Classic Ads: 1971 Buick Skylark Custom

In 1971, Buick advertised their cars as "Something to believe in". Apparently believing in your Buick will make you a surfer and more popular with the ladies. Or at least you can trust that it won't rust underneath from being parked on wet sand 30 feet from the ocean.
The '71 Skylark Custom was marketed as a luxurious midsize car at a relatively low price point. Being based on the low-priced Chevelle probably helped keep costs down. The Buicks were available in a variety of trims and powertrain combinations, and offered features not available on other cars in its class. What do you think? Does Buick give better reasons to buy a new car than anybody else?

This ad appeared in the Feb 5, 1971 issue of Life magazine.

Parking Lot Photo Shoot: 1972 Holden Ute

Parking Lot Photo Shoot: 1957 Oldsmobile Super 88 Convertible

Classic Ads: 1966 Ford Mustang

If you want to sell a car to a person who doesn't like cars, play up its practicality. And boy do they ever in this Ford ad. Instead of publishing a full-page airbrushed beauty shot of a stripey red GT fastback on a beach surrounded by beautiful women playing volleyball, we have a rather average-looking young lady up to her eyeballs in grocery bags in front of a sedate Nightmist Blue six-cylinder coupe. The ad calls attention to the base Mustang's fuel economy, but reminds us of the car's famously extensive options list that allowed thousands of combinations from mild to wild. Among the many options were a vinyl roof and wire wheel covers, which cost $74.36 and $58.24 respectively.
This ad appeared in the March 4, 1966 issue of Life magazine.

Parking Lot Photo Shoot: 2000 Dodge Viper GTS

Classic Ads: 1961 Renault Dauphine

"Economy seems to be the fad right now," trumpets this ad for the plucky little French Renault Dauphine. Economy has been the 'fad' for a long time now, and I don't see it fading away anytime soon as talk of peak oil and climate change continues. And in the United States, a lot of manufacturers toss the magic 40 MPG number around when advertising their compacts. The Dauphine claimed to be able to do that back in the early 1960s - and had the Mobil Mileage Rally numbers to prove it.
This ad appeared in the January 20, 1961 issue of Life magazine.

Parking Lot Photo Shoot: 1970 AMC Gremlin

Classic Ads: 1966 Dodge Rebellion

There's a lot in here that Dodge would probably like to forget. Bigger big cars! Bigger small cars! Bigger everything! Women brandishing guns in a car ad and talking about how swingers are hip to Dodge. What are we rebelling against? Boring cars, apparently.

Fight boredom by threatening someone with a relic of the Civil War. Sprawl all over a car hood in provocative poses. Then throw some money at your neighborhood Dodge dealer and be awesome until OPEC takes away all our nice things.

This 4-page spread appeared in the November 8, 1965 issue of Life magazine.

Found on Craigslist: 1974 Toyota Celica ST

One of my father's favorite cars he ever owned was a yellow 1975 Toyota Celica GT. I've long had a soft spot for the little Japanese sport coupes with their mini-muscle-car styling. This Celica is an automatic ST model in original driver condition. Perhaps the best part of this one is the interior; it looks perfect. The body has some dents and scrapes here and there but mechanically is described as being well maintained and only has 62,000 miles on it. By Toyota standards, it's just a baby!

Photos courtesy seller - Craigslist

For $4995, is this an easy sell-ica or would you rather STay away? Find it here or click here if the ad expires.