Jeep snobbery - RANT

[Bill_P]

I ordered a new JLUWXR and my wife is taking my '18 sport. Some of the stuff she says she wants to do to it means I probably won't even wave at her. She did say she draws the line at an angry bird grill though.

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[Sparty]

She did say she draws the line at an angry bird grill though.

Sounds like a keeper.

 

[Bill_P]

Sounds like a keeper.

I'm going to keep this one for a while. I already had to give away half my shit once, and now I have way cooler shit.

 

[Maverick909]

I can not say Ive had anyone look down or tell me anything when driving my sport S But then again it is not a stock sport by any means. I feel like most rubicon owners are the ones not using the jeep for what its worth or made for. I understand the Sahara model is more or less has the nice plush ride and the all wheel drive for your daily driven in bad weather vehicle which i feel like it gives off that mall crawl vibe to most people, but damn I've seen them on some Gnarly trails getting after it more so than the rest. All in all ill still wave a 2 or a 4 door any model wrangler or JT. Happy wheeling

 

[Whaler27]

It's a difference in philosophy about what you want and how you place value on your time. It changed over the years for me. When I was young, I was financially limited and more inclined to put my time/labor in the "low cost" category. I bought cheap and modified to what I wanted. Now in my mid 60s and with with significant financial resources, I find I spend more to get closer to what I want. My time is now of a higher value as to how I want to spend it.

Ditto.

I’m also more aware of how short life is, and how close I am to the end of life’s conveyor belt... When your grandparents are gone, and your parents are gone, some friends are gone, and you’re kids are referring to their twenties as “back in the day”, you realize you don‘t have a lot of time left, so you better not be wasting it.

And generalizations about “Rubicon owners” or “Sport owners” are downright stupid.

A friend of mine started a machine shop about thirty years ago. Super capable guy. He built the business up to about 120 employees in two locations. He has no debt, his commercial real estate and equipment are worth north of $20 million, his home and ranch are worth close to $5 million, and he’s taking home an annual income that’s about five times mine. He uses his $750,000 Cessna twin to fly between his two shops — and he could comfortably buy any jeep he wanted to buy. He chose a sport — because his vision of a jeep is closer to what we owned forty years ago. Jeep snobbery? Sheesh. People find the dumbest excuses to pretend they are better than others….

Of course, my buddy with the machine shop would be totally unaware of being snubbed, and couldn't care less. I doubt he even notices what trim level others have. It’s like caring about what color socks they wear.

 

[RAMSTEEL]

I've discovered a few things as I've gotten older and one of them is if you start to look at things in a certain light, you'll find exactly what you're looking for. If you perceive something like snobby Rubicon owners, you'll find them.

I don't give a squat about the type of Jeep someone drives. I personally buy Rubicons because I like them and are typically outfitted to my taste at this stage in life. I look at a Sahara as more of a luxury-minded Jeep with street-focused tires, etc. So, that's not me but my neighbor's got one with 37" ATs, it's purple, and she always drives with the doors off. It fits her personality to a tee and it's awesome. I certainly never worry if my jeep is viewed as better or worse. We still do the Jeep wave to each other despite her lowly Sahara Just kidding. She jeeps a lot more than I do and actively engaged in the local jeep groups. Tons of respect.

Jeeps are the ultimate potato head vehicle that can be personalized to your taste and use. I love the amazing diversity of the jeep community and there's nothing close to it it any other vehicle offering.

 

[RAO]

What’s nice about the different models is that you can get the one that suits you best. Everyone looks for different things in their Jeep; my wife has a 4 dr JK Sahara while I have a 2dr Rubicon JL. We’re both happy with our choices. You have to buy the vehicle to suit you, not someone else.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Jeep people remind me of horse people. It's a lifestyle to most owners and a life necessity to some. Not everyone uses them the same way. Some are happy just owning, some challenge the limits, many are somewhere between. All feel part of a community.

 

[Echo4papa]

Be it trim, power plant, mods, model year etc. it seems that a large number of Jeepers use some reason to talk down to or look down on others.

My favorite though is when people do this to one sub group for whatever reason, then takes exception with another sub group for doing the same to them!

 

[wibornz]

Jeep people remind me of horse people. It's a lifestyle to most owners and a life necessity to some. Not everyone uses them the same way. Some are happy just owning, some challenge the limits, many are somewhere between. All feel part of a community.

Horse snobbery is huge. Go to a horse show. They are worse than a Rubicon owner. And by the way your Rubicon 392 is cheap compared to some horses. At bigger shows, it is not uncommon for horses go be way north of $50k. A $5K saddle no big deal, Stupid looking show shirt $400 shirt is common peasant wear. $100K+ truck, $100K+ horse trailer. Hell they will have more in horse tack than you have in Jeep mods.

I am so glad my wife got out of horses.

 

[Bill_P]

Horse snobbery is huge. Go to a horse show. They are worse than a Rubicon owner. And by the way your Rubicon 392 is cheap compared to some horses. At bigger shows, it is not uncommon for horses go be way north of $50k. A $5K saddle no big deal, Stupid looking show shirt $400 shirt is common peasant wear. $100K+ truck, $100K+ horse trailer. Hell they will have more in horse tack than you have in Jeep mods.

I am so glad my wife got out of horses.

Equestrians are huge all around where I live in Central Va and I can attest to this^.

 

[Northernlites]

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 2-door 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 have always loved 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 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 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 grew in importance.

I found a sweet deal on an unsold 2018 Sahara sitting 1,000 miles away. I picked it up 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 with the advent of JL. Perhaps the new prices make JLs too “precious.” Or JL is attracting a greater number of first-time buyers who don’t know the Wrangler “code” yet. Or FCA has gone overboard and turned Wrangler into a status symbol. Whatever the reason, I find it is now common to be looked down upon for not driving the “right” type of Wrangler. I now feel I have to justify why I drive a Sahara, something I never had to before. Some may not realize this, 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 oversensitive to it, but it is just 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 why I drove a Sahara, or whatever. 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.

We have had a Jeep Compass, 2 Patriots, 2 Cherokees, and finally bought our 2023 Wrangler Sport Altitude. Number one reason for buying a Wrangler was the actual "real" 4-wheel drive, not the electronic push button all-wheel drive. Plus, I love the looks and the way the Wranglers drive. I never realize all the craze surrounding Wranglers until we started looking at them this past summer. My wife thinks the duck thing is cute too. Our Jeep will basically be a "mall crawler/pavement princess", or whatever silly names people come up with. Frankly I could give a flying f#*k what anyone thinks about that. My Jeep, my way. But with social media you will always find the "keyboard cowards" that will insist they are always right in their way of thinking and bash what you say or do. Just because someone owns a Ferrari, or Lamborghini doesn't mean they have to drive it 200+ miles per hour. I do really like the community surrounding the Wranglers, but not surprised to see "schoolyard bullies" that think their way is the only way. Good advice and constructive criticism can go a long way. Pessimistic people are downers. I choose to take the high road.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Horse snobbery is huge. Go to a horse show. They are worse than a Rubicon owner. And by the way your Rubicon 392 is cheap compared to some horses. At bigger shows, it is not uncommon for horses go be way north of $50k. A $5K saddle no big deal, Stupid looking show shirt $400 shirt is common peasant wear. $100K+ truck, $100K+ horse trailer. Hell they will have more in horse tack than you have in Jeep mods.

I am so glad my wife got out of horses.

So true.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Equestrians are huge all around where I live in Central Va and I can attest to this^.

See, there you said it. "Equestrians".

I was talking about horse people.

 

[Bill_P]

See, there you said it. "Equestrians".

I was talking about horse people.

Around here they get offended if you call them horse people

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