(Like many of us, I have a few drafts I never finished. See my Jeep Experience tag for the earlier entries in this series.)
Taken at the inaugural Toledo Jeep Fest, August 13, 2016. To be absolutely clear: this is not my usual Jeep Wave. This was encouraged by the woman taking the photo; for all I know I’ve now been drafted into a roving gang of outlaw Jeepers. (Notice the Comanche in the background? As far as I can tell, that’s one of maybe fifty left in the country.)
The Jeep Wave is surprisingly controversial. Wrangler owners are often confused or even annoyed by it. One owner reportedly named the Wave as a contributing factor to his decision to sell his Jeep; another returns all Waves with his middle finger. The Official Wrangler Forum Jeep Wave Thread is over 9000 posts.
First, to forestall the complaints: yes, I know there are other wave traditions.
Motorcyclists seem to be the best at reliably waving to each other, perhaps because you don’t generally accidentally end up riding a bike, whereas there are no small number of Jeep Wrangler owners who just bought a cool SUV, and don’t know they’ve entered a community with its own rules.
Jeep Wrangler owners: always wave, always park next to each other. Not so hard, but dealerships are too busy to properly educate new buyers.
The question of which Jeep owners should be waving to each other contributes to the angst surrounding this longstanding tradition. Here are my personal guidelines: always wave to a CJ or Wrangler. Always wave to an XJ Cherokee. Usually wave to the WJ and ZJ Grand Cherokees. Absolutely, definitively wave to any pre-XJ Jeep, if you recognize them (harder than it sounds).
And I’m fond of waving to any classic ragtop 4x4, although there’s always the risk that the FJ40 owner is laughing at me for thinking it’s a Jeep.
Harder than who to wave to, however, is the logistical question of how/when to do it.
There are variations on the Wave guidelines, including the idea that the newer Jeep should wave first, but to that I say bollocks. The Wave needs to be shared with new owners, so by all means wave no matter whose vehicle is newer.
Besides which, the increasing number of tinted windows means you often have no idea whether you’re getting a wave back. Or maybe my eyes are just getting old.
Returning to the logistics of when to wave: the simplest scenario is two Wranglers passing on a 2-lane highway. As soon as you’re within about 50 yards, go for it.
When you’re on a wider road, especially on an interstate highway, things get more complicated. You’re less likely to spot them until they’re pretty close, and unless you’re both waving outside the Jeep (or the doors are off) you’re probably not going to know whether your wave was returned.
So, just wave as prominently as you can without feeling/looking too foolish, and know that you’ve done your good deed for the moment.
More problematic is when you’re approaching someone parked at a light on a perpendicular heading. Odds are they’re not watching the traffic going your way, so they won’t see you.
Still, wave, especially as you pass directly in front of them. If your window is down/door is off, you’ve got a shot at getting their attention. (Just don’t turn your head to try to catch the return wave, lest you rear end someone and have to explain your distraction.)
Things get really complex when you’re traveling the same direction. How many times do you have to wave? You’d think just once, but what’s important is that they see you wave once, and determining whether someone saw you is quite hard under most circumstances.
Dilbert captured the “same direction wave” problem pretty accurately before many of you were born.