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Missing from a Simi Valley, California, car dealership: an inflatable gorilla – which inevitably brings up the question of how the heck does one steal a 350-pound inflatable primate from the roof?
On Tuesday, the gorilla was reported stolen from the roof of First Kia, 2081 First St., said Sgt. Ritchie Lew, a Simi Valley police spokesman. It was last seen Friday afternoon.
The gorilla is sometimes deflated when it’s windy, and the dealership’s employees assumed that’s what had happened until someone climbed onto the roof Tuesday and discovered it was missing, said Yehuda Riess, a used car manager there.
Riess said he has no clue why thieves targeted the gorilla, or how they made off with the roughly 350-pound inflatable primate.
“It’s not something you can just go up on the roof and steal it,” he said, adding the gorilla was tethered down by cables. “It would take at least a few people to carry it.”
Remember the dealership that gave away handguns if you buy their car last year? Well, they’ve upped their firepower: Max Motors in Butler, Missouri, is now giving away an AK-47 (technically, a voucher redeemable for one) when you buy a pick-up truck!
Mark Muller, owner of Max Motors, is upgrading an earlier sales gimmick in which he offered new truck buyers to choose between a $250 gas voucher or a gun voucher. The website says the dealer is giving away guns again "due to popular demand."
"Muller calls the initial deal an overwhelming success," Business Insider reports. "He also says it generates a lot of publicity and really angers ‘liberals.’"
Car dealers are desperate for business, and many are getting creative (like this free gun when you buy a car offer). Korean automobile maker Hyundai is trying a new approach. It’ll take your car back (most of the time) if you have a "life changing event," like getting fired from your job:
Hyundai has begun to promote a new program that claims that “if you cannot make your payment because of a life changing event, we’ll allow you to return your vehicle and walk away from your loan obligation – and in most cases, we will cover most, if not all of the difference”. This program is good up to one year, post purchase, and at least two payments must be made in order for it to become effective. But is it a good deal?
20SomethingFinance blog has more: Link | Article at CNN
