TJ owners know it all

Chapman4266

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 2, 2019
Messages
336
Location
Snyder TX
As I peruse the Craigslist, marketplace, and other for sale sites, I have come to notice that JK/JL owners in general know nothing about their Jeeps or assume it doesn’t matter. If I see a post without year, model, price, etc., I know immediately it is for a JK/JL. I guess they think they are the only ones. Sometimes it just says Jeep parts. If it is from or for a CJ, YJ, TJ it always says so. We are more specific about our sales. I know we have a bunch of guys on here that also have JK/JL Jeeps. I have no doubt that those parts would have the proper info. It just drives me nuts when price or year is not posted. You have to enter a number for at least price before you can post! Ok. I’m finished whining.
 
Funny, because I too have noticed this. I'm not saying every TJ owner knows it all, but it seems that more TJ owners are in tune with their Jeep and know more about them than the average JK / JL owner. I of course equate this to the fact that with the introduction of the 4-door model Wranglers, the Jeep Wrangler became an "SUV" of sorts, which is now marketed and heavily purchased by would-be SUV drivers.

The people who would once be driving Honda CR-Vs or Suburbans are now driving Wranglers. Of course there's nothing wrong with that, but what it means is that the Wrangler has now become a mainstream vehicle as oppose to a "niche" or "specialty" vehicle like it once was with the TJ.

I mean I'm sorry, but I highly doubt that the majority of TJ buyers were buying them with the intention of making them long commute vehicles, family vehicles, etc. They just aren't practical for that purpose.
 
Last night I was on Facebook Marketplace and found a set of brand new full soft doors for only $45. Even had the case for them! The ad was only posted as “Jeep Soft Doors” with only one picture I quickly messaged the seller asking if they were still available and if they could meet that night. After further review, I asked them what year they were for, the only answer I got was “We had them on our 4 door Wrangler” 🤦🏻‍♂️
 
I was obsessed with my JL, my AD for it was very specific. I had ordered this vehicle after all. I found this TJ at a dealer and sadly had to sell the JL to that dealer instead of getting top dollar on the private market. I wasn't going to turn down an 81k mile one owner frogger... But yes Chris is right, so many of the newer Jeep owners just have an 'SUV' :(
 
Most TJ owners have tools and know how to raise the hood. That’s the difference. Nearly every thread on here pertains to someone working/building / modifying their TJ it seems.
 
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Even the price thing really gets me. This lady had an old junker for sale on marketplace for $9,999,999,999,999. Can’t even put in a price? The app forces you to. I couldn’t help it and said “9 trillion seems a little high for that model” she responded with a price of $2500. See, that wasn’t so hard, was it? Drives me nuts. If I don’t see a price I’m not even trying to buy. Make an offer only? Ok. $1.
 
Even the price thing really gets me. This lady had an old junker for sale on marketplace for $9,999,999,999,999. Can’t even put in a price? The app forces you to. I couldn’t help it and said “9 trillion seems a little high for that model” she responded with a price of $2500. See, that wasn’t so hard, was it? Drives me nuts. If I don’t see a price I’m not even trying to buy. Make an offer only? Ok. $1.
What gets me are stupid prices for things, makes me want to offer twenty five cents... And no pictures, or potato pictures I skip it immediately.
 
Well try rockymountain extreme, the classifieds on here, KSL.com, just stay away from that disease called facebook. My buddys daughter refuses to fix the gearing on her jKu, on 35's, pulling a trailer with a razr and complaining about overheating...just a stupid millenial. spends most of her time on facebook and is willing to buy a 62K f-150 instead of spending $1300 for new gears...slap forehead, Really?
 
Well try rockymountain extreme, the classifieds on here, KSL.com, just stay away from that disease called facebook. My buddys daughter refuses to fix the gearing on her jKu, on 35's, pulling a trailer with a razr and complaining about overheating...just a stupid millenial. spends most of her time on facebook and is willing to buy a 62K f-150 instead of spending $1300 for new gears...slap forehead, Really?
Worse part about this is she wants a Ford!
 
I'm. A member of jeep wrangler enthusiast on Facebook and the ppl that get the jk/jl jeeps dont have a clue on how to even change the oil..most of them can't even read the owners manual as the answer to their question is there it's a completely different world than here where ppl know what and how to do stuff to their jeeps... it's like they bought a new jeep and are depending on other ppl from the internet to answer all their questions
 
I'm not saying every TJ owner knows it all, but it seems that more TJ owners are in tune with their Jeep and know more about them than the average JK / JL owner.

I think it's a symptom of the TJ being mostly an enthusiast vehicle, and something that tends to happen as cars age out of the utility market. I would guess that the typical JK/JL owner uses their Jeep more for utility transportation compared to the average TJ owner. The majority of drivers don't want to ever think about nor care to know about how their vehicle works, they'd rather just pay money to get around in something that looks and feels good. When it gets to be a headache, they'll move on with something else. Enthusiasts, on the other hand, welcome the headache by finding some weird little niche and diving in wholeheartedly. Memorizing part #s, collecting parts for spares, and going to bed hoping at least 2 of their 7 bids on Ebay go through is normal behavior.

And it's not just a Jeep thing, I'd bet the average owner of a 70's-era BMW 2002 tii can tell you the # of bolts on their intake manifold whereas the the owner of a late model 3-series probably has little to no inclination to ever pop the hood.
 
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I think it's a symptom of the TJ being mostly an enthusiast vehicle, and something that tends to happen as cars age out of the utility market. I would guess that the typical JK/JL owner uses their Jeep more for utility transportation compared to the average TJ owner. The majority of drivers don't want to ever think about nor care to know about how their vehicle works, they'd rather just pay money to get around in something that looks and feels good. When it gets to be a headache, they'll move on with something else. Enthusiasts, on the other hand, welcome the headache by finding some weird little niche and diving in wholeheartedly. Memorizing part #s, collecting parts for spares, and going to bed hoping at least 2 of their 7 bids on Ebay go through is normal behavior.

And it's not just a Jeep thing, I'd bet the average owner of a 70's-era BMW 2002 tii can tell you the # of bolts on their intake manifold compared to the owner of a late model 3-series.

Very true indeed. The TJ is much more of an "enthusiast" vehicle than the later model Wranglers I believe.

This may of course change as time goes on and the newer JKs and JLs get older and become cheaper, and therefore more accessible to other people. However, for the time being, the TJ is definitely a very niche vehicle.

You're right though, this isn't just exclusive to Jeeps. I think it has to do with age. The older cars get, the more they become "enthusiast vehicles". No one is going to want to buy a 3 series BMW from the 80s anymore unless they are a true enthusiast.
 
"TJ owners know it all"

I know!

Except when it comes to my JK, still learning about that thing.

But, having a JK has made me realize that I will never get rid of the TJ!
 
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