Jeep wave-back question

[ShadowsPapa]

People in Iowa often wave anyway if they recognize you or your vehicle from the area - and area means several square miles. As far as seeing Jeeps - most Jeeps here are Grand Cherokees, then Wranglers and similar models, Compass, etc. - and in all this time I got a glimpsed of ONE (1) single Gladiator about a half block away - that's it. No others. My wife even said she's never seen one so she wondered about my sanity buying a vehicle apparently no one else around here wants.

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[mojocho]

I have all the time. My two modes of transportation are my JT and Motorcycle. I'm always waving.

Had a rental car once and felt disconnected. Several times I've gotten confused on which vehicle I'm on. But I had a Jeep wave back at me while riding...LOL. So I think he was confused as well

 

[WildJD]

I've had like three people out of the 300 Jeeps I've passed by wave... so I've stopped initiating.

Since 2018, there are more than 300,000 new Wranglers on the road (not counting Gladiators)... most driven by new Wrangler drivers... many of whom are newbies to the wave, (and general Jeep savvy). How will they learn, if we don’t teach them? A Jeep Wave isn’t a gift we give, expecting one in return... it’s our ‘tip-of-the-hat’... our acknowledgment, (as sage and august, brethren of the Jeep Wheeler society)... for their, impeccably wise, tastefully distinguished, choice of their iconically classic, oft impersonated, but never duplicated, original, offroad, rig...
In time they’ll come to understand, and honor, the significance of the ‘Jeep Wave’!
;{

 

[Dr Kel]

I can’t help but wonder how much of a role dealers play, perhaps more specifically salesmen. The first two dealerships I visited never mentioned the wave, but then again I didn’t buy my Gladiator there. Still, I am having trouble imagining either of them saying anything to me about it. The Salesian at BAM was a Jeep (and Porsche) guy through and through. So, he explained a lot to my son and me. For us first-timers, that makes a difference I am sure.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Dealers here are clueless about that stuff - heck, they barely know how to operate dash controls except the one guy I went through. Most shrug, gee, I dunno what those switches are for. Then you get this thing about "these have xxx under them" which you know isn't true because, well, you are a mechanic and know at least that much about them.
Like the guy trying to sell us a Camaro years ago - I asked about the wire leading to the mirror (back when the auto-dim mirrors were a new thing) He had no clue and didn't even bother to figure things out. They come and they go - the one at Dewey I talked to my second time asking questions didn't know about the tailgate, the aux switches (I don't really know what those are for he said) - he told me that was his third dealership in the last 5 years and he wasn't even 25 yet by appearances. No way anyone there would know about a Jeep wave.

 

[12BNNT]

Funny, I mentioned this to my wife the other day, that women don't wave, she said she does but I'm skeptical. I'v noticed that people in white jeeps don't wave either, maybe because they are postal workers...

Funny thing is... I live out in the country, I pass 3 other Jeeps going to and from work each day. 1 female and two males that live on my same road. The woman and ONE of the men wave every time. The other guy never does. My thought is his rubicon is a status symbol and not a membership to a fraternity of fellow Jeeper’s who know the value of their choice of “go anywhere” transportation. When on my bike, I wave to ALL bikes be it Harley, crotch rocket, trike or tourer and get return waves from almost all. Another “open air, connect with nature vehicle” Having just moved to a Can-am spyder (bad knees) I get some funny looks from some of the Harleys but most wave back.
Not everyone buys a Jeep for the same reason. Not everyone feels a connection to like minded buyers. For some, their Jeep is just a mode of transportation like all the cars that came before.
As far as postal workers.... mine waves every time. Following him one day and noticed him only waving to other Jeeps.

 

[WildJD]

Funny thing is... I live out in the country, I pass 3 other Jeeps going to and from work each day. 1 female and two males that live on my same road. The woman and ONE of the men wave every time. The other guy never does. My thought is his rubicon is a status symbol and not a membership to a fraternity of fellow Jeeper’s who know the value of their choice of “go anywhere” transportation. When on my bike, I wave to ALL bikes be it Harley, crotch rocket, trike or tourer and get return waves from almost all. Another “open air, connect with nature vehicle” Having just moved to a Can-am spyder (bad knees) I get some funny looks from some of the Harleys but most wave back.
Not everyone buys a Jeep for the same reason. Not everyone feels a connection to like minded buyers. For some, their Jeep is just a mode of transportation like all the cars that came before.
As far as postal workers.... mine waves every time. Following him one day and noticed him only waving to other Jeeps.

I’m not sure about the Rubicon/Status argument... I didn’t get mine for status... I got it for a nimble, capable, factory ready, ranch truck, I can take places (on the ranch) I can’t get to in the full-size 3/4 ton truck!
As far as those who refuse to wave... some folks (from all walks of life) are just A-holes! Yes, even some Rubi owners are A-holes! But not all non-wavers (or all Rubi owners) are! Some are just newbies who haven’t snapped to the ‘Wave’ yet... give ‘em time... they will! Just like us Bikers, (lot of newbie Bikers on the road too), Jeepsters are a brand-proud, lifestyle-proud, heritage-proud, loyalty-proud, Brotherhood/Sisterhood of Wheeling enthusiasts! “Live to Ride, Ride to Wave!” ;{

 

[surge101]

I’m not sure about the Rubicon/Status argument... I didn’t get mine for status... I got it for a nimble, capable, factory ready, ranch truck, I can take places (on the ranch) I can’t get to in the full-size 3/4 ton truck!
As far as those who refuse to wave... some folks (from all walks of life) are just A-holes! Yes, even some Rubi owners are A-holes! But not all non-wavers (or all Rubi owners) are! Some are just newbies who haven’t snapped to the ‘Wave’ yet... give ‘em time... they will! Just like us Bikers, (lot of newbie Bikers on the road too), Jeepsters are a brand-proud, lifestyle-proud, heritage-proud, loyalty-proud, Brotherhood/Sisterhood of Wheeling enthusiasts! “Live to Ride, Ride to Wave!” ;{

Yeah I don’t think most rubi owners are buying for “status” there are a lot of other vehicles that scream “I cost 60k” that they could have gotten instead. The gladiator is my first Jeep, and I had no idea how expensive the rubis were until I was in the process of buying my gladiator. So, safe to assume all the non-Jeep owners, and some Jeep owners, have no idea that the Rubi would be a status symbol...

 

[12BNNT]

I’m not sure about the Rubicon/Status argument... I didn’t get mine for status... I got it for a nimble, capable, factory ready, ranch truck, I can take places (on the ranch) I can’t get to in the full-size 3/4 ton truck!
As far as those who refuse to wave... some folks (from all walks of life) are just A-holes! Yes, even some Rubi owners are A-holes! But not all non-wavers (or all Rubi owners) are! Some are just newbies who haven’t snapped to the ‘Wave’ yet... give ‘em time... they will! Just like us Bikers, (lot of newbie Bikers on the road too), Jeepsters are a brand-proud, lifestyle-proud, heritage-proud, loyalty-proud, Brotherhood/Sisterhood of Wheeling enthusiasts! “Live to Ride, Ride to Wave!” ;{

Sounds like you got a rubicon for the capability it provides. Going places the full size won’t. And that’s the point. My JK is a sport S. 90% daily driver off road 3-4 times a year. I can get by off road with a modded sport by knowing my limits and go anywhere in any weather on the street. My need doesn’t justify the extra expense of a rubicon package, yours does. My point was more to the point that some buy a Sahara/Overland or Rubicon that will never see any off-road time for the status or cool factor (Mall crawler as they call it). By no means did I mean all. The woman in the lifted Sahara and the other guy (rubicon) DO wave. Like you said, some are just a-holes! Everyone is different along with their reasons for buying a Jeep (be it JK,JL,JT...etc) so those that buy one for a status symbol or the cool factor, and not for what it can do, generally aren’t apt to be waving back to fellow Jeep brotherhood/sisterhood members.

 

[markleone22]

I'm glad there is already a conversation about this, because I didn't want to start a new thread about it.

New Jeep owner. Gator Gladiator Sport S with a two-inch lift, 35s, hard top. A thousand people told me about "The Wave" prior to buying this. "Oh, boy, you're in a cult now" ... "Have you practiced your wave?" ... "You know about the wave, right??"

I took delivery of the JT on Halloween. I live in Chester County, PA ... very populated. I am not kidding in the least when I say that I have passed at least 50 Jeeps since Halloween, and not one wave, pinkey raise, head nod. Nothing. Frankly, I don't care. I'm just puzzled and curious about the whole thing. I have even literally been sitting side-by-side with several Jeeps at stoplights, and have not even gotten a head turn, a glance-over. Nothing at all. It's almost as if people are going out of their way NOT to acknowledge the Jeep. I actually had a Jeep-owning coworker tell me that while my JT is nice, it's not really a Jeep. In other words, "it doesn't qualify." It's apparently "not worthy" of the wave. Wondering if anyone else is getting the same vibe. Fascinating.

Regardless, the Gladiator is awesome!

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Wonder if it's more of a regional thing? The western folks tend to see things differently - different country, different atmosphere, etc. The population centers would seem to be to be less likely to do the wave thing than those in rocky rural mountain areas.
Just a guess! I'd frankly never heard of it until this forum!

 

[WildJD]

I'm glad there is already a conversation about this, because I didn't want to start a new thread about it.

New Jeep owner. Gator Gladiator Sport S with a two-inch lift, 35s, hard top. A thousand people told me about "The Wave" prior to buying this. "Oh, boy, you're in a cult now" ... "Have you practiced your wave?" ... "You know about the wave, right??"

I took delivery of the JT on Halloween. I live in Chester County, PA ... very populated. I am not kidding in the least when I say that I have passed at least 50 Jeeps since Halloween, and not one wave, pinkey raise, head nod. Nothing. Frankly, I don't care. I'm just puzzled and curious about the whole thing. I have even literally been sitting side-by-side with several Jeeps at stoplights, and have not even gotten a head turn, a glance-over. Nothing at all. It's almost as if people are going out of their way NOT to acknowledge the Jeep. I actually had a Jeep-owning coworker tell me that while my JT is nice, it's not really a Jeep. In other words, "it doesn't qualify." It's apparently "not worthy" of the wave. Wondering if anyone else is getting the same vibe. Fascinating.

Regardless, the Gladiator is awesome!

Your coworker is fulla Bull. Some states, (PA being one), are lagging behind in JeepWave awareness and dogma... general Jeep savvy. California, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Texas, (states where Jeep off-road, “Wheeling” clubs have been established for decades), are leading the way, but the others are slowly catching up to JeepWave etiquette. Which, btw, dictates... Wranglers (2door & 4door, and any other “Flatfender” predating Wranglers, Willys, CJs, etc...), are the official Jeep of the JeepWave... Cherokees, Grand Cherokees, Renegades, Liberty’s, etc... are considered distant cousins. The Gladiator, being of Wrangler descent, is eligible, but still being debated by hardcore Jeepsters. By and large, (being a classic TJ owner myself), I think it will win out in the end, especially with Gladiator builds conquering off-road obstacles side by side with JKs and JLs these days!
(And Baja desert runners best watch out as well!) ;{

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Your coworker is fulla Bull. Some states, (PA being one), are lagging behind in JeepWave awareness and dogma... general Jeep savvy. California, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Texas, (states where Jeep off-road, “Wheeling” clubs have been established for decades), are leading the way, but the others are slowly catching up to JeepWave etiquette. Which, btw, dictates... Wranglers (2door & 4door, and any other “Flatfender” predating Wranglers, Willys, CJs, etc...), are the official Jeep of the JeepWave... Cherokees, Grand Cherokees, Renegades, Liberty’s, etc... are considered distant cousins. The Gladiator, being of Wrangler descent, is eligible, but still being debated by hardcore Jeepsters. By and large, (being a classic TJ owner myself), I think it will win out in the end, especially with Gladiator builds conquering off-road obstacles side by side with JKs and JLs these days!
(And Baja desert runners best watch out as well!) ;{

I figured it was big in the west and SW and rocky mt areas - that makes total sense. That's a good explanation.
If we can prove or show that the Wrangler has as much hauling space in the back compared to a Grand Cherokee, my wife was REALLY tempted in Jan 2018 when she last traded Jeeps - she saw a purple Wrangler in the show room and loved it - but was concerned about it not having room for all of her quilting stuff when she goes to retreats and such - she hauls her tables, a chair, sewing machines, bedding, tubs of projects and more to these things.
That would be cool really because the Gladiator has many of the comfort attributes of the GC so MAYBE she could find a Wrangler - but then they lack the power seats and such she wants. Oh, well. Interesting explanation of things in any case.

 

[Tim]

I'm glad there is already a conversation about this, because I didn't want to start a new thread about it.

New Jeep owner. Gator Gladiator Sport S with a two-inch lift, 35s, hard top. A thousand people told me about "The Wave" prior to buying this. "Oh, boy, you're in a cult now" ... "Have you practiced your wave?" ... "You know about the wave, right??"

I took delivery of the JT on Halloween. I live in Chester County, PA ... very populated. I am not kidding in the least when I say that I have passed at least 50 Jeeps since Halloween, and not one wave, pinkey raise, head nod. Nothing. Frankly, I don't care. I'm just puzzled and curious about the whole thing. I have even literally been sitting side-by-side with several Jeeps at stoplights, and have not even gotten a head turn, a glance-over. Nothing at all. It's almost as if people are going out of their way NOT to acknowledge the Jeep. I actually had a Jeep-owning coworker tell me that while my JT is nice, it's not really a Jeep. In other words, "it doesn't qualify." It's apparently "not worthy" of the wave. Wondering if anyone else is getting the same vibe. Fascinating.

Regardless, the Gladiator is awesome!

I'm in Jersey and there are a lot of Jeeps around. I'm actually surprised how many waves I get. It's probably about 50% of Wranglers I pass. My wife thinks it's nuts...

 

[markleone22]

I'm in Jersey and there are a lot of Jeeps around. I'm actually surprised how many waves I get. It's probably about 50% of Wranglers I pass. My wife thinks it's nuts...

Hey, Tim. Lo and behold, I got my first wave this morning! Guy was coming the opposite way, I flashed my high beams, he waved as he passed me. There it is. Cherry popped. Hope in humanity remains intact.

By the way, born and raised in Bergen County, NJ, 29 years. Moved to PA when I got married 17 years ago. Where you at?

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