Jeep snobbery - RANT

[roaniecowpony]

Around here they get offended if you call them horse people

Same around here. I live on the Palos Verdes penninsula, where all those "equestrians" have those high dollar equines. We walk our bird dog every day on a couple hundred acres of a covered landfill where there are trails adjacent to a stable where all those hunter/jumpers are kept.

Sponsored

 

[Bigdave18629]

I just joined the forum as I just picked up my 5th jeep last night and caught this thread, and it made me chuckle. I bought a 20 JLU Willys as it was equipped the way I like and will more than meet my needs. I have the means to buy whatever model I wanted, but just couldn't bring myself to spend money on something I will not use. The younger version of me might have just for the cool factor.

Well, it wasn't more than 2 hours later that a lifter Rubicon owner neighbor had to throw in his two cents about how the Willys won't handle what his Rubi will. I bought my first jeep in the mid 80's while living in WY and I had that thing in places that would make the average guy pucker and find religion, it is what youth allows you to do. Now living in CA, I find it humorous that my neighbor who has never been off road has an opinion about the capability of the jeep. This JL is 10x the vehicle I started with, not matter the trim level. Long story short, he didn't respond well to my comments about how great that lifted Rubi must be while getting his groceries and that I would be more than willing to put my offroad skills up against his lifted truck any time. ( I got petty)

I am with those of you that say buy what you want, drive what you want, mod how you want, but don't judge.

 

[Apexcars]

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.

Yeah, I have a cousin in the Hunter/Jumper world. She trains horses and riders and helps billionaires sell horses to each other. She deals with multi-million-dollar horses. In Wellington, FL where the Olympic training center is, there are several owners who have built their own multi-million-dollar stables with grounds and training facilities right outside of the very large stables and training facilities that already exist in the Wellington Equestrian Centre.

 

[wibornz]

Yeah, I have a cousin in the Hunter/Jumper world. She trains horses and riders and helps billionaires sell horses to each other. She deals with multi-million-dollar horses. In Wellington, FL where the Olympic training center is, there are several owners who have built their own multi-million-dollar stables with grounds and training facilities right outside of the very large stables and training facilities that already exist in the Wellington Equestrian Centre.

Horse are a whole different level compared to a Jeep. Even a free horse is about $350 to $400 a month to take care of. The maintenance that a horse requires would make th average Jeeper cry.

 

[LuvHydro]

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.

Nicely put. The reason we bought ours is most likely *vastly* different than other folks I see tooling around in heavily modified Wranglers.

You do you is my motto.

 

[tshaw2009]

I haven't experienced any of the "snobbery" that has been spoken of by the OP. I am now a first-time Wrangler owner with my 2023 Willys Sport 2-Door (which is freakin' awesome by the way). When I was about to order, I asked for other people's opinions (mostly to see if someone could sway me one way or the other, even though my mind was pretty well made up). There were a lot of people who told me to just get a Rubicon because of what I wanted to do with it, but after discounts and trade-in, I only spent $29k for my Willys Sport. I can add front and rear ARB air lockers, a dual compressor setup, and JKS Quicker Disconnects for around $4,147. So, for $33,147.00, I can basically build a Rubicon at a fraction of the cost, so buying a Rubicon did not make any sense to me. I also came to the conclusion that I wanted a "heritage" inspired Jeep that was basic, economical, and off-road ready. Being an Army combat veteran, I love military history and the Willys Overland Quad/Ford GPW was a big reason WW2 was won, and I wanted to own a piece of that heritage, even if it wasn't a top-of-the-line Rubicon. The first time I got out on the street with it, I was receiving waves left and right. I feel like I'm part of a community that isn't quite the comraderie of the Army, but it still feels like a close-knit family whether you own a CJ all the way to the JL. I hope people wouldn't be so shallow as to look down on others for what Jeep model they have. This world has enough division so why stoke more with petty junk.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Horse are a whole different level compared to a Jeep. Even a free horse is about $350 to $400 a month to take care of. The maintenance that a horse requires would make th average Jeeper cry.

I'm thinking I've had better luck on maintenance costs of horses than my dogs. My dogs have been high vet bill animals.

 

[sixspeed]

I'm thinking I've had better luck on maintenance costs of horses than my dogs. My dogs have been high vet bill animals.

Amazed how long this thread has lasted. I have a 2020 JLRU with about every option, big mud tires, a Mopar front steel bumper with a big Warn winch, black grill with inlaid off road lights, black fenders and black hard top. It is sting grey which looks great with the black, and red Rubicon touches. I also keep it very clean. I look so much like a Scottsdale dad (our local version of what is being talked about) but I really do take it seriously off roading, have gotten it ungodly dirty, scraped the bottom a lot, substituted tube doors for the regular ones, etc. Please don’t look down on me just because I might look like I’ve never left pavement.

 

[Rizzo44]

Horse are a whole different level compared to a Jeep. Even a free horse is about $350 to $400 a month to take care of. The maintenance that a horse requires would make th average Jeeper cry.

TRUTH!

 

[diwheeing]

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.

you test drove a dozen vehicles. wow

There's a wrangler "code"?

haha the wrangler is not a status symbol. A g wagon however, is.

It's also funny you care what others think

 

[fastfatdude]

In Singapore, I think people drive Wranglers (any model) just to be understated. The snobs will drive base Mercs and Beemers. With even the base Sahara being upwards of US$220k, it takes an enthusiast to appreciate the brand. With about 300 Jeeps of all makes and age spread across the 5mil country population, i am just happy to see another one on the road.

 

[Vito92]

The wrangler has been trending upwards in my opinion for sometime and it wouldn't surprise me they try to make it its own brand down the road. The whole Jeep range has. However the few run-ins or runins idk I've had with other Jeep people have been pleasant even if we don't agree in other areas so hopefully you find better humans.

And besides of someone makes an outta pocket about Kozie my willys I just ask them if they're interested in making the payment. If you enjoy the ride that's what matters.

 

[Whaler27]

Horse are a whole different level compared to a Jeep. Even a free horse is about $350 to $400 a month to take care of. The maintenance that a horse requires would make th average Jeeper cry.

Yup. Just saw a cutting horse sell for over $1,000,000 in Texas.

But it’s not just horses… Check out any Class A-only RV park. Diesel pushers start about $300,000 and average closer to twice that, with the better makes pushing a million, and the Marathon coaches the snootys buy routinely more than twice that.

Or stroll through any marina near Seattle, Miami. Boston, Los Angeles, etc. Even the unremarkable boats are north of $200K, and boats over $600,000 are as thick as fleas, with plenty worth over $1,000,000. I see similar extravagance in watches, where the run-of-the-mill $10,000 Rolex’s aren’t even in the competition anymore, as the snooty-snoots are dropping $100,000 to $300,000 or more on Patek and other designer watches I’ve never heard of.

On the playground it’s a new baseball mitt. In the ghetto it’s $300 sneakers, and, apparently, in some places it’s the trim level of your Wrangler. It’s all silly and rooted in insecurity. People who wonder if their weenie is too small spend their whole lives measuring everything.

 

[Vito92]

you test drove a dozen vehicles. wow

There's a wrangler "code"?

haha the wrangler is not a status symbol. A g wagon however, is.

It's also funny you care what others think

I assumed he meant the jeep wave I was confused to.

 

[jeepoch]

Hi all,

And I do mean all.

It's been a blast these last three years driving my 2019 Bright White 2 Door JL Sport S, 3.6L, Auto, 2.5" lift on 35s with Sway Bar Quick Disconnects. My wife named him Snoopy.

Yes I've raised Snoopy beyond the stock pup he started out as, but he meanders (a lot) in the Colorado wilderness that's affectionately now call his 'backyard'. We're able to really get up close and personal with so much more of our home state than I could have ever hoped for. For me "Rocky Mountain High" was likely written by John Denver while driving up to altitude in his Jeep.

And yes I have a little Rubicon envy, but to tell you the truth, I may never own another vehicle. This JL is just so incredibly capable, that over time as I've even learned how to utilize the Brake Lock Differential (BLD's) to their full extent through careful throttle control, the difficult to extreme stuff is certainly now within my vocabulary. Granted, I do know where my limits are and the really extreme crap I'll just let that continue to feed my dream of lusting for lockers (perhaps someday). Noting that pining for something even more capable is always somewhat healthy, of course while cursing the damn price tag of the Rubi.

But with the Sport, I can always add another mod. My next will be adding a bumper (likely stubby) with a nice Warn winch. Yep, I still don't have a winch. That's a testament to just how capable these JLs really are. For me, the real beauty and true value of my JL is the possibility for all the places I can now go with this thing. I've also since found out, Snoopy really enjoys discovering all the old mining equipment strewn around throughout this entire state. Places you can only get to on foot, horseback or lifted Jeep.

But above all, this Sport is, has been and will probably continue to be my favorite daily driver I've ever owned. By far, bar none. I love driving this thing. Even to the mall. Still overall, likely 20 to 25% of my 50K+ miles (so far) have been well off the beaten path at pretty high altitude.

I also recently discovered that the Jeep wave actually began during WWII with the soldiers flashing the 'V' victory sign whenever they passed each other. So even though I routinely (but not religiously) wave at every kind of Jeep I encounter, the Marine in me is proud and honored to continue this tradition. Truthfully I even find myself waving to passing Jeeps when I'm occasionally driving my wife's GMC.

So if you happen to get waved my someone in the rare occasion I'm not driving my Sport, it's likely just me enjoying your Jeep independent of type. If you're a snob, so be it. You will always earn a salute, er, I mean a wave, from me.

These JLs are just so incredibly cool no matter which flavor tickles your fancy. And if you do happen to spot me, good chance you are somewhere at altitude. Generally along the Front Range or higher.

Hope you're having as much fun as I am.
Keep on Jeeping on...
Jay

Sponsored