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Jeep snobbery - RANT

aldo98229

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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 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.
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blnewt

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I now have to justify at every turn why I drive a Sahara.
You don't have to justify shit!
You are driving what you want and it's doing well for you, frick them!
 
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aldo98229

aldo98229

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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!
Agreed. But the nonstop bashing gets old all the same.

PS - Hey Eddie, I though you was deyed!
Jeep Wrangler JL Jeep snobbery - RANT 1602697875231
 

entropy

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I totally agree with you, and I find myself guilty of making fun of Sahara owners. But also a few rubi owners.

I live in LA and this place is infested with mall crawlers. I moved from VT to CA a few years ago and was surprised at the amount of people driving new cars, people here spend so much on image. They might live in a shithole and own a recon.

The vast majority of Jeeps are mall rated here, specially Saharas followed by Rubis. People who never even leave the city, they dont even go hiking or camping or wtver, yet alone offroading. They buy Saharas because of the price tag and name.

When I went to buy my Jeep I was behaving like the cheapest ever trying to save every penny I could. The lady at the dealer that was helping us was very excited because next year she might qualify for a Sahara... man she must be making like what? $15hr tops. And she was surprised I said I was gonna take mine off road. A new JL!! she said, most people here say they dont want to offroad, she said.

There is a stereotype for Sahara owners followed by Rubicons. They buy these jeeps for the status symbol they provide around their social circle, because they feel theyre missing something. That stereotype is real in LA.

Jeep should make a new special model for LA with 20inch wheels, angry grill and covered with chrome accents and call it "Megatroncon" It would sell like candy.

But that doesnt mean there arent thousands of owners like you who found great deals on Saharas or Rubis, and obviously benefit from the extra features. You got the big brakes already!

And even all these people throwing all their cash for a show jeep, it is their money and their choice, and theyre happy. So whatever. But we can still laugh about it!
 

GearWhore

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Buy what you like, drive what you like, mod what you like. I used to have some of that elitist mentality ("your Renegade isn't a Jeep" but they bought into the brand too). All of us use the vehicles differently, have different expectations, and realities.

One of the greatest attributes of the Wrangler, every generation, is the customizability! There are SO MANY options for looks, function, or even just expression. We do live in a golden era for this. Hopefully your Jeep puts a smile on your face when you drive or look at it. Mine certainly have more than any other driving appliance.
 

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I'm 58 & never had a Jeep (any model) bout to take delivery of a 21 sport. First snobbery I noticed was sharing with some of my friends, and none of them have ever had a Jeep either. "you should have gotten a Rubicon". I asked why & the response was "cause they are badass". I did my homework & got the right model for me & I'll likely never see anything more than snow & a gravel road with it.
 

GearWhore

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As @entropy says above, the JL Rubicon around Park City is certainly a status symbol; nearly as much as the G-wagens. So many people buy the Rubicon Recon loaded only because it is the most expensive Wrangler, whether or not that's what suits their needs.
 
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aldo98229

aldo98229

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I totally agree with you, and I find myself guilty of making fun of Sahara owners. But also a few rubi owners.

I live in LA and this place is infested with mall crawlers. I moved from VT to CA a few years ago and was surprised at the amount of people driving new cars, people here spend so much on image. They might live in a shithole and own a recon.

The vast majority of Jeeps are mall rated here, specially Saharas followed by Rubis. People who never even leave the city, they dont even go hiking or camping or wtver, yet alone offroading. They buy Saharas because of the price tag and name.

When I went to buy my Jeep I was behaving like the cheapest ever trying to save every penny I could. The lady at the dealer that was helping us was very excited because next year she might qualify for a Sahara... man she must be making like what? $15hr tops. And she was surprised I said I was gonna take mine off road. A new JL!! she said, most people here say they dont want to offroad, she said.

I personally know somebody who makes 400k a year and bought a willys 2 door and will be taking it offroad and on camping trips.

There is a stereotype for Sahara owners followed by Rubicons. They buy these jeeps for the status symbol they provide around their social circle, because they feel theyre missing something. That stereotype is real in LA.

But that doesnt mean there are thousands of owners like you who found great deals on Saharas or Rubis, and obviously benefit from the extra features. You got the big brakes already!
Something has gone into overdrive with JL, though.

BTW, my hypothesis on why Californians drive such fancy vehicles is because any shithole costs a million bucks, so a $50,000 JL seems like chump change in comparison :LOL:
 

Jabarsetti

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I can't relate as I drive a JLUR, I bought it knowing I was going to take it out and ended up getting for close to a loaded Sport S. I don't think it is a Jeep issue, it's just the society we live in. I respect all models of Jeep, off roaders, and people who got it, well because you can take the top/doors off, which is one of the main reasons I fell in love with them years ago.

I treat Jeepers/Off roaders Just like "people". I even, wait for it... wave at "shitboxes" XJ's:lipssealed:, there amazing rigs! To me it's more about the respect of the game (Wheel'n). I relate it to the old farm boy wave. Even though I didn't grow up in the "country" I'm an Iowan and still find my self waving to oncoming vehicles when on the backroads of Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, where ever I live, I drive a JLUR that will out perform my ability any day, it sees more on road then off road miles, it is my DD and I am ok with it and will not justify that to anybody, I do what I do. In the end, people will be people and are a product of their up-bringing.
 

Nikko2020

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I agree, but I actually get crap the other direction! Bought a fully loaded Rubi and I have people asking why I would pay up for things I'll never use as it rarely goes off road. "You wasted $10K!".

As others have said - my cash, I'll do with it as I will. I'm very happy with my Jeep ... GFY.
 

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aldo98229

aldo98229

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Perhaps the fact that FCA flooded the rental car lots with JL Saharas hasn't helped either.
 

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Something has gone into overdrive with JL, though.

BTW, my hypothesis on why Californians drive such fancy vehicles is because any shithole costs a million bucks, so a $50,000 JL seems like chump change in comparison :LOL:
I am not talking about people living in 1,000,000 homes. I am talking people living in cheap apartments.

and I disagree. 1,000,000 might buy you a relatively small house in the "upscale" neighborhoods of LA. But these houses are remodeled and have uniqueness/value attached to them, and are not homedepot drywall boxes. Plus being well located in a major city is always gonna increase price, just like NYC, London, Tokyo, etc... On the outskirts of LA 1,000,000 can buy you a large new house still. But yeah, still overpriced compared to the rest of the country.
 

JL Fan

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I’m new to the Wrangler community. And love it. This my third Jeep...but first Wrangler (2 Cherokees). I went to purchase a Rubi, but went with a Sport S b/c of the price...and the fact that I’m not going rock-crawling. I have found other Jeep folks extremely helpful with advice and stuff. I’m not going to add a lift or change the geometry. But I have put 34’s on...might change out the bumpers too. I actually love the JK’s, too. A JKUR is what made me want one. I haven’t experienced any Sport-shaming. All Jeeps are extremely capable off-road. If you use, or just want, the additional goodies on a Rubi, then it’s probably worth it. You’ll find no criticism here. But a soft-top Sport S with 6-sp was what did it for me. Cheers!
 

rustyshakelford

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One thing we’ve noticed is it seems like they make and sell more rubicons than anything. On JKS, the sport was the huge seller. I love all JLs and find a benefit within all trim lines

brett
 
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aldo98229

aldo98229

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I am not talking about people living in 1,000,000 homes. I am talking people living in cheap apartments.

and I disagree. 1,000,000 might buy you a relatively small house in the "upscale" neighborhoods of LA. But these houses are remodeled and have uniqueness/value attached to them, and are not drywall boxes. Plus being well located in a major city is always gonna increase price, just like NYC, London, Tokyo, etc... On the outskirts of LA 1,000,000 can buy you a large new house still. But yeah, still overpriced compared to the rest of the country.
Yeah, it is all matter of perspective. When you live in Calfironia, the rest of the country --with the exception of NYC-- seem so cheap!

It all worked out nicely for me though: I moved there in my 30s, and with the equity I accumulated in my home I was able to buy a nice house here in WA.
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