Jeep: driving customer loyalty

The original Jeep first appeared around World War II as a prototype vehicle. Story goes, “Jeep” is shorthand for “GP,” aka “Government Purpose” or “General Purpose.” Others claim it to be named after Eugene the Jeep, a character in the old Popeye cartoons. Regardless, the Jeep was the first SUV and (as their tagline goes) wrote the book on 4-wheel drive. I learned to drive in my Dad’s orange Jeep Wagoneer similar to the one pictured here. And though I took a brief hiatus with the Oldsmobile corporation, I’ve driven a Jeep ever since. I’m not sure what drives Jeep owners to be “Jeep people” — bumper stickers claim “It’s a Jeep thing: you wouldn’t understand.” I wouldn’t go that far, but there’s something about a Jeep that’s just fun. Certainly the company that invented 4×4 technology should be trusted. Compared to other SUV’s, Jeep’s have similar creature comforts but often aren’t as large. They guzzle gas with the best (I get about 18 mpg in my ’05) but for city driving, the turning radius is amazing and they’re surprisingly roomy on the inside. I see this is fast becoming an ad for Jeeps rather than a “why do people like Jeeps?” post. I wonder why people are Jeep people and not necessarily Toyota people.  I’m sure there are Toyota people — maybe they’re kind enough not to flaunt bumper stickers claiming that “It’s a Toyota thing.”  I can tell you that Jeeps are a ton of fun, they’re the perfect all around vehicle for just about anything, and in a city like Chicago it’s nice to know that when flash floods hit Andersonville or 12″ of snow hits Clark street, we can still roll over to Jewel.  Customer loyalty, more than anything, is probably a family thing — I’m just now realizing that my dad, uncle and brother all drive Jeeps.  There’s your answer.