Motor Trend’s Cheap Truck Challenge reinforces something I’ve found to be true about Jeep vehicles: you can have a great time in one no matter your budget. From soft-roading in a two-wheel-drive Renegade to conquering the outdoors in a Wrangler Rubicon Hard Rock, Jeep has something for everyone who wants to enjoy their time driving off of paved roads.
That doesn’t just apply to the new ones. This year’s Cheap Truck Challenge features an old flat-fender Willys (aka Ol’ Blue) and a 1960 Jeep CJ-5 taking on a Kia Sportage, a 1991 Ford Explorer, and a 1964 Dodge Power Wagon. Each vehicle had to be purchased for $2,015 or less and each driver got a budget of $2,015 to modify their vehicle.
Each rig was tested by rain, mud, rock…and their own mechanical issues. The CJ-5 had its share of fuel and overheating issues and the Willys had open diffs, which made traversing a particular boulder-ridden pass difficult. Ol’ Blue had to be banged through that stretch and the CJ had to winch itself out after its engine died.
Despite those troubles, Ol’ Blue stayed in one piece and the CJ fired back up. They might not be pretty, but they look like a lot of fun for a relatively little amount of money.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
