Elitist Jeep Owners and Builds - you do you and I do me.

[aldo98229]

Thank you very much. I like Red, in fact on my 3rd Firecracker Red. All of my Jeeps have been either Green, 1 Yellow and the rest were Red.

My focus was never on what it looks like but rather how it performed on the trails.

Firecracker Red rocks!

I just love green Jeeps, but I got stuck in a Tank Green Sahara that had to be recovered.

This is the first red Jeep out of nine Wranglers I’ve owned. I picked red this time because it stands out in snow, especially in a white out.

This one you can see from outer space!

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[PhoenixM3]

I should have bought a Vette

Wench gets the Rubicon, I get the Vette.

 

[Old Jeeper]

There is a trail off of Table Mesa west of the how that a 4dr Jeep is not going through with out damage. There are two lines. The one to the right throws your top into a rock that sticks out about window height. There was what looks like broken glass from thousands of vehicles. Line to the left has an obstacle that has squeeze in the trail with what looks like a pyramid rock in the middle that goes to a sharp point, The rock looks to be covered in oil from may oil pans, and there are many oil trails leading from that rock. The three of us turned around.

Looking at your Jeep, if they though you were not ready for 98% of the trails in the US, they obviously have no clue about wheeling Jeeps.

Been off-roading since the 60s and few have a clue. I went to TM all the time. I was retired and most the time I just drove up and hoped to hook with some folks up there. usually, I did and we all had a lot of fun, I was happy being the last Jeep, but as the day progressed they would ask me to lead. I think a lot of my sucess was I am an engineer but having driven Jeeps since the 60s, I had a feel for how they worked off road so it make me a good off road driver, I could pick good lines.

If forgot the name of the guys shop, he was arrogant for sure. He claimed he had the best Jeep shop in Phoenix. I often wondered about as I had a shop and I redid a lot of his work. Most of the work I did was do over by another shop and my custom work. I sent a lot of work to other shops, like Kits, I don't kits unless I knew you very well and knew what level you wheeled at. I did 2 kits in over 8 years, TerraFlex and both guys I had wheeled with and soft wheelers, nothing hard. I was a dealer for DynaTrac, Avenger Superchargers and Rancho shocks, that is all. JKS MFg was a supplier for me and as much as I hated them, Currie Enterprises, the Curries were AZZ HOLES and did not back up the warranties unless you were a known racer or a big buyer from them. The only thing I sold by them was the AntiRock. I met one of the Currie brothers at the Off-Road Trade show in Pomona Ca and he had the prototype AntiRock. I bought it from him to test on my jeep and it failed (BROKE IN half at the arm), I called him and he refused to send me a new arm, but he did change the design to what I told him to. I told him when I bought it, I thought is was a weak design and he looked at me and guaranteed it would not fail, they tested it. Failed on my first trip to Moab with it. BUT it worked well other than breaking. So in spite of I bought another set from him and he did not even give me a discount. Daddy started the buz, years and years ago, he was a drag racer. I had seen him race and been at the track, but I ran a different class and did not use a solid axle, I raced an IRS Corvette. He was a good guy. But the sons took it over later and the family is RICH $$$$ and they have a bad attitude towards the little guy.

The Jeep world turned with the intro of the Rubicon, suddenly not all Jeeps were equal, OEM 4:10 gears in Dana 44 axles, 4:1 Trasfercase out of a Dodge truck and a Mercedes Benz Steering box. Up till then Jeeps were just Jeeps mostly and 99% were no different than yours other than a different color. Very little stuff you could do. Tires were either military surplus or Snow tires, find a set of axles out of a 4 cyl and it had 4:88 gears in a lot of them.

In my day all Jeep cost about the same. Look at it today: Entery $ is $30,945,. When I went to pick mine up, they had one that was $69XXX...same cost as a NEW CORVETTE! Unless I am wrong and I know times have changed, the Jeep Wrangler is the most profiable car in America and it always has been.

 

[Old Jeeper]

Firecracker Red rocks!

I just love green Jeeps, but I got stuck in a Tank Green Sahara that had to be recovered.

This is the first red Jeep out of nine Wranglers I’ve owned. I picked red this time because it stands out in snow, especially in a white out.

This one you can see from outer space!

LOVE my FC red...up till 1995, every Jeep I had was GREEN, going back to the 60s. Then Red again till 2001 and that was a Yellow one, then back to read and been Red ever since...

 

[Old Jeeper]

Did everyone clap as you drove off into the sunset? Lol.

They went back to drinking their beer, but then most of them should have not been behind the wheel

 

[Old Jeeper]

Don, you really should set up your own Jeep history thread, love all your threads & postings and would be a great addition here. If you already have one please link it, I'm sure you've posted some great stuff on other Jeep sites. If you don't want to post them you can surely shoot me a PM.
Thanks and keep on kickin' it!

Thank you for your comments: After 57 years of Jeeping I have a story or 2, most are funny, I will leave the ugly out unless I can add it to a safety thread...I have seen people die out there!

But it all started in Post WWII Germany in late 1948. I ran out to the front yard of our home (a former Nazi General had lived there, it was NICE, 3 stories) and wait for Dad to come home. Suddenly a Jeep turns the corner and pulls over with Dad in the passenger seat. Jeep was Army Green (back when it was a Dark Green), with white lettering given the data on fenders and bumpers. Jeep had no doors, WOW how cool wa that. It did have a top. Dad got out dressed in his Eisenhower Jacket, pink shirt and green pants of an Officer, Pinks 'n Greens they called them back then...later Dad had a German tailor make me a suit like his. From then on, I wait outside it on and Dad would get out and I would get in and his driver would drive me around the block in that Jeep, WOW how Kool was that!

That is what hooked me on Jeeps...

 

[Jjirish]

And what about those guys who bitch when you call a Jeep a car.

thats me. Call it a car and watch my head go exorcist.
This is totally allowed.

 

[Old Jeeper]

Lived in Phoenix before I had a Jeep and fuck man I am jealous you got to wheel out there. Especially Borrego Springs and MOAB. Beautiful Jeep brother.

I retired, sold my IT company and we moved to Scottsales (do not ask me WHY and it was a mistake)

WIfe asked what are you going to do now that you have finally left the world of IT, Software engineering etc. I am going to WHEEL my Jeep and I did from Texas to N Cali, Rubicon, Sea of Cortez, Mexico and I did for 88k miles..I drove TO the Trail Head from home and drove back home, I do not believe in trailering my rig...my observations on those that trailer is they do so because that piece of crap they built FAILS on every trail its been on, and its how they get back home by driving a truck and pulling a trailer with there jeep. They think they are impressing everyone by trailering...NOT. Often I was gone a couple of weeks at a time. Wheel Death Valley, went there ever year, GREAT wheeling.

Here ya go, last known pic of the house that Charles Manson lived in there in Death Valley. I left out around 5 pm and headed to Vegas to spend the night. There must have been a group behind me and they burnt it down.

 

[Old Jeeper]

Nice rig! Love what you did for ground clearance, however, Not all long arms are created equal, I have more ground clearance with long arm than I had with short arms…….. .

Yes you do and I noted that on my JL Rubi. Glad Jeep finally figured it out. The TJ a LOT of folks put on long arms, almost everyone I wheeled with...Shows you the power of Jeep Magazines, Long arm was the answer. Only problem was it was not the answer their arms were long and hit every obstacle. In fact the stuff you drove over the weekend before you could not drive over this weekend, but you had the latest Long Arm and that worked down a Sonic Drive-In, at least you could get over their curb...some of those long arms back then, almost went to the front axle. It was done to get more droop!

Due to how I modified my suspension and what did not say, was I also stretched the wheelbase, NOT the Jeep but the wheelbase. I did that by moving the gas tank and the front suspension...I am a welder/metal fabricator. What I ended with was 97 in, and more droop in the rear axle giving me the effect of a longer wheelbase and longer short arms. I don't build Jeeps I engineer them. I would lay under my Jeep for hours, looking at the suspension and how I make it better, that is why I never bought kits they are a compromise IMO and I did not compromise.

 

[Jjirish]

Yes you do and I noted that on my JL Rubi. Glad Jeep finally figured it out. The TJ a LOT of folks put on long arms, almost everyone I wheeled with...Shows you the power of Jeep Magazines, Long arm was the answer. Only problem was it was not the answer their arms were long and hit every obstacle. In fact the stuff you drove over the weekend before you could not drive over this weekend, but you had the latest Long Arm and that worked down a Sonic Drive-In, at least you could get over their curb...some of those long arms back then, almost went to the front axle. It was done to get more droop!

Due to how I modified my suspension and what did not say, was I also stretched the wheelbase, NOT the Jeep but the wheelbase. I did that by moving the gas tank and the front suspension...I am a welder/metal fabricator. What I ended with was 97 in, and more droop in the rear axle giving me the effect of a longer wheelbase and longer short arms. I don't build Jeeps I engineer them. I would lay under my Jeep for hours, looking at the suspension and how I make it better, that is why I never bought kits they are a compromise IMO and I did not compromise.

Lemme kno when you are for hire, sir! LOVE ENGINEER- NOT BUILT!

 

[The Last Cowboy]

We paid cash for our pavement princesses, maybe wasted money to a small few, but atleast we dont waste it on interest payments. So no worries... us with jeeps, just to look cool, make us VERY HAPPY ... no need for anyone to feel sad for us, and its def not sad for anyone to spend money on something to make it look however they want.
Jeeps are cool as heck. Even ones with angry grilles... kinda.

Debt is a killer and a homewrecker. A ball and chain that drains the life out of people. Pay cash when you can. IF financed, pay it of ASAP, before buying mods. I gotta shake my head at those who finance for 6,7, 8 years then get the credit card out for $10-15k in mods.

 

[Old Jeeper]

Lemme kno when you are for hire, sir! LOVE ENGINEER- NOT BUILT!

Actually on my business card:

SavageSun Jeep Engineering

"Built to get you there
Engineered to get you back"

 

[LOBBS]

So where's the matching color "Renegade" hood stickers?

I haven't decided what, if anything, I'll put there on the hood side. If I do, I'm leaning towards "Renegade" in the JL Rubicon font. But I'm liking it naked right now. I do have a brand new set of the factory "Rubicon" decals from the dealership body shop manager that he gave me when they fixed the corrosion on the hood in case I ever decide to sell it and "need to help the resale" .

 

[Old Jeeper]

Lemme kno when you are for hire, sir! LOVE ENGINEER- NOT BUILT!

Have fun and on the beach in that sand is WHEELING and can be fun and not so fun.

I remember traveling the Easter Seaboard and taking ferries. Will i missed the last one by minutes So I decided to catch the early one around 6 am so I spent the night on the beach. I woke up and something was wrong my feet were wet and I looked down the tide was coming in. With luck it waws only at my rear tires so 4wd got me out quickly, LOL, what a hoot. Grabbed some breakfast a some Chinese 24 hr take out and stomach pump room, got down to the dock and was the first rig in line. Y'all have fun in whatever you do...I have always said:

If I won a grand prize, any production vheicle is yours for the choosing. Money is no Object, get a $1 M Belchfire V8 fi you want. The only catch is what ever car you get, you will need to drive it for the rest of your life....OK, meet me at the Jeep Dealer!

 

[flyer92]

I am currently driving a JLU sport (loner from the dealership) as they do some warranty paint work and fix both passenger doors that some asshat keyed on my JLUR. This is a stock low trim level sport. I would not own this Jeep. It rides terrible, it has all kinds of rattles, no heated seats, or heated steering wheel, the lowest end stereo I think that is offered with a Jeep. I pretty much do not even turn the radio on as the sound is so horrible. The heater/AC is junk, can't set the temperature. The only decent thing about it is it decent for fuel mileage. I can get 23 to 24 mpg running 75 mph down the hyw. I think for the same money, I would choose a Trail Hawk Cherokee over the base sport.

In my mind, I can not see tolerating being in the drivers seat for 200,000 miles in this sport.

Ugh...sorry your Jeep got keyed. I know that's frustrating. As soon as I took delivery of mine, it seemed that everyone was either trying to hit it with their own cars or vandalize it somehow. Hope yours gets repaired soon!

FWIW, I don't have any of the issues you described above, except for the heated seats and steering wheel, which are options I don't need and therefore didn't buy. No rattles in my Sport or others I've driven, and the heater/AC work perfectly. I suspect these are problems with the dealership's Jeep because it's a loaner, and is probably used and abused by other customers. I agree that the stereo isn't the best, but I don't really care because I drive in safari mode for most of the year and have significant hearing loss after decades of flying helicopters.

I actually look forward to seeing the odometer pass 200K, but again....our opinions are based on perspective and I can definitely respect yours. I just spent the last 30 years driving HMMWVs in the military and my daily driver before the JL was my beloved 1980 CJ-5, both of which are as bare bones as you can get. My Sport and factory options (tow package/HD electrical, A/C, LSD) are a massive step up from what I've been driving, and the few things that some would consider "hardships" in the Sport I find quite enjoyable, which is why I selected it over higher trim levels. In any case, I just wanted to provide some additional perspective on the Sport, and agree that it's not for everyone. I totally respect and appreciate the many different configs within our community, and would never disparage any of them (except maybe for the angry bird grille...j/k). As long as the owner is happy, it's the right one for him/her, no matter what anyone thinks!

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