Ask The Best And Brightest: Does Anyone Actually Give Cars As Christmas Gifts?

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

They’re a fixture of holiday television: car ads showing a loving family member presenting a new car as a Christmas gift, complete with an oversized red bow. But is there any truth to this popular advertising cliche? CNW Marketing Research says nearly 57k new and used cars will be given as gifts during this holiday season, but I sure don’t know anyone who has given or received a car (let alone a new luxury car) for Christmas… do you?


Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

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  • David David on Dec 25, 2010

    While waiting for bar results I had a brief stint selling Toyotas (March - May). I personally only sold 1 vehicle that was to be a gift - a (then) brand new black 2008 Toyota Tacoma crew cab as a birthday/graduation gift to this couple's (lucky) daughter. Regarding the big red bows - most dealerships have them in them in make-ready, just have to ask for one.

  • Saponetta Saponetta on Dec 25, 2010

    Over the years I've sold a lot of cars to customers that where christmas gifts and birthday gifts to a spouse, child, parents etc.. I even had a customer buy a red boxster just for a christmas photo. You can get the bows at just about any florist they are around 30 bucks. Whats amazing is how many of them are heat of the moment type deals where they were in for service or something and stop in my office to say hi or talk cars and end up springing on a christmas gift for their wife. One thing i have never had is a wife buy a car for a husband. Its always the man buying for kids, wife, etc. Also a very high percentage of these deals are gay couples for some reason. I forget which, but one year I sold 3 TT roadsters to men suprising their partner on christmas. Actually now that I think about it, i sold an SLK to a women who was buying it as a Bday suprise for her husband who had graduated law school that year. She bought it 4 months before his b-day. She was a tough sell and we became pretty close over the week or so it took for me to close her. We had built a lot of rapport between each other so I let her store/hide it in my personal garage since I had room at the time. She ended up cracking and gave it to him a month early.

  • Sinistermisterman Sinistermisterman on Dec 26, 2010

    I was given a car as a gift once. It required all new brake lines, welding to the sills (rocker panels as you call them over here) and new brake disks (rotors) and pads. By the time I got it roadworthy again it had cost me as much as it would have to buy one in running order. Not long after that I blew the engine up.

  • Joe_thousandaire Joe_thousandaire on Dec 26, 2010

    I've never known anyone who has gotten a car as a Christmas gift. 16th birthday, but not Christmas. My parents did however buy a new Lexus around Christmas-time one year. My Mom wanted one of those big bows on it, like from the commercials. The dealer said they didn't do that, except for one they had on display at the dealership, which they would sell her - for $1000. Merry Christmas indeed.

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