Elgog Partynipple

I suspect my 4wd Ford Ranger will do just as well in post-apocalyptic America, for 25% of the price.

Land Rover, you are simply genius. Let's just wait to see what the naysayers have to say when the buildings and streets (literally) crumble due to the economy failing, and they can't get anywhere in their well-built, fuel-efficient, earth-friendly Priuses!

@Laura Northrup:

C'mon Laura, car ownership totally ruins your blog-cred. Well, either that, or blogging being the 24/7 operation that it is, the others simply have no need for a car! (On account of them never being able to leave their computer, you see....except to make donations videos...)

@puddinhead:

Please find the commercial on YouTube and post it! I'd love to see it, if only to see the couple totally over-egg their enthusiasm!

1. Land Rover trying to spin its SUVs as a "good long-term investment." Laughable & indicative of our poor financial thinking. It depreciates!

2. After describing what a great investment a Land Rover is, they follow with their leasing rates. It's rare that a vehicle makes you money.

When I saw the ads I was in shock. It's a disgusting, misguided strategy they're adopting.

In fact, if you're really close to personal bankruptcy, consider buying two!

@Eyebrows McGee (on Twitter: LPetelle): That's awesome!

Your question that is. Very very interesting, lol.

I doubt either brand will vanish but they'll be lucky to keep their plants.

@puddinhead: So what you are saying is that if one is having trouble paying the bills, then one should not use a small windfall of cash to leverage more debt??? Thinking like that won't get you behind the wheel of a new Statusmaster Debtmobile.

I e-mailed the company to ask how, exactly, that could be the case, given that Switzerland is entirely in one timezone and to get through just THREE you'd have to march from Portugal to Belarus and I'm pretty sure that a) that would have no remotely useful training purpose and b) other countries sort-of frown on you marching your army through them.

I oddly got no response. :P But I didn't see the ad again!

The TV version of this ad has been running on CNBC for several weeks. It seems stupid on one level, but what they are attempting to do is pretty smart. People associate themselves with ther cars - they are saying that their cars "easily" ride out the hard times. It is pretty well aimed at the kind of person who wants to make the statement that they also easily ride out hard times. What better way to "prove" that to the world than to buy a $70k truck in the middle of a recession? This is aimed at the people who associate their wealth with material posessions rather than net worth - the "big hat" types who have high incomes and massive debt - The demographic that thinks they are rich - even though they have a negative net worth. One thing about that demographic is that they view the recession differantly - remember that they equate wealth with posessions. Sure they owe $800k on a house woth $300k, and they have so much debt that missing one paycheck would result in a disaster - but they DON'T REALIZE they are broke. They think the are rich - they think that being rich means bringing home a nice paycheck and driving a $70k truck - not making $70k a month in dividends/interest like people who are really rich do. The only problem is that most of the "big hat" types are so maxed out and upside down that they couldn't borrow enough money to buy a paperclip - I doubt this ad will be effective.

Every time I see that commercial I want to punch the writer in the face. It makes no sense. People arguing over a pile of past due bills should pay them off with their tax refund, not buy a car. Grrrrrrr.

Why didn't they throw a reference to Jesus in their ad? I think that would have been the icing on the cake.