Are Ridiculous Car Commercials Trying to Sell Unnecessary Luxury?

[Evo]

I just saw a commercial for a Lincoln that just finally made me snap. It's a luxury car that's bigger than necessary, uses more gas than necessary, and it's an automatic. What's with the pretense that it's some race car? Seriously, most people that buy Lincolns are either old, or don't know any better.

On another note, why do people want a high performance car, or a really fast car, when the only driving they do is on a crowded, slow moving drive to work, or to the grocery store and mall?

This, to me, is ridiculous.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rA-pu5EP_ig

 

[wolram]

The only time i want to go in a big car is when i am brown bread, but even then i may get the economy hand cart.

 

[Hurkyl]

On another note, why do people want a high performance car, or a really fast car, when the only driving they do is on a crowded, slow moving drive to work, or to the grocery store and mall?

Well, obviously, you want to be able to go from 0 to 75 as fast as possible, so you don't waste gas at those inefficient slower speeds.

 

[mgb_phys]

On another note, why do people want a high performance car, or a really fast car, when the only driving they do is on a crowded, slow moving drive to work, or to the grocery store and mall?

Because it's unpatriotic not to buy a car that uses lots of gas (assuming you are a patriotic Albertan or Saudi that is)

 

[turbo]

Look at the crap that Chrysler has been putting out lately. They seem to equate "styling" with a fat-butt rear-end, high trunk lid, and small rear window. My brother-in-law is the head mechanic at the local dealership, and he is absolutely disgusted by the design changes. Rear visibility is negligible, which will inevitably lead to more people backing over their children and grandchildren. Plus, every model seems to have to have the option for Hemi engine. Back in the '60's they were putting Hemis (engines with hemispherical cylinder heads) in lots of light cars to make "muscle cars", but there are lots more efficient and powerful engine designs available 40-odd years later, and the "Hemi" is nothing more than a tag-line for the uneducated.

Hell, my Subaru SUV (Forester) has "only" a 2.5L-class boxer 4 cylinder engine, and it accelerates like it's on steroids. Plus, even though the fuel-efficiency monitor generally tells me that I'm currently getting 22-23 mpg, when I do a real-world fill-up and compute miles per gallon, it is always better than 25 mpg, and has done better than 27 mpg highway, with minimal around-town driving. Pretty good for full-time AWD, which is pretty much a necessity here with our winters. 4WD is good, but the computer-controlled independent symmetric traction control and ABS is much better in winter. It really ticks me off that the Big 3 come begging for money, and a company from Japan that needs to import every single bit of raw materials and fuel can build these cars (with pretty exotic automatic transmissions in addition to the neat drive-train features), load them with every creature comfort that you might want, ship them to the US and retail them for less than $20K. BTW, all the Foresters are built in Japan, and shipped here. My wife's Legacy was built in a plant in Indiana, and is every bit as good in build-quality and actually handles a bit better in snow.

 

[mgb_phys]

Subaru Forrester sales increased 36% in the USA and 21% in Canada last year.

 

[DaveC426913]

A car is an emotional purchase*.

People want the illusion of security. These cars sell when times are tough.

(*yeah yeah I know - not for you...)

 

[turbo]

Subaru Forrester sales increased 36% in the USA and 21% in Canada last year.

There's a good reason for that. My father (like me) has arthritic knees and at 82, he has a hard time getting in and out of smaller vehicles. He had an old Buick that was nickel-and-diming him to death, and I convinced him to cash in a CD that he had earmarked for me and my siblings, and get a decent vehicle. I drove him to the nearest Subaru dealership, and told the salesman to haul out an automatic-transmission Forester (less clutching for the bad knees) so dad could test-drive it. He came back from the test drive grinning like a kid on Xmas morning. The salesman, the sales manager, and the general manager gave him the typical run-around on price, but I got them back. Every time they came back with a new price, I had my father drag them out to the freezing parking lot so I could review the new "deal" and chisel them down some more. Eventually, I got them down to the point at which the exotic sport-equipped AT was a throw-in and he inked the deal, paid cash, and drove away. A couple of weeks later, my wife had nagged me to distraction to get a Forester (she loved my father's) so I would have something safer to drive in the winter than my venerable old Nissan 4x4. I called the same dealership, and couldn't get the general manager to agree to sell me one at the same price, since he would be "losing money" on the vehicle. A short phone call to a saleswoman at the next-nearest dealership got me the same price that my father had paid after many hours of negotiation, plus a free set of roof-racks. This is a buyer's market. If you need a vehicle, get it now.

 

[mgb_phys]

Yes I managed to buy 12 months ago (before the crash and before they realized that the $ was worthless).
But even the low ground clearance Impressa has been incredible - only it and a Jeep Wrangler next door made it home every night in the snow.
Of course finding it the next morning wasn't always easy

I drove up to ski hills in the worst weather so far - unbelievable number of SUVs upside down by the side of the road.

 

[turbo]

Yes I managed to buy 12 months ago (before the crash and before they realized that the $ was worthless).
But even the low ground clearance Impressa has been unbelievable - only it and a Jeep Wrangler next door made it home every night in the snow.

We got a foot of snow last night and the snow-plows blocked in the drive-way pretty well. No biggie! My wife rammed out through the snow-bank with her Legacy sedan and went to work as normal. I waited until the plows did a clean-up around noon and bundled up for a long session of snow-blowing. Lots of people at her job did not make it in today because of the snow. Funny... she lives 15 miles away and has to use poorly-maintained rural roads to get to work, and people who live a couple of minutes away couldn't be bothered. Put some aggressive-treaded snow tires with studs on a Legacy sedan with a manual transmission, and you won't believe what that little rascal will go through. I've got all-weather radials on my Forester, but plan on buying a set of heavy snow-tires and studding them tomorrow. Some morning, my wife's cherished Legacy may not start, and I want her to have the safest ride to work available.

 

[turbo]

The only time i want to go in a big car is when i am brown bread, but even then i may get the economy hand cart.

Bring out your dead!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I thought this was the best car commercial I'd ever seen [in case you missed it]. Honest and to the point; can't ask for more than that.

[profanity]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTvwwDnrQL8

 

[mgb_phys]

Bring out your dead!

'Ere. He says he's not dead!

 

[DaveC426913]

"brown bread"...

 

[Stingray]

I think the Lincoln commercial is really good, actually. It's meant to appeal to people who usually wouldn't look at the brand. That's a great way to improve sales. Cadillac managed to lift themselves up from retirement home drudgery. Maybe Lincoln can do the same. Also, the starship theme seemed to refer more to technological sophistication than outright speed.

On another note, why do people want a high performance car, or a really fast car, when the only driving they do is on a crowded, slow moving drive to work, or to the grocery store and mall?

There are plenty of opportunities to appreciate a car's power or handling feel in everyday driving. It's exciting. Not everyone looks at cars purely as a means of transport.

 

[Lyuokdea]

I thought you meant ridiculous commercials like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td6m3OhO5zE

~Lyuokdea

 

[Ivan Seeking]

"brown bread"...

I tried the Google British to English translator, but it doesn't help much with Wolram's posts.

 

[mgb_phys]

I tried the Google British to English translator, but it doesn't help much with Wolram's posts.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0864424841/?tag=pfamazon01-20

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I heard one the other day... I think it was to "put down sticks", meaning to make a place your home, I take it. Here in the US, we "put down roots".

 

[Cyrus]

I thought you meant ridiculous commercials like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td6m3OhO5zE

~Lyuokdea

wowwwwwww...the good ole days.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

The only time i want to go in a big car is when i am brown bread, but even then i may get the economy hand cart.

Yes, being dead has its advantages. You wear a nice suit, your friends come to see you, and you ride around in a chaufered limosine.

As for high-performance cars, I assume you mean those hand build Italian sports cars like Lamboughini, Maserati, or Bugati. I want one. But I'm a poor driver. I just want it for the looks, not the performance. Put a 1.8 liter engine in it and hand it over to me. It's a high performance babe magnet.

 

[fuzzyfelt]

I heard one the other day... I think it was to "put down sticks", meaning to make a place your home, I take it. Here in the US, we "put down roots".

Even more familiar to me is the term to 'up sticks' and go

'Ere. He says he's not dead!

I can't take him like that, it's against regulations.

 

[mgb_phys]

I always thought Volvo should run this commercial

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_ArDB7AJAI

ps. There are lots more of his creations in the clip I had forgotten about.
I think the Jaguar one was actually used!

 

[edward]

The 2009 Lincoln MKS in the OP is supposed to compete with the Lexus. It doesn't even come close. It has the generic Ford 3.5 V6 Duratec engine. Albeit it does have twin turbochargers.

There are an increasing number of new vehicles that are promoting performance.

http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/2009-sporty-performance-car-buying-guide.htm

When it comes to ridiculous commercials the local car dealers are the worst.

 

[mgb_phys]

I noticed the car commercials have switched back to the 'built tough' and 'performance' voiceovers, for a while they all had 'best fuel economy in class' - all over the same images of the truck climbing mountains of course.

This could be a market for some software. It could monitor the gas price and news and select from a set of audio tracks to sell safety/patriotism/fuel economy depending on what's happening.

 

[turbo]

Marketing cars is getting really Jekyll and Hyde in nature these days. The car manufacturers are flailing pretty desperately while trying to move stock. It's a pretty sad state of affairs when the '09 models came out in September of '08, and dealerships are offering large discounts on '08s months later. It's especially crazy when they're trying to move 3/4 ton pickups suitable for small contractors, snow plowing, etc. People remember how quickly OPEC and the US processors can jack up the price of gas and don't want to get bit again.

 

[wolram]

Even more familiar to me is the term to 'up sticks' and go


I can't take him like that, it's against regulations.

I suppose you could do a Burke, but there is no brass in it these days.

 

[fuzzyfelt]

I suppose you could do a Burke, but there is no brass in it these days.

:yuck: And you'd also have to up sticks to the back of Bourke.
(Beyond cooee of the wallopers, ay?)

 

[tormund]

who really gives a flying rats *** about how "good for the economy" it is? if it rides nice, looks nice, and got a pumpin sound system, its good to me. And the chicks all over it is icing on the cake.

​

 

[BobG]

I want a Nissan Pathfinder. It has front independent suspension.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llm9uwXqhCA

 

[turbo]

I want a Nissan Pathfinder. It has front independent suspension.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llm9uwXqhCA

Can I give her a ride? We have huge frost heaves and pot-holes this time of year.

 

[Brilliant!]

The psychology behind owning performance automobiles is that most people can't afford a weekend driver, like a Ferrari or a Corvette, and a weekday driver, like a Camry or a Civic. Where a wealthy man would have his Prius parked in his garage next to his Lamborghini, John Q. has to choose, and that choice can be a very difficult one if you want a well-performing, well-engineered, fun piece of machinery.

For this reason, I don't think there is anything wrong with owning a fast car, regardless of how much fuel it burns. It may not be practical, but it isn't so impractical as to be considered foolish. If I wind up making the money I hope I'll make, you can bet your behind that I'm going to be a classic car collector. I'm talking V-12 Testarossas, and V-8 F355s. And I'm taking those badboys out to the courses and raceways, so I can feel the top-speed exhilaration that comes with the top-speed vibrations.

It's going to be so great.

 

[BobG]

The psychology behind owning performance automobiles is that most people can't afford a weekend driver, like a Ferrari or a Corvette, and a weekday driver, like a Camry or a Civic. Where a wealthy man would have his Prius parked in his garage next to his Lamborghini, John Q. has to choose, and that choice can be a very difficult one if you want a well-performing, well-engineered, fun piece of machinery.

For this reason, I don't think there is anything wrong with owning a fast car, regardless of how much fuel it burns. It may not be practical, but it isn't so impractical as to be considered foolish. If I wind up making the money I hope I'll make, you can bet your behind that I'm going to be a classic car collector. I'm talking V-12 Testarossas, and V-8 F355s. And I'm taking those badboys out to the courses and raceways, so I can feel the top-speed exhilaration that comes with the top-speed vibrations.

It's going to be so great.

I think you'd buy one just to feel the top-speed exhilaration, then the whole experience would be wasted on you.

The psychology behind owning performance automobiles is that they impress women.

Science Proves Exotic Cars Turn Women On

Geez, didn't you pay attention to the Jaguar ad in the Crazy People clip?

 

[Brilliant!]

Ha. Fortunately, I met the love of my life before I even owned a car. She asked me if I would like to pick her up, and I responded with "If you want to meet me at the bus stop on the corner, I could pick you up at around 7:32, give or take a few depending upon traffic." We've been together for two years now. Where's your theory now?! Huh?! :tongue2:

 

[turbo]

If one wants to have the thrill of top-speed exhilaration, that can be achieved pretty economically without buying exotic road-cars. Just head out to the drag tracks, get pit-passes, and look for hobbyists ready to sell off an older bracket-class car so they can upgrade. The modified classed in the NHRA were populated by pretty scary machines when I was a regular track-denizen. Very light bodies/frames with high-performance drive trains. Those cars would launch off the line with VERY impressive wheel-stands and post short ETs. (On a budget!)