What was with the big floating heads? Why were so many of the advertised vehicles displayed at extreme angles? And why, tell me why, no one bothered to have these delightful ads proofread?
Maybe you’re too young to recall newspaper dealer ads, but before the Internet kicked in, most Saturday newspapers contained a dedicated section or two of house-produced dealership advertisements featuring many of the elements noted above. Now, computer-designed layouts kicked in in the late Eighties, so for the really good stuff you have to go back a little earlier.
Dealers like to appear in their own ads, so it was common to see a giant head floating above the week’s bargains. And the bargains! In huge type appeared unlikely prices which were sure to lure customers to local dealers–just in case the price was correct, and the single example available at that price had not yet been sold.
This is hucksterism at its unbridled best—or worst—depends how you look at it. Collected here are a dozen such ads, each including “special” pricing, and often the promise of friendly service. Enjoy!
Newspaper Bargains
1926
![Tri-State Motor Company, San Antonio, Texas](https://blog.consumerguide.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/1926-1-812x1024.jpg)
1955
![Golden Mile Chevrolet-Oldsmobile, Ontario, Canada](https://blog.consumerguide.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/1955-773x1024.jpg)
Classic Car Ads: Pickup Trucks of 1961
1956
![1956 Dealer Ad](https://blog.consumerguide.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/1956-768x1236-1-636x1024.jpg)
Classic Car Ads: Station Wagons of 1979
1957
![Riefling Nash, Jefferson, Missouri](https://blog.consumerguide.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/1957-618x1024.jpg)
Classic Car Ads: Luxury Cars of 1985
1960
![Hallman’s Chevrolet, Rochester, new York](https://blog.consumerguide.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/1960-529x1024.jpg)
Classic Car Ads: Cheap Cars of 1983
1965
![Greater St. Louis Dodge Dealers Association](https://blog.consumerguide.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/1965-636x1024.jpg)
Classic Car Ads: Coupes of 1981
1966
![Ken O’Keefe Ford, St. Mathews, Kentucky](https://blog.consumerguide.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/1966-1-694x1024.jpg)
Classic Car Ads: Sedans of 1980
1966
![Ben Lindenbush Rambler, St. Louis](https://blog.consumerguide.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/1966-605x1024.png)
Cheap Wheels: 1975-1977 Oldsmobile Omega F-85
1967
![Dealer Ad, newspaper](https://blog.consumerguide.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/1967-680x1024.jpg)
After Dark: Classic Car Ads Set at Night
1969
![Saxon Oldsmobile, Elk River, Minnesota](https://blog.consumerguide.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/1969-1-688x1024.jpg)
Big-Top Madness! Clowns in Classic Car Ads
1971
![Di Salvo’s American Motors, St. Louis](https://blog.consumerguide.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/1971-705x1024.jpg)
More Show than Go: Performance Car Ads from the Malaise Era
1980
![Martin Chevrolet, Richmond, Virginia](https://blog.consumerguide.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/1980-1-1024x878.jpg)
Design Madness: A Gallery of Sixties Hardtop Ads
1987
![Hamilton Yugo, Irwin, Pennsylvania](https://blog.consumerguide.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/1987-1-678x1024.png)
Listen to the Car Stuff Podcast
Classic Car Ads: Newspaper Bargains Gallery
Click below for enlarged images.
Newspaper Bargains