A car with a big red bow

I know I said that my next post would be about whether EV buyers care much about the environment. But I just learned that we need to mark a very important anniversary.

25 years ago Lexus launched its “December to Remember” marketing campaign in the United States, encouraging wealthy spouses, parents, and children to gift their loved ones a brand new car with an oversized bow on it.

I couldn’t let this anniversary go without exploring this important holiday ritual.

My first question was simply… does it actually happen? To answer this I turned to my favorite source for stories from everyday Americans: Reddit. After much research I can confirm that it does indeed happen, although not always in the way that Lexus would like it done. There is much more discussion about gifting really cheap used cars than making presents of $80,000 luxury vehicles. That could be because old clunkers are given much more often or it could mean that those who give the gift of Lexus don’t spend a lot of time on Reddit message boards.

My second question was… is it a good idea?

The answer to that seems to be… sometimes?

Getting the right car is one of the major hurdles. There seems to be a lot of concern about getting the right color, model, etc. One poster said you should never buy a car for someone unless they picked it out first… just like an engagement ring. Another argued that buying someone a car is like buying someone a tattoo… it’s too personal of a decision to be made without them being closely involved.

A handful of people, however, pushed back on this argument. They noted that the stress of buying a car is so high that if someone else was willing to do it for them they’d be just fine with whatever color the car ended up being.

With used cars, getting the exact right car or color is less important. Often these are purchases of opportunity and those receiving the gift are much more interested in having “a car” than fretting about “the exact right car.”

A lot of the stories around gifting used cars are pretty heartwarming. It’s pretty moving to read about a young couple struggling to make ends meet who really appreciated the gift of a 10-year old subcompact that makes it possible for them to get to work.

And while some of the 16^th birthday and graduation car gifts are about wealthy dads gifting their princesses Lamborghini SUVs, others are rather touching. One woman talked about the day her dad gave her a used car for graduation. She thought it might be coming, but when she got it, she still cried. She ran over, gave her dad a big hug, and then he cried. She related that it was the only time she ever saw him cry.

My favorite was the guy who got a car for his 14^th birthday. It was a mangled wreck of a car. He wasn’t at all upset though. The rule in his family was that you had to build your first car so that you knew how it worked and really respected it. The gift gave him two years to get it in shape before he could legally drive it.

While at least on the message boards there seem to be more people gifting used cars, there are some people out there gifting brand-new ones. As with used cars, there are nice stories with new cars. A lot of these are focused on people who managed to earn a lot more money than they had growing up and wanted to thank their parents for a lifetime of hard work.

Many of these new car gifts seem to be largely pre-arranged with the person receiving the gift – so as to ensure that the color, model, etc. make everyone happy. But some of them are true surprises… and not all of those have the happiest of endings.

One poster noted that after years of driving Fords their Grandmother subtly suggested that she would like a “nicer car.” The reasonably well-off Grandpa decided it was time so for Christmas he gave her a cheap necklace with a key on it. The key was to her brand new BMW Z4 roadster. While this would have delighted many of us, a two-seater convertible wasn’t exactly what Grandma was after. After two months she traded it in for a Mercedes SUV so that she could carry both her groceries and her grandkids.

Another poster related a story that didn’t end with such an easy fix:

My stepfather bought my mom a car for Christmas. 
She was pissed. 
He wanted to be the hero. 
It was shiny; it was beautiful. It had no ash tray. 
It came with five years of car payments. I might as well say it came with five years of arguments.

Of course, all these stories are distracting from what you really want to know about. In the end it’s not the car that matters. If we’ve learned anything from Lexus it’s that the giant red bow is crucially important.

Our astute Reddit posters have thoroughly explored this topic as well. And it’s clear from the comments that if you’re going to give a car as a gift you’ve got to have a bow. After all, how will your beloved know that the car is a present if it doesn’t have a giant red bow on it? How will the neighbors know that you are wealthy enough to give your 16-year-old a brand new Lexus without a bow?

The biggest complaint is from people who bought cars at the dealer with bows on them, but when they get delivered, their roofs are bare. This tragedy has upset more than one anxious gift giver.

There’s a lot of controversy amongst Redditors over how to get one. There are claims that some Lexus dealers keep them in stock and will sell you one for $50. Others claim that dealers charge $400-$500.* It sounds like some dealers use common sense and if you give them some form of down payment, they’ll loan you a bow that you can return once the gift receiver realizes that they don’t have too much use for a four-foot diameter red bow.

Of course, the nation’s online store – Amazon – will sell you one for less than 20 bucks. But I have to say the ads are less than inspiring. Every car bow I found on Amazon was presented with a badly photoshopped image. They all looked like pictures of 3-inch diameter ribbons that were cut, enlarged, and pasted onto an image of a car. It’s impossible to tell what they actually look like. I can only imagine that the disappointment you’d feel upon receiving one would be very similar to what happens when you compare the picture of a fast food cheeseburger to the fast food cheeseburger you actually get served.

In the end, however, it seems like the Lexus ad campaign works. A few years ago the New York Times interviewed a Lexus dealer in Plano, Texas that claimed that 15% of their December sales were gift cars. Many of these are set to be delivered precisely on the 24^th of the month. Some dealers even go the extra mile and make sure to wear a Santa hat when they deliver it.

I do have one bit of advice before I conclude. If you have the money, giving a car might be a lovely present. But if they aren’t expecting it, don’t give an electric vehicle to someone for Christmas. I think it’s kind of like giving someone a dog as a present. It may seem exciting at first, but it’s a lot of responsibility. If this Substack has demonstrated anything, it’s that you have to adjust your daily life somewhat significantly to adapt to your first EV. Most people prefer gifts that don’t require significant personal changes.

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*If you want to save a few bucks, some Redditors are happy to show off their own handmade bows and “Christie Creates” gives in depth instructions on how to make your own on her YouTube channel.