Jeep snobbery - RANT

[STW]

just logged on to let all of you know it’s really really important to me that you all know what you think is not important to me.

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[jeepoch]

Now that you know that I know how little of importance you and I both are about how important this all is, is especially important to me and I'm very glad we both now know it.

 

[verapx]

There’s no such thing as “image” without what other people think. Plain and simple.

Nope

 

[XX4XEXX]

This is absolutely true on multiple levels lol. What I find most intriguing is Tacoma owners give us stink eye, JT owners won't wave cause they think they are above everyone, women will not wave ever (I think it's because they are driving there Man's rig), Rubicon owners (which I am) think they know it all, and XJ owners think they are God's gift to 4x4. Lol.

That said doesn't stop me from jeep wave and a good talk. I really like when they don't wave cause I roll down my window and wave like a child just saw Santa. Gets um every time.

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.

 

[jbcrane]

Sorry, but I'm not going to read through 40 pages of squabbling attempting to understand what this thread is really about. I would like, however, to wish you all peace, joy and a very, Merry Christmas.

 

[omnitonic]

Dad went bankrupt and moved into a trailer park. While riding through there, I noticed every shitbox had a nice ride sitting in front. People spend money on their car payment instead of their rent.

The snobbery I notice around here is 2-door snobbery and soft top snobbery. If it's a JLU hardtop, it's not a "real Jeep." I also get crap for stopping at 35s. You need 37s on a 2-door soft top to get any street cred around here. You HAVE to have a hi-lift jack too.

The Jeep club guys around here have pretty much told me I can't come play with them, because my breakover angle sucks. They're not wrong. I haven't run that trail, because the idea of winching myself over every obstacle while I scrape the hell out of the undercarriage doesn't really appeal that much.

There are videos of the Potts Mountain Jeep Trail on Youtube, and the guys who seem to have the most fun are on highly lifted shitboxes, like old Nissan rust buckets on 40s and other stuff like that. Rigs that are pretty much built as cheaply as possible in order to enjoy breaking them. There is a lot of paint on those rocks.

So yeah, the Jeep club guys are not wrong about that trail, and it's the only really good trail anywhere near home. I kind of got over it, and spent most of 2022 with the Jeep polished in mall crawler mode. The US Forest Service actually fixed one of my favorite trails. Filled in all the holes and put down an assload of gravel, so you could drive up there in a fricking Honda Civic now. No fun.

 

[aldo98229]

Dad went bankrupt and moved into a trailer park. While riding through there, I noticed every shitbox had a nice ride sitting in front. People spend money on their car payment instead of their rent.

The snobbery I notice around here is 2-door snobbery and soft top snobbery. If it's a JLU hardtop, it's not a "real Jeep." I also get crap for stopping at 35s. You need 37s on a 2-door soft top to get any street cred around here. You HAVE to have a hi-lift jack too.

The Jeep club guys around here have pretty much told me I can't come play with them, because my breakover angle sucks. They're not wrong. I haven't run that trail, because the idea of winching myself over every obstacle while I scrape the hell out of the undercarriage doesn't really appeal that much.

There are videos of the Potts Mountain Jeep Trail on Youtube, and the guys who seem to have the most fun are on highly lifted shitboxes, like old Nissan rust buckets on 40s and other stuff like that. Rigs that are pretty much built as cheaply as possible in order to enjoy breaking them. There is a lot of paint on those rocks.

So yeah, the Jeep club guys are not wrong about that trail, and it's the only really good trail anywhere near home. I kind of got over it, and spent most of 2022 with the Jeep polished in mall crawler mode. The US Forest Service actually fixed one of my favorite trails. Filled in all the holes and put down an assload of gravel, so you could drive up there in a fricking Honda Civic now. No fun.

There different types of Jeep clubs, though. You should be able to find one for normal people who are not looking to break their rigs in half every time they go out.

Good luck.

 

[ChuckQue]

This is absolutely true on multiple levels lol. What I find most intriguing is Tacoma owners give us stink eye, JT owners won't wave cause they think they are above everyone, women will not wave ever (I think it's because they are driving there Man's rig), Rubicon owners (which I am) think they know it all, and XJ owners think they are God's gift to 4x4. Lol.

That said doesn't stop me from jeep wave and a good talk. I really like when they don't wave cause I roll down my window and wave like a child just saw Santa. Gets um every time.

Coming from an XJ, you’re right, they are God’s gift to 4x4

I loved that shitty little mountain goat.

 

[CreepyCrepe]

I really like when they don't wave cause I roll down my window and wave like a child just saw Santa. Gets um every time.

When I try to do that with my manual windows, they've usually already reached their destination and had another meal before I can start waving.

 

[omnitonic]

There different types of Jeep clubs, though.

Not around here. I applied to all of them, and they all rejected me. Oh well.

 

[wibornz]

This is absolutely true on multiple levels lol. What I find most intriguing is Tacoma owners give us stink eye, JT owners won't wave cause they think they are above everyone, women will not wave ever (I think it's because they are driving there Man's rig), Rubicon owners (which I am) think they know it all, and XJ owners think they are God's gift to 4x4. Lol.

That said doesn't stop me from jeep wave and a good talk. I really like when they don't wave cause I roll down my window and wave like a child just saw Santa. Gets um every time.

What are you if you own a nice lifted JLU Rubicon and a lifted XJ? I at times would drive the XJ to Jeep events or on group wheeling trips and then the other XJ crowd would chat with me about how awesome they are. Note XJs are awesome, but they for the most part did not know that I was also wheeling a new JLUR at the time too. The Rubicon owners on wheeling trips would often brag about the Rubicon capabilities and I would have to remind them that I was willing to jump the XJ 6 feet in the air, flip it upside down and burn it to the ground to out wheel them and that if they were not willing to do the same thing, they did not stand a chance. The XJ lifted on 33s cost less than the bead lock wheels and tires that I have on the JLUR.

Tacoma owners of the TRD variant, I tell them all that Tacoma is missing is U. They rarely get it.

Note the XJ has been sold because we travel so much that I did not want it just sitting around.

I daily drove the XJ while the JLUR was reserved for Jeep related events, Jeep travel and Jeep wheeling all over the US. There was no way I was driving the XJ across country to wheel and drive it back home.

 

[wibornz]

One more thing, if I would wheel with you, I will wave to you. I don't care if you have a XJ, renegade, what ever, if you wheel it and wave, I will wave back. As it should be.

 

[jeepoch]

One more thing, if I would wheel with you, I will wave to you. I don't care if you have a XJ, renegade, what ever, if you wheel it and wave, I will wave back. As it should be.

Ted,

I don't think that came out right. For me, I'll wave to you whether you're wheeling or not. Just driving a Jeep, regardless of type or trim, associates a kindred spirit. Driving something that can take you literally anywhere most people can only imagine, is enough for me. They don't need to prove anything more than a simple willingness to be driving it (at all). They very well may be on their way to run something I could only drool on.

So if you drive any type of Wrangler or Gladiator, on or off road, you'll earn a wave from me.

For the record, as a Marine, I'll continue the tradition of the two finger 'V' victory salute. In honor of all the service men who started this tradition in WWII.

Merry Christmas fellow Jeeper
Jay

 

[ABRubi]

When I try to do that with my manual windows, they've usually already reached their destination and had another meal before I can start waving.

At least you know where the roll down handle is. I still keep trying to push the button on the door that isn't there

 

[PhoenixM3]

Merry Christmas to JL owners of all types, and Happy Holidays to you JT owning peasants.

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