Stoopid Car Commercials
 

Though I have cut back on my TV viewing, I still see enough to see all the Xmas commercials that are infecting the airwaves right now. And there is one set of commercials that, for some reason, just irritate the hell out of me. They've been on the air for a few years now, and I'm sure many of you have seen them.

They are the ones done by Lexus and Jaguar, where people give their significant others a Lexus or Jaguar for Christmas. The guy whose eyes light up when he sees a Lexus LS 400 (Don't know if that's actually it or not...I'm guessing) sitting behind him in the driveway. The woman that swoons when she is given a set of keys by her husband (via their dog), and then she runs out to see her brand new LX 430 SUV.

Now, I realize that some people just have $50,000 to run out and buy a Jaguar XJ-5, and that I only have enough money to buy Krispy Kremes. But, it just seems so incredibly unrealistic to me. The economy is still sputtering right now, and seems to be hitting people of all income strata. Not to mention, buying a $50,000 car could be pretty hard to hide, especially if you share bank accounts with your significant other. And who actually pays for that car if it's bought on financing? You (the purchaser) or the receiver? And what if you have good intentions, but then you go belly up money-wise a few months later? Then the car gets repo'd and your s.o.'s car is gone...and they're hating you.

I know I know...it's just a silly commercial. The questions I asked are primarily rhetorical, and I'm not THAT jealous. But if any of you were planning on buying me a Xmas present and were planning to spend $30-50k on it, I'd like a Lexus SC 400 Convertible or an IS 300. Thanks. :)

Sigh, and my $5,000 car is the only asset I have. Add to that the fact that it just got new tires (there was my Christmas) and still needs a new clutch.

Jenni's Sentra was totaled (weeee!) and they gave her ~$2,000 more than the KBB value. So we put that toward a '99 Beetle (silver, but sadly, not the Turbo model). It's cute, and roomier than you'd think. She's happy with it.

I think we both still miss the Sentra (I know I do), but the Beetle is quickly becoming "her" car. :)

Here's a little picture of it, stolen directly from the dealer's website (and cropped):

http://msdelta.net/~dave/images/beetle.jpg

No, that isn't a scratch by the headlight. I'm not quite sure exactly what's going on in the picture, but it's not there now. :)

Dave, don't let us catch you slipping behind the wheel of Jenni's new rig. Its cute and it remains a chicks car.

The thing that annoys me about those stooopid car commercials or those diamond ones for that matter is the idea that you make a financial decision like that without consulting your partner. "Here are the keys to your new Lexus, oh by the way that trip to Europe we were talking about, thats off. You'll also be picking up a second job but only for the next five years or so."

I tell you what, I used to <b>hate</b> the new Beetle. It just irritated me. But over the last year, it's grown on me. When they make a 4WD, 200-hp version - I'm on it. :)

The new beetle was terribly designed.
I wanna new Mini, now thats a real man's car.

The Mini is the new trendy car around here. Personally, I think it's ass-ugly. I see about 12 of them every day and man... honestly, I think it takes the "Now That's An Ugly Car!" Award from the PT Cruiser.

I wouldn't say the New Beetle was terribly designed; after spending about 6 hours riding in it so far, I've found a lot of really great ideas in the design (for example, how the seats fold forward). The only thing I really take issue with this point are the <b>pathetic</b> drink holders. They're good for holding an iPod or a 12oz can, but not much else. There's really no excuse for such poor cup holders. At least there's a decent one in the middle, but the main two really fucking suck.

For those who don't know, the center control area (stereo, heat, etc) hangs over the cup holders, meaning anything taller than about 6 inches is <b>not</b> getting in there.

There is a new beetle commercial that I really like (Mr warch sez the spot is stupid, obtuse, and afterall, its for a GIRL car!) Its the campaign for the upcoming convertible but you dont know that til the last frame. This guy (hipster doofus, ptewy!) wanders around an office, unsure what is missing from his life until he looks out the window and sees...Ahhh suspense!, all to "Mr. Blue Sky" by ELO. - they know my demographic.

It nailed Mrs. G. as well.

VW's marketing people are just brilliant, which is I suppose one reason why I run a GTI and have the VW Speed Racer poster on my garage wall.

They do the same thing with a lot of spots: they run the 60 second version a few times, and then they run the 30 second version, to save money but still evoke the full emotional whop of the 60 second version.

I know this has been done for a lot of other spots, like Pepsi during the Super Bowl, but it never seems to work as well as it does for the VW ads.

Hey, I really like the one where the guy is all grumpy about getting a toy car and the chick takes the poloroid and gives it to him while he's being all moany and whiny ...

Makes me cry ...

Now those "zoom-zoom" ads ... those I hate.

Actually caused me NOT to go shopping for a Mazda.

I just bought a car. Did so irrespective of advertising. Walked into a dealership that was chosen solely because it was the closest one to my house. Drove first car I saw.

Got a major awesome deal. Signed papers. Bing-bang, Done.

Oh ... Nearly Forgot. I took pictures.
 

http://www.alexandersguns.com/eva/sable-1.JPG

http://www.alexandersguns.com/eva/sable-2.JPG

This is an awesomely sweet car, if I do say so myself. (and yes, I am aware of the edmunds.com review that points out the "forgettable rental car persona." They are wrong.)

Now that's interesting... I'm tired of that stupid song. I live in Chile, and didn't knew that we get the same commercials... :3eye:

i like the colour, wolf. and i have a car with that forgettable rental car'' persona, but i love it.

~james

I'm sure some of the commercials you get down there are much like our own...maybe with a different voice.

Wolf, what is that? It looks vaguely like a Ford Taurus, but it has a grill, so scratch that.

Thank you!

I like the color too ... mostly because it's not a redly red (the fancy dealer name for the color is "Toreador Red") ... more of a bright burgundy, with which I'm comfortable.

As far as what it is ... It's a Mercury Sable, so yes, it does look like a Ford Taurus, but because of the difference in product lines is more upscale than that.

This baby is LOADED. Because it was the dealer demo, it has ALL the features (or damn near. The passenger seat is manually adjusted. I won't often be sitting in it much, so I'll live.)

Permit me to introduce you all to Baron Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richtofen.

ABS
Traction Control System
Leather Seats
Power Adjustable Driver's Seat
Premium Sound System (and I got them to throw in the 6 disk CD changer to sweeten the deal)
Premium Heating System (with the dial-a-temperature thingy. I tell it what I want the interior temp to be ... it stays there.)
Power Moon Roof :) (this is too cool)
Cruise Control
Keyless entry and security package
Power pretty much everything else (windows, locks, wipes my ass for me)
And the BIG engine. 200 hp 24 valve DOHC

There's probably more, but that's what I remember right now.

I did have to apologize to my old, beloved 1994 Eagle Talon when I traded him, though.

Sounds like SOMEONE has their nose in the air around here. ;)

A couple of summers ago, when Rho and I actually had money, and we traveled, we would usually rent a Taurus. I'm not a huge fan of Fords, but I really liked that car.

Corollary: Stoopid Car Commercials I didn't Hate
 

I know I probably should despise some of these.

But I don't.

VW Da-da-da-da commercial. Worked for me for some reason. although I liked the earlier version, without the enhanced "sniffing" noise when the guys figure out there may have been a reason the chair was at the curb.

VW (again) Mr Roboto ... totally hilarious to watch the guy alone in the parking lot.

Oh, and I LOVED Joe Isuzu (Downhill, in a hurricane).

I DID buy an Isuzu (sort of ... Chevy Spectrum which was an I-Mark under the bow-tie) because I liked the commercials.

Matt (mwbEEf) drives a 2001 Mercury Sable. It's pretty alright, though it's kinda got that boat-ish feel. Backing in and out of spaces can be a chore.

I'm hoping that I get used to it.

Knew I forgot something ...
 

Remembered when someone complimented me on the niceness of The Red Baron's rims ...

Alloy Wheels :D

I'll throw in the two cents about which commercials I like the most (for the moment):

the Mitusbishi commercials for the Eclipse and their new SUV-ish thing.
Why, you ask?
They have kick ass music. I actually drove to Chicago to see the group that did the song for the Eclipse commercial (from Minneapolis). I'm impressed by people with good taste in music that manage to filter it into everyday life. If you're wondering, the Eclipse commercial is by Dirty Vegas, and the SUV-ish thing is Telepopmusik.

I'm loving the new Dodge Ram commercial with the little piss-on guy getting butted by the ram. :)

I like the commercial where a guy takes some old car and gives some "special treatment" (crash into a wall, makes an elephant sit on it, etc) to make it looks like a Peugeot 206.

The final scene is brilliant.

Oh, we didn't get that commercial "down here", I saw it in some workmate's computer.

Mitsubishi wants to be VW with their ads. They have picked some good music though.

UT: I think the car companies are getting better at what shoe companies (Nike, Reebok, Adidas, etc...) have known for a while:
they aren't selling 'things,' they're selling an image, a lifestyle, a brand. They've just gotten better at marketing their brand. Actually, one of the best commercials (that actually made me want to look at buying a car, was a Kia commercial for a local dealership. It said (paraphrased) we'll give you a cheap, reliable car, come in test it out, if you don't like it, we won't push it. Simple to the point, and more moving (in an decision making sense) than the "image" commericals (though they have more interesting production value, that's about all they have).

I hope you didn't take offense to that Leus. From where we are, you're "down there," while we're "up here" to you.

I forget that Peugeots are still made...they haven't been sold here in like 15 years. The same with Renault.

Kias, from what I've read, seem to be shitty cars, though they are improving. I do like their commercials though...especially the one where the guy is pondering the usefulness of side air bags and then he imagines a "giant donut" hurtling towards him.

i want one. dont know why, just do.

~james

Kia's ads, directed at women 25-34, are a marvel.

There are two that are memorable. In the first, the payoff is that the high school "winner" is shown to be the "loser" when her beau of old is found still driving a Gremlin and now overweight. In the second, the commercial "announcer" is revealed to be the woman in the back seat.

Both strike directly at the heart of the modern female: unending competition with other women. Both fulfill the dream of finding yourself to be the "winner" and your friends, maybe even your best friends, to be suddenly shown to be the "loser".

Both show the "winner" to be the Kia driver with her sharp no-nonsense practicality. Both put across their message in a cute kinda way, so that you almost aren't aware that there was a competition at all. Just like in real life!

They look good on film. Maybe it was Apocolypse Now? The strangeness of this Euro-sedan cruising SE Asia with a major war in the background? I'm not sure I've got the right flick.

Just playing the offended :D

There is a fun thing about cars here. The only US cars we get around here are the shitty ones (chevrolets), the gas hogs, and a couple of nice cars (Chrysler Sebring, Impalas).

I find disturbing the abundance of Mercedes Benz, Audi and BMWs, thought.

Chevys are shitty down there? They're generally very good cars here in the States; good cars at a good price. Three of the top 10 best selling cars in the US last year were Chevys (Cavalier, Impala, Malibu). The Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, and Ford Taurus generally duke it out each year for #1.

That web site is funny. The only SUV I like is the Suburban...always have liked that.

Why? Just curious.

The German car market in the US got a huge shot in the arm, now that every car that rolls out of Chrysler is technically German. The real German cars seem to be selling well here too.

I believe every Chevrolet that gets imported to chile is assembled in Mexico or Brazil. Not nice, let me tell you.

I said I find disturbing the abundance of German cars because we are basically a poor country. A Mercedes costs about $40k, and you can buy a very good house for that money.

I hope that with this new trade law between USA and Chile we can get the nice cars cheaper ;D

VW commercials are hit and miss with me.

--I liked the commercial where the couple is driving through the French Quarter in New Orleans while everything seems to be in sync with the background music.

--I liked the "dueling Passats" commercial.

--That cabriolet one irks me.

--The new Beetle convertible commercial is so-so.

--And the Passat W8 commercial with the dad and his kid on the bike...dumb.

I do love the cars though...someday, I will own a W8.

James, you could probably still find a Peugeot 505 out there...I still see a few of them around. I think the last year they were sent here is '88. While you're at it, why don't you buy a Citroen, you big dork. :)

Here...have fun.

Oh, did I mention that they're sold in Mexico? That's not too far from ya.

Isn't that kind of like saying California is not too far from you, Syc? ;)

Hmmm...the only car model that our two countries share is the Impala. I believe the rest of the Chilean models are actually Opels...and the only US GM car that shares an Opel platform (to my knowledge) is one of the Saturn models. Interesting.

Sorry about those Chevys, Leus. If you ever come here, I can assure you that they are generally very nice cars. :)

I've owned 4 Chevys...including my current car (well, sorta...it's a Chevrolet/Toyota/Suzuki hybrid). The only real problem I've ever had with any of them is that at some point, the brake calipers need to be rebuilt. (Every one of them...strange.)

I always find it interesting how cars vary from country to country. Sometimes, it's just a name...other times, it's a completely different car (like the Ford Ka in the UK/Australia).

Colorado Springs, CO (where James lives) to Juarez, Mexico: 645 miles

Philadelphia to NV/CA state line, near Reno: 2673 miles

See...I'm not that crazy. :)

Some of those new models DO look pretty sweet, particularly the 406. I'm merely providing a public service for the guy that has a weird obsession with Peugeots. This isn't the first time he's brought them up...look for the Peugeot Fire Car thread in IotD, from September. :)

My Bad. Apologies
 

I thought you were responding to Leus, who being in Chile is rather a bit further away from Mexico than James is.

(Goddamn, EVERYBODY'S apologizing for something tonight. What has gotten into us????)

Re: My Bad. Apologies
 

I don't know, but I'll do my part...

I'm sorry that some people have apparently gotten a case of the "duhs" tonight. ;)

Oh shit...I forgot about my semi-apology to Leus earlier today...

Duh!

See! Now I'm afflicted with the "duhs"! This shit's contagious! Get it off me!

I think it's like yawning. You just have to wait for the cycle to end itself.

Sorry.

Oh SHIT! There I go again ... :whofart:

Syc -

"The" commercial (one of the coolest I have ever seen) was called "Synchronicity". You can probably find it by doing a Google search. I have it at home on my computer too. :) Man I love that commercial.

[ edit - http://www.vw.com/commercials/synch.htm ]

[ more edit - http://www.geocities.com/everything_sarah/Videos.html ]

Here is my favorite:

http://users.tce.rmit.edu.au/e41821/206ad.mpeg

:cool:

i always wondered where that was. i liked that one too and now that i know, i think im gonna have to visit there sometime.
thats a good idea. but not until after ive gotten my peugeot and porsche boxster. :) i was looking at peugeots website yesterday, great stuff.
ive only ever driven as far south as albuquerque, but it is a really nice drive. i bet its even nicer in a brand new peugeot. :)
did i say anything in that thread? i think i mentioned it in one of the car threads. i do remember admiring the fire car tho, it was pretty sweet.

~james

Yes. :)

is it ok to post a reply a year later? does anyone remember this thread?

syc,

people DO, i'm afraid buy cars for each other for xmas......we even took one back because they BOTH did it. minivan.

usually its something fun like a wrangler that the husband has always wanted, and the wife buys....or dad getting his little rich brat one......




oh vw commercials...the best was the shopping cart one.

Honda
 

My favorite commercial by far is the British accord ad called "Cog".

Here's a downloadable version of the commercial.

Here's a link to more info on the commercial.

Yes, I drive a honda. When my old accord hit 10 years, I sold it for $2k (not bad for 185k miles!) and bought a new one. I asked the dealer how the 2010 models were looking, since that's probably when I'd be back.

- Pie

I agree, Pie. That's an outstanding piece. I don't understand why the spent all that time and money instead of doing it digitally but the result is super.

Would you be talking about the commercial if they had done it digitally, Bruce? Amazing digital work is becoming so common that it runs the risk of becoming ordinary and not worthy of note. Well, ok, eventually anyway. Maybe not tomorrow.

Sure but they cut that up into sections to make commercials and I doubt if 10 % of the people who saw them even gave it a thought. It's only because I know what they did and how the did it that impresses me, not the car they are trying to sell. I think most of the people that see the commercial will be thinking about whether they like the car or not.
Most people are wrapped up in the performance at the opera. I'm fascinated by the scenery changes, lighting, acoustics, etc. :)

Right Jimbo...and you work in what area? Where the average income is how much? 'Nuff said.

Remember...SC 400 or IS 300 for me. Thanks. :)