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Tuesday, November 24, 2015

The Wrangler Wave



The Wrangler Wave


In 1955, my pops bought a VW Bug.  A tiny car with only 32 horsepower, there were very few “Bugs” on the road.  The Bug was kind of ugly and its performance on the road a little lacking, but owners all loved their VW Bugs.  When you passed or saw another of these then rare Bugs, you always gave the horn a quick beep, beep which was almost always returned.

Even in 1968 when I bought my VW Bug, the beep, beep was customary.  I think by 1970 when there were about ten billion bugs on the road the friendly beep, beep tradition finally ended.

I currently drive a Jeep Wrangler.  The Wrangler is also a somewhat ugly vehicle with some unpleasant road handling features, yet Wrangler owners love their car the same way owners used to love their VW Bugs.  When a Wrangler passes another Wrangler it is customary to give a three finger wave.  It is a very simple slight lift from the steering wheel.  Some drivers give a two finger peace sign wave.  I have owned a Wrangler since 1992, and I insist the proper wave is the three finger “W sign” wave.  However I let it go, as long as I get any wave back response.

Lately I have a different issue with the Jeep wave.  Several years ago Jeep came out with a four door Wrangler.  I have nothing against the four door Wrangler, but it is large enough that packing and space is not a problem, and I suspect it does not feel like a truck on the highway like the traditional Wrangler does.  The four door Wrangler seems like just the Jeep Liberty disguised as a Wrangler.

The four door looks exactly like a two door Wrangler when it is coming at you.  Because of this and the short time you have to identify the four door before it zips by I often give the traditional Wrangler wave.  The four door Wrangler usually returns the wave and sometimes initiates it.

I hate that!

I don’t feel the four door is a real Wrangler and does not rate the Wrangler wave.

What can I say, I’m a purist. 

We never did the beep, beep to a VW Bus.

20 comments:

  1. I've only ever heard of doing the Punch Buggy.

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  2. Perhaps you could start a petition to get the drivers of the four-door to knock it off!

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  3. I thought the VW Bug was kinda attractive in a toy-like way. Do you remember seeing billboards with adds showing a Bug in a garage with the caption "Mother's Little Helper?"

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  4. Your mind is a most fascinating place to visit. It really is.

    Have a fabulous day. ☺

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  5. What I like about you, Joeh, is that you have really got a handle on the important things in life!

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  6. Wow. . . Wrangler snobs. . . Who knew? ;)

    I've noticed that motorcylists will usually give each other a kind of raised-fist salute when they pass on the road, also. . .

    I ride a bicycle, and we cyclists always give each other a little wave when we pass each other on the road. As long as we're going in opposite directions. If we're going in the same direction, then the whole 'competitive' question of who's passing whom comes into play. The faster cyclist will pass the slower one, and if he's a genial sort, he might say, "Beautiful day, eh?" in the few seconds of actual auditory contact, but there is always the implied ["I'm faster than you"]. But these days, I just send back the implied ["You passed a fat 59-year-old; good for you"].

    ;)

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  7. During the brief time when I had my MGB, I would exchange waves with other such car drivers. But I can't recall how many fingers were used.

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  8. Do you suggest a one finger salute instead?

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  9. Actually the beep beep originally belonged to the Plymouth Roadrunner. Just sayin'.
    Punch buggy, can't punch back!!

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  10. My son drove a VW Bus ... in fact when he got a new one he gave the first one to my other son. No matter where we went, we always lead the parade. LOL

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  11. The last time I drove a Jeep Wrangler I was so busy holding on for dear life I couldn't spare a finger or two or three for a wave. Those things have a roll bar for a reason! ;)

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  12. VW Bug is a car that is loved by a few, but loved like no other car.

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  13. My dad had a Jeep CJ7, with a 3 speed transmission, and both the hard top and rag top. He mostly left the hard top on. Now I am concerned that I never waved at others. Would this model be Wrangler-wave-worthy?

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  14. I love that feeling of friendship, that "I'm with you" kind of instant connection...you know, the kind you feel when you buy the same ice cream flavor in the grocery store.

    :-p

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  15. We waved at everyone, didn't matter what car we had or they had, dad always waved, especially at the big semi-trailers and they always waved back. There was far less traffic on country roads back then, so seeing another vehicle was probably cause for celebration, wave style.

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  16. They still do the Vdub wave over here Joe although it tends to be more van/bus related. Even now that we run around in a fairly ordinary T4 rather than SD's beloved Syncro we still get the wave wherever we go. I like it, not sure if anyone else does it.

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  17. Hey, if they'd wanted the Jeep wave they should have gotten a "Real Jeep."
    That's all I'm going to say about that.

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