Quote Originally Posted by Timmy View Post
As for the upgrades... It is the upgrades that makes the Wrangler so fun. I would hate to see Wrangler after Wrangler on the streets that has a factory 4" lift and 35" tires, all decked out. Shoot, as it stands, I get a little irritated to see the stupid AEV built Wranglers sitting at the Jeep dealership, where they just shipped them off to Michigan to get the AEV treatment, bring them back and slap an extra $20k on to the price. When I see the people driving the dealer-made AEV Jeeps around town, I just sit there and think "loser." Not because their Jeep isn't good, but because they don't know why it is good, what it can do, why you put certain parts on, and why, for the love of all things on this planet, you DON'T NEED A DAMN SNORKLE if you buy an AEV off the lot because you are tooooo much of pansy to ever submerge your Jeep into 4 feet of water!.
I much prefer discussion of mods and seeing how we are all getting the parts on and then reviewing them. That said, I take this personally Timmy. When I was a teenager I laid under a Chevy Blazer with my brother and got it up high enough to stuff 44" monster mudders under it. Those were the days when you were cool if you had a Rancho suspension. Multiple shock towers were all the rage. I hand wired the Aris (Aeres?) light bar and installed a row of KC Daylighters. Yes, I'm 47 years old! As I've previously posted we had several GM muscle cars over the years and I have hundreds of hours of engine building and auto restoration under my belt. We even pulled a '51 willys out of a barn in connecticut and restored it to military specs - right down to getting a NOS flat four from Sarafan Auto in New York (Kaiser Bill may have heard of them, they sold military surplus). It was a body off restoration. I'll post a pic if I can find one (and scan or take a pic of it!). I'm the last guy who deserves to be referred to as a "loser" because I can afford to walk into a Jeep dealership and buy and AEV truck from the floor. I know - I didn't do that. I bought the truck and have been making changes over time. And no - I won't put a snorkel on it because I won't take it in 4 ft. of water. I know I fit into the "other" category in your post. But let's go a little easy on the folks that buy them pre-built and pay the premium. They may be quite knowledgeable and capable but able to or need to prioritize their time differently. I think a dealer AEV could be a great cross country overland vehicle because it's serviceable at so many dealerships. Now, if you want to go after the guys who buy Porsches or Ferraris to compensate for something I'll join right in with you!