Car Commercials, the good, the bad, and the annoying!

andys120 · October 2002

it was all over the air last night. Showed various Toyota owners, mostly young, talking about their cars saying things like "I feel like I'm flyin'" "I just put the widows down kick up the stereo and go!" "Don't turn down my bass" "Trying to save the Earth(Prius owner)" and other equally dumb things.

dinu01 · October 2002

They stop make the most boring cars on earth that look like they're tipping over.

The Echo, Corolla, and Camry are the problem. The Matrix and Celica look ok. The Sienna is a van, so who cares? Their trucks look good.

I will always consider Mazda, Honda and Nissan in that order when shopping for a new or used car. Toyota you ask? An older Supra (90) is a serious machine, but other that that they make boxes on wheels not cars one would be proud to own.

Dinu

i_luv_toyota · October 2002

Has anybody heard and/or seen the one that uses country music? That's right, I said country music! The only words I can remember are "What about now?" The phrase is also exclaimed, so it's hard to miss.

Toyota, of all cars, using country music in their ads? This lures young and "hip" customers into Toyota dealers? Keep in mind that this is not rural specific, as I live in a metropolitan/suburban area of Connecticut (near NY as a matter of fact) and I hear this ad on radio AND TV alike.

Also have any of you noticed that the letters of "TOYOTA" are seperated into 6 different squares for each individual letter (like an old car dealership sign)?

dinu01 · October 2002

T O Y O T A

=> S E X Y

obviously.

----------------------

Are you talking about Toyopet as in Echo Type "Tipsy", Corolla Type "Cladding", Camry Type "Bloated"?

Help me see this your way Type X.

Dinu

dinu01 · October 2002

oh no, how can you spend $1500 more and get a car that isn't as good (hard cornering, stiffer suspension, low profile tires, good looking, reliable, well built) as a crapy Mazda.

Driving a couch never appealed to me, but it does wonders for Toyota buyers I hear

Dinu

dinu01 · October 2002

Those are awful!

andys120 · October 2002

Shows cartoon kid sidling up to Ram logo and snickering while he turns back to camera and prepares to pee on said Ram logo....Ram comes to life and butts kid right off the truck.

I thought this was a cute spoof of all those peeing Calvin decals truck owners are so fond of but some humor-impaired watchdog group has attacked it as not reflective of "family values".

Oh please!

swschrad · October 2002

push that one out nationally with 200 rating points per week per station, I haven't seen it yet, and want to!

petra02 · October 2002

...I thought it was pretty funny, especially since I see these decals about every day. I generally dislike seeing them in real life [it makes me instantly judge the car owner to be a hillbilly], so that's why it was so funny to see the decal owners being mocked.

However, it seems that Dodge is in trouble for this ad: Some consumer advocates are saying that the commercial is obscene, and they want it off the air. Likely, they're the same people who got Dodge to take away it commercial earlier this year, that showed a Durgano passing a snow plow. They claimed it promoted rebellious behavior... sigh... stupid, politically correct losers...

ziglifler · October 2002

the dodge add with the truck pulling the charger or challenger , not sure which it is . well the car that pulls up next to the guy in the truck is a 70's duster or a demon i think . my guess is a duster .

lemko · October 2002

Back in the 1970s, some religious groups were going bananas because Dodge named its Duster clone the Demon complete with a cartoon devil figure.

swschrad · October 2002

they get divorced. what they REALLY mean is they want to tell you how to run YOUR family, and don't ask any questions about theirs.

laugh a little, look for the last flowers in the snow, get a life. everybody gets to stand on the soapbox if they want to... but the Constitution doesn't demand anybody else has to LISTEN.

even to me, shock though it may be.

PF_Flyer · October 2002

As interesting as this branch of discussion could get, and even though it's an election year, let's remember the mantra...

THINK CARS...

PF Flyer
Host
Pickups & News & Views Message Boards

alfox · October 2002

it IS about cars. This topic hasn't deviated more than one post from the title in quite a while.

bored · October 2002

How about this one: A Toyota Sienna and a tricked out Toyota Supra are sitting at a stoplight. The boy in the Supra activates his "switches" or hydraulics, and starts bouncing all over. The next thing you know, the Sienna starts doing the same, and eventually flies up into the sky, only for the family to look in the backseat to find E.T.

Or how about this one: A Dad and his son or daughter are sitting under a Chevy Blazer while he is changing the oil. He says "She's got a lot of miles on her, but soon she will be yours". The baby is sitting under the truck watching him, giggling. This commercial DID have a disclaimer, "do not attempt this at home", or something like that.

target3 · October 2002

I hate that commercial where the country singer states that he would rather walk ten miles and be down on his luck than drive another truck.

Buy a Ford, and you will be down on your luck with a broken down truck - every other day. A co-worker of mine recently bought a Ford and has had nothing but problems from the start.

odie6l · October 2002

the new Saturn Vue commercial with the guys going camping..then they hear dualing banjos in the distance.. they freak get in and drive away. Love the commercial. All they needed was a little pig squealing in there too.... LOL

Odie

sphinx99 · October 2002

Some of the recent 350Z spots are... interesting

mesazone · October 2002

I had the mute on the TV when the commercial about the horses all running along then stopping to see this guy planting a post in the middle of a swampy pasture with his spotless, clean (right!) Chevy Silverado. So I filled in my own dialog.

Horses come running along and suddenly stop. "Oh look. A guy with his Chevy out here in the middle of nowhere. I wonder if he's stuck." "Well that is just too bad. Maybe it broke down and so he's waiting for help." "If he's going to buy something like that, then he deserves to be stuck." "I wonder if we should go help him?" "Na! Come on guys, let's get going." Then the horses all run past him and leave him there to plant his posts.

At least my children (8,5,3) laughed.

Yes. I drive a 2001 F250 Powerstroke. Not one problem in 16 months of ownership.

andys120 · October 2002

that was photographed in a gas station. It clearly showed a price sign listing Premium at $1.91/9, Yikes! If I were selling people a V8 performance sedan (M45) I wouldn't remind them how expensive gas is getting.

chevytruck_fan · October 2002

man toyota ads suck lately

that latest one I saw was last night, it was a car driving through the ocean, then out of the ocean, then driving along the beach, this is suppose to sell cars?

maybe what they are going for is

"our cars rust like cars submerged in salt water"

?????

andre1969 · October 2002

...for a local dealership. I forget the name, but they sold Chevy and Dodge. I really wasn't paying attention to it until the announcer said something along the lines of "The only thing you can't get here...is a Ford or a bad deal!"

A little subliminal shot at Ford, maybe? ;-)

swschrad · October 2002

report those guys to the manufacturers, they can't be allowed to weasel out of their share of bad deals! there oughta be a law.....

andys120 · October 2002

but I caught the end of a 4Runner ad that featured Sir Edmund Hillary and some Sherpas. Were they implying that you could climb Everest in your 4Runner?

Are SUVs ascending to new heights of absurd fantasy?

petra02 · October 2002

I wonder how long it'll be before the PC losers blow the whistle on Toyota for that 4Runner ad. They'll probably claim it promotes dangerous and deviant behavior, just like they said about the Durango passing a snowplow...

swschrad · November 2002

in which the rappelling mountaineers on a horizontal slope going by the truck ended up tilted... the camera turns, the explorer is pointed 90 degrees straight up, turns, and slowly goes downhill.

not any more nonensical than those jeep ads year after year in which said stumpjumper is atop a flat mesa with sheer straight-down sides.

I just don't have the tires for it, I guess.........

windowphobe6 · November 2002

Well, current Toyota print ads show the truck at 17,000 feet - about 12,000 feet short of the summit, but yes, evidently they think it will climb (some of) the mountain.

andys120 · November 2002

I would say it already has. Relevance please?

swschrad · November 2002

WE say you will have a rousting good time in the Savagemen 3400 GTXSi, and you will, Mr. Mitty, pull those eight fountain pens back, pocketa pocketa pocketa, and shoot down those enemy fighters! woo! asterisk!

* illustration only. optional equipment included. professional stunt crew, don't try this at home. our lawyers can beat up your lawyers. we do this in four-point type that can't show on TV screens at home because we like it. yo' momma. just go out and buy ten of these things, I gotta boat payment.

diploid · November 2002

lol@yo momma.

mliong · November 2002

My wife and I recently saw another VW ad where a man is calling his wife - telling her to get down to the dealership to see the silver Jetta she wanted.

Then he spots another couple with a salesman pointing at the car he's "holding". As they start to walk over for the test drive, he does something really discgusting to keep them from it - he licks the door handles!

So it didn't tell you what model they were selling, but it sure was funny as hell!

BTW, that commercial was spot on in the fact that most Jetta's and Passats found in VW lots are either grey, silver, or white.

bored · November 2002

Or do you not pay much attention to the television?

badgerfan · November 2002

Anyone seen the latest Toyota Corolla ad with the Corolla supposedly coming into shore on a surfboard?

Seems they were trying to impress the surfer crowd. Isn't that infringing on their potential Matrix customers?

I think there is a common trend to show cars and trucks doing completely impossible feats.

Not much reality in vehicle commercials anymore-almost as bad as politicians!

crkeehn · November 2002

That has been out a while, it was part of a series of ads when the new Corolla's came out. They are all sports related and feature the Corolla S. Along with the surfboard, they also had a Corolla in an arcade windtunnel and one in a skating rink. They attempt to prove that Corollas just want to have fun.

target3 · November 2002

Now that is funny!

mliong · November 2002

I guess I don't watch much TV! Hahahaha!!!

svevar · November 2002

Has anyone seen the new one for the Dodge Stratus Coupe? A frumpy looking girl is on a talk show on one of those "make-over" episodes. She goes backstage and comes out driving the Stratus (but still looking the same), and the audience applauds and approves of her "new look." I thought it was pretty funny...

andys120 · November 2002

made it look like a "chick car"

chevytruck_fan · November 2002

speaking of "chick cars" you think any men buy Jettas? Maybe they buy them for their teenage daughter for a present, but other than that

alfox · November 2002

It's a nice car, one I wouldn't mind owning. I know several men who own them, and none of them would worry about how their cars express their manhood.

Why are you so aware of other men's masculinity?

andys120 · November 2002

doesn't make it a chick car. I see plenty of guys of varying ages, tending towards young driving Jettas.

alfox · November 2002

Detroit has nothing to compete with it.

kenjabi · November 2002

Saw a new ad for the Kia Sorento SUV last night, where the Kia was racing other SUVs on a desert course. Voiceover says "Some SUVs are just too big", and Kia squeezes between 2 boulders, while Suburban has to stop. Then voiceover says "Some SUVs are just afraid to get dirty", and shows a BMW X5 stopped before a mud pit, while Kia drives through and sprays mud on it. Of course, Kia wins.

I have to admit, it made me chuckle. We all know many SUVs are too big and never see anything other than pavement.

bored · November 2002

Actually, that was an Excursion.

Pretty funny ad, very convincing. I LOVED the sound clip when he said that "Some SUV's are too afraid to get dirty" SO FUNNY! A BMW X5 was the perfect example too.

Oh that should be the only commercial to exist, funnier than a Comedy movie!

brizey · November 2002

...are usually driven by males. A buddy of mine has had more than one.

From my perspective, Jetta's are more towards neutral in terms of "genderishness". Now Cabrios, on the other hand...

ghulet · November 2002

...this one was the guy sitting in the yellow Cavalier, singing along to 'American Pie', with his female companion sitting outside wondering if he'll play it again. Kind of a cute ad, but I think it's missing the point: barring a competitive small car, Chevy is (and has been with this entire recent campaign) trying to sell its aging cars via loyalty and sentimentality, which younger buyers (who apparently are the target audience of cars like the Cav) are infamous for not possessing, in general.

chevytruck_fan · November 2002

oh please jettas are teenage girl cars, that is all there is to it

alfox · November 2002

real men drive trucks!

diploid · November 2002

And big trucks too, not one of them she-boy compacts.

andys120 · November 2002

Chevy trucks! (or Cavaliers)

Car Commercials, the good, the bad, and the annoying!

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