Hot Deal Madness

Fun fact: Most car dealers pay a small amount into a regional advertising fund for each vehicle they sell. That money is spent on ads and promotions tailored to reach would-be car shoppers in a given area. In many cases, manufacturers contribute additional cash to the fund. And, depending on the franchise, some of that money may be spent by the dealer on store-specific ads.

Up until relatively recently, much of that funding was spent on newspaper ads. Those of us of a certain age well remember the Saturday automotive section in local newspapers. Here in Chicago, the auto sections of the Tribune and Sun-Times were often the thickest parts of the paper.

What made these sections so much fun to peruse was that the ads were entirely unlike the professional, high-quality brand campaigns being implemented at the national level. Instead, the local print ads (most of which consumed a quarter page, though bigger dealers often shelled out the money for full-page ads) were packed with oversize-typeface prices, gaudy graphics, and sensational promises.

Back then, watching a national-market Ford television commercial and then seeing a local Ford dealer ad in the paper was not unlike leaving a church service and walking directly into a gentleman’s club–though not quite as subtle.

Here, we’ve collected a dozen vintage dealer print ads, all of which were found in local newspapers. If you recall any great dealer ads, tell us about it. The place to leave comments is down below.

More classic car ads

Classic Dealer Ads

1950

1950 Studebaker Dealer Ad
1950 Studebaker

Stop-and-Go Madness! A Gallery of Classic Car Ads Featuring Brakes

 

1958

1958 Edsel
1958 Edsel

Rand Road Revisited: A Used Car Dealer Gallery

 

1962

SI Gary Dodge Dealer Ad
1962 Dodge

Classic (C)architecture: Chicago’s Historic Motor Row

 

1967

Dealer Ad, newspaper
1967 Volkswagen (Canada)

You’re on Your Own: How Your New-Car Salesman Gets Paid

 

1970

1970 Ford Dealer Ad, Newspaper,
1970 Ford

Model-Year Madness! 10 Luxury-Car Ads From 1979

 

1977

1974 Buick, Dealer Ad
1977 Buick

Remembering My Old Chryslers: The Infallible Coronets and the ’70s Cars with the Crooked Parts

 

1977

1977 Mercury, Dealer Ad
1977 Mercury

Canadian Confusion: GM’s Short-Lived Passport Dealerships

 

1979

1979 Chevrolet, Dealer Ad
1979 Chevrolet

Favorite Car Ads: 1949 Ford

 

1983

Poughkeepsie Datsun
1983 Datsun/Nissan

A Brief History of Car Radio

 

1988

Newspaper ad
1988 multi-dealer ad

Wreath and Crest Madness! A Gallery of Classic Cadillac Ads

 

1991

1991 Chevrolet Dealer Ad
1991 Chevrolet

What is the Destination Charge?

 

1993

1994 Dodge Dealer Ad
1993 Dodge

Check out the Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast

Classic Dealer Ads Gallery

(Click below for enlarged images)

Share this: