Most people think anything that have 6 inches of ground clearance and a 4 wheel drive is a jeep. It's a tricky question no doubt. Ask a guy who owns a Defender and he will tell you Landrovers are the real thing and all others are just cheap toys. Of course the word jeep is tricky by itself.
"jeep" ..note uncapitalized..is used for any vehicle of this shape and function. However 'Jeep' is a trademark held by Chrysler Holdings, the most recent successor company to Willys.
The first Jeep prototype was built for the Department of the Army by Bantam, followed by two other competing prototypes produced by Ford and Willys. In these early days it was called many things from GP, Peep, Pygmy and Blitz-Buggy. Early in 1941, Willys demonstrated the vehicle's ability by having it drive up the U.S. Capitol steps, driven by Willy's test driver Irving "Red" Haussman. When asked by syndicated columnist Katherine Hillyer for the Washington Daily News what it was called, Irving answered, "It's a jeep." And the rest is history.
Lesson? Don't ask anyone who rides a jeep, 'what is a jeep?'. Ask a guy with a Hilux double cab and he would tell you.... well..he wont tell you anything..instead he would give this test.. test to find out if you own a real jeep or not..
You call a scratch or a dent, a beauty mark
Your Mom or your sister can't get in without help
You feel nauseous when you see a Rav4
You feel sorry for someone in a Toyota Rav4
Every page of your repair manual has greasy fingerprints
You spend more time under your Jeep than under your significant other
You have a high-water mark "INSIDE" the Jeep
You plan your wedding around the Club's ride schedule
You think that an "airline" is something that connects your differential to your air compressor
You buy parts for your Jeep instead of food for your family
You spend more on car washes than on insurance
Even worse, the car wash won't let you in
IF you said 'yes' to most then you are safe!
For the full test visit http://webejeepin.com/Jeep_Humor/Real-Jeeps.htm
