What's the worst selling point you've heard of by a car maker?

[Lukas]

A guy at work bought a Hyundai Coupe advertised on Autotrader. One of the 'features' in the ad was an adjustable steering column.

 

Yes, just like every other car made since about 1980, this 2004 example has an adjustable steering column. Obviously, this was the clincher in the deal.

 

The 1996 Mercedes-Benz C220 Diesel Elegance W202 I owned years ago had no adjustable steering column. I realised that after I bought it, so too late. I drove it 1 1/2 years and the driving position was never right for me. 

[JohnDeere]

The current Fart 500 radio ad talks of its three dimensional patterned front grille and rear lights with body coloured inserts.

 

Which are, presumably, the most important purchasing decisions for the sort of person that buys a 500/Bini/A1/Adam.

 

But I still prefer an ad that actually mentions a feature, rather than a spokenreallyquickly finance deal, "you will not own the car" (amazingly even an option to purchase is disappearing as dealers force people to change cars every two years), or "business users only" (i.e. we're making it look cheaper by not including the VAT).

[steve_earwig]

Possibly a bit ot but meh... I was at the Toyoyo dealer's in Zagreb a while back and I thought this was a rather questionable sales campaign:

 

Maybe it's more about the aftersales service.

[willswitchengage]

[dugong]

Did they let you put it in 'H'?

[mercrocker]

Interesting about the upselling of Escort Popular etc...I have a Ford Escort MK2 brochure which clearly states on an overprinted strap line on the front cover that the Escort Mk2 is no longer in production and supplies may now be limited.....

 

Wonder if there was reverse psychology involved there?    Seems to me they would have a shed load of the things or maybe they were aware of a sizeable resistance to FWD in the demographic.   Run-out advertising has always interested me - there is generally an apologetic little sticker to say the only available colours are Grampian Gloom or Last year Yellow and the Super model no longer has veneer fillets on the ashtray lid.

 

There wasn't much in the way of discounting on these cars either, perhaps there were enough punters to be fobbed off with free mats or something....

[billyboy406v6]

"Princess Anne had one you know" !

[J-Rod]

To avoid any potential disappointment, I just submitted this review on Amazon:

 

If you expect a nostalgic story of a pastel coloured American dream that probably never existed, this book is not for you.

It is rather a dissertation about the harsh reality of a dog eats dog business, targeted at the serious automotive historian.

 

It tells the story of how the American car industry used (or abused?) psychology, and the spirit of the times, with all its

spin and propaganda, in its quest to fight for each and every customer.

It is richly illustrated with black and white copies of real adverts to complement the content matter.

 

The text, often spiced with Heon Stevenson's delightfully sarcastic humour, makes for surprisingly entertaining reading

for what is in essence a scientific work on history.

yeah, it looked like someone's Phd that had been published. However, I'm a bit of a sucker for that sort of thing, so thanks for that  

[Alan_Green]

"Never needed a service."

[mercrocker]

Who? Princess Anne?

[Split_Pin]

Looking through Ford Cars brochure for 1982, features are listed for the base models which make them seem a much purer automobile. "all steel welded integral construction" "non concentric coil springs", "zero scrub radius steering geometry" and wipers with "flick wipe".

[Mr A Lawrence]

I like it when people get things wrong in adverts.

 

Like Mgf having rear electric Windows or iso fixing points!!

[twosmoke300]

I read the new transit leaflet and it's the first transit to have an adjustable steering column ! Good old ford

[New POD]

This is how it works.

 

Advertise basic product for £x. Customer comes in to purchase. Salesman's job is then to term everything in small payments, usually by going through the options list. There will then be a tipping point where a few options add up to more than the step up to the next model, which has those bits at standard. Salesman how now got a sale for a Popular Plus. Stick or twist? Let's twist.... Do it again, how about a 5 speed box and internally adjustable mirrors? It's just £y for the next step up to the L though.

 

How many times have you seen a giffer driving a Titanium, GLX, Ghia, SE spec or whatever? Do you think they all wanted the top spec? No, they got upsold.

 

It's fine in car dealers, as products aren't usually available on site. In retail, you have to make sure the lower priced product is still available or it's known as Bait and Switch and makes watchdogs unhappy.

Funny, failing to do this might be why the Vauxhall dealer in Formby, is no longer there.

 

Father in Law went in with a view to buying after MUCH research a CDx or CDi mk4 astra 1.6 16V in 2000.

 

The list price was I think about £15K.

 

They downsold him a Club 1.6 16V because the "only noticeable" difference is the manual none heated door mirrors, and it was £11500 I think maybe.

[eddyramrod]

Diesel.

 

VW.

 

Eco.....

 

Computer-controlled.....

[rovamota]

From the Morris Ital brochure.

 

‘…the creative flair of Italian styling with the robust practicality of British engineering,’

 

And it continues...

 

’The promise of luxury and high performance is amply justified…’

 

The copywriter must have written that for a bet, surely?

[Bobthebeard]

"The strongest asset of the Nissan Juke is it's looks "

[Asimo]

"Just like a Golf"

[mercrocker]

The FD Vauxhall range was advertised with a different brochure for each model.   In the VX4/90 one you were assured that the "sporting" model of the range had its handbrake "on the floor, between the seats.  Where it belongs...."  Oh...so the pull out jobby on the Victor didn't "belong" where you put it on those then....

[Lacquer Peel]

 

"Probably the biggest 4-cylinder engine in any production car"

 

It's certainly one of the longest-lived vehicle designs on the market today, the Mk3 Shogun was launched in 2000 in the UK.

[brownnova]

The first gen Nissan Almera was advertised as "the car they don't want you to drive"

 

I'm with "them" to be honest... Whoever they are!!

[Junkman]

As a bit of an antidote to this thread, I always appreciated that the Ford Mustang has and always had only one selling point,

and that nobody, including its manufacturer, ever tried to make up any other selling point than that.

 

It's a fucking Mustang, ya tosser. Nothing added, nothing reduced. Take it, or bugger off.

[Matt]

Not by the maker but take your pick from the list in the ad

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281781142848

 

 

 

Body Coloured Bumpers

 

Whatever you say...

[fred]

Not sure if the the Hunter is the Advert or getting pissed on Rum and coke ?

 

 

 

[Junkman]

Not sure if the the Hunter is the Advert or getting pissed on Rum and coke ?

 

That works perfectly well abroad though, since Johnny Foreigner knows that the Coca Cola factory is at the Picadilly Circus.

So this emits the pinnacle of Englishness in -say- Innsbruck.

[Junkman]

Besides, Johnny Foreigner also knows that the English are perma-plastered on Rum harvested from some bloody colony they have.

The Falklands for example. Or Canada.

[LC Torana]

Possibly a bit ot but meh... I was at the Toyoyo dealer's in Zagreb a while back and I thought this was a rather questionable sales campaign:

 

Maybe it's more about the aftersales service.

 

I see even Toyota have put a X through this car.

 

No wonder they're telling owners to go take a running jump.

[Junkman]

Horrible. Just horrible.

Are they competing for who is being bailed out with my tax money next?

[Cavcraft]

A Daewoo salesman and a Citroen salesman both (at different times and garages) telling me that 'we don't sell cars, people buy them off us.'  I cringed for them and nearly threw up.  

[brownnova]

One of the selling points of an early Daewoo was that you could buy it at Halfords! Not sure that's such a positive...

 

Our local Halfords had a touch screen car configurator on which you could plan your Nexia or Espero choosing the trim, colour, wheels etc. Hours of fun for 11 year old me back in 1996!! If you went to Halfords your were always miffed I'd some other kid had got to the computer before you. I don't remember ever seeing anyone other than children using it though!!

(OK so I'll confess.. I've drifted slightly off topic there 😉)