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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jXC4Ewqb-o&feature=player_embedded
Looks like they took a quick clip of the house to use as the basis shot.
Lexus SUVs actually seem pretty rare around these parts. I'll usually see the aging, sagging, former trophy wives trolling around in SC430's, while used LS400 and 430 sedans seem to be the latest fad for the poseur crowd to park out in front of their section 8 housing.
I don't see very many of the newer LS460's around. Most common Lexus seems to be the ES350, which seems harmless enough that I can't make any derogatory generalizations about. Mainly purchased by well-off, middle-aged to older people who want a nice, upscale, comfy car that doesn't draw too much attention to itself.
There's a woman at work who drives a black GS hybrid. She's pretty high up the income ladder though, so it's not like she's stretching to afford it. At one time, she had some low-production BMW roadster, like a Z-8 or something like that? I heard it got lost in a divorce, though.
I kinda like the older ES300 models. I thought they were really attractive, with their rakish lines, low roof, and frameless door windows that gave it a faux hardtop look. I thought they messed it up with the ES330 though, which just looked fat, and had those peeled-back headlights.
I agree about the frameless door window ES - they did a better job at differentiating themselves from the Camry than later models, and the stretched out headlights of the 02+ model aren't exactly pretty. Just like the Faberge egg RX and the pretentious other models, which are big in these parts.
I have known two younger people with used LS - both got them as parental hand me downs, one a nearly 200K mile 02 model that's in amazing condition.
I guess I don't see what's different about that vs. an GLK, XC60, Q5, EX35, etc. If you think about it, every one is trying to copy Lexus' sales success. Maybe Lexus hit the sweet spot in terms of size?
At least the RX can carry a decent amount of cargo, unlike an X6 or an FX37. To me those seem more pointless.
BMW Z8 is even less common
Every time I'm in Ocean City, MD, I see one parked at the marina near Harpoon Hannah's. Owner must be a boat captain or something? Must be a profitable Marlin fishing business.
FX and especially the X6 are in a different segment, IMO...wannabe sporty crossovers, not simple glorified station wagons like the RX/ML/etc. There's no logical reason to buy an X6.
Not my cup of tea, though, to be honest. Give me sporty or give me death.
Just kidding.
Give me sporty, or give me utility. I want SPACE, acreage, if I'm going to sacrifice fun to drive. Hence a minivan in the fleet, and a roadster with a payload rating of approximately one large adult.
The "S" and "U" in "SUV" are usually mutually exclusive if the "S" has anything to do with driving characteristics. The acronym itself has always amused me, maybe the "S" means it can haul sports gear, which a normal sedan or wagon could never do, of course :shades: :sick:
The RX (and XC60, and GLK, and Q5, etc) are basically trendy crossover wagons. People buy them for the space and high vantage point, though those likely have legitimate appeal to the female target buyer.
The X6 doesn't make sense to me, though, if you want sporty, why buy 3 tons of vehicle? And forget utility. I've never liked the smallish FX and EX models, either, to be fair.
The new style FX is just too ugly to take seriously. And it's big, yet has a low greenhouse with poor visibility.
Maybe it belongs to the ex-husband of the lady here at work? :surprise:
The trendy people get tired pretty quick, then start buying something else.
I don't mind the space and the AWD, to be honest. Our Forester parks in a length shorter than a Cobalt but offers tons of room inside, and gets around in the worst weather.
I wouldn't call it trendy, though. Escape and CR-V sales dwarf it.
The real pretenders are the crossovers that aren't even AWD.
Kia's hamster ads are legendary, while Jeep's marketing deal with the Call of Duty video game franchise has proven successful.
Neither should surprise anyone.
Forester could be trendy in some areas. In the PNW? Yeah. New England? Yeah. Georgia? Not so much.
Heck, you can even get 2WD "Jeeps".
The trendy people get tired pretty quick, then start buying something else.
In reality, the wagons and minivans were all about utility. BOF SUV's came about just as the first boomers were reaching their mid 40's. Boomers are the first generation that cared more about themselves than others so the gravitated to anything that drew attention to themselves.
The manufacturers picked up on this and started marketing more and more SUV's up until it wasn't fashionable to drive one. So the new focus is now onto CUV's.
Overall, the car market today is more about marketing wants than about capability/needs. 90% of the auto market could get by with a Camry/Accord/Sonata with a 4 cylinder and automatic. No need for SUV's, pickups or M/AMG/IPL/LFA variants. IMHO anything other than a basic mid-size car or wagon or minivan/people mover is all about convincing the world of what you want them to think of you.
Trendy is not the same thing as popular. Trendy are styling cues such as fender vents. Popular is the Forester in New England.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
Had a Suburban for 14 years and in the last of its 3.5 years ownership also had/still have a Honda Odyssey. Had to move friends/relatives at times, and (with wife) using both the Suburban and the Ody, the Ody has obviously much more cargo space. Unless you haul a boat or trailer, the minvans (Ody, Toyota, Dodge) are far superior to a Suburban and its variants.
Some guys though are "afraid" to own, drive a minivan lest they feel folks, other guys will think they are not manly. Perhaps if they drove these with a 5-day stubble they could shore up their confidence.
In my case those cars would be extremely unsafe; if I had to drive one every day I'd die of boredom. :P
IMHO anything other than a basic mid-size car or wagon or minivan/people mover is all about convincing the world of what you want them to think of you.
Not necessarily. Accords, Camrys, and Sonatas make horrible track cars.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Most people could live in a tiny murphy bed kitchen-bath combo studio apartment too.
Well if Subarus are "trendy" then I feel bad for them. That means their sales will go drop once people move onto the next trend. If you want to say they've become more popular that's fine. But IMHO, they aren't trendy.
My take earlier was to say that the vast majority of us don't buy a vehicle for simple reasons. Most - including myself - drive a car for what we want it to say about us. With cars, it's been that way since the 30's when GM started to come out with new models every year and create a marketing driven auto industry. If they hadn't we'd still be driving around in some variation of the Model T.
Although you like to look down upon Lexus buyers, your E55 and fintail were chosen to poject to the world what you want it to think about you - even if you don't know it yourself. My Odyssey was chosen because it projects stability and quality. My VW Passat shows that I the quality of German engineering but enjoy the value of the VW vis a vis an Audi. My Explorer projects that I'm smart enough to stay out of my wife's way when she says she doesn't want another minivan.
No it's not so why the incessant need to toss digs all the time?
I can't figure out if you're part of the 99% or if you're ashamed to be part of the 1%.
(and unless you're on the tube*, I don't think that anyone in here is the topic).
Thanks!
(*If you want to cobble together some commercials and put them on YouTube, I suppose we'd all enjoy looking at them. And they'd have to be better than 99% of the schlock out there at any given time.
I look at the condition of a car saying at least as much about the driver as the car itself, maybe more. A filthy new highline car says many things, as does a pristine 20 year old normal model.
No digs being made, certainly not one of our beloved 1%. Many people do buy a car as an appliance that says nothing. I don't think my mother bought an appliance white Camry to say anything about herself. I don't know if I want to know what the general population thinks of my cars, but I don't really care either. Nor does or should a Lexus devotee care what I think.
And one of the most emotional
A sentimental ad, interesting because my old MB specialist once owned the coupe seen at :45
And maybe the most 80s commercial ever
But Martina, touchy feely ads, think-feel-love, all the stuff used to market the Forester is anything but trendy.
The 80s were such a guilty pleasure. Cars in general were so bad that we needed all that fluff to distract us.
Where's that hilarious K-car spoof where the guy has a Plymouth Reliant, IIRC, and it talks about the radio "Now with AM"?
Like the former Soviet Union? And, still the same no doubt in today's Russia.
No. A proper house/home is required. Such as in the current Lexus commercials. Where there is a family of four, presumably husband, wife, children. Then, it is Christmas time and they are together and the fine Lexus Christmas melody is heard. They go outside by nice home with 3-car garage, and surprise, a shiny new black Lexus sedan.
All posters here, such as fin, be ready in case when with family/friends you suddenly hear the Lexus Christmas melody. Would then be a truly fine Christmas.
What you describe is a reality for a minority of Americans no doubt, and shrinking in this globalized new world. Even for Lexus owners/leasers.
If I hear that melody, I'll be thinking about what I can trade it for. :shades: IS250? No thanks.
Saw a tv commercial for Buick Lacrosse. Starts out with a couple apparently happy with their new tiny, tiny car. Had a big bow on it. Was it a Smart?
Then, a Buick drives by slowly, nicely in a suburban home setting. That couple looks at it longingly. The Buick continues to be shown being driven sanely, sensibly on the suburban street. Great commercial.
Got to say that "all" Buick Lacrosse (new vintage) tv commercials are very well created and produced. Commercials for intelligent adults, not kids.
Like, no. Like, gag-me-with-a-spatula no! :P
Although I gotta confess, every once in awhile I do see an early 80's Dodge 400 coupe driving around, in a 2-tone black/silver, that's pretty sharp looking. As plebian as the original K-cars were, some of the more upscale, and later derivatives could be pretty nice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jagsc4AGjwI
I guess Buick is marketed to older folks who may not be alive when the new CAFE standards come in to effect.
I'm really liking the new Regal Turbo, but I'm too cheap to dump my car yet.
I keep hoping someone will total it while it's parked...give me an excuse to upgrade... :shades:
IMO, this was the heyday of Chrysler and from what I remember hearing from my dad and other family who had cars in teh 70's the products they were putting out were some of the most reliable as well.