The old saying goes you can’t judge a book by its cover, but no one has ever said you can’t judge a person by their car. The type of vehicle someone drives can describe a lot about them. Most cars showcase a person’s personality, while some display their financial flexibility (or for some, their parent’s financial flexibility). However, arguably no automobile presents its owner’s personality more than a Jeep.
Everyone in North Georgia has a “Jeep” friend, and if they don’t it’s because it’s them. If you are that friend, you are possibly a part of one of the most unique communities in the world – the Jeep community.
For most Jeep owners, the love for the car started long before owning one. “Since I was a kid, I always wanted a Jeep. Finally, when I was 16 I bought my first one, a 1975 CJ-5.” Jeep owner Evan Clark said, “I instantly fell in love with it and the Jeep community. Since then I have owned four Jeeps and modified them all.”
One of the most intriguing things about owning a Jeep is the friendships and bonds it can lead to. Anna Kate Clark (who has no relation to Evan Clark but an equal love for their cars) said, “driving a Jeep means that I always have something to talk about when I run into other strangers who have Jeeps.”
The bonding of these strangers is what has evolved the Jeep community to what it is today. “There are dozens of Facebook groups that you can join to stay connected with everyone, we always wave at each other, and we leave rubber ducks on each other’s Jeeps,” Anna Kate Clark said. “Jeep groups talk about places to go off-roading and we plan trips to go together. It’s a great way to make new friends and not get stuck on a trail by yourself.”
Jeeps help build friendships that you never thought you could have, and once you build that bond with someone you will never lose that friendship. Some people settle for the Jeep wave, while others showcase their unique persona by driving around with a stuffed deer head in their passenger seat. These are just a few of the ways that this community is so unique. 
“I’ve got to say, once you go Jeep you never go back.” – Evan Clark
There is nothing quite like the Jeep community. Nowhere else can you find people to come get you out of a mud hole at the drop of a hat. You’ll never find a rubber ducky sitting on your Ford Escape. Jeep owners are more than just a community (queue Dom Toretto), they are family.
