Evolving without Extinction: A Jeep Story To Be Thankful For

SFJ 4x4 Studios presents, in my oversized four-wheel drive Jeep, a Jeep podcast starring industry

experts.

Pure monocity.

What?

Say that again.

With mad scientists, Scott Brown, used my drill press as a sort of lathe.

Our host, Neil Simpson, if one leg goes off, they'll all go out.

Silver shenanigans.

We are really professional with Jeeps.

This is iSpeak Jeeps.

Good morning, afternoon, evening, wherever, however, you are joining us.

This is the iSpeak Jeep podcast presented by SFJ4x4.com.

My name is Neil, with Simpson Family Jeeps, joined in Grandma's couch studio.

Jeff Cermany.

The Italian Stallion.

Are you sure?

We did not soundcheck before we started to go today.

And I don't know if it's because I got a beanie on.

We did.

Here, I can turn up your headphone volume a little bit.

Yeah, you might need to.

But over on that corner, you've got Scott Brown, the mad scientist.

Terjeepin.

Stuffed with adventure.

The coolest.

No, actually, the correct Thanksgiving hoodie that won was the one that I'm wearing

with the zombie chasing the turkeys.

No, I went to find this this morning just for this occasion.

I have it under lock and key.

I literally did the same.

I made sure that this was freshly washed for today.

I was like, we got to do the Thanksgiving.

Did you two coordinate that?

No, no, we did not.

I was hopeful that he would do that.

It's impressive because it's not the same, but yeah, it really is impressive

for those who are who are listening at home in your in your ear holes.

And of course, you are the bulk of why we do this.

So thank you so very much.

First and foremost, you two can join us live nearly every Monday morning

at 10, 19 or shortly thereafter.

And you could even beat Neil to the podcast.

Yeah, happened today.

I will talk about that.

What what you can't see is our signature limited edition hoodies from last year.

Now, I think that's one of the the fun things that I try to perpetuate

is we do and obviously Savage, who does much of our videography,

photography and merchandise design, you know, he's he is a savage.

And so we do limited time merch drops.

If you don't get it when we do the drop and we've been doing this

for years at this point, well, then you've lost out.

But if you do pick it up, you can get some absolutely ridiculous

April Fool shirts, you can get this really awful

turjip and hoodie that Scott designed.

They're not terrible.

It's the best one.

It's why it's locking key for those who are listening at home.

First of all, it is a jail, you know, sport, two door, right?

And it's a half jail, half Turkey.

I mean, and you can't see this, but you can imagine in your brain

how awful it is, you know, I think of the cool things have done

like this, like the Zippo lighter car, the Wiener mobile.

I mean, we could do the turjip in Oh, boy, just for Scott.

The hoodie that actually won via purchasing last year was this

kind of kind of built for any season or or what's it say?

No matter what season it is, adventure week.

Yeah. And there's a zombie chasing a Turkey,

chasing a Jeep with a Christmas tree on it, which I think got

the ugly Christmas sweater vibe going around.

Yeah. Yeah.

And honestly, I am not one to normally want a brown hoodie,

but I absolutely love this hoodie. Yes.

It's it's the beef gravy color.

And now we're talking about last year's hoodie.

But realistically, I should share with you as we did our signature

seasonal drop, it is a overtly Christmas hoodie.

It's kind of got the signature red pick them up truck

carrying a Christmas tree that is kind of iconically

burnt into our brains.

But of course, instead of, you know, kind of this ambiguous

50s, 60s truck, it is, in fact, a red Jeep Gladiator with white walls on it,

which I actually saw a replica of this

when I say replica, it's like a representation of this at the Toledo Jeep Festival.

Guy actually did his Gladiator like this and I love it.

And I wasn't the inspiration for this hoodie.

It's just it's just this iconic look and and I love it.

So if you haven't ordered one of those, you should do it now.

If you have and you paid for shipping, it'll be shipped out ASAP.

And if you're picking it up at the Christmas parade this Friday,

it is the largest nighttime Jeep Ohio Christmas parade.

If we put enough qualifiers in there, it sounds special.

And we expect to see you here at our facility

roughly five p.m. Five p.m.

To decorate your Jeep to then depart our space to go to yet another space

to then step off at seven parade through the, you know, small

Jeep town of Coney Island, Ohio and then depart from there.

And that is on Black Friday, just in case we qualify that on Black Friday

the evening thereof.

We are not open except for to receive you at that five p.m.

Mark here at our facility for the parade.

Yep. So in the comments real quick,

we got Daddy Jeep was first this morning.

Good morning and good birthday to you.

Yeah, belated. Belated.

But yes, whatever.

And then we had Nate saying good morning and then Nate promptly

looking for his buddy Joe in the comments.

I don't know if they even know each other in real life, but that's pretty fun.

But he's going, Joe, where are you at?

And then you got Jeannie saying happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Daddy Jeep saying Joe's probably napping.

Roy Hill saying good morning.

Jagadjeeper says good morning.

Jeannie saying looking forward to the parade.

Josh Brucker saying good morning, guys.

Daddy Jeep again saying he could set up the photo shoot with the Zippo car.

So get it done.

Dig a dig.

And then our own Savage put in the link for that red gladiator hoodie,

the little red gladiator.

So that is a very little purchase.

Yep. And I think, you know, kind of if you don't know,

I have a fascination and affliction with real Christmas trees.

I am a real Christmas tree guy, and we are oddly fortunate enough

the way that the world works and the weird, serendipitous manner.

As SFJ four by four, as our listening audience,

we are all acquainted Jeep owners to some Jeep owners

who also have prize winning Christmas trees

and actually a Christmas tree farm here in Ohio.

Yep. That is actually they are nationally recognized

for the Christmas trees they grow.

So all of this actually has a lot of merit when all said and done.

So in the comments real quick, I did want to point out

that about being here before Neil, what you don't see before we go live

is who is or who is not in the studio when it's time to go live.

Neil sat down as we were finishing the intro.

But that meant that in the comments section, Daddy Jeep,

Nate and Jeanie all beat Neil to the podcast today.

Did it was pretty entertaining

because that doesn't normally happen like that.

But then we got Jerry saying good morning

and Nate saying he's wielded with Joe O'Brien plenty of times.

So he does know knows the best shortcuts.

If you want to take it twice as long, he does know Joe.

And then Ryan is in the comments saying morning, boys.

Yes. Excellent.

All right. So today, despite the the playful chatter happening already

and the obviously the Thanksgiving holiday that is upon us.

And of course, then by extension, the Christmas parades that,

you know, will fall low.

What are we talking about today?

We are talking about the story of Jeep and, you know,

the evolution of it without extinction is how we titled it.

Yes, basically talking about where Jeep has to go in the future

so that it doesn't become an extinct brand like some of the others out there.

So I think that one of the potential inspirations that I had

is oftentimes to me,

this this particular podcast is what I like to kind of loosely conceptualize.

It's a it's a it's a it's a podcast.

Today's today's program is about the other guys.

Right. And when I say that, I oftentimes get asked

both for parade opportunities quite literally to say, I drive a compass.

I drive a renegade.

I drive a Cherokee or a patriot or liberty.

Can I come and participate?

And the answer is yes.

The answer is always yes, right?

And so, you know, so that's one thing that we get kind of overtly,

but we also get this this this feedback both within the community

and the social platforms and in individuals,

you know, talking about, well, as a compass a Jeep.

And it's like, yeah, yeah, 100 percent.

And so this is I actually feel very strongly about this.

And in the the idea that diversification amongst the brand

historically is what allows our flagship platform to exist.

And yes, as a manufacturer, they try things.

Sometimes they fall flat on their face.

Sometimes they excel and they create a diamond in the rough,

like the XJ Cherokee, the XJ Cherokee.

But, you know, ultimately, the fact that

with the the manufacturer as a whole

tries and builds these other platforms

is what allows the Wrangler and now the Gladiator to exist.

So I took an opportunity to watch a movie

I hadn't seen yet and was way too fitting of this topic this weekend.

And that is Ford versus Ferrari.

Have you seen that yet?

Yep.

Phenomenal movie.

Yes. And it is perfectly aligned with what we're talking about.

100 percent, 100 percent.

And I didn't think I would find that movie as good as I did.

Oh, it's outstanding.

It was phenomenal.

Yeah, it's outstanding.

It makes you fall in love.

I mean, at least me fall back in love

with the automotive community over and over again in that in that regard.

But so today is dedicated to the other guys as far as I'm concerned.

And as part of that, we have to address

a little bit of the elephant in the room with Stalantis.

And this weekend at the LA Auto Show,

they revealed the Jeep Recon,

which we've been told about and teased since 1970.

Since 2024.

And and so, you know, for those of you, I say to what I said,

for those of you who I mean, it's been hypothesized for many, many years.

But yeah, they have wanted to do a car

that is able to do Wrangler things since about 1970.

Dang, you are.

I agree with you. Yeah, I agree with you.

And so real fast in the comments, Daddy Jeep made a great point.

If you need an economical all-wheel drive vehicle,

why not one with a Jeep logo on it?

I couldn't agree more.

He basically said it's not a Jeep, but it's still a Jeep.

No. I mean, and the thing is that people lose their brains

about this stuff today and they have been trying to diversify the brand

since 1946. Correct.

I mean, come on.

You could buy your two way to just be a two way.

You could buy it to trench your yard.

You could buy it with to run a generator, a back of your field.

They had to have multiple reasons and multiple angles

for you to want to buy it.

I don't know that there's a successful manufacturer

that has any type of longevity who produces one vehicle.

It doesn't work. It doesn't work that way.

And so it's mind boggling to me that the air quotes,

the purists of our industries get so hot and bothered over the fact

that the manufacturer diversifies.

I mean, it's a little off topic, but I think it's a perfect example

as you have the Thunderbird came out as a two seater sports car.

It didn't make sense, but everybody romanticized those three years.

And what happened in, you know, after that, they got four door

or four seats and got bigger because now it's more practical

and everybody flicks or knows that that, but that allowed that brand

or that model to continue for a long time.

I mean, it eventually came a four door and blah, blah, blah.

And everybody, oh, that's not a real Thunderbird.

Well, it's what allowed that brand to exist.

Because sadly, we all were romanticized the two seat sports car.

Yeah. But I got two kids and I need more room.

Right. So it just doesn't work.

Like I love me a MJ.

I can't daily a MJ because I have two kids.

Correct. Where do I put my kids?

And, you know, and there are challenges

and I love that I can't help but come back to the conversation

of different strokes for different folks.

And and the conversation then turns to typically speaking,

when you're at that, that campfire or barstool conversation.

Well, they got away from what made that vehicle great.

Yeah. Well, OK, I, you know, I kind of understand

what you're saying in the Thunderbird situation.

They gave you a big block, which was for that time

kind of the best performance they had available.

It was unique to that model.

Essence of the car did not go away.

And, you know, I got to tell you, I like what Jeep is doing

far more than the Bronco, right?

Because they at least didn't call the recon

like the Wrangler Sport. Yeah. Right.

We could have we could have really had a travesty on our hands.

Absolutely. And they could have called the recon the Wrangler Sport,

which I think is bad marketing in my own personal opinion.

Yeah. If you're going to term something, the the Bronco.

Well, Ford just can't name things well.

Now, with that said, if we follow the lineage

of that particular vehicle, of that one in itself, if we spend,

you know, this much time and I'm doing a little figure in the Bronco.

Yes. Yes. Exactly.

That they have a history of ebbing and flowing with that particular model

of resting out.

Well, that is as a signature Bronco move,

but from a full size to a small to a compact

loosely into a full size.

I mean, again, I think it's funny is everyone feels it the most secure

where they felt it.

You know, the early Bronco guys are all passionate about that model.

And then when they changed up in 78 and they got bigger

and it got now it's more like the truck.

And then you got people like, oh, that's that's a Bronco. Right.

No, they're both Broncos.

Yep. They just had the change of the times

because time was changing. Yeah.

And manufacturers have to endeavor to try and change.

Well, I think retro cars can be cool.

That was like 2000.

So it was a big thing.

You're only 25 years late to the party for it.

Yeah. Right. Right.

And then you took something that should be in the call

to an escape and put Bronco on it.

Just saying. Yeah.

So Nate and the comments that he has a gladiator sport,

but it's still a gladiator. Yep. Yep.

And that I think is where they did a beautiful job.

Now, now, now, now with the whole sport equally going on.

And I'm jumping on the conversation a little bit here.

There's a video that I have talking about

should you build a sport, should you build a Rubicon?

What should you buy?

And quite honestly, they're all good answer.

Well, there is depends on you specific and what you use.

And that is the thing is that the sport is no less of value

or no less of a vehicle than that Rubicon.

There are people out there who will die on their hill of the Rubicon superiority.

Well, and yet this is another example of what we're talking about.

The sport is sold every day in droves.

So the Rubicon can exist.

That's exactly correct.

You know, it just does the Rubicon does not make sense without the sport.

Correct. Just as much as the overland or the Sahara

doesn't make sense without the sport.

You have to choose what segment you want to be in.

But that's why we have options.

That's why we have options within that particular model.

Now, it makes perfect sense by extension

that the manufacturer would do the same.

There are plenty of people out there who do not need the rugged nature

and and amazing capabilities of a Wrangler or a Gladiator platform.

They're literally a point A to point B customer

who is a price point that may merit something closer to a compass

or, you know, previously a Liberty.

And of course, we all know that within a brand,

you're constantly trying out different little little factors.

And so, of course, with the Grand Cherokee, we know that

and because we haven't talked about that at all, the Grand Cherokee

is oftentimes a test bed or intending to market to a person

who wants some of those rugged capabilities, but without,

you know, without making it an off-road vehicle, hardcore off-road vehicle.

I was again, continuing that lineage because the rank or the Wagoneer

was that the Cherokee full size Cherokee was that back in the day.

I do have a question, though.

So obviously, we support the diversification of the Jeep lineup,

the wide variety, the Patriots, like you said, a budget friendly alternative.

So I want to hear from you, because I know you've been following

the Recon forever since since they first concepted it.

The 1970. Yes.

Right along with the Eagle and the. Exactly.

That's what I think the Eagle started as.

It was like, oh, you know, they sit and sell, so what can we do?

Well, we had four doors, so now we can sell it.

Yes, let's talk about the fact that it is not a Wrangler.

We know that, but it's coming in at a price point

that is still the Wrangler price point.

Yeah, starting at sixty five, sixty seven thousand dollars.

Here's my why that I don't see.

Here's my issue is that we're going to spend $70,000 on a vehicle.

I'm buying the Wrangler or the Gladiator, not the Recon.

So and this is my this is my rub, OK?

And this is what I need people to be fully aware of is that

just because I believe in the diversity of the brand

does not necessarily mean that I am going to be the person

who encourages everyone to run out and buy something.

Like I can also look at you and be like, oh, wow, you're really dumb

when it comes to whatever X, Y, and Z thing you're doing.

Just so like, yes.

When the Wagoneer came out and they made it one hundred and fifteen thousand dollars.

That was stupid.

I'm excited about the Wagoneer. I love the Wagoneer.

I love it. But that's dumb. Not for the engine.

I love I love the fact that we tried something with the hurricane engine in that.

In that I want three rows.

I want to capacity.

I wanted the commander to be a cool vehicle, right?

I want those things for us as enthusiasts, right?

But that doesn't mean that I can't step back and be like, wow, that's dumb.

I'm not going to spend $70,000 on that vehicle.

You know, it's really sad is here.

We have like two iota as a credit to Ford.

They came out with the Maverick.

Right. And they made it reasonably, you know, cheap.

Yes. And it's, I believe, a hybrid or can be has a capacity to be a hybrid.

And they sell like hotcakes because they're a reasonably cost

utility vehicle. Right.

They they I think they they intentionally after workhorse

after they divested workhorse just for people who give a crap

as they got away from anything along that line,

they needed a fleet based vehicle and the transit is doing well for them.

And the Maverick was intended to be part of their fleet production.

But but Jeep, you had you had a chance.

You had an opportunity to learn from them and go like, hey,

it's got a smaller car, has utility options.

It's reasonably priced and people are buying them in droves.

Right. And we should sell ours for 80.

Yeah. And so I think that that's 100 percent where we go a stray

where I can look at the the, you know, Stalantis leadership

and be like, what what are you thinking?

Right. I mean, we thought it was just the singer that was the problem.

Right. Carlos Taveras.

So that poor guy.

So so here's the thing.

I need you to know, folks, listening at home for 30 years,

we have been told that they were going to put IFS

and IRS in our Wranglers.

We've been told that for 30 years.

You just came into this maybe 10 years ago and you think you know everything

about Jeeps. Cool. Good for you. But I promise you, 30 years ago,

we were told that the next Wrangler YJ was going to be IFS.

Correct. Yeah. Right.

So here's the thing and nobody wants that

because of the rugged design of a solid axle vehicle.

However, that does not translate to good on-road handling

when it comes to the finest minutia of engineering.

And this is the other thing that put in the context.

The Grand came out with solid axles front and rear in 93.

It has independent front and back now.

Yes. They still sell them.

Yep. And I guarantee you somewhere,

there's a ZJ owner going, they ruin the mark.

100%. But arguably, they, in my opinion,

sold better once they had that better comfort

because that was the market for the Grand Jersey.

They did. That's my point.

As they refined that vehicle, here's the thing.

By releasing the Recon, at this moment,

they're leaving our Wranglers and Gladiators alone.

Yep. Burn that into your brain, right?

And the fact that the things that they told us 30 years ago,

they were going to do, as far as unibody construction,

so they're going to take our frames away.

Yeah. Frameless or shameless?

I know, I know, Grans and Cherokees and MJs,

y'all are here for it. Yeah.

But we want a frame in our Wrangler platform.

We want solid axles.

Yep. We wanted a degree of rugged individualism

that comes with that platform.

But 30 years ago, they said,

we're going to take all that away

because, as Jeffrey just pointed out,

the grand sells better, the cushier they make it.

And ultimately, we're playing a money game here, folks.

When it comes to a big business, there is no business

who offers just one utilitarian vehicle

over and over and over again.

They can't survive, OK?

And so by diversifying their product line

and offering these other offshoots,

the people who do prioritize whatever it might be,

a better ride quality, better fuel economy, lower budget,

a push into EV technology, those priorities,

different strokes for different folks

are where the brand has to go.

Now, who out there is asking

for a completely electrified vehicle

like in an authentic manner,

a completely electrified off-road vehicle?

I actually don't know.

I don't know who that person is.

They're out there.

I mean, they're absolutely out there.

But they are out there.

Otherwise, Tesla wouldn't be as big as it is right now.

Yes. Yes.

And I agree with you,

and I think they should have an EV option,

but I think they should also have a hybrid option.

And which, of course, let's talk about, first and foremost,

I feel like we have to contextualize the orphan in the room

is that Jeep is doing a poor job

with the four by E longevity at this time.

All right, it just is what it is.

They're calling the recon a four by E.

That's true, but it's not because.

And here's my here's where I am.

I am kind of leaning into, right?

I am leaning into the fact that I think that they recognized

just as when we approach a service job

and we just try to do little icky, picky pieces

and not just like start from scratch and do purpose built

that they were attempting to retrofit technology

into a compact environment and make it work within a model

that it was never purpose built or engineered for.

Whereas the recon has been engineered

from the ground up to be fully electrified.

And I suspect that we will not see

a fully electrified wrangler in the future,

despite the fact that they've threatened us.

They've threatened it to us many times.

And I'm going to have a YouTube video about that

in the very near future for you all to expand upon that.

But I believe that the release of the of the recon

enables the wrangler to pursue

internal combustion engine and other alternatives.

So ESS and so on and so forth.

It has the capacity to if they can make it something

that people can afford, they can make it so it won't fall apart

because I've seen some disturbing videos already.

Sure.

Maybe you should like head hunt someone from Fisher

Price that can make a classic choice.

Wow, can handle things.

Because I saw a video.

I was going to say the video is pretty

it's hurtful for Jeep for a first run production vehicle.

Essentially drive this current vehicle.

I saw it down Northeastern

Ohio roads without the screen falling in your lap.

And I'm going to be honest.

When I first watched the video that you're referring to,

I looked at it and I'm like, man, it's kind of disrespectful

that they're going and picking at all the plastic.

But the more you watch it, you realize they barely have to touch it.

And the plastics just kind of dangling.

When they grab the bar, the screen is just shaking on the dash.

And he grabbed the bar on the dash and shook it.

And the whole dash walked around like it was a 1980 convertible

going over an expansion joint on a bridge.

And all I can say is that is what you're putting

a $65,000 price tag on. Right.

Do better, Jeep. Come on. Do better.

It's it's I want to see this successful

because exactly the reasons that Neil just said it's not having a 24 gladiator

and 24 all over again. Yeah.

I'm I'm I'm having a hard time.

Here's what I suspect.

Here's what I suspect is that and I actually and what I should say, folks,

and I know from other acquaintances within the industry

who pursued heavily EV technologies in the last decade

that they are upside down at this exact moment.

Yeah, that and that's not I'm just I'm just feel like I'm presenting

what I feel to be credible statements.

And you can quote me on that, that there is a lot of businesses

who invested heavily in the EV route and they're upside down

because that there is less demand than anticipated

because of a multitude of factors.

Yeah, the EV industry is not there yet.

It's not sustained or supported.

Well, I agree with you.

And I think what really really happened is they took a lot of time

and effort into the drivetrain and to the chassis.

Yes, which I bet you is probably world class.

And then they ripped the budget out from under the people that's right.

That's right.

And then they just had to like go to the dollar store for, you know,

some plastic and put the interior.

But the problem is, is that if you don't see a thing through.

Yes, it's going to be a blow up in your face.

Yes. And I think what happened is that we've been told about this vehicle

that is intended to be a it was intended to be a smaller Wrangler.

Right.

That was one of the ways that it was billed initially was that it had the essence.

You use the word the essence of of models, right?

Not only that, they literally shows that people in the mothership

are trying to listen to the base and they see Cherokee owners

taking their doors off, which I've never understood, but that's fine.

You do you that have also seen compasses do it.

100 percent. And they're like, hey, we can do that.

We can make our vehicle do that.

Well, and here's the thing is that under previous leadership in Stalantis,

there was a lot of bad.

There was a lot of bad things, which we have recently talked about,

as far as overpricing the Wagoneer, getting away from the Jeep namesake

on its initial launch, pursuing a luxury market

that simply does not exist within that model.

But Stalantis as a whole is rolling these things out

with the attempt to learn from the platforms,

just like we saw the change in 24

with the Wranglers and Gladiators, where we got bigger screens

and we got better seats and higher electrical continuity

and all this kind of stuff that there are these milestones

that the manufacturer intends to hit and under the new leadership

as they do a huge hard push to get back to the base.

I jeep. I want you to know I see you.

I see you bringing 17 vehicles to Toledo Jeep Festival this past year

from vintage, you know, vintage survivors

to all of the Easter Jeeps, Ferrari and prototype vehicles

to supporting the parade.

I see you doing that.

I see you bringing Hemi back for both the pickup truck market

and the three ninety two Wrangler and making it more affordable

and making it more affordable.

And that's the other I'm sorry, I'm just griping over.

But you can take a concept, you can build a concept

that's not ever supposed to do anything but look pretty.

And you can I have watched those go down a road in a parade.

There didn't fall apart on that road.

Yes. So then we make a seventy thousand vehicle that's going to.

I think the thing is that Jeep can easily come over here.

Part of their part of the the movement of reaching the base

conversation and go, hey, we're going to get back to going to the shows

and supporting the different, you know, the different base of enthusiasts.

Right. We're going to be at these.

We're going to be at Toledo.

We're going to be at Easter Jeeps, Fari.

We're going to be at SEMA.

We're going to give you this whole performance product line

that is fun and in tune with what our enthusiasts want from fun,

ugly Christmas sweater decorations to our doors, to bumpers,

to grab handles, that kind of stuff.

We're going to listen to you.

We're going to give you the V8, but we also have to keep on course

of what we started 10 years ago, 30 years, 50 years ago when we tried

building a more a car that is also four wheel drive.

Yeah. And I love the fact that they released it under the recon

in the sense that they leave our Wrangler alone for the foreseeable future.

Now, that's not a long future, folks, but the foreseeable future.

And I think that if the recon sales come up off the ground,

then then we're not going to see a full electrification of the Wrangler,

which actually means that the Wrangler gets to exist more as we know it now,

also with V8 options or other, you know, assisted power plants.

They need to have a loss leader and allow this to be sold reasonably to people

that are like Jeff, that just like that self deprecation

where they're going to buy this vehicle right out of the gate.

And it's going to fall apart on them.

And they're going to be like, I love driving my brand new car

as the dash falls under the pastures. Oh, seven Wranglers.

Oh, seven Wranglers. Absolutely.

That's exactly what I find that demographic.

I drove an 87 Wrangler.

It was a piece of trash.

Well, hot, steamy, everyone has that point in their life.

But there's others that are just every moment

looking for that struggle and that strife.

Yeah. I mean, how much is the Tesla truck right now?

How much is the Tesla truck?

100, 115. Can we call that a truck?

Well, whatever that is, right?

So somebody dump, I mean, a cyber truck, somebody goes,

I don't actually want to support.

I don't want a Tesla truck, just the same as Neil Simpson

doesn't want to Ford Bronco, right?

But you know what, I'm ready to buy something

and I'm going to go ahead and take my chances on this thing.

And I'm going to go ahead and take my chances

on this particular vehicle.

And at some point in time, a dealership, a manufacturer,

I think I'm going to find out why they subsidize it.

You're not going to. You're holy crap.

The rear wheel drive Tesla cyber truck.

Oh, they can get them just in a real drive.

Apparently. I had no idea.

Starts at 60,000.

OK. The all wheel drive.

Yep. 79,000, 990, so 80,000, we'll call it.

And the top tier is 100,000. OK.

So they're not even over 100,000.

So what you're telling me is the industry is broken,

not Jeep so much, maybe.

No, no. If the cyber truck is selling for that much

and that is one that has already touted a.

I know there's a lot of other garbage issues with it,

but it's touted a lot of success worldwide.

Yeah. And that's all it's selling for.

How is Jeep going to come in with that high of a price tag

for their initial launch into the cyber market?

And I've seen videos of the cyber truck.

It has about similar bill quality.

You take it apart with a plastic spin.

There's a lot of things wrong with cyber truck

and it's still selling well worldwide.

But here's the here's the here's the rub, though, right?

Is is that there's a lot of things wrong with the Jeep Compass?

Yes. And it's still selling.

There is a number of things with the Patriot.

And, you know, and I just I feel like Nathan has a point

and I want to call that in a question.

As he says, customers didn't ask for EVs.

Nathan, nobody asked for a compass.

There's nobody out there who is in a Jeep world

who is in that world who's like, hey, I want a vehicle

that is only going to work for five years

and then ultimately is disposable

without a single serviceable part on the door handles up on the window

so that it makes it very interesting and unique. Right.

What? Why? Right.

So the arguments go

go in a multifaceted manner, right?

The manufacturers try something so as to tap into new markets

that may or may not be readily available or apparent.

And so ultimately, I mean, we do have a couple of customers

who have obsessed over mileage, over

handling, I mean, perfect example, I think is I remember

when the Renegade came out and everybody's like,

I don't want a little box looking Jeep thing.

And they sold fairly well.

Yeah, yeah.

And they were just not marketed to Wrangler buyers.

No, the Fiat Panda, if you're unfamiliar with that.

And I loved it as a Fiat version.

In fact, it was one of the number one selling

four by fours and I use that as a loose.

I'm doing air quotes on my end in Asian markets.

Yeah. And they rebranded it as the Renegade.

I equally was excited about it when it landed here.

And it has done well.

And I've seen some people really embrace it and wheel them

and make aftermarket parts for them.

Doors off of those as well.

100 percent. I've seen them put them in places

they shouldn't have on trails.

Well, and the other thing that you're going to find

when you diversify is a lot of times,

especially in Jeep, knowing how they do their marketing and stuff.

The Jeep vehicle is not necessarily originated as a Jeep.

So perfect example.

You had the Dodge Nitro and the Jeep Liberty.

This is the same vehicle.

I mean, it is the same vehicle.

They made a few modifications to make it a Jeep.

The Durango and the Grand Cherokee.

Correct. About the same vehicle.

And they've done that forever.

And that's part of this this conversation.

I think they keep one AMC guy

like on life support in the back corner.

Oh, they've got him locked up because he's not because he's cussing.

He still has the cigarette hanging out the side of his mouth.

He he drinks a black coffee, eats a bologna sandwich.

Yes.

He yells in the corner a lot. Yes.

And they have to see his whiskey is being dumped in his coffee.

Nothing politically correct that he's saying.

And and when they can't sell something, they come over and they're like,

he's got to be like Jim or something.

Hey, Jim, how do we do this?

He's like, you got to make everything work on everything.

And and you see that over there,

change the bumper changes and sell something else.

Now sell it again.

And here's what I'm going to expand upon it.

I'm going to expand upon this a little bit further

because I heard the feelings of some some AMC guys

with my my last video for some reason.

And specifically, we get this

elitism that comes out of the 76 to 86 iconic C.J.

ownership and and rebuilders and whatnot.

They feel it very strongly.

They they they seem to be the ones who are most offended by little rubber

duckies and which I don't understand.

And and they equally they don't like that Jeep can continue to exist.

Building other jeeps wanted it to die in 87.

They wanted it to die in 86 for some reason.

I don't understand.

And then there's also a population of T.J.

owners that also believe the T.J. was the last jeep.

Depending on who you are and I get it.

You all feel where you you know,

staked your your sword in the ground.

Yes.

And a perfect example is what misplaced elitism.

So I rebuilding a lot of CJ's.

I see people covet.

I don't know why, but they covet an ashtray for a C.J.

They are I've seen them for up to three hundred dollars

for a really nice one.

Yes.

You do you know what that actually is?

It's a AMC Gremlin ashtray.

Yep.

And and if you call it a Gremlin ashtray, it would be 15 bucks

and no one would buy it.

It's literally the bracket in the ashtray is off a Gremlin.

Now you can go to any pull apart that has a Gremlin and steal that.

And now it's make it for three hundred dollars.

You're welcome. But anyway.

That's what my point is they they forget what the brand is.

They were able to make that C.J.

affordable because they put a Gremlin ashtray in it.

Yep.

They put an AMX steering wheel on it with a different horn button.

They put a GM column, a GM, a second on a column in it.

A GM box because they were broke for Ford calipers at times,

at times, off and on and and master cylinders.

And the point of this is is is to say, actually, by today's standards, right?

So this population of folks, in my opinion,

you know, what I'm wanting to share is this iconic group of people

who are just heavily associated with their 7686 C.J.s,

which, of course, I stand on principle and say,

we rebuilt some of the best of them, right?

And have an appreciation for them and knowledge of them, right?

Only gets to exist here and now because of the sale of a Jeep Compass.

And the culture that exists, that gets people excited,

that kind of continues to proliferate the brand is this community

that exists right now with big oversized four door

wranglers and trucks with ducks on their dash and blinky lights

and fun sound systems and meet and greets.

Because you know what doesn't exist right now?

Hudson. Yeah.

And the ability to to find Hudson parts easily is very low.

Yeah. And yet you can trip over a manufacturer

who is making parts for your 76 to 86 C.J.

And the reason that is is not because there are so many of them

in existence and so many that they're just that's just the market

is saturated. I'm going to make it even more off chute

and more Jeep centric, a Willy's Arrow from 1952.

Where do you buy parts for that?

You don't. You don't.

But luckily, because it was made by a company that own Jeep,

the motors are the same, the rear ends are similar.

You know, they're yes, there's some special parts, but they made

it was a kit bash of of salad of parts.

And we see that today, you know, the grand got the heated steering

wheel before the Wrangler did and similar technology.

They were they were learning.

We're always a little bit behind in the open top platform,

which sometimes is good, sometimes is bad.

This is a model that has been going forever.

And ultimately, the fact that we have a community dedicated

to this umbrella brand is what allows aftermarket manufacturers,

you know, being at SEMA, that's all about the aftermarket

to come in and go, hey, we need to support the longevity of the brand.

Yeah. And by extension, we then get some of these tributaries

off to the Willy's platforms.

We get some of the related vehicles.

But realistically, there is not a huge aftermarket

remanufacturer who's making parts for some of these more obscure cars

and truck manufacturers of the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s.

As they fade into obscurity and the brand is unable to diversify

and continue to exist, so does the culture.

And the culture is what allows a person to go out there

and enjoy this vintage vehicle, just the same as somebody is enjoying

their modern day ownership and a kind of affiliation

with the Jeep namesake.

And so we need diversity amongst our brand

in order to enjoy whether it be that vintage vehicle

that we're painstakingly rebuilding or dreaming about

or whether is our rugged off-road vehicle, the Wrangler or the Gladiator.

We need all of these other aspects of the umbrella company

to make it make sense.

If you were to just focus in on one offshoot

and if the manufacturer and I understand that if the manufacturer

was to go all in and make something ridiculous like going,

hey, we're going to take the Wrangler

and we're going to cease production of any internal combustion engine.

And we're only going to make them the, you know,

a full electrified vehicle next week, and we're only going to make them IFS.

You will kill the line.

Yep. That's how it works.

But if we introduce things first on the Grand Cherokee.

Yeah, I think that if it was if it was 1985

and you told me that I needed a heated steering wheel on my Jeep.

Oh, you're upsetting the duck haters.

Yeah, I would be like,

why do I need a heated steering wheel in the face through your top?

Is character building that is how my Jeep's supposed to be?

Yes, I'm supposed to be.

Well, is that why Bronco did that?

That's just so you know, their soft tops suck.

That's the inside joke, folks.

So bad. All the snow right inside.

Just, you know, kind of an extra point is the whole thing with this episode

is to be thankful for all of the additional

items that Jeep has brought to the table to keep that brand alive.

And I want to point out that I am thankful for Joe O'Brien

and the abuse that he is taking in the comments section today.

And I'm sad that he is not here to join us for that.

But anyways, that being said,

Jerry Huber said, you can't hurt my feelings

because the Jeep brand thrives on the success and failure of past efforts

and the willingness to evolve the product

while respecting the Willys Jeep heritage.

That is the best way to put that man.

I mean, and that is what Jerry, you know,

reputably brings to the table.

And and and that's why he is the influence that he is in both, you know,

the Toledo Sphere and Toledo Jeep Festival.

And to say that it is the essence and paying

honor to the heritage of the Willys Willis Jeep brand.

So what I almost said it that way.

And I was like, no, we'll say it.

Willys I guess we all have a little Jeff in us

where we like to be the underdog and be the cockroach.

It won't die.

I and I right.

And that that I think is is you're right.

And that we we so thankful I have friends like you.

I want everybody to know that after, you know, the apocalypse,

Twinkies, cockroaches and Jeff will will be here.

That's just how to carry on to carry on the message.

So there's something you think is really valuable.

I suggest that you email Jeff at JEFFC at SFJ4x4.com

or text us on our text only number four four eight five five twenty one

hundred and Jeff will make sure that that's shared with the the next government

in the next round of human or whatever populates there if next.

So real quick, Daddy Jeep did say he's here now.

Finally. And then Joe chimes in.

I heard that. So Joe, welcome to the comments.

And, you know, as as you were reading the the comments,

you know, to be thankful for this amazing off road,

this this amazing community in general.

Yes, Nathan says the off road community in Western Pennsylvania is very specific.

And I think that's appropriate.

And we should celebrate Nathan and his,

you know, affiliation with that that community.

But in general, being thankful for this,

this this group of people who do come together under the namesake of the Jeep

brand is is the idea, right?

And that the go back to that different strokes for different folks phrasing

that ultimately I can have an appreciation

for a person who invests in their vehicle, no matter what it is.

I'm going to blow your mind.

Something just occurred to me.

Jeep, like America, is a melting pot of differences.

That's exactly correct.

Correct. And also, in my opinion and my experience in the Jeep community,

it is generically the most helpful of vehicle communities.

Always willing to lend a hand if you have any trouble with a Jeep of any kind.

And and that those are the underpinnings of of who we are.

And I don't have to love how somebody modded out there, Jeep, versus somebody else.

I don't have to love this particular game.

I mean, there's a lot of things.

There's a lot of stuff.

Do you guys remember Jeeples, the dating site at one time?

Yes. I mean, I never got.

Fortunately, I am not familiar with that one.

Wow. And I don't know if they're still around.

I'm not endorsing.

I'm not I'm not talking anything about anything.

But there was this whole like tinder of the Jeep community.

Yes. That had a huge push somewhere between 16 and 19.

So what you're saying, we're slightly obsessed.

We are slightly obsessed.

And here's the thing is like a little bit as a as a as a wildly happily married

man and involved, you know, within whatever my trajectory in life is.

I don't really care that Jeep will exist.

I'm it doesn't affect me.

I don't think it makes the the community look bad.

I don't really care what they're doing.

I'm happy it's there for the people and I'm happy it's there for the people need it.

Leave your koozies, leave your your calling cards, do whatever you need to do.

And Fred's in the comments is really summing it up best.

And I'll read his comment in a second.

But basically, you could go from any of the Jeep platforms and still enjoy life.

And he's saying daily driving is sixty nine C.J.

back in the day with car heart overalls and an ice scraper to keep the inside

of the windshield clear in the winter to heated steering wheel.

And you can literally go throughout the different platforms and enjoy all of them.

That's and that's that's absolutely correct.

And that's ultimately the take is is that, you know,

to be appreciative of what we are all bringing to the table,

regardless of whether it's a modern day, you know,

kind of attempt at giving some small portion

of the population the vehicle that they've always dreamed about

or the vehicle that they can afford for that matter.

Correct. And or whether it's, you know, kind of these iconic platforms.

I mean, there's a lot of new Jeep owners out there who romanticize

owning an older Jeep and then they get it and they don't like it.

And they're like, oh, this this requires a lot of elbow grease.

Yeah, this is not as comfortable of a ride.

I'm constantly working on it.

Yeah. You know what?

Let me go back over here and we see that frequently.

Yeah. And so understanding that we're all in this together at this time

and season of thankfulness and that we should recognize our togetherness

as well within this community that that unites us was the the embroiled

attempt in my you've got to be thankful for the guy in the car hearts

with the ice scraper in his hand, muttering with the, you know, ash

coming off something in his mouth, not being PC, the same as we love

the person that's putting a duck on a compass somewhere.

It's the passion of both of those people that allow this brand to be great

and to continue on into the next chapter or whatever that is.

I love it.

I think that this reasonably wraps it up.

I am, as I've shared online, excited for what the future holds.

We're actually going to be talking about if you haven't heard it yet.

The J 70, which is the next iteration of the Wrangler

is slated within the next three years.

And so for that, I am thrilled about the Recon's release now

because I think the J 70 gets to be a little more tried and true

to the things that makes the Wrangler inherently the Wrangler.

And I said, I'll be doing a video on that here in the near future.

Otherwise, I wish you are listeners all the best in this season

of thankfulness and togetherness and kind of to remember, you know,

what it is that unites us in the process and what it is that

that kind of drives us as automotive enthusiasts and kind of all

citizens of this great world that we live in.

Yep.

Until next time, Jeep on Jeep on Jeep on.

So I think this is a perfect segue to weekend updates

because this time of year, I always like to sit back

and kind of reflect on the differences from last a year ago.

What where we were at, what I was doing, what I was working on,

how things have progressed or not progressed, that kind of stuff.

And my things that I am thankful for this year are good friends

willing to come over and put in the hard work to

write an ill that the weather did.

And I am proud to say that we have trusses on a building

that was not easy, nor fun.

I don't want to ever do that again.

I'm sorry, Neil, when you have to build your barn

tapped out, tapped out, not available.

No, no, we're getting to that point.

We're getting to that point where like you can't move anymore,

like pizza and drinks will not suffice the moving party anymore.

You get to this point as an adult.

I think you're like, hey, we're we're good.

You have to hire a moving crew or you've got to figure it out.

I mean, Jeff kind of threatened, but was serious about like, you know,

I think we could get the Amish crew and do the sheet metal.

And Jeff and I just did the sheet metal on a just it was just a 12 by 16.

And I, I, Scott, I encourage you to get the Amish crew to do some feet pick

somewhere to help get this.

But we'll figure it out.

But also things I'm thankful for is to be able to have the 36 at the stage

it is and that I can hit the key and pretty much go when I want to,

how I want to that my wife didn't divorce me when I brought home yet

another old Ford project that is obviously going to need tons of work

and effort, get a good family, good kids, good place to work, plenty

of projects to work on.

I mean, there is so much we could go on and on about the thankfulness

that I feel right now that have two vehicles that we touched

and created go to SEMA this year.

I mean, we have so many milestones just this year that really you can

in the everyday slug it out.

You can get really down and be like, well, I wish it was this

or I wish it was that now we've accomplished so much with adversity

sometimes very high.

Yes, we've been able to do so much.

Yeah, some huge challenges as well in that same timeframe as you're

mentioning. Absolutely.

So what was the the shenanigans from the weekend update?

I you know, how did the trusses get into place?

Well, thankfully, Greg showed up because it you we used Greg,

Scott, myself and Scott's wife, Amy, to put these trusses up

and the tractor at times.

I don't know why we didn't think of the tractor till like the ninth

hour, because the first one that was interesting.

We wrapped a strap around it and put a board up high.

Greg and I climbed up because we want to do everything the hard

way. Oh, my God, so we have to learn every lesson the most

painful way possible to get the end trust up.

Greg and I climbed up 15 feet and we were each hanging off a

post while screwing in a two by six that spanned almost eight

well, it was eight foot spanned eight foot that we used to wrap

a cheap strap, cheap recovery strap.

Sadly, the purple strap was not long enough for this.

No, he's not surprised by that.

So we use that to loop over and wrap the truss around the

center. And then one more little sidebar.

The best part is the strap we used was in Greg's minivan.

Yes. I don't even know how.

Anyways, I know it gets better because then Greg

is holding on to the strap with the attempt to pull the strap

while we lifted the truss from the outside.

So Scott's on one corner. I'm on another corner.

Can you not hook a winch up to this?

So anyways, yes, Neil, we could have.

The idea was talking about it.

But then Grace, like, I'm just going to do this.

And he's like, we'll just see how it goes.

So we're three quarters of the way.

We're three quarters of the way up.

I'm on the outside corner.

Scott's on an outside corner.

Greg's in the center of the building pulling almost straight down on this.

Yeah. And at one point, Greg is just suspended in the air

hanging from the strap while we are doing everything we can

to not let this truss fall back.

There's some really severe truss exercises for the first three trusses.

And then we all kind of licked our wounds and it was it was on the truss.

The third truss is really where we kind of hit our stride.

Yeah. And that was when you go to swing trusses,

small, cheap advice, make a bird's mouth

on the end of your board.

You should not just use a random two by four,

which was what we did on the second truss

because it slips off a lot many times.

And at some point, you're going to be on a ladder

and this truss is going to be coming back at you.

And you're going to find the man's strength that you're going to regret later

to try to keep it from folding over.

And then as it gets basically flat, the truss then gets really weak

in the center center.

So then it's Boeing and because they're engineered to be vertical,

not horizontal. And you had the two broken, weakest guys.

So I should clarify that these are twenty four foot trusses.

There we go. I was going to ask what tall there we go.

I was going to ask, what is the span of the truss?

Yeah, twenty four foot about the six twelve pitch roof.

So just over six foot tall at the peak.

And you've got Scott on a post at twenty four foot across from me at a post.

And you've got Greg spinning and the best part.

I had notched the post with a saw saw.

So I had sawdust everywhere.

So and then the wind.

Oh, it was bad.

So I'm trying to die with this truss.

And the wind is blowing sawdust in my eyes and I'm like, I can't see.

It's all true. So bad.

It was so bad. Yeah.

You know, I've I've I've authentically watched like Amish crews like do this.

Poof. It's done.

Like two and a half hours before I came to work, I had to wander out

and take pictures as by the time we were done, it was so dark,

I couldn't take good pictures.

And there is a crew tearing the roof off my neighbor's house.

And this is like, I don't know, eight something in the morning.

And they've already a ripping sheeting off this roof.

Yep. Because it was rotten.

The roof is bare.

And I'm like, how do they barely been daylight?

It's 15 minutes.

How are they daylight?

The roof will be done when you get home.

I know it will be sobering.

So it's it's been a very challenging thing.

But I think the the hardest part

wasn't even spinning the trusses up, but it was making sure

that they were squared up and getting them secured together.

And then, of course, we had a couple of trusses without any bracing.

So every time the wind is blowing, we're watching these trusses

with just the posts being nailed in.

And we're going, we got to get ties to these,

which we ended up getting, you know, appropriately.

Then we moved on to the next section of trusses.

But we also may have had to use the tractor

multiple times to make the building square and square.

And racking the building around with the tractor.

Oh, yeah. I want to do steel work again.

Like in my garage, making little fixtures and stuff.

I'm so over the wood and the framing and moves.

And at some point, we literally heard a crash at the big windstorm.

I didn't have any clue at the time what it was.

And the post mood was like three quarters of an inch to an inch.

Yeah. The wrong direction.

Well, later I figured out it was the sighting that was in a pile.

It literally blew off and into the woods.

I had to pick up that because it was so windy while you guys were we're doing your barn raising.

Yes. Yeah.

So needless to say, there's a still a long ways to go.

But it looks like a building.

It's got trusses on it.

They are somewhat anchored in.

There's still more purlins to put up across,

more wind braces, corner braces, things like that.

But yeah, it's moving in the right direction.

We're at the point in the project where it looks like something.

But the wood pile is so large that I'm going, where does all this go?

There's still yeah, there's still plenty to go.

But it's it's getting there because I kept thinking like,

I'm going to have space in my shed back.

No, no, no, no, we need another two to three work days

to get that space in your shed back. Yeah.

Crazy. And when you think about it and you were talking about it

this morning and the thankfulness of how far we've come since we were

kicked by your inspector and found out that we didn't have to wait

for all these inspections and we could start building,

we only have a solid five to six work days on the building.

And with essentially mostly you and I a little bit of help,

two days worth of help from Greg.

We were able to get all the posts set, all of the posts

structurally, the girts on the outside, it's attached.

It's all connected together.

We've got the the soffit nailer all the way around the building.

We've got the porch laid out and the trusses are up.

Yeah, that's a lot to accomplish.

And I have two guys that don't do that for a living.

And I've learned things like my nail gun has the assault feature.

I did not know that was a thing until like two days ago.

Yeah, there's a switch that you can switch.

And then suddenly you have an assault nail gun.

Yep, what are you using the same one I have basically.

Oh, it's a pass load.

Do you have a pass load?

The what?

No, the brand does.

No, mine's a metabo.

His is a Hiccata.

Had to touch you.

Hitachi, they're the same thing.

Yeah, that's fine. But anyway.

Yeah, but his is paper collated. Mine's plastic collated.

Sure, we learned that the paper collated stay in way better than plastic.

Yes.

Something to do with the glue adhesive of my hand.

I learned about angles.

There's angles of nails.

Who knew I did not know I was so green going into this.

That's not funny. Yeah.

Why don't ever do this again?

But I can tell you a story of how not to start out like Scott

with this blind optimism, like, I'm just going to go build a building.

Is this not how we try to encourage everybody through

like the purpose of the podcast is like for people to like learn from our mistakes?

Well, I can tell you one of the mistakes that we should learn

from is not to put 90 nails into a spot.

And then realize that it's not even right.

And when this may have happened more than once, Jeff says,

go put that board on there.

He means with a level.

Yeah, yeah, say that.

But he means with level level of everything I learned.

Yeah, everything.

If you just tell if you just tell Scott

who's never built a building to go put a board up,

he's just going to go put the board up with a thousand nails.

And that's also how we figured out that my nail gun nails won't come out.

Yep. Yep.

I can only imagine what a fun time you guys were having.

All the funds are right term.

Wow, progress.

We made progress.

I think it was fun.

Greg's statement at the end of the day yesterday was the the

some of it all when he just looks at Scott, looks at me and goes,

you guys are really good friends, but let's not hang out anymore.

And I was like, agreed.

Because we were all all physically spent at the end of the day yesterday.

Just let's not hang out anymore.

And the sad part is, and after that, I still because I'm convinced myself,

you know, again, I'm traumatized from a year ago

coming up on Thursday when I lost my other building.

So I moved Amy's truck, had a flat tire and hasn't rolled in eight months.

So I needed to move that at dusk.

I put all my pallets of random crap on my trailer and stuffed that in a hole,

which probably will bite me in the butt some point in this winter.

Had to move my little long tractor by hand.

Like I was at the point of screw it.

I just picked up the front of it as I should have and shoved it over.

I moved the garage doors.

We rewrapped the the boards that we had by the trusses.

And it was so funny.

We were using the tarp, Amy's like, there's a hole in that tarp.

I was like, yep, I want to talk about it.

May or may not have done that with the forks on the pallet

on the pallet forks with the tractor.

And so your concern is just in preparation of the impending snow.

Snowmageddon, where I look at it is we're calling again for us

to get some deter a determined amount of snow on Thanksgiving.

I am triggered.

So I am going into it going, this is probably it.

And if we get more days after this, I'm just going to be so thankful.

They're bonus days.

They're bonus days at this point.

And in the end, we're past the buzzer at this point.

Yeah. So much that I had boards laid out on the trailer.

We I literally marked those the length so that future Scott and Jeff

can be happy about that.

He was marking them as I was leaving.

And I rolled down the window real quick.

I said, we mark the end of the boards.

He was, yeah, I'm like, cool, don't put them in the shed backwards.

Which then Amy then put two in backwards.

I knew it.

And I just marked the other end of them and we moved on.

So this is the part of the program where I said,

we're really good with jeeps, folks.

We are.

That's why I don't know how to build buildings.

I've built jeeps by all I life.

Oh, my gracious.

So needless to say, our weekend was absorbed at Scott's doing building things.

And we got a lot accomplished between Saturday and Sunday.

Outstanding.

But neither of us can move today.

So hopefully you didn't have any big projects for today.

Wow, lots of ibuprofen.

Yeah.

And that being said, I know we have lots of big projects today.

So let's go ahead and upgrade updates so we can move on.

And well, you know, I think that the

the challenge is just kind of where I'm at.

And I've been trying to communicate with folks just kind of continuing

to study the ship and and the capacity personally and professionally.

We are busier than we kind of have ever been here at this time of year

at this time of year at this at this, you know, within Simpson family jeeps.

And so being able to

make good on those things that we said we were very thankful for,

which I'm incredibly thankful for.

Absolutely.

But it was decide how we

are our warboard was insane to look at for

for what it normally is this time of year and to sit there and strategize

and look at how are we going to do this?

What order we put in the jeeps?

We've never had this problem this time of year.

And I love it.

And and going into, you know, potentially the first snow

and the parade where we anticipate

kind of being able to receive, you know, 50 80, maybe even 100 jeeps

you know, in our parking lot, we need to have maximum space available.

As a reminder, any jeeps.

So compasses, liberties, bring them all up and please come in off Orange Street.

Yes. Yeah.

Well, actually, I think last year,

oh, no, no, it was off Orange Street, because we faced everybody towards the track.

Correct. So everybody lines up north facing.

And then because the Google's is still wrong.

Yes. Yeah.

So.

So, you know, so with all of that going on, we're very busy.

And then, of course, we are at the point where our kids are,

you know, involved in a lot of stuff.

Yep. And it's just like to recover with things and just downtime.

Right. Right. Right.

Life. And with that said, we had an opportunity to work

hand in hand with the team at Mickey Thompson and a big shout out to them

for their continued learning opportunities.

And had Greg and I went down on Friday and had a spectacular experience there.

What happened on the way home was less than desirable

in the sense that my keys

became unclipped from my belt while strapping jeeps to the trailer.

Darn carabiner. Darn carabiner.

You know, one of the one of the climbing ones with the twist lock and I have those

and we don't typically have this issue. I know.

And of course, Greg saw the keys in true Greg fashion, true Greg fashion.

But of course, assuming that I also knew the keys were there.

Yes, he just kind of let it because because you're Neil

and you've often absolutely put your keys on the trailer while you're strapping.

So I've learned at this point, you see something, say something,

even though it's repeated. Yes. Yes.

So a portion of my weekend was consumed with trying to find said keys

somewhere between here and Cleveland, Ohio.

Did you find no, no, no, no, no, never found the keys.

If you do find some keys, if you so you find some keys between, you know,

just South of Cleveland here. Yeah.

There might be some free merch for you there. Right.

Those are long.

So, you know, that's just kind of added to the excitement.

Like I said, had a fantastic day, which is also why I sent Neil messages

like, Hey, you just take some PR time this weekend.

Don't even think about coming over to the building.

We'll be fine.

And then in my mind, I knew we were not fine.

I was sandbagging.

It was like one of those things.

Multiple times. And in reality, we were not OK.

When when Greg decided he was on the pull on that strap

ballway himself, I was like, well, we had Neil on that strap right now.

I'd be up there. It'd be up there.

I just want to point out, if we would have brought Neil,

none of us would have been functioning today.

So the fact that we we would hammer down, buddy, that we would have been.

We left somebody out of it to be rested for today

because we needed somebody to be able to physically move stuff today.

Right. Yeah. That's what we were doing.

So, you know, that was a portion of it.

Otherwise, it was exactly that.

It was dedicated to some family time, some activities

as far as, you know, kind of trying to still recuperate

from the, you know, two week haul back and forth

across the country for for SEMA and kind of get all of our ducks

in the row personally and professionally.

So did manage to get out to the property this weekend

and just kind of sort out some things there.

But I like you and also trying to be like, OK, well, this is if this is it.

If this is it, we might get a reprieve in December.

But I mean, how much are we actually going to get of clear, dry days?

Really spoiled for a long time where we it was like after Christmas

before we got the good first snow.

Yeah, I don't know.

I mean, because there's definitely times when we were kids

that we went trick-or-treating in the snow.

Right. As kids, as kids, it's a whole different

winter than what we experienced. It's very different.

It's a very different.

And you kind of don't know what to expect

because like literally last year we had that snowmageddon on on Thanksgiving.

My shovels are on my porch six years ago.

It was on Christmas, so you never know.

Well, and then it actually had a dry spell for two weeks or so in between.

You know, once we actually cleared it all out, yep, it dried up pretty decent.

But it's the holiday season, so you can't like really get too much done

because you're you know, you're getting so many different directions.

You're going to many different directions.

And we've got a lot of jeeps to try and turn out for people.

Yeah. So, you know, for the most part,

mine was pretty chill other than, you know, some of these peculiarities.

And as I continued to try and address the fact that I'm still got a thousand

messages to get back to people, there are still people who are messaging me.

And I'm like, wait, did I respond to that person or not?

Yeah. And so.

But bear with me, folks, if you have been one of those people

who has who's been wronged by Neil, I will I will get back to you.

We're trying real hard over here.

Yes, yes, but there's a there's a lot of attention going a lot of different

ways from from me specifically at this exact moment.

So but otherwise, looking forward to the Christmas parade on Friday

and a lot of time with friends and family this this coming weekend.

Jeffrey, anything else? That's it.

Well, we will be back next Monday and we'll do this again, folks.

Until then, have a blessed and thankful holiday.

Jeep on, Jeep on, Jeep on.

Evolving without Extinction: A Jeep Story To Be Thankful For

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