John grew up in Auburn, Washington with a passion for automotive work. He excelled in shop classes and purchased his first car—a 1968 Camaro—at age 14. After high school, he worked at a quick lube shop before joining an automotive repair facility. When the owner retired, John’s parents bought the business, and after navigating early challenges, John eventually took over. The shop celebrates 30 years in business this year.
Auburn Auto Repair and Off-Road operates as a 50/50 split between general repairs and off-road specialization. With three technicians and 7,500 square feet, they focus on drivetrain upgrades, lifts, and wheels for Jeeps, Toyotas, and trucks. John’s youngest son recently joined the team; John hopes he’ll eventually lead the business.
John wheels extensively across the Pacific Northwest and beyond—Moab’s iconic trails (Pritchett’s, Cane Creek), Sand Hollow, and Trail Hero in Utah. He’s raced Ultra4 for eight years, competing at King of the Hammers (KOH) from 2018–2025. His standout achievement: winning the EMC (4500 class) in 2022 with a flawless race. His children are all wheeling enthusiasts with their own rigs.
John wants to semi-retire, delegate business management to his youngest son, and spend more time wheeling with family, exploring Colorado and the Sierra Nevadas, and enjoying life beyond work.
TRANSCRIPT
[00:01:10.850] – Big Rich Klein
My guest this week on Conversations with Big Rich is a hometown boy from Auburn, Washington. Grew up with the love of working on cars, auto shop. All the shop classes in school were his favorite. So it only made sense that he got into automotive repair and now for the last 30 years has owned his own shop. That’s Auburn Auto Repair and Off-Road in Auburn, Washington. He has spectated, he has crewed, he has raced KOH. He’s come out to WE Rock events in Washington. My guest is John Matthews. Hello, John Matthews. It’s so good to have you on the podcast. I’m looking forward to this. So you ready?
[00:01:54.070] – John Matthews
I’m ready. Let’s do it.
[00:01:55.260] – Big Rich Klein
Okay. So first question I ask everybody is, where were you born and raised?
[00:02:01.560] – John Matthews
I was actually born in San Jose, California, but I’ve been here in Western Washington since I was like 2 years old.
[00:02:08.480] – Big Rich Klein
Okay. And what precipitated the move to Washington? Parents chasing a job or what?
[00:02:15.620] – John Matthews
Yeah, my dad was an electrician and he actually worked on the Hanford Nuclear Plant down there as an electrician. So that’s what got us up here.
[00:02:24.310] – Big Rich Klein
Okay, Dad chasing a job. And so all your memories are from Washington?
[00:02:31.290] – John Matthews
Yeah, basically, I remember— I don’t remember living in California much. We moved to Aberdeen at first when I was a little, little kid. And I remember like Mount St. Helens erupting when we lived there in 1982 when I was little. And then we moved up here to Auburn, Washington shortly after that.
[00:02:50.160] – Big Rich Klein
All right. And what was it like growing up in Auburn, Washington? I would imagine that’s in the ’80s.
[00:02:57.990] – John Matthews
Yeah. Yeah, we moved. Yeah, we moved up here in what, like ’83 or ’84, I guess it would have been.
[00:03:02.830] – Big Rich Klein
Okay.
[00:03:03.520] – John Matthews
And I’ve pretty much lived my entire life here in the, in the, the same area, the same neighborhood. I live now, you know, probably a half a mile from the house I grew up in.
[00:03:15.150] – Big Rich Klein
Wow.
[00:03:15.540] – John Matthews
But I never, never really went very far.
[00:03:17.820] – Big Rich Klein
Okay. And was it— right now it’s, it’s, it’s— I wouldn’t call it metropolitan, but, you know, it’s a, it’s a big suburb, correct?
[00:03:29.670] – John Matthews
Right.
[00:03:30.410] – Big Rich Klein
Yeah.
[00:03:30.950] – John Matthews
Yeah. It’s definitely changed and grown up a whole bunch since then. READ MORE
