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Jeep snobbery - RANT

neil

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One I have got is upgrading rims. Had a few ppl ask me when I am going to ditch factory and get aftermarket larger. I like the clearance as is.

Honestly I will prob put LTX on it after I burn out the BFG....iv'e had very good luck with that tire on trucks not picking up trash-very puncture resistant, great in the rain, wears well and good in the snow at realistic speeds.

I know, it's not the most aggressive cool jeep tire, but they work.
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redsyphon

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If you get beef from someone because you're in a one trim vs. another, then just dismiss 'em and move one. From my point of view, that sort of reaction is due to miss informed snobs.

I've owned Sports and Rubicons, JLs and TJs, etc., etc. It's only recently that I've ever felt anyone judging one Trim or another. When I started out, it was all about having fun with whatever rig you had.

I'm personally not keeping the Rubicon badge for long on my 2018 Used JLUR. I just don't like huge badges in general. At the end of the day there is nothing I couldn't do in a Sport trim that I can do in a Rubicon trim. It may have required more right foot or a slightly different line depending on the situation, but that's part of the fun and knowing your vehicle.

Personally, if I could have anything it would be a well restored "stock" CJ with an optional soft top, tailgate and time off to enjoy the ride wherever it took me.
 

Strommen95

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Aldo I completely agree. Rubicon snobbery has gone to unprecedented levels. It was never, ever like this on Wranglerforum. What’s cringey to me is out of Sports, Sahara’s and Rubicons the Rubicon is the newest trim. A Jeep is a Jeep and you can sure as hell bet in 1945 none of them were configured like a Rubicon.
 
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aldo98229

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Aldo I completely agree. Rubicon snobbery has gone to unprecedented levels. It was never, ever like this on Wranglerforum. What’s cringey to me is out of Sports, Sahara’s and Rubicons the Rubicon is the newest trim. A Jeep is a Jeep and you can sure as hell bet in 1945 none of them were configured like a Rubicon.
Good to hear I wasn't just imagining things!
 

neil

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this is funny, cause when I first went to drive a JL I asked to drive one of the larger renegades.

I bought my rubicon because it was the only manual in a non-lipstick color in tx. Got an insane deal on it too.
 

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Aesikidesi

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This is going to ruffle some feathers, but here it goes nonetheless.

I have owned 9 Wranglers over a 12-year period; a mix of Saharas and Rubicons, 2-doors and 4-doors, soft tops and hardtops, manuals and automatics. I have taken them to the beach, to the mountains, to the desert, to work, to the mall and to National Parks. I have driven them in snow, in the rain, over ice, rocks and sand dunes; in July 120 degrees in Death Valley and in -25 degrees in January in Colorado.

Eight of those Wranglers were JKs. My first one was a 2008 Sahara I bought used: it was a base with a 6-speed manual and a soft top, but I was hooked. At one time I owned two of them side-by-side: one was a 2-door Rubicon for the trails; the other was a 4-door Sahara for long road trips in winter. What I love about Wranglers is that I can pack and go at any time, any time of year, without concern for the terrain or the weather; I just know my Jeep will get me there and back.

My last JK was a top-of-the-line 2018 JKUR Recon. It was the most expensive Wrangler I ever bought but it was a complete disappointment: the assembly quality was terrible; it rattled and squeaked; the body panels were grossly misaligned; the ride was harsh. To make matters worse, my local dealer was a total dickhead with the warranty. Hardly what you would expect from a $52,000 price tag —even after having owned several JKs before. In hindsight, it was a mistake buying that last Rubicon.

When I shopped for a JL I test drove a dozen of them; a mix of Rubicons and Saharas, 2-doors and 4-doors; manual and automatic. I had relocated from California to Washington so I found myself doing less extreme off-roading, but more extreme weather. The availability of Selec-Trac was more appealing than a swaybar disconnect or lockers; and after the harsh ride on that JK Recon, comfort gained importance.

I found a sweet deal on an unsold 2018 Sahara sitting 1,000 miles away. I picked it up almost a year ago: the Selec-Trac is just awesome in the snow; the drive and ride is refined and comfortable; it can tackle the off-road trails around here with ease; the fit-and-finish is excellent, and it’s been totally trouble-free so far. I am tickled happy with it.

However, I find something’s fundamentally changed in the Jeep community with the advent of JL. Perhaps the steep new prices make JLs more “precious.” Or JL is attracting a greater proportion of first-time Jeep buyers who don’t know the Wrangler “code” yet. Or FCA has gone a bit overboard with all the “Jeep imagery” it likes to show off and turned Wrangler into a a bit of a snob vehicle. Whatever the reason, I find it is now common to be looked down upon for not driving the “right” type of Wrangler. I now have to justify at every turn why I drive a Sahara. I get it that half the time fellow forum members don’t even realize it, but Sahara owners regularly get accused of being poor drivers, bad off-roaders, mall crawlers, even poseurs, all because we drive a Sahara. Ironically, half the time we get lectured by Rubicon owners who never even take their Jeeps off-road. I try not to be over sensitive to it, but it is a bit weird.

Do Sport owners get this too?

One of the nice things of being part of the Jeep community was the feeling of close camaraderie, no matter what Wrangler you drove. I never felt I had to justify to anyone that I drove a Sahara or a 2-door. A Wrangler was a Wrangler and that was that.

Feel free to reply, agree, disagree, joke, flame, share your hypothesis, but please let’s keep it civil.
Yeah I got a Sahara cause its has some creature comforts and still can hit the trail, camping or just go where ever. I get waves from others and some eye my rig and give me compliments SOME give me dirty looks cause they have a old rig that has all the wonderful attachments that i cant afford yet. but you know I am happy with my choice and those who want to be part of my life and community I am all for it, but just like in life haters gonna hate and personally I like being hated on. I will be your Villian….LOL. In the famous words of Popeye " I am what I am ".
 

Ruby Mike

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A Jeep is a Jeep. Period. End of story. The JLURD I have is the 8th jeep I have owned since 1973. I honestly don't care what kids of Jeep you have or how you use it. Your Jeep, your choice. I personally don't care about snobbery because it doesn't effect me. I just passed the 70 year old mark and have seen this kind of nonsense before and in the end, don't matter. I say enjoy what you have. Other people's opinions are not going to change a single thing in your life, unless you allow it. My Jeep has been off road twice since I bought it. Not because that was my desire, but the covid19 first shut down the desert and then got to hot for me. But I am planning on wheeling really soon. Bottom line, you bought your Jeep, enjoy it in any way you want (not destroying yourself or others), mall crawling or rock crawling. Enjoy what you're hard earned cash provided.
 

rallydefault

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I'm with ya, man. For me, I see the snobbery against the 4-door of any model. You're not a "real" jeeper/have a "real" jeep unless it's a 2-door. One of the local clubs in my area won't even let you join if you have a 4-door. Needless to say, they're a small club and getting smaller every year.

A snobbish club is a small club, and especially with emerging competition, some of these "real jeepers" better be careful they don't look down on others to the point of not having much of a community left. Whether through people being fed up enough in the real world to just go with a Bronco or a 4runner or a truck instead, or online just not wanting to deal with the stupidity in certain forums (this one's not too bad...yet), it's gonna get lonely at the "top" mighty quickly.
 

timn1984

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You don't have to justify shit!
You are driving what you want and it's doing well for you, frick them!
By the Way Love your Avatar, He was a GOAT! Will miss him....
 

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ThirtyOne

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I have real things in my life to worry about. What someone on the Internet thinks about my Jeep doesn't even register.
 

WhiskeyChick24

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This is going to ruffle some feathers, but here it goes nonetheless.

I have owned 9 Wranglers over a 12-year period; a mix of Saharas and Rubicons, 2-doors and 4-doors, soft tops and hardtops, manuals and automatics. I have taken them to the beach, to the mountains, to the desert, to work, to the mall and to National Parks. I have driven them in snow, in the rain, over ice, rocks and sand dunes; in July 120 degrees in Death Valley and in -25 degrees in January in Colorado.

Eight of those Wranglers were JKs. My first one was a 2008 Sahara I bought used: it was a base with a 6-speed manual and a soft top, but I was hooked. At one time I owned two of them side-by-side: one was a 2-door Rubicon for the trails; the other was a 4-door Sahara for long road trips in winter. What I love about Wranglers is that I can pack and go at any time, any time of year, without concern for the terrain or the weather; I just know my Jeep will get me there and back.

My last JK was a top-of-the-line 2018 JKUR Recon. It was the most expensive Wrangler I ever bought but it was a complete disappointment: the assembly quality was terrible; it rattled and squeaked; the body panels were grossly misaligned; the ride was harsh. To make matters worse, my local dealer was a total dickhead with the warranty. Hardly what you would expect from a $52,000 price tag —even after having owned several JKs before. In hindsight, it was a mistake buying that last Rubicon.

When I shopped for a JL I test drove a dozen of them; a mix of Rubicons and Saharas, 2-doors and 4-doors; manual and automatic. I had relocated from California to Washington so I found myself doing less extreme off-roading, but more extreme weather. The availability of Selec-Trac was more appealing than a swaybar disconnect or lockers; and after the harsh ride on that JK Recon, comfort gained importance.

I found a sweet deal on an unsold 2018 Sahara sitting 1,000 miles away. I picked it up almost a year ago: the Selec-Trac is just awesome in the snow; the drive and ride is refined and comfortable; it can tackle the off-road trails around here with ease; the fit-and-finish is excellent, and it’s been totally trouble-free so far. I am tickled happy with it.

However, I find something’s fundamentally changed in the Jeep community with the advent of JL. Perhaps the steep new prices make JLs more “precious.” Or JL is attracting a greater proportion of first-time Jeep buyers who don’t know the Wrangler “code” yet. Or FCA has gone a bit overboard with all the “Jeep imagery” it likes to show off and turned Wrangler into a a bit of a snob vehicle. Whatever the reason, I find it is now common to be looked down upon for not driving the “right” type of Wrangler. I now have to justify at every turn why I drive a Sahara. I get it that half the time fellow forum members don’t even realize it, but Sahara owners regularly get accused of being poor drivers, bad off-roaders, mall crawlers, even poseurs, all because we drive a Sahara. Ironically, half the time we get lectured by Rubicon owners who never even take their Jeeps off-road. I try not to be over sensitive to it, but it is a bit weird.

Do Sport owners get this too?

One of the nice things of being part of the Jeep community was the feeling of close camaraderie, no matter what Wrangler you drove. I never felt I had to justify to anyone that I drove a Sahara or a 2-door. A Wrangler was a Wrangler and that was that.

Feel free to reply, agree, disagree, joke, flame, share your hypothesis, but please let’s keep it civil.
I am soon to be a first time Wrangler owner. My 2021 Sarge Green Willys JLU is being cooked up in Toledo as we speak. I too have already gotten the “Why didn’t you get a Rubicon” and “Why did you get 4-doors” questions. For the first I just tell them I’m happy to change my order if they want to cut me a check for the extra $20K. And to the latter I just say, “Why not?” That usually gets a chuckle followed by a blank stare. Seems to shut folks up. :LOL:
 

Oldbear

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Just remember every circus has a few clowns. Frankly I could care less about what model you drive. I too am an old guy pushing 70. Ive been blessed by the Good Lord and 50 years of hard work, so I can and do drive exactly what I want. I’ve got a nice shiny red JL Sport S that has far more capability AND features than my old TJ Sahara ever thought about having. I bought my TJ new, and without an LSD it went more places than probably 80% of the new Rubicons will ever go. My Sport S frankly has all the capability I want or need. If a guy wants a Rubi that’s cool, Sahara? Sure, I’d have one today just for the full time 4wd if they made it in a 2 dr. Get what suits YOU and enjoy it. If you are into extreme off road, that’s cool, set your rig up accordingly and enjoy it. (In all fairness I must confess I get a kick out of the Rubi’s that are lifted, running monster tires/ no fenders and have obviously never left a paved road-perfect paint, spotless undercarriage etc.. Frankly, I don’t get it, but if that’s what spins your crank go for it). It’s pretty easy to look at a customized Jeep and see if the owner is after “the look” or if he actually runs it On trails. Trail Jeeps get dirty, paint gets chipped, scratched, etc.. It’s all good. Drive what you enjoy and enjoy what you drive. Oh, I drive a JL rather than a JLU for the simple reason that I like the way they handle off-road and in town-short , stubby and a tight turn radius. With just me, the wife, and the dog it’s got all the room I want. YMMV
 

ThirtyOne

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FCA won't break down sales by trim. But when I was shopping for a JL, I found roughly 2 used Saharas for every Rubicon. I ended buying new just because used ones cost as much as new.

But again, I think a lot of it has to do with FCA flooding the rental market with JL Saharas
We have seen some numbers over the years and the break down is roughly like this:

Sport/S: 45%
Sahara: 35%
Rubicon: 20%

That's for 4-door.
 

wchevron

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I actually just bought a used 2020 JLU Sahara from my local dealer, and it was originally from a rental agency. I don't offroad. Wouldn't mind trying it but I've got so many other hobbies, I really don't have time for it.
The Sahara had all the options we wanted at the price we wanted. Kids will drive it mostly with my wife and I stealing it from them from time to time in the summer. Had a YJ back in my 20's. My wife said this my mid-life crisis vehicle.
Mainly got it as a good snow/winter car for the kids and to take the doors/roof off in the summer for fun.
Don't really care what other people think, I didn't buy it for them.
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