Let’s play a game: which of these four do you think will become a future classic?
Everyone wants to know tomorrow’s lottery numbers or the outcome of next year’s Super Bowl. Look no further than Biff Tannen in the second Back to the Future movie for proof that knowing the outcome of this evening’s football game gives one a great advantage.
Around here, our ministrations on gazing into the future extend only to off-road machinery. As anyone who’s experienced the mayhem of a Barrett-Jackson auction knows, desirability combined with rarity is a surefire ticket to a big payday.
Let’s check out a quintet of modern off-roaders. We’ll leave it up to you to decide which one will make bidding paddles fly in twenty years’ time.
Toyota FJ
The retro-inspired truck from Toyota has hung onto its resale value like your Uncle Eli hangs onto the buffet table. Even high mileage examples command big bucks. Finding an unmolested example is more difficult than finding an honest politician, but copies do exist.Finding them, or an owner who’s willing to part with them, is another matter.
Jeep TJ Unlimited
No, we’re not talking about the JK Unlimited, a model of which umpteen copies have been and will continue to be made while making the Jeep brand a viable alternative for families seeking something more than a milquetoast crossover. Our poll is putting for the made-for-five-seconds TJ Unlimited, referred to as an LJ by the cool kids. Adding ten inches to the TJ wheelbase, the LJ was made for just two model years. A Rubicon trim was offered only in 2005.
Ford F-150 Raptor
Yes, the Blue Oval is not exactly shy about Raptor production, no doubt realizing the cubic yards of cash the truck brings into company coffers. Still, the Raptor is special enough to warrant a place on this list, particularly low volume versions like the 6.2L SuperCab of the first-gen machine. For rarity points, if not desirability, consider the initial trucks with the 310hp 5.4L engine.
Chevrolet Colorado ZR2
The current off-roader wasn’t the first GM product to wear ZR2 badges but it is arguably the best to date. Multimatic DSSV shocks, skid plates galore, rock sliders, and an optional diesel engine all conspire to assure Colorado ZR2 owners they are holding keys to a future classic.