing to accommodate you.
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah this feels like something from, you know, the mid-'90s in a good way.
GREG MIGLIORE: Yeah.
JOHN SNYDER: I mean, it hasn't changed a lot. Like, it's kept the good things and improved somewhat on some of the other things. There's some things that could use some updating, especially with the technology. The one thing I found with this the infotainment with any sun shining in there, I could not see the infotainment screen to save my life.
GREG MIGLIORE: A modern infotainment screen would really help this thing out. I think-- you know, it's really interesting when you drive different like vehicles like sort of post-refresh, and then you're, like, oh, wow, that really made a difference. They just put a new infotainment system, changed the wheels, and did, like, two or three other things. And it's just like, oh, that made all the difference. So I feel like there are some tweaks they can make here to the 4runner that would help it out a little bit. That being said, I think whoever really wants a 4runner is just going to buy one, anyway.
JOHN SNYDER: Right.
GREG MIGLIORE: So cool. So 4runner, I think, is a good transition to talk about the Jeep Wrangler. And also launch a segment that we're going to call This or That. Longtime readers of the site will remember that we used to do a written This or That post. It was kind of fun. You know, we'd argue, we'd debate, we'd talk about different approaches to things. And we're going to try it out on the podcast. Who knows, maybe we'll throw some of these into posts or something, too.
First subject, though, This or That, the Jeep Gladiator or the Jeep Wrangler. Two fairly similar vehicles. I think it's fair to say if you're going to look at one, you'd probably look at the other. Jeremy, you know, I know I've said this a million times, but with the initials JK, I will throw this Jeep subject over to you. This or That, Gladiator or Wrangler?
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: All right. So first, my pick, I'm going Gladiator. And here's why-- two birds with one stone. I'm getting my bun off road take the top off, take the doors off, I'm putting the windshield down-- leave that to other people. But take the top off, take the doors off, open air fun experience vehicle. That translates really well from Wrangler over to Gladiator.
And I'm getting a pickup truck, which is super useful. And the tow rating is better, which I do tow things from here, you know, from time to time. So yeah, that's probably the way that I'm going. I will counter my own opinion by saying that the Wrangler looks better than the Gladiator. You know, it's more classic. The proportions, I think, are better. So if you don't need the pickup truck bed, save yourself a little bit of money, you're probably going to enjoy the Wrangler a little bit more. But for me, yeah, I'd go Gladiator.
GREG MIGLIORE: John?
JOHN SNYDER: Wrangler. A couple of reasons. I don't-- I don't really need a bed, nor do I want one, partly because the added length, partly because I don't want people asking me to help them move.
GREG MIGLIORE: That's a fair point. You have a truck, people are going to hit you up, help me move.
JOHN SNYDER: Right. So that's number one. Number two, if I'm getting a Jeep, I'm probably going to start doing a lot more off roading. And if I'm going to do that, I want something that-- I want the better one. I think the shorter wheelbase of the Wrangler just is better suited to hitting some of the trails up north. I think they both look good.
I think the Gladiator actually looks really cool. It's different. But I think just for me, I don't I don't want to-- I don't want to help people move and. I want better-- just that marginally better off roading capability. I don't want to get, you know, high sided on a little hill on some sort of crest. So yeah, Wrangler for me. And yeah, save some money.
GREG MIGLIORE: There you go, there you go. For me, it's the Wrangler. The whole genesis even for the segment for me was I was so excited about the Gladiator. Like, super excited. I've been looking at older Jeeps like, you know older Comanches, looking at-- I mean, even old Gladiators, Scramblers, and just thinking how cool they are. Thinking, should I try to get one.
Then I'm like, no, Gladiator is going to come up. This will be like the truck, you know, for me, if I ever do need to buy a daily driver. And then the novelty kind of wore off. And I've been like kind of looking at like just Wranglers rolling around and looking at some of the different things you could do with them, the different packages.
The profile, for me, it does kind of come down to the design a little bit. And to be clear, I really like both of them. But I've just really started to like the Wrangler again. I think I would probably fit, like-- you know, find the price point that I felt comfortable with, and then just get as much Wrangler as I could. Yeah. And just for me, I've really started to come back around to the Wrangler.
I think-- and I also like the SUV like utility. For me, having some room and back is better than having it actually fairly large bed. I don't need that kind of capability right now. Nobody's asked me to help them move in a while, but you know, that's a fair point with the truck.
JOHN SNYDER: I'm too old for that, man.
GREG MIGLIORE: Yeah. Like, throw out your back. But yeah, Wrangler. And frankly, someday, I think I'd like to own a Wrangler. I think that'd be cool.
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah. It's definitely like something that's been on my list of cars I would love to own one day and probably will. particularly when they come out with a plug-in version.
GREG MIGLIORE: Yes, I actually--
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: I--
GREG MIGLIORE: Go ahead, Jeremy.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: I have owned Wranglers.
GREG MIGLIORE: Which ones have you owned?
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: Well, you see, I've owned the same one more than one time, believe it or not. I had a 1990 that my dad picked up. And it was basically my car. I started making the payments on it and it truly became my car. Came home from a work trip once and dad had it completely taken apart in the barn. He said, I'm just doing a little bit of maintenance on it. I get back the next week from another work trip and it's lifted with huge wheels and tires and a stereo in it. And, you know, that was kind of just like a super cool dad thing to do.
My dad was an engineer at Jeep, for anyone who didn't know that. So I gave that car back over to him when I got married, and he drove it for a little while longer. And then I got it back from him again and absolutely loved that thing.
Now I will say that it was a four cylinder and once it was lifted with those big wheels, it was just as slow as can be. You know, like, put to the floor, you're hoping to keep up with traffic on the Expressway at 65 miles an hour. So that you don't have that issue with modern Wranglers. And I haven't owned anything like super recent, but I could see myself one day once-- you know, once the current or whatever-- what are they, JLs-- once the JL Unlimited get into a you know reasonable used car price point, then yeah, I could see myself picking up another one.
GREG MIGLIORE: The turbo four we had in the office maybe two three months ago, I really like that engine with the Wrangler. Was surprised how much I liked it and how-- you know, the kind of energy that it gave the Wrangler. I think the Pentastar V6 is probably the best all around engine in that segment or in the Wrangler.
But I might, if I were buying one, look at the turbo four too, just because it gives the whole-- like, it gives the Wrangler a different feel. And some of the other options like a plug-in-- I'm not sure I'd get a diesel Wrangler. I mean, maybe, but I just-- I don't know. Unless I'd like longer highway drives, I don't think I'd go down that road. But there's a lot of variety there, let's put it that way.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: Now you can't get the turbo four with the stick shift. It's the automatic only.
GREG MIGLIORE: You cannot.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: Yeah.
GREG MIGLIORE: It's auto-only.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: Yeah, I mean, I'm going to save, what is it, $2,000 option for the automatic over the manual. So I'm going to save that money, get the manual, keep the Pentastar, and put that $2,000 into rock rails or something.
JOHN SNYDER: That's a good point.
GREG MIGLIORE: That's a good point.
JOHN SNYDER: Or into more gas.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: There you go.
GREG MIGLIORE: There you go. All right, let's move along-- wow, I totally went down the rabbit hole. I'm, like, already specing out a Wrangler. And there's like more versions that I realized. I think I would actually look at getting a Willys spec.
JOHN SNYDER: That's cool.
GREG MIGLIORE: That comes in at-- starts at 37,490. Comes in like-- just a bone stock Willys, you get a lot of cool stuff, actually. Oh yeah, I think I might do that. Yeah, the gray looks good. The first time I did the Rubicon, I did it four door green Wrangler for the refresh 20-- 2012, somewhere in there. So I've always been partial to green Wranglers, too. You know, the whole military Jeep.
JOHN SNYDER: I had a green Cherokee back in the day, so--
GREG MIGLIORE: Nice.
JOHN SNYDER: Green is good Jeep color.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: Do they have a deep green yet or is it just that like super bright grass green, still?
GREG MIGLIORE: So I'm only seeing the grass green. I'm, like, literally looking at the colors.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: It's too green. That's too green for me.
GREG MIGLIORE: It's pretty green. Like, the last generation did have, like, almost like an army green, which looked really cool. That and like, that, that sand one-- Sandstone, whatever they called it. That was awesome. All right, people don't need to hear us talk about Wrangler colors, but yeah, that's one of the fun things of working for a car website. We should be, like, hey, let's spec out some cars and hey, what do we make this a post? OK.
So anyways. All right, another This or That. I think a lot of people cross shop these-- the Subaru Forester or the Subaru Outback. Why don't we start with you this time, John?
JOHN SNYDER: Outback. The new Outback is really nice. It feels more premium than before. I like that infotainment system, the vertically-aligned. And it just drives really nice. The steering on it is very good. It feels very comfortable on soft roads. It feels like really at home on soft roads. And it's just a little more space for me. It's more money, but I would live with that a lot longer than I would with a Forester. I would definitely keep an Outback, you know, maybe till it dies.
[LAUGHTER]
But yeah, I would go with Outback. The Forester-- also, you can't get the turbo in the Forester. You can in the Outback. So depending on where you live, that's going to be important, especially if you live in the mountains or something. You're going to want that turbocharger. So yeah, Outback.
GREG MIGLIORE: Outback. I will second that. I'd also go with the Outback. I do like-- we have our long term Forester, which I'm actually taking to the UP this weekend. It's a strong vehicle. I'm-- I've always liked the Forester, but to me, the Outback is its own like special breed. Forester's good, but I think if I were to go down that road, I would start-- I'd cross shop with a few other things-- I don't Know, maybe a 4runner or a Wrangler.
Like, if I really wanted that SUV body style, I think the Forester is very good. I think this new iteration of it is-- is one of the best-- probably the best Forester, ever. It's a cliche, it's the newest. But they really have gotten it right, I think. But I would still go Outback. I like the wagon body style. I like the sort of like, you know, lightly lifted body style. I think it's one-- one of the few vehicles that actually looks good having a little bit of plastic-- like, off road cladding on it.
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah.
GREG MIGLIORE: So yeah, totally, Outback. Jeremy?
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: Outback. I mean, I'd love to be the contrarian here, but you got sidetracked speccing Wranglers. I'm not sidetracked speccing Outback. I've got a really nice Outback specced right now with cinnamon brown pearl paint.
JOHN SNYDER: Oh yeah, I love that brown.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: Yeah.
GREG MIGLIORE: I wouldn't get that, but I like it as a press car color.
JOHN SNYDER: I would 100% get the brown.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: Oh, I'd totally get the brown. Yeah.
GREG MIGLIORE: I'll be a voice of dissent here, then.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: I like the autumn green metallic, too. That's a pretty cool color.
GREG MIGLIORE: Yes, that's what I would do.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: Yeah, but no, I'm going to cinnamon-- cinnamon brown. And I'm getting the turbocharged engine. Yeah, I mean, it's a really, really good solid car. I don't think anyone who's buying an Outback or a Forester is-- you know, is going to be disappointed with whichever one they choose. But yeah, the Outback is just a lower center of gravity, sportier, with a turbocharged engine. I think that's definitely the way to go.
JOHN SNYDER: And they're both-- they're both vastly improved over the previous generation with that new platform. They just drive better, they feel solid. And they're both-- you know, I'm surprised with how spacious that Forester is. They made it bigger on the inside without making it much bigger on the outside. But still, yeah, the Outback is just-- I don't know, I've always-- when I was first about to get my license, I, for some reason, was fixated on the Outback, and I've never gone back.
GREG MIGLIORE: I think it's interesting, too, how, like, to your point, John, the new platform has really given both these vehicles new energy. They do ride much better. And I think-- and the interiors are better, too. Subaru is finally reaching this, like-- you know, they're achieving this sort of efficacy, where you're seeing very nice premium feeling interiors with nice materials, thoughtful shapes, good infotainment systems. Where, you know, that, to me, is what's really going to help move Subaru forward.
They're not going to be this, like, sort of niche Northwest, Pacific Northwest brand, or like, New England brand. Like, more people start driving these things, they're gonna be like, this is great. You know, this is really, really solid. So I think, you know, Subaru has a path. I'm not sure they ever really need to be truly mainstream like Honda or Toyota or Chevy--
JOHN SNYDER: No.
GREG MIGLIORE: --but like, the products are getting there to the point where like, you know, you don't have to be the like, stereotypical Subaru, you know, granola person who has a golden retriever-- although I guess I have both of those-- to enjoy this car anymore. So I think they've really grown up. They're really good.
JOHN SNYDER: Agreed.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: Did you know that Subaru offers a vertically mountains CD player in the center console?
JOHN SNYDER: [LAUGHTER]
No.
GREG MIGLIORE: I had no idea that was even the thing.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: No, I'm going through the options package and literally, like, you pop open the center console at the very front of it, mounted vertically, so like, the CD slot facing upward is an optional CD player.
JOHN SNYDER: Interesting.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: Yeah.
GREG MIGLIORE: I think I would consider getting that, actually. I still have a lot of CDs.
JOHN SNYDER: I finally-- I finally got rid of a bunch of them.
GREG MIGLIORE: Anyways.
JOHN SNYDER: I got-- I got rid of CDs when I got rid of my WRX, which had a six disk changer in it. And once I didn't have that anymore-- that was my only CD player. And now they don't have that anymore, I don't have it CD player for the CDs.
GREG MIGLIORE: I mean-- yeah, go ahead, Jeremy.
JOHN SNYDER: My Lexus LX-- or GX has a CD player in it that has never had a CD in it since I've owned it. So I think I can probably skip that option if I'm speccing an Outback.
GREG MIGLIORE: I will say this-- I actually-- in hindsight, listening to like, Spotify or-- where you can also get the "Autoblog Podcast, mind you-- or Amazon Music or wherever you get your music-- to me, it's so much better than CDs. Because I used to love to get a CD and I was a big, I'll say, Counting Crows fan-- it's probably not surprising to you guys. But yeah, I mean, I like Counting Crows, '90s band.
And like, most songs on those CDs were good, but there'd be a couple of clunkers that maybe on a long road trip you'd get into, you could skip it, you could fast forward, you could try to get into them if you're really into the band. But now you don't even to. You don't have to listen to the deep cuts if you don't want to. You can play the hits.
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah. That's what I do.
GREG MIGLIORE: Play the hits, don't stop believing. Let's move on to Mustang versus Camaro versus Challenger so this is really like a this or that or this. So whatever, we'll make the rules up ourselves.
JOHN SNYDER: This, that, or the other thing.
GREG MIGLIORE: There you go. There you go. How about we start off with you, Jeremy? This is kind of your idea. Choose wisely, sir.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: I'm actually going to choose completely unwisely and I'm going to go Challenger.
GREG MIGLIORE: I knew he was going to go that way.
JOHN SNYDER: I knew-- I knew he would, too. I absolutely knew.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: Yeah, I mean, it's-- it's just a fun car. Like, I'm not going to be one of those guys who buys a Camaro, a Mustang, or a Challenger and shows up at the road racetrack. Mid-Ohio, actually, is super close to me. I'm not going to do that. If I did, then I'd buy a Mustang or a Camaro. The high end Camaros are stellar track cars. The Shelby Mustangs are really, really good on a track. Also, I'm not going to do that.
But I very well may show up at a drag strip. You know, I've done that many times. I kind of grew up in a muscle car household, and the Challenger is a muscle car. The Camaro and the Mustang have morphed into sports cars. And the Challenger just appeals to me more. I really like the aesthetic. I would get the 6.4 liter, if the big 392 V8. That's how I'd spec mine, and yeah, I have no qualms about picking the Challenger.
JOHN SNYDER: Interesting.
GREG MIGLIORE: John?
JOHN SNYDER: Well, I'll preface this by saying I have had more fun driving the Challenger in my lifetime. I've been able to drive the Demon, Hellcat Redeye. I've driven at some pretty amazing tracks. But spending my own money, I'm not going to-- I'm not going to buy a Hellcat, I'm, not going to spend that much money.
I'm going to get a Mustang. And I would get the V8. I would get a Mustang GT. But I wouldn't-- [? get much else in ?] it-- that V8 is just so nice. Just so smooth and sonorous. And you can't find a flat spot in the entire rev range. I really like the looks of it. I like-- I'm not totally sold on a 10-speed automatic, but don't have to get that.
And the Camaro doesn't-- doesn't really do it for me. It never really has. The Challenger is really cool, but I would want something on the crazier end if I were going to get a Challenger. I think a down to basics Mustang would be how I would spend my money.
GREG MIGLIORE: So I'm going to hedge here a little bit. I would say if I was going to, like, have it for like six months, I get the Mustang. If I were going to actually drive it, I would give the Challenger. I've, like, for years known, just because I feel like a Challenger, I prefer the muscle coupe sort of feel. I really like how the Challenger drives. I've had a ton of fun in Challengers. Like, on racetracks, you know, I did the Woodward Dream Cruise in the Hellcat, like, literally, when it was just launching.
And they're big cars, but they're easy to drive, you know? I mean, I'd get the 392 motor and all day it. I mean, I guess I gotta make a call here, I'm going to say, Challenger 392. That's what I would do. It's close. I mean, I want to say Mustang, but I also think of how, like, driving a Mustang can be a lot of work, sometimes.
You know, I remember literally spinning out on a cool morning in California just making a right turn on an intersection following-- I think I was following one of our video producers in, like, a Camaro. And I'm, like, whoa, I just spun out here. But nobody else is here, it's 6:00 AM-- no harm, no foul. Probably some user error involved, but so it goes.
And then I'd put the Camaro third right now. And this is just totally like us talking. Like, we're not drinking beers, but this is bar stool conversation here, how we're feeling at this moment. To me, the Camaro is awesome. It's amazing on the track. It's a very technical car. And there's parts of it that I don't think I'd want to live with, even though, you know, metrically, I would probably see the Camaro is the best of these three by a hair, maybe.
The Mustang is like right up there, too. And then the Challenger, you know, rationally, falls short in a lot of different ways. But on the other hand, it's a big fun car that's got a lot of power and looks really good. Yeah. So that's like all parts of my brain speaking there.
Cool, let's wrap this up with kind of a nebulous one. Vintage car or a new car. And here's-- we'll put some parameters here.
JOHN SNYDER: OK.
GREG MIGLIORE: You're, going to spend, like, let's just say, like, 20 grand, 25 grand. And you're looking for something that you could drive and you will still be spending some time in it. And the vintage car, you know, could fall into that category. It also might not. Or you know you spend that money on like just to go and get a new car. So, you know, theoretically, here's what you could do. You could get basically an entry level Mustang for 25 grand, roughly. Enjoy having a Mustang, that's cool.
Or reach into the-- you know, the dustbin of history, and get, like, an older Mustang. Mustangs aren't cheap, but let's just say you could maybe get one that's got some miles on it, maybe not a truly classic one. Or you get like maybe a non-classic Chevelle or an older Land Cruiser. Like, which would you rather do? And we'll preface this by saying maybe it's not your 100% daily driver, but you do got to drive this thing. This isn't like a museum car. So Jeremy, this is kind of your submission here. So kick us off.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: OK, so I'm going to preface by saying that when I was presented with this choice to get a car for myself, I chose vintage. I have a 1975 Volkswagen camper van. And my wife drives a Lexus GX. I don't have any other car. Like, literally, when I have to get someplace, I've got this '75 VW van.
It is so compromised in so many ways. It's slower than all get out. I mean, just like, I used to joke that the Wrangler was slow. No, this VW van is super slow. But I mean, I don't regret it. Like, it's a super, super fun thing. It's a conversation starter. Like, I take it places and people just, like, stop me and ask me about it all the time. It's a really cool vehicle.
And one benefit to having-- and I'll get the drawbacks-- there's tons of drawbacks. But one cool thing about a vintage car is it's likely not depreciating. You know, it's either-- it's either already done depreciating and just solid, or it might even be slightly appreciating, you know, as you own it. If you go to five, 10 years, you might actually make money on the thing if you don't, you know, damage it or mess it up somehow.
So downsides. Stupid little things break all the time. You know, like, I've been stranded in my '75 Volkswagen camper van before, whereas if I bought a brand new $25,000 Civic, that never would've happened. But yeah, like, I would definitely say you've got to be committed and you have to be-- you have to be what you'd consider, like, an enthusiast to the point of making irrational choices to go vintage. But there's a lot of rewards to it. So I wouldn't tell other people to do it, but I also wouldn't dissuade them from doing it.
GREG MIGLIORE: And would you do that-- like, I threw that, like, totally subjective price point, but I mean would you use that strategy for all price points-- like, whether it was 40, 50? I mean, would you keep that the same way, Jeremy?
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: No, definitely not. I would say, like-- you threw out a $25,000 price, and I think if I'm talking daily driver, I wouldn't go higher than that on something vintage. I don't even think I would go quite that high. I think more 15, $20,000 for something vintage like a daily driver makes a lot of sense. I was perusing eBay the other day, and I came across a really nice late-'80s, 1990 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, and I thought, man--
GREG MIGLIORE: That's cool.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: --wouldn't I rather drive that thing around everyday than you know just an anonymous $20,000 brand new crossover? There's a lot of compromises, but yeah, I would enjoy my life more.
GREG MIGLIORE: I'm going to raise it the like-- we'll say, like, 40. Does that change your answer at all?
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: Yeah, I wouldn't-- I don't think I would buy a vintage car as a daily driver at that price range.
GREG MIGLIORE: Fair enough. OK. All right, John, you're up.
JOHN SNYDER: I agree with Jeremy. At those higher prices, I would not. But at 25 grand, right now in my life, I think I'm going to buy, like, a first generation Oldsmobile Toronado. I've always wanted one.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: Ooh.
JOHN SNYDER: I inherited a '67 Olds 442 convertible.
GREG MIGLIORE: Awesome car. Love the 442.
JOHN SNYDER: At that time in my life, I was not ready to really work on it. And, you know, if I were picking something out myself, I wouldn't have gotten a convertible. But yeah, I've always wanted an Olds Toronado. It's a unique car. There's some family history there. My grandfather was chief engineer for that project. And yeah, that's what I would do.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: I think-- that's a stylish choice. I love those Toronados.
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah, I've always, always wanted one. I love the idea of owning an Orphan. If I weren't going to get an Oldsmobile, I'd probably look at some other brand that is no longer sold here, just because it's fun. There's, like-- there's something-- there's a badge of honor to be an owner of an Orphan. And there's a really cool Orphans car show in Ypsilanti. I was able to actually be a judge for that this year, and it just made me really, really want-- it made me miss my Oldsmobile and made me want a new one. And yeah, so I think that's what I would do.
GREG MIGLIORE: That's such a great car show, too.
JOHN SNYDER: Might be might be a stupid decision and it might be one I would regret, but--
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: I mean, what's to-- what's to regret? Like, if you regret it, you can sell it, right?
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah, good point.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: You know?
JOHN SNYDER: That's true, that's true.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: Even if you were to lose a little bit of money on it, if you owned it for, let's say, three years, you know, you'd be making-- if you bought new, you'd be making a car payment, right? So you'd take a huge depreciation hit and you'd be making those payments. You'd not lose as much money in three years buying a vintage Toronado if you resold it.
JOHN SNYDER: OK, I'm going to do it.
GREG MIGLIORE: You're talking John into an interesting decision.
JOHN SNYDER: I've actually talked to my wife a little bit about it recently, and, you know, it might be something we do. Maybe when Wally is, like, a little bit older-- my son, he's four, and, you know, he could-- he's really into cars. And I think he would love to learn to work on them, eventually. And it'd be a fun father-son project to keep this thing maintained, and take it out for drives, and maybe it would be his car someday-- maybe his first car. I don't know.
GREG MIGLIORE: That's pretty awesome. I have-- so I've gone back and forth, sort of on my own criteria here, too. At first, I was like, well, I think I'd go new, because there's a lot of new vehicles right now. Like a Wrangler, like I just said, that I would love to drive and be fired up to drive. But to get the Wrangler I want, it's going to be at least 40, 45, probably. And to stick to the price point of 25, I'd definitely go classic.
There's a lot of classics that are actually considerably under that that I would look at. Like, I've always wanted like in early to mid-'80s Cutlass. I've loved that body style.
JOHN SNYDER: You're speaking my language, man.
GREG MIGLIORE: Sweet looking car. And that's not the classic one. That's like one I'd like to drive for a bit.
JOHN SNYDER: It's cool, though.
GREG MIGLIORE: It's sweet. Maybe an XJ. Those are sweet. Well below 25. You could get three of those what if you're willing to take some miles. I would probably land on, like, something that would actually cost about 25 grand. I'd look at, like, an early '60s Chevy Impala. I like that like sort of I wouldn't call it necessarily jet age styling, but it's like you're after the '50s, where like the fins aren't really this crazy huge thing anymore. It's more buttoned up. It's not aerodynamic. It's just his big rectangle coming right out. But it's like sort of previewing the muscle car era.
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah.
GREG MIGLIORE: So I'd look at one of those early '60s Impala.
JOHN SNYDER: I like that. I like that quite a bit. It's cool. I mean, like there's just so many cars out there that are just so special that are pieces of history. And it's really exciting-- it's really easy to get excited about them and to love them, especially when there are fewer of them now. It's-- in some ways, it's hard to justify spending that type of money on something so old that needs maintenance and care and constant attention, but it's an easier thing, emotionally, to do, because it's just-- it's just so special.
GREG MIGLIORE: Should we spend some other people's money?
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah, let's do it.
GREG MIGLIORE: OK. Let's see. Let's wrap some things up here. We do have an update. Jeff from episode 590 writes in to let us know that he bought a Wrangler. That's cool.
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah, he was-- he was looking at getting a new Wrangler or maybe keeping is Accord daily driver for a few more years, maybe buying a Honda Clarity at some point just to save money. And then put the Wrangler off for a later date. But he went-- he went through with it and got a 2020 Wrangler Sahara.
GREG MIGLIORE: It's a sweet looking Wrangler you get there.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: It's beautiful. Looks beautiful.
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah, blue with saddle brown seats, he says. And the photo-- the photo is lovely. So good job.
GREG MIGLIORE: Saddle brown seats are-- that's a strong option, as I have spent probably a third of this podcast looking at different Wrangler options. But yeah. All right, let's go to a new question here. Wants to start off by saying that he loves the Pod-- well, thank you for listening. One of the highlights of his week while driving to work. Well, that's good.
Consists of long driving hours-- eight to 12 hours a day. That's a lot of driving. Several locations a day. Could put anywhere from 80 to 250,000 miles-- or excuse me-- 80 to 250 miles on his car a day. Somewhat stop and go. Currently drives a company van. In line for a promotion that will include an allowance for a new vehicle of his choice. That's kind of a nice promotion.
JOHN SNYDER: That's pretty cool.
GREG MIGLIORE: Target is under $25,000. Well, we just kind of discussed that. So '62 Impala, maybe?
JOHN SNYDER: [LAUGHTER]
GREG MIGLIORE: Yeah, needs fuel efficiency. OK, there goes all of the suggestions that we just laid out. Comfort and a quiet ride. Needs to be able to take calls to deal with clients. Would like all wheel drive, but it's not a must. Current top picks-- the Mazda 3, the Nissan Rogue-- I literally just drove one in here three hours ago. I'll tell you which what I think about that or the Kia Forte.
Gentleman is 6'2", 280. Needs something that is big enough so as not to be cramped, but would also like something a little bit sportier. He currently owns a 2014 Mustang GT with a track pack-- nice car. Here's the kicker-- after the vehicle is paid off, I will personally own the vehicle. This is an interesting promotion-- pick your car, get an allowance, and you own it. So any fun oddball choices are of course, welcome.
All right, so he's given us a few to work with. Plenty of criteria. I would say this all three of these are little on the small size for somebody, you know, who's 6'2", 280. But also, all three are totally doable. So John, let's give some options here.
JOHN SNYDER: So I was thinking about it and there's one that all three of us had recently driven that sort of fits a lot of these things he wants. If you can do 27 grand instead of 25, I'd maybe get a turbo charged Kia Soul. Pretty roomy inside, pretty sporty. Kind of funky oddball car. Comfortable, lots of content. You know, quiet, comfortable. It checks a lot of those boxes and yeah, I mean, it won our compact crossover contest. I think that would be maybe a good one.
GREG MIGLIORE: That is-- that's a strong option. I think it's interesting-- couple of things we don't know is he going to keep the Mustang? Because that would change my life like sort of fun equivalent quota. He doesn't say he's going to sell it, so we'll just assume he's going to keep it. Oh, by the way, the writer is Alex. I should've said that from the start. Not Alex Kierstein or Malburg, but a gentleman named Alex.
JOHN SNYDER: No affiliation.
GREG MIGLIORE: No affiliation to Autoblog. Jeremy, what do you think?
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: OK, so this is a tough price point. 25,000 is-- that's a full $10,000 less than the average new car sold in America right now. So putting that into perspective, your options are a little bit limited. It's one of those price points where if you can shop for something low mileage, preowned, even certified preowned, that's a strong, strong choice. You can get a bigger car, a little bit nicer car for $25,000.
That wasn't listed in the criteria though, so I'm going to go-- I'm going to stick with new. He mentioned the Mazda 3 and the Mazda 3 is just a stellar car. It's so good to drive. He mentioned all wheel drive, with would be Nice you can get an all wheel drive Mazda 3. Even the Mazda 3, which is a relatively small car, especially-- it's very cramped in the back seat-- that doesn't sound like a super important criteria to Alex.
He sticks to 280. Front seat space-- I didn't have any problems. I'm also a 6 foot 2, you know, a little bit smaller framed, but I don't think you'd have a problem sitting in the front seat of the Mazda 3. Great, great option. I've jotted down a few other possibilities.
Oh, I should mention that a Mazda 3 with all wheel drive and especially with the hatch is a little over 25. You'd have to try to get a little bit creative with your dealer to get to get the right Mazda 3 at the right price. You might be looking more like 27, 28. But great, great choice.
The Civic Si falls into that price range. The Jetta GLI falls into that price range. I think the Golf All Track might be just a little bit over that, but that's also a nice car. You know, there's some good options that fall right into $25,000, but that's where they start. So you're not going to be out of any options out of there. It's-- it's going to be tough, but of the three you chose, the Mazda 3 is the way that I would go.
GREG MIGLIORE: I will second that. Of these three, I would I like the 3 the best, as well. I think it's the most fun to drive. I think it's a gorgeous car. I think Mazda's interiors look really good these days.
I just drove the Rogue. And I actually took it to lunch to let my dog out. Didn't like the steering. It's pretty light. But it does get you in the like, crossover territory. So if you're looking for a little bit more space, I'd say that's more like the-- compromised vehicle isn't the right term, but I mean, I would say it's--
JOHN SNYDER: It's super practical.
GREG MIGLIORE: It's practical.
JOHN SNYDER: There's a reason that they just sell a ton of them.
GREG MIGLIORE: They sell a ton of them. Yeah, it's a perfectly nice vehicle. Mazda 3 has a little bit more, you know--
JOHN SNYDER: Charm.
GREG MIGLIORE: Charm, yeah. The Forte, I'm not sure I'd really-- yeah, I couldn't tell you last time I drove a Forte. It doesn't really resonate with me. And yeah, to second what Jeremy said, too-- if you have-- like, if you're willing to sort of recalibrate and look at like a lightly used, something maybe in the CPO space for 25 grand, you can get a lot of car. You know, you open yourself up to some different things that maybe are like three, four years old, somewhere in that range, you know, you can maybe move up a segment.
The other thing, though, is maybe you don't want to do that. So there is some information we don't quite have here. But if you are looking for something, you know, that's lightly used, you know, suddenly you could look at like Grand Cherokee, you could look at different kinds of SUVs. A Chevy Impala.
JOHN SNYDER: [LAUGHTER]
GREG MIGLIORE: Different-- you know, all sorts of things.
JOHN SNYDER: You're talking about new one, not a 1960s Impala.
GREG MIGLIORE: I don't know why the Impala is stuck into my head throughout this podcast. That's probably-- yeah. So there's a couple of different ways you could go. But from the choices here, I think-- you know, I would say if you love the Mazda 3, that's obviously a car you're going to enjoy. You might want to try the Rogue, though, just to like-- you know, maybe you'll get in there. Maybe you'll say, there's a lot of room in here, you know, it does give you that crossover vibe, and maybe you decide that's the way to go, too. I don't think there's, you know, a really wrong answer between those two.
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah, I think of those three, the Mazda 3 would be my choice. But take a look at-- take a look at the Soul. Even if you don't get the turbo charged one, it's still a pretty cool car. And you get a lot-- you get a lot of content for the price.
GREG MIGLIORE: I like the Soul more than the Forte.
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah.
GREG MIGLIORE: For sure. But-- any other thoughts on that, Jeremy?
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: Yeah, I mean, I don't know, I was just looking at some certified preowned options. I'm not sure where things like Outbacks with the four cylinder fall, but then I was countering that with but I really like the new Outback a lot more. So yeah, I'm just going to stick with my Mazda 3 recommendation and say that that's a really great car. I would drive the Civic Si also--
JOHN SNYDER: Yeah.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: And probably the Jetta GLI. They're all going to fall into a similar price range-- it's going to be just over that $25,000 budget. But drive all three of them, see if one of them really stands out to you. And yeah, see if you can work with the dealer on the price a little bit in any of those three.
GREG MIGLIORE: Sounds like a good place to leave it. Great show, guys. Really enjoyed this one. We went long, but that's OK. It's get dark out. The sun's about to set here in Michigan, if it ever came up. Please send us your Spend My Moneys. Shawn, Joe, Jonathan, we've got your messages in queue, we're going to try to get to them. You know, maybe we'll even do a couple of these you know in one show just to knock them out.
That's podcast@autoblog.com. Send them to us. That comes to all of us. We love to do these, so send them our way and we will be happy to spend your money. If you're so inclined, give us a five star rating on iTunes-- Apple Podcasts, as it's currently known, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Be safe out there, enjoy the snow, if you have it outside your window, and we will see you next week.
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