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Did the Wranger Unlimited lose it’s cool with the JL?

56nomad56

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And your point is?
1. Appealing to a larger audience helps companies like FCA continue to make what is considered niche products. Like Motor Trend said in their review (February 2018), "If you went to an automaker and asked them to build a two-door body-on-frame trucklet with a convertible roof, almost no cargo space, and live axles (and with a windshield that folds down, removable doors, and an interior you can hose out)-you'd be laughed out of the room." Mainstreaming the JL keeps the money rolling in, which means development of the JL truck, next-gen Wrangler etc. moves on.

2. Jeep fans are concerned "soccer moms" will buy JLs in the thousands. My point is that this is already happening, judging by how many pristine, never-touched-a-dirt-road JKs are driven around in the area I live in.

Wow, first post on this site and I get a snarky comment in return. I guess I'll go back to lurking.
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Matthew/E36

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1. Appealing to a larger audience helps companies like FCA continue to make what is considered niche products. Like Motor Trend said in their review (February 2018), "If you went to an automaker and asked them to build a two-door body-on-frame trucklet with a convertible roof, almost no cargo space, and live axles (and with a windshield that folds down, removable doors, and an interior you can hose out)-you'd be laughed out of the room." Mainstreaming the JL keeps the money rolling in, which means development of the JL truck, next-gen Wrangler etc. moves on.

2. Jeep fans are concerned "soccer moms" will buy JLs in the thousands. My point is that this is already happening, judging by how many pristine, never-touched-a-dirt-road JKs are driven around in the area I live in.

Wow, first post on this site and I get a snarky comment in return. I guess I'll go back to lurking.
Yeah, tough crowd some days!

IMO jeeps and wranglers are just not rare vehicles and your point about selling volume to keep the doors open seems pretty straightforward. As soon as I thought about a JK/JL I started seeing them all the time. They made about 250 thousand JKs a year. Heck, quick search says they made 15k Rubicon Hard Rocks just in one year and that's supposed to be a limited edition type vehicle. So it will never be as limited as something like a GT3, GT2RS, etc. That's fine.

The vehicle I have now had barely over a thousand in any combination sent to the US each year. I don't necessarily care about rarity, but a friend was convincing me how rare his vehicle was...based on this transmission, exterior color, interior color, and option package, there were several thousand! So peoples idea of rare varies. Whether that means the JL lost its cool is subjective. If you are seeing too many of xxx person driving your car, look in the mirror you are one of those people too since you have the same vehicle! I don't buy a vehicle based on how many they make or who else drives them, as long as I like it. The interesting thing about jeeps to me is the cross section here on the JL forum. It's nice to agree with a range of people on a subject these days!

The wrangler is still unique though. Lost its cool? Who knows, but I'm not looking for a cool car based on what others think. I'm sure there's a big contingent that take their jeep out as a weekend warrior offroad a lot and that's awesome. I hope to. Certainly a bigger contingent using it to get groceries or haul kids...like every other vehicle on the road. Do all hard core jeepers use it to 100% of its capability every time they drive? Unlikely. Is it softer? Yes and no...more comfort, but more capability.


Just hoping they show up on lots around here soon so I can commit since the JKU didn't make the cut last purchase :)

Enjoy the ride!
 

Matthew/E36

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^^Everything sounds snarkier on a forum, lol. But this forum has a surprising amount of follow-up discussion which is rare and cool.
 

ThirtyOne

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Yeah, tough crowd some days!

Heck, quick search says they made 15k Rubicon Hard Rocks just in one year and that's supposed to be a limited edition type vehicle. So it will never be as limited as something like a GT3, GT2RS, etc. That's fine.

Enjoy the ride!
I would say the only truly limited edition that I know of was the Red Rock. They made 50 of them and they were numbered.

And maybe the Dragon Edition because I am guessing they sold less than 50 of them.
 

Armycop

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And maybe the Dragon Edition because I am guessing they sold less than 50 of them.[
That dragon edition was horrible. My local dealer had one on the lot so long they had the service department peel off the decals and sold it with a $6,000 discount.
 

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JHJLUR

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That dragon edition was horrible. My local dealer had one on the lot so long they had the service department peel off the decals and sold it with a $6,000 discount.
yeah, whoever green lighted that idea should be sitting in a corner be shamed...hahaha
 

Armycop

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yeah, whoever green lighted that idea should be sitting in a corner be shamed...hahaha
The best part were the fake gold lizard/dragon skin seats. They couldn't remove those.
 

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This was my 1989 YJ (Yuppie Jeep). It was a real Jeep, with like 3 inches of flex before it rubbed on my over sized 235/75/R15 Goodyears. No interior lights available.

Things went downhill in 1990 when the yuppies and soccer moms demanded door locks. How un-Jeep can you get? In 1991 they went with smaller 4.0L 6cyl engines, with gasp fuel injection! How would anyone be able to off-road with fuel injection? In 1992 they almost ruined the Jeep by enclosing the rear passenger area with a roll bar. Crazy yuppies wanting safety in a roll over? They added a 4 speaker option, no Jeep ever had more than 2. And carpets? What do you need carpets in a Jeep for? 1994 added a 3 speed Automatic transmission option for the 4cyl driving soccer dads. In 1996 things got worse. There was no model year 1996 model, but they were different I tell you. They had rubber windshield bumpers instead of real Jeep U bars. And stinking rear bumpers! What had this world come to? What's next? High back seats? Anti-lock brakes? At least my YJ didn't have all wheel drive like those loser CJ-7 drivers had.
IMG_2118.JPG
 

ThirtyOne

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This was my 1989 YJ (Yuppie Jeep). It was a real Jeep, with like 3 inches of flex before it rubbed on my over sized 235/75/R15 Goodyears. No interior lights available.

Things went downhill in 1990 when the yuppies and soccer moms demanded door locks. How un-Jeep can you get? In 1991 they went with smaller 4.0L 6cyl engines, with gasp fuel injection! How would anyone be able to off-road with fuel injection? In 1992 they almost ruined the Jeep by enclosing the rear passenger area with a roll bar. Crazy yuppies wanting safety in a roll over? They added a 4 speaker option, no Jeep ever had more than 2. And carpets? What do you need carpets in a Jeep for? 1994 added a 3 speed Automatic transmission option for the 4cyl driving soccer dads. In 1996 things got worse. There was no model year 1996 model, but they were different I tell you. They had rubber windshield bumpers instead of real Jeep U bars. And stinking rear bumpers! What had this world come to? What's next? High back seats? Anti-lock brakes? At least my YJ didn't have all wheel drive like those loser CJ-7 drivers had.
IMG_2118.JPG
How did you get through that whole mock rant without mentioning the square headlights?

I loved my 1994 YJ but I guess it was not a real one like yours.

But it was still loud and uncomfortable as shit so that must count for something.
 

JHJLUR

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But it was still loud and uncomfortable as shit so that must count for something.
The girl in the movie clueless didn’t seem to mind, damn yuppy....in all seriousness jeep has been marketing the CJ’s and wranglers to gentlemen farmers and yuppies ( or the equivalent)for decades... this whole topic always cracks me up.
 

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Mark12211

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How did you get through that whole mock rant without mentioning the square headlights?

I loved my 1994 YJ but I guess it was not a real one like yours.

But it was still loud and uncomfortable as shit so that must count for something.
Sorry. The leaf springs were slightly dampened to a Bronco style drive due to the aerodynamic square headlights. It was still rough enough to send my overdue sister-in-law into labor though.
 

Matthew/E36

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I would say the only truly limited edition that I know of was the Red Rock. They made 50 of them and they were numbered.

And maybe the Dragon Edition because I am guessing they sold less than 50 of them.
This was my 1989 YJ (Yuppie Jeep). It was a real Jeep, with like 3 inches of flex before it rubbed on my over sized 235/75/R15 Goodyears. No interior lights available.

Things went downhill in 1990 when the yuppies and soccer moms demanded door locks. How un-Jeep can you get? In 1991 they went with smaller 4.0L 6cyl engines, with gasp fuel injection! How would anyone be able to off-road with fuel injection? In 1992 they almost ruined the Jeep by enclosing the rear passenger area with a roll bar. Crazy yuppies wanting safety in a roll over? They added a 4 speaker option, no Jeep ever had more than 2. And carpets? What do you need carpets in a Jeep for? 1994 added a 3 speed Automatic transmission option for the 4cyl driving soccer dads. In 1996 things got worse. There was no model year 1996 model, but they were different I tell you. They had rubber windshield bumpers instead of real Jeep U bars. And stinking rear bumpers! What had this world come to? What's next? High back seats? Anti-lock brakes? At least my YJ didn't have all wheel drive like those loser CJ-7 drivers had.
IMG_2118.JPG
Well played.


Oh, man that YJ looks downright rolls-1%er-luxurious next to my old 77 Scout II!

It was one of those last of the old school trucks where you had to get the wrench from the glove box and disconnect the battery every time you turned it off. Not like those fancy YJs that you just turn a key to the off position! It didn't have those high tech cameras, you could just look out the floor to check the conditions!

:cwl:

:bandit:
 

Snerf

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We're buying our JLUR specifically as a mall crawler. It will be a 3rd car safely parked in the garage where it will stay if the weather is bad. We're only getting the upgraded soft-top, and I'm even thinking of taking that out.

Our objective was to get a safe convertible that could compete with all the SUVs (we have two as daily drivers) and trucks. When we started looking @ Jeep, it didn't make any sense, at least from an investment perspective, to get anything less than the Rubicon. We definitely weren't interested in the other models that seem to be beefed up Subarus. (That is, I would just get the Ascent if I was looking for a comfortable, quiet AWD.)

We'll probably keep the Jeep at least 10-15 years; if history is any guide, it should have a really good re-sale value, especially in excellent condition. In the meantime, it will be a great open-air car to cruise coastal OC and maybe, just maybe take out to some (graded) dirt roads in the desert.
 

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I'm going to make people take their shoes off before they get in my Wrangler. I'm not even going to drive it over speed bumps. I'm also going to put little watermelon scented candles in it. I'm going to fill a USB drive with my Kenny G collection and blast it on my Alpine speakers. There's nothing any of you can do to stop me.
 

Indio

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We're buying our JLUR specifically as a mall crawler. It will be a 3rd car safely parked in the garage where it will stay if the weather is bad. We're only getting the upgraded soft-top, and I'm even thinking of taking that out.

Our objective was to get a safe convertible that could compete with all the SUVs (we have two as daily drivers) and trucks. When we started looking @ Jeep, it didn't make any sense, at least from an investment perspective, to get anything less than the Rubicon. We definitely weren't interested in the other models that seem to be beefed up Subarus. (That is, I would just get the Ascent if I was looking for a comfortable, quiet AWD.)

We'll probably keep the Jeep at least 10-15 years; if history is any guide, it should have a really good re-sale value, especially in excellent condition. In the meantime, it will be a great open-air car to cruise coastal OC and maybe, just maybe take out to some (graded) dirt roads in the desert.
You might be better off with a Sport S or Sahara version, unless there is some feature you will use that is only available on the Rubicon version.
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