I always wave and have never had a response.... I have yet to find someone who likes them as much as me outside the forums. I saw a pretty sweet one at a gas station and went to ask the owner which model it was and they replied "honestly idk man" 😂 .

Miss when I had an STI and everyone would get stoked and wave.

 

When I owned my Base model P300 90, I only waved at others who also had base models with Steelies....few and far between but they were out there. I considered others, with higher end trims, to owning an entirely different vehicle. Interestingly enough, they always waved at me and wanted to see my vehicle.

Steelies rock!!!!!

 

I had a Jeep wrangler and I have to say it was kind of fun as 90% plus waved. In the Defender, so far I always wave (Chicagoland area) but only About 10% wave back, so far. I guess it's not a new Defender thing here.

 

No tea and roadside sandwiches for you.


*steelie-envy intensifies

 

I had a rubicon and was accustomed to the constant wave (adjusted my waves only be rubicons with 37’s like me cause it got tiring. Tried to start the wave in a Porsche spyder and 911T but it’s hit or miss. I think it might be just a Jeep thing.

 

I’ve thought about this. You can’t just say “Well, now days (as opposed to the first 15 or so years of the 911’s existence) many more of the buyers are people “chasing the dream” who aren’t really even car people.” My plastic-surgeon neighbor with a 991.2 GTS Targa fits that description. She leases a new 911 every 3 years but never geeks out over them — doesn’t know the name of the color, doesn’t really know anything about it, isn’t interested in discussing. And this is way more typical than the forum-type people who argue over whether a certain PTS car is Mexico or Riviera Blue.

But these days, with over 200,000 Wranglers a year getting put on the streets, the same is true of the majority of Jeep owners. And most are one-and-done; the idea seemed cool and then they lived with the reality and moved on after a few years.

So why does the 911 wave never get any traction while the Jeep wave works over 90% of the time, even with people you can pretty surely tell are not “Jeepers”?

I think it’s just that so many Jeep people still wave, and never stopped, that every noob who picks one up gets hit with waves from another Jeep driver almost immediately, and repeatedly. They quickly realize it’s a thing, they prepare for it subconsciously when they see the grill approaching in the distance, and they may not instigate but they are ready and respond when you lift the two fingers from the top of the wheel. In other words, the same distracted, never-thinks-about-their-cars-a-month-after-purchase people are driving Jeeps, 911s and Land Rovers, but the ubiquity of the Jeep wave has kept it from dying out over the years. It’s self-fulfilling, in a way.

The other thing (and it’s not a small one) is the socio-economic implications. People up and down the scale drive Jeeps; there’s something for everybody. So acknowledging that you and the other guy both own one feels more like, I dunno, you’re wearing the same concert T-shirt or State University hat. But in today’s egalitarian society many of us are ashamed or at least “private” about financial accomplishment and don’t really care to feel like “a couple of rich bastards reveling in their mutual smugness” by toasting their success with a cheerful wave. In the same way that you’d be mortified to nod knowingly at a fellow Rolex Presidential wearer, given the fact that if that’s your choice and his, chances are you’re not watch geeks but rather more of the “Show me what you’ve got that’s at the higher end of your price spectrum” kinds of guys.

And bear in mind after all this philosophical rambling: I’m not aligning myself with the “ashamed of success” crowd. And I’m also not saying everybody who drives a new Defender is in the same socio-eco caste (although I am saying that about new 911 drivers.) With prices starting at 50k you’re right in the middle of new-pickup territory so it’s far from stratospheric. Just pointing out that perception is a real thing, and many people would proudly show their neighbors their new 80,000-dollar F150 King Ranch, but might tuck their $65,000 Defender in the garage and shrug it off if asked about it: “Ah, I got a good deal, the wife really wanted one, it’s just a lease,” whatever.

One final thought: if you’re not a person who goes on car fora to discuss cars (which most owners of just about any car aren’t) and you don’t read lots of books and magazine articles about cars, then when you acknowledge another owner of your same car there’s maybe not much to say to one another, since you’re likely to have no more in common than any other strangers. “Nice Defender.” “Thanks! You too.” “Yeah, thanks. That brownish color looks really good on yours.” “Thanks. I like that blue on yours. They didn’t have any on the lot in that color or I would have definitely considered it.” “Yeah, my wife picked it but its grown on me. I wanted the black one with the black interior.” “Yeah, I get it. I usually get black too, but they didn’t have any. You know, chip shortage and all.” “Yeah, well my pump just clicked off. Have a good one.” In other words, you don’t wave because you don’t sense any real connection because you don’t think about what you’re driving if you’re not a car person.

 

You've done the Porsche Experience in Atlanta? I'm there next weekend with my 16yo. We drove by as we were bringing home his new Bronco and he was highly interested. I mumbled something about having to be 21 so, "sorry kid".

Didn't tell him about the young driver course they offer. Going to tell him I'm doing it and that he's going to watch but we'll get there and it's all him. I love a good surprise.

Was that smug enough? I tried. Would be much better if we weren't flying commercial.

Great post BTW.