What has happend to Jeeps and Jeep owners today ?

[candymancan]

Either im too old school and pig headed and old minded being only 33.. Or people today have gone nuts.

Im in a group in northern VA its actually the biggest group in Nova for Jeep owners. Our caravan on the 4th of July was nearly 2 miles long.

I was the ONLY SJ there.. there was an older CJ5 in the group and a couple late 90s wranglers buf 95% of the 200 people were need for speed ricer Wranglers.

Yea i said it.. Jeeps today aka wranglers todsy are nothing but lifted ricers.. plastic mods ALL over... csrbon fiber hoods eith 4 or more vents for that monstrous v6 pentastar engine. Some of these hoods have a bump in the middle that makes it look like you have a supercharger in there. The neon colored halo LED lights. No one has normal colored headlights. Now they are all green or red headlights. The mean looking mustash on the grill to give it a grin.

The stickers all over the Jeep and badges saying my Jeep is badass because its trail rated. One guy jad like 8 badges for each trail he went on. Almost everyone has some stupid comment written on their windsheild now.

I dunno.. They look cool but they also look like complete crap. And when i go to these meetings with my wagoneer i feel like the kid sitting in the corner of the room facing the wall.. lol no one cares about a peice of history i own. No one wants to check it out.. Not that i care lol. But its something ive noticed. Had a ricer wrsngler owner tell me my FSJ isnt a real Jeep.. i looked at his lifted FIAT and im like ok buddy.

I dunno i decided to leave that group.. I dont care how large it is.. Its most 20-30 something millenials ( yes ima millenial) who only care about showing off their ricer mods.

I dunno. I wish Northern VA had s group for older Jeeps.. CJs. SJs even older wranglers. Zjs and XJs.

Bleh

Am i the only one who has noticed this trend

[MReese Wagoneer]

Nope I agree
I owned a WJ back around 2010 and the local group would hardly even recognize me!
And I’m sure with the Wagoneer it will be the same
I’ve never been a super fan of the Wrangler and with all the ricer add ons blaaaaa
More soccer moms driving Rubi’s than true off roaders


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tedlovesjeeps71]

Either im too old school and pig headed and old minded being only 33.. Or people today have gone nuts.

Im in a group in northern VA its actually the biggest group in Nova for Jeep owners. Our caravan on the 4th of July was nearly 2 miles long.

I was the ONLY SJ there.. there was an older CJ5 in the group and a couple late 90s wranglers buf 95% of the 200 people were need for speed ricer Wranglers.

Yea i said it.. Jeeps today aka wranglers todsy are nothing but lifted ricers.. plastic mods ALL over... csrbon fiber hoods eith 4 or more vents for that monstrous v6 pentastar engine. Some of these hoods have a bump in the middle that makes it look like you have a supercharger in there. The neon colored halo LED lights. No one has normal colored headlights. Now they are all green or red headlights. The mean looking mustash on the grill to give it a grin.

The stickers all over the Jeep and badges saying my Jeep is badass because its trail rated. One guy jad like 8 badges for each trail he went on. Almost everyone has some stupid comment written on their windsheild now.

I dunno.. They look cool but they also look like complete crap. And when i go to these meetings with my wagoneer i feel like the kid sitting in the corner of the room facing the wall.. lol no one cares about a peice of history i own. No one wants to check it out.. Not that i care lol. But its something ive noticed. Had a ricer wrsngler owner tell me my FSJ isnt a real Jeep.. i looked at his lifted FIAT and im like ok buddy.

I dunno i decided to leave that group.. I dont care how large it is.. Its most 20-30 something millenials ( yes ima millenial) who only care about showing off their ricer mods.

I dunno. I wish Northern VA had s group for older Jeeps.. CJs. SJs even older wranglers. Zjs and XJs.

Bleh

Am i the only one who has noticed this trend

There was a group called something-crawlers or crawler-something in NOVA when I was stationed there. Not sure if they are still around or not. I've been lucky as the military jeepers usually have a chapter at any place I've been stationed. Their activity has dropped significantly though, which I blame on social media. The mother sites on the internet used to be a hotspot of info, activity, and organizing for trail rides. Now, everyone seems to have been infected by FB.
I've pretty much given up on the club thing as well. Just a few folks from the earlier days who I do runs with as time (and jeep functionality) permits.
As for stickers... I have piles of them. They go on the fridge or wall of the garage when it gets built. Putting them on the jeep tends to trigger folks and in today's world... That can lead to issues.

[candymancan]

And get this i made a post telling them my issue with that ricer wrangler saying my FSJ wasnt a real Jeep and i got blocked and kicked from the group in 10 minutes.

Hahah... Told the founder of the group there are 3 of em one was online so i know it was him. Told him. SEE YA at the next meeting where you cant block me...lol

Badges dont trigger me... what triggers me is disrespctful Jeep owners todsy. I dont go there with a old Jeep demanging attention or respect but damn i try to talk with them and no one cares litterally you can tell when ppl are uninterested.. all the huhhu yea uh huhs come out..

I dont wheel my fsj either... but to me all Jeeps are Jeeps.... but to wrangler ricers if it doesnt have thr mods and it isnt s wrangler it isnt a Jeep

[candymancan]

Either im too old school and pig headed and old minded being only 33.. Or people today have gone nuts.

Im in a group in northern VA its actually the biggest group in Nova for Jeep owners. Our caravan on the 4th of July was nearly 2 miles long.

I was the ONLY SJ there.. there was an older CJ5 in the group and a couple late 90s wranglers buf 95% of the 200 people were need for speed ricer Wranglers.

Yea i said it.. Jeeps today aka wranglers todsy are nothing but lifted ricers.. plastic mods ALL over... csrbon fiber hoods eith 4 or more vents for that monstrous v6 pentastar engine. Some of these hoods have a bump in the middle that makes it look like you have a supercharger in there. The neon colored halo LED lights. No one has normal colored headlights. Now they are all green or red headlights. The mean looking mustash on the grill to give it a grin.

The stickers all over the Jeep and badges saying my Jeep is badass because its trail rated. One guy jad like 8 badges for each trail he went on. Almost everyone has some stupid comment written on their windsheild now.

I dunno.. They look cool but they also look like complete crap. And when i go to these meetings with my wagoneer i feel like the kid sitting in the corner of the room facing the wall.. lol no one cares about a peice of history i own. No one wants to check it out.. Not that i care lol. But its something ive noticed. Had a ricer wrsngler owner tell me my FSJ isnt a real Jeep.. i looked at his lifted FIAT and im like ok buddy.

I dunno i decided to leave that group.. I dont care how large it is.. Its most 20-30 something millenials ( yes ima millenial) who only care about showing off their ricer mods.

I dunno. I wish Northern VA had s group for older Jeeps.. CJs. SJs even older wranglers. Zjs and XJs.

Bleh

Am i the only one who has noticed this trend

There was a group called something-crawlers or crawler-something in NOVA when I was stationed there. Not sure if they are still around or not. I've been lucky as the military jeepers usually have a chapter at any place I've been stationed. Their activity has dropped significantly though, which I blame on social media. The mother sites on the internet used to be a hotspot of info, activity, and organizing for trail rides. Now, everyone seems to have been infected by FB.
I've pretty much given up on the club thing as well. Just a few folks from the earlier days who I do runs with as time (and jeep functionality) permits.
As for stickers... I have piles of them. They go on the fridge or wall of the garage when it gets built. Putting them on the jeep tends to trigger folks and in today's world... That can lead to issues.

Thats another reason i dont use fb.. i have an account but its hidden and blocked to everyone.. i have it just to log into websites lol... and i thought id try this group out but sll they ever do is post the next fashion statement on there wrangler

[fulsizjeep]

Not a big fan of any Wranglers. No hate, just not a fan. Maybe because there are a gazillion of the newer ones out there. I think it's great that there is so much after market support for them even if there is plastic, carbon fiber whatever... I am 64 and a lot of car enthusiasts my age don't say nice things about newer generations and their cars. There is no point in beating anyone down about it. Someone needs to carry the torch forward.

[will e]

The Arizona Jeep club I belong to has a bunch of Wranglers but also CJ's, XJ's and various others. No doubt, the majority of members and people on the trails are Wrangler owners. There is a lot of interest in my FSJ and folks are really cool about me joining on rides. They kind of respect I haven't taken 'the easy way out' and gone Wrangler. The Wrangler is a nice platform for Wheeling, much better than my FSJ. The Wrangler has more creature comforts and a nicer suspension too. Some day, when I get even a bit older, who knows, I might pick one up and wheel it. But I doubt I will do a bunch of mods to it either.

I am glad the younger folks are at least interested in Jeeps and maybe trails. They will be the ones who decide if the trails stay open or not. We need as many enthusiasts as we can get.

[PossumJr]

I'll put money on at least 80% of those Wranglers are rocking those ridiculous angry eye grilles, no disrespect if anyone here likes them but I think they are a stupid fad. I swear every new JK and JL around me gets one the second it gets off the dealer's lot.

[Tanker]

Dont feel bad man,I get the their not Jeep to how can you work on Jeeps with one arm. Wife gets the well your a girl BEEP ,she cant work on Jeeps along with other crap. Dont worry about it.The internet brings out the idiots of the keyboard world. Yes there are good folks out there.Like water on a ducks back no worrys man no worrys.

[Stuka]

I think it depends a lot on where you live. In the area I live in there are tons of of Wranglers (I own one too), but VERY few that I would consider ricy. Most all are either stock, or tastefully modified for trails in this area. And most of the guys I know (myself included) hate the angry eye grills. But, I live in a mountainous area with trails all over the place. Even the Rubicon is 2 hours from my house.

And of course clubs these days will have way more TJ/JK/JL's than older Jeeps. Jeep sold 240K Wranglers last year. They have sold more Wranglers over the last two years than every year of every FSJ combined. Plus, our rigs are slowly dropping off the edge of the world unfortunately. While I think its awesome to see old iron on the trail, I am almost to the point to where I prefer to see them pampered so that they last for the next generation of collectors.

So its no surprise that most clubs have more recent Jeeps. And yeah, in urban areas, I would not be surprised to see a bunch of bro-truck style Wranglers. But that by no means all Wrangler owners are this way. I take mine out whenever I can, and had a blast this past Friday on a local trail that has some epic views. And while I would consider it as 'easy' for my JKU, very few new vehicles would make it. And the fact that in todays age of fuel economy and crash standards, Jeep can still make a vehicle like the Wrangler.

[will e]

And thank goodness for the bro-truck folks. This creates the aftermarket demand. Selling a quarter million wranglers a year helps too. I don't have a Wranlger, yet, but if I get one I sure will appreciate all of the aftermarket support. You can pretty much buy and bolt on anything.

And I kinda like the 'angry eyes' look, especially if it is not on an 'over done' jeep.

[Xplitive]

I have the angry eye look on my FSJ, but it was because I hadn’t put the grill surround piece back on after rebuilding the ac. Maybe it’s more like the wide eyed look. Every FSJ owner should do it. Just kidding.

[DustinLangston]

I appreciate the passion these new comers have for Jeep and their capabilities. I'm a member of the local Utah Jeep Crew community and its a pretty good group that is accepting of me and my old school Jeep love.
But you are correct that most of the JK/JL owners don't know anything about Jeep history or why certain things are the way they are.

[Xplitive]

Is there a 7 slot FSJ grill? That would probably make the difference.

[DustinLangston]

Is there a 7 slot FSJ grill? That would probably make the difference.

No, the closest might be the muscle grille, followed by the rhino grille. But no seven slot grilles were ever used on an FSJ.

[FLeetFox]

A few thought's.. from a 47 year old, Gen X Slacker....
1. Candymancan, you sound like and old soul born too late. You can come by and drink budweisers and talk about how the kids today suk anytime.
2. Stuka kinda nailed it here: "Plus, our rigs are slowly dropping off the edge of the world unfortunately. While I think its awesome to see old iron on the trail, I am almost to the point to where I prefer to see them pampered so that they last for the next generation of collectors." There's a reason Jeep Heri&^%e exists. There's a reason why Wagoneers show up in catalogs and period TV shows. It's nostalgia. A touchstone most people of a certain age can connect with. There is similar hand wringing going on in the classic car community these days. The teens that bought beater camaros and mustangs in the 70s and 80s are almost grandparents. The t-bucket and model A crowd are almost too old to drive now. Look at all the classic car listings, you can almost see the generational shift. FSJ's are coming off the farms now, out of the barns because they are something different, something cool for a small segment of the population. Maybe some day before you know it, they'll be like WC power wagons.
3. Jeep has become a bit like Harley Davidson, and even John Deere a bit, it's a lifestyle brand. I drive a Jeep, therefore I'm rugged and independent. We drive SJs because we can fix $hit when it breaks, cause it's a jeep, and $hit always breaks. FSJ people will always be outliers in the Jeep community.
Rant over. I love seeing younger guys on this board. I doesn't bother me if you bought a cheap truck and want to make it a crawler. But I do have exceptions to that rule; please don't tear up something unique to the brand, A sportside, a laredo,a barn door Cherokee, a 10-4; at this point I really feel like these need to be preserved. I'm here because I saw a Sportside for sale and I knew it needed to be saved. Because I remember the Waterboy, Lowell Arnold, the Bud Honcho chase truck. How many of the original 1250 are left? A few hundred?? Anyways, don't let the lack of respect from the wrangler crowd get you down, the FSJ crowd is definitely a breed apart.

Fleet Fox

[will e]

I appreciate the passion these new comers have for Jeep and their capabilities. I'm a member of the local Utah Jeep Crew community and its a pretty good group that is accepting of me and my old school Jeep love.
But you are correct that most of the JK/JL owners don't know anything about Jeep history or why certain things are the way they are.

I did a run with a bunch of them here in AZ. There was one obstacle, a dry 'waterfall'. It's not hard but looks a bit intimidating. I was the last to go up and there was a small crowd of folks watching. They all started clapping when I got to the top. They didn't do this for the 'built wranglers' A lot of folks like to see the old stuff out on the trail. Here's a post from a different run ( tried to just grab post 18 but the entire second page is displayed):

http://www.virtualjeepclub.com/showthre ... post813176

Okay, he called my rig a wagoneer, we can forgive him for not knowing the difference. But it shows the excitement folks have for our old stuff.

[tedlovesjeeps71]

I appreciate the passion these new comers have for Jeep and their capabilities. I'm a member of the local Utah Jeep Crew community and its a pretty good group that is accepting of me and my old school Jeep love.
But you are correct that most of the JK/JL owners don't know anything about Jeep history or why certain things are the way they are.

I did a run with a bunch of them here in AZ. There was one obstacle, a dry 'waterfall'. It's not hard but looks a bit intimidating. I was the last to go up and there was a small crowd of folks watching. They all started clapping when I got to the top. They didn't do this for the 'built wranglers' A lot of folks like to see the old stuff out on the trail. Here's a post from a different run ( tried to just grab post 18 but the entire second page is displayed):

http://www.virtualjeepclub.com/showthre ... post813176

Okay, he called my rig a wagoneer, we can forgive him for not knowing the difference. But it shows the excitement folks have for our old stuff.

Somewhere in internet world there is a video of my cherk doing a waterfall (poorly). It had everyone's attention as it was a six banger with 272 gears. I'll see if I can find it. Funny how everyone was watching.

[will e]

Reminds me of a time I had the waggy out with some friends. We came up on a shelf and there were some folks watching. One guy said to my friend, "Is he gonna try to go up that". My buddy said, "What, you've never heard of the meat wagon before?". That was his nickname for my rig. So I pull up, put the lockers on and pop the front over the shelf. I slowly moved up until my sliders were on the shelf edge and then bumped the throttle over. The guy couldn't believe it. It's one of the fun things about having these old rigs on the trails, people love to see them out there.

[rapom]

I also agree, and disagree, I get lots of looks and thumbs up, but notice that some people don't realize what I have. I also have an xj and have instituted the xj wave with 70% success. Not to many Chief's or wagoneers around to do the same.