It was inevitable. DeSotos looked too much like a Chrysler. For not a whole lot more, a buyer could move up to Chrysler which was more prestigious. GM just abandoned Oldsmobile, left it to wither in the vine. Towards the end there were just a few models that were poorly received.
Cool I had this 55 desoto in 63 and delivered pizza with it in Detroit.the hemi was the small one 292 cid maybe, I forget for sure. One thing was the sound of that engine as it wound up, music. Oh just heard the trans and it's a 2 sp fire flight. The olds was a 4sp. Same trans in my 52 Hudson hornet.
Saturn is gone. I have a DeSoto Land sticker on the rear window. It's there for two reasons, my idea of heaven is a DeSoto on every block. The other reason is because the Saturn is a good old car low miles and like Desoto is gone defunct and ain't never coming back. I saw the proposed prototype of the scaled down 62 DeSoto and I think it would have been a nice looking smaller car and may had been a success. Do not get me wrong, I'm certainly not comparing my Saturn to a DeSoto. That's impossible, because DeSoto was a great beautiful machine. Most cars today all look alike and most are SUVs. No excitement at all. My old man and I always looked at cars at the dealership's when I was a kid. It was a big event when the new year models came out. People would go the the dealership's one evening when the new models were on display. I don't see the essence of it today, they practically all are alike in styles. My old man passed in 93, but I'm am glad I had the opportunity to keep his prized 72 Malibu. Once GM stops making them as they once did then reused the name, I'll put a DeSoto Land sticker on old Betsy.
I remember both cars quite well. The 1955 De Soto was a pretty automobile but so was the Olds. GM was very slow to offer electric windshield wipers. Chrysler Corporation had power steering that was exceptionally easy to turn. My grandfather liked the fact that his 1955 De Soto run on regular gas because of the hemi. I didn't particularly like the gear shift on the dash. Hydro-Matic was not my favorite transmission either. Oldsmobiles road fine. Many comments about styling were personal opinion. Both cars were in the best of times. I would take either car over most everything vehicle today.
The car magazines complain about power steering that is too easy to turn, gives no road feel... I once test drove a GM car that the power steering was out of adjustment... it turned too easily and felt like it wasn't connected to anything at all! Like just a steering wheel on a shaft. Weird sensation! The salesman said they would adjust it back to normal feeling before I picked up the car if I wanted to buy it. Yeah, gear shift on dash looked old timey... Loved the Hydramatic... and it was a favorite of drag racers in 1950's... Loved the Hemi... My brother had a '55 Dodge that was clean, classic styling like a '55 Chevy... Would have loved that '55 Dodge with a Hemi and manual tranny...
I bought a 55 DeSoto in 63. My first car turning 16 and a new driver. I paid 35 dollars for it. Nice car, bought it from an elderly woman whose husband had just died. Garage kept. Had that car for 8 years. Never any issues. Dad drove it for 3 years while I was in the Army.
My uncle was a mechanic, worked primarily on Chevrolet. He said that every engine gets carbon build up regardless of what you are told. He advised putting the car in passing gear and blowing out the engine most every time you were out. My dad would do it with our car about once a week.
My Grandfather was a engineer for Cadillac back in the day they had many problems with carbs esp in the 50s. He used Raw Diesel fuel and it would clear up. My 57 Studebaker came with a Extra “Funel” if you will next to the gas line and you would put diesel in it so when one would slow down when turning corners and push a button on the dash and you would have faint smell of diesel. Still works !
1955 Olds 98 production: 118,626 1955 Desoto Fireflight production: 37,725 Looks like gossipy Al lost his sales job LOL. Both cars are nice rides though.
We had a '54 Olds and a '59 Desoto. I think I did like the Desoto better. It even had push button shift. You shifted with your left hand. Both were really good cars.
5 years newer car would seem better... and by then, 3 speed automatic tranny... plus, the Hydramatic factory burned and '54 Olds was stuck with the crappy 2 speed Powerglide tranny like Desoto used instead of the fabulous 4 speed Olds-designed Hydramatic tranny...
the Chrysler Torqueflite was vastly superior to the Olds transmission - which GM dropped because of all the problems - in fact, for the next 20 years the Torqueflite was the best automatic in the world
Ooooooh...."Confidential". I can't wait. DeSoto has the "trim, slim lines of a Miss America, a classy chassis", and that boxy Olds is like a woman with "a powerful figure". The Olds is a "warmed over version of last year's circus wagon". Gee ol Ruthie sure did not like the Olds styling. Al and Ruthie nearly came to blows when dumb Al could not figure out the Olds transmission...good thing Ruthie has a PhD in anger management. This slideshow as like the TV sitcoms of 1955. Thanks for uploading this and the other slideshows.
🤣🤣🤣🤣 Ruthie had Prince Valium in her purse. She sure needed it with that dumb ass Al. Whew! After the kids graduated from high school, Ruthie informed Al she was a Lesbian, wanted to move in with her girlfriend of 20 years, and gave him the heave-ho. Poor Al ended up on skid row in downtown LA, back in the 70s.
Hemi design on regular gas, lower compression ratio, could make the power of a wedge head engine on premium gas and higher compression ratio... but Hemi prolly lower MPG on regular gas... Everybody also offered choice of regular gas engines in those days, though, as well...
Ellenor Malik It's not that I think they were good times because a heavier car was better, but because somebody could say that. Now, try to sell a car saying it's better because it's heavier....Yeah but gas milleage? Yeah but cornering capabilities? Yeah bur tire wear? Yeah but poor performance? Instead, back in the day, if a car wasn't faat enough they would just fit in a larger (and heavier) engine, instead of caring about weight, fuel consumption or handling. This makes me think that people made and bought cars, and everything else, with the heart, emotionally, while today very few people does. This is why I think they were good times.
+Dave, cars are once again HEAVY !!! Mustangs have gained 400 lbs. Challengers gained 600 lbs... The last T-Birds produced gained 800 lbs. over the first ones...
How I wish I could have been a salesman at that time. I would have sold them! You have to believe in your product in order to sell it and I LOVED MOPAR.
I didn't believe in Chrysler's, Kaiser's, Hudson's, AMC's, Studebaker's, or Ford's junk, I would have sold GM... my conscience would prevent me from selling people junk...
Honest to God, I learned to drive on a 1956 DeSoto!.....boy, I didn't realize how much more advanced this was vs any other car of the same vintage.......I still today love DeSoto!...wish FCA still made them!
That DeSoto was our first "modern" family car....and became my 1st car when I turned 16 in 1966. It was a great car. later, Mom had a pink and gray 1956 Fireflight
The beginning of that "forward look " that would be a radical new style! Fins and even more chrome on the low, lean machines that were coming just a couple of years later! 👍🏻😉
You can hear the pressure from Chrysler in this film. You can tell Oldsmobile was kicking DeSoto's ass with how pushy they were with the sales people in this video (if you don't sell it's your fault) plus the fact that DeSoto died a short 5 years later (1960) while Oldsmobile made it to the 21st century.
Chrysler Corporation made the serious mistake of not putting price caps on their different divisions' cars. DODGE was the big culprit. Acting as an autonomous division within the Corporation, they were constantly targeting the price brackets of their sister divisions' cars...by introducing cars in those other divisions' price classes . This was the very reason why the original Dodge Dart was introduced in 1960. Dodge Dealers were angry that they lost their Plymouth franchises...so Dodge secretly developed their OWN "Plymouth"...the 1960 Dart...which cut right into Plymouth sales...until Chrysler management put a stop to it, by making Dodge shrink the Dart down to compact size, as a "step up" from the Plymouth Valiant.,,and a replacement for the ill-fated Dodge Lancer. Dodge also kept creeping up into DeSoto's market ...with The Custom Royal, until DeSoto no longer HAD a market. Then, once DE SOTO was GONE, Dodge REPLACED it with their OWN DeSoto, The DODGE CUSTOM 880.Dodge's sales were never in any danger. THEY already had the TRUCK LINE. But Dodge's Management was GREEDY. They wanted it ALL. And today ? Even the CHRYSLER DIVISION is in DANGER too !! They re-absorbed The IMPERIAL DIVISION back into their OWN back in the 1970's, But now, with only TWO LINES LEFT, 300 and Pacifica, Chrysler Division may be next to fall !! Wanna know why PLYMOUTH and DeSOTO are no longer around today?? Blame DODGE !! 1) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeSoto_(automobile)#Termination_factors 2) th-cam.com/video/EH6QFuFtvPY/w-d-xo.html 3) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_Dart#First_generation_(1959%E2%80%931961)
@@keithdukes5990 or lackthereof. We're the heathens now as Ruthie so generously said, we gave American automobiles to China...and now their benefiting from it, ruining their cities with our pay money, Shanghai looks dystopian, Singapore is ridiculous, Dubai is awkward (their oil plays in this as well) and made by children, and Japan is a weak mess of PTSD since 1946 turned into their only culture left.
My dad bought a new '55 like these form my Uncle, a salesman. Nice car. It is actually what I learned to drive in. I remember him telling me that total price including finance charges was $4004.00 total! Seems cheap today!
That would have been a difficult choice! I think the Desoto was "more car" however. But the 98 had the larger V8 (324 cid vs 291 cid) and a 4-speed Hydramatic transmission (Desoto had 2-speed Powerflite). They make a good point about the torque convertor in the Powerflite making it superior. The Desoto was a prettier car in my opinion too.
Unlike the other Ross Roy films, this one actually has valid sales points (Ruthie's commentary on looks aside) that truly differentiate the car. Al would convince me to get a Desoto. And it may sound stupid, but if you didn't know what car you were talking about, that trunk (8:30 mins) looks like it came from a Rolls Royce. It's the first good looking trunk I've seen in any of these films, and shows a good attention to detail. Too bad Desoto was ultimately disbanded.
De Soto lasted only 33 years (1928-1961)...Oldsmobile lasted 108 years (1896-2004). Desoto was too much like a tarted up Plymouth or Dodge. Chrysler Corporation was never able to establish the brand hierarchy the way GM did. That's why they never came close to challenging GM. At the top, the public saw Imperial as just an expensive Chrysler. They tried to match GM brand for brand...Plymouth/Chevy...Dodge/Pontiac...DeSoto/Oldsmobile...Chrysler/Buick...Imperial/Cadillac.
You are so naïve WOW. Chrysler came out in 1928 as did Plymouth, and Desoto and Fargo trucks. Desoto broke all sales records 81,000 copies the first year. Dodge was ran by the banks after the brothers past away 6 months apart. The banks wanted out of the car business and the came to Walter P. because he bailed them out before a few times. Chrysler bought Dodge from the banks and history was made. All division sold well and they found their own niche. As for GM, you must not know about all the companion divisions that bit the dust.Oakland brought out Pontiac, yet it was Pontiac that survived, Buick brought out Marquette, Marquette died .Cadillac had LaSalle, Cadillac survived only and only because they allowed African Americans to buy their cars direct from the dealerships, And Oldsmobile had the Viking and the Viking died. Chevrolet never had a companion, but the Geo was a latter day companion and that died oh so quick. So do not jump on Chrysler brand divisions so fast. GM had their failures, oh so many failures in their life time. Now Pontiac, Saturn and Oldsmobile.Thank God for China otherwise Buick would be gone. No Joke!!!!!!
Anthony, in the 1960's, the Govt slowed GM down, claiming they were a monopoly, because GM alone sold 52% of all cars sold in the USA! If GM didn't do something to slow its sales, it would be broken up like the Govt later did to AT&T. The car buying public just plain preferred GM's cars over all others... Lots of car companies died... at one time, 85 car brands were made in Cleveland alone!
BuzzLOLOL you sir must be a GM lover, which is fine. I am devoted to AMC. You remind me of the guy that bought the 1980's Oldsmobile for o e main reason. The Rocket 350. And when he found out, by his mechanic, that Oldsmobile screwed him and installed a Chevrolet 350, he started the lawsuit against GM and Olsmobile. when interviewed after he won the case, his reponse was, "I will never buy another Oldsmobile again. My next car is going to be a Buick. "There's your sign".
Don't know where you got those ideas from... I knew an Olds engine from a Chevy engine... knew the Olds had a forged steel crankshaft... the Chevy a cast iron one... my Dad was an Olds guy and we couldn't have anything but an Olds until turned 21 and could buy in our own names... I was a kid in early - mid 1950's when Olds owned NASCAR, so it was OK... Olds was kewl... I sold my Allstate scooter for $75 and bought a '57 Olds 98 for $75 in '64 when it wasn't that old because the new/used car dealer couldn't get it to run... had a hidden break in the coil wire... they were good looking cars... That thing was fast, would put the speedometer needle most of the way between the 120 mark and -0- mark on that oval speedometer... prolly about 135... Then got a '62 Olds Jetfire w/ turbocharged V8... then '65 Cutlass convertible... at 21, sold Cutlass and bought '65 GTO convertible tripower 389" 4 speed for same money... would have loved a '66 442 tripower convertible, but those things were expensive. even used... I went straight from high school into GM Engineering via the GMI program... same program the current CEO of GM went into 13 years later...
BuzzLOLOL what is funny was I was right Olds boy and being and Olds boy, you completely missed the point. Hey, I got one for you. What do you call a high school drop out working on a Oldsmobile?..............ready..... An under Achieva.....Get it?
Can you imagine that the man has a 1953 Oldsmobile and a dealer already wants to sell him a 1955 DeSoto! How about waiting for a few more years so he can put some real mileage on his car.
If only DeSoto had the dealer network that Oldsmobile had at the time - then sales history would have been quite different. All engines get carbon buildup - the difference was the the Hemi did not foul the plugs the way others would that needed to have the carbon “blown out”
As much as I like those old Oldsmobiles, I would have taken the Desoto in a heartbeat. In 1967, my dad bought a 12 year old '55 Olds. The body and paint were still in decent condition, but he was having problems with the rest of the car, because back then, the average car that was 10 or 12 years old was on it's way out unless it was very meticulously maintained. Maybe my dad would have gotten more out of a Desoto.
By '67, you couldn't give a Desoto away... but I did buy the 354" Hemi out of a '56 Desoto for $15 for my '31 Ford model A long body hot rod back in those days... added a '57 Chrysler 3 speed TorqueFlite tranny to it...
Heavy is relative. Curb weights on 1956 98's were 3700-4300 pounds. I have a Chevy Cruze with a factory curb weight at 3500 pounds. Emissions, convenience and safety equipment is heavy.
My buddy still often drives his 1932 Desoto... it's very Desoto-ish... Chrysler slowly ruined Desoto... then killed it off... His '32 looks just like the one on Wikipedia, even right down to the colors...
Powerflite's better than Hydra-Matic....lmaooooooo! Yeah...those 2 speeds REALLY transmit the power...NOT! Powerflite was a cheapie from '55 to '56 to allow Chrysler time to finish their Torqflite. By '57, THEN they had something going on! But until then. GM had the best with the cast iron Hydra-Matic. Chrysler even offered dealer upgrade kits for all '55-'56 models.
Styling is a matter of personal opinion,as always - Personally,I like the Oldsmobiles styling better.Both cars,of course,had their pros and cons.The Olds had Power steering that still had some road feel to it,IMHO,more pleasant to drive than the over assisted Full time power steering on the DeSoto.The Olds also had 12 volt electrics;the DeSoto had 6 volts.While the performance of the 4 speed Hydramatic in the Olds was probably better than the 2 speed Powerflite in the DeSoto,the Powerflite was probably more durable than the Hydramatic.The electric wipers on the DeSoto were also better than the Oldsmobiles vacuum wipers...
I did it closed the deal and here's how. Before Bob could say hello I was shoveling the bull-crap on him, in fact in a couple minutes his wife bounced in and asked me where's Bob, well I couldn't help but laugh as I pointed to the big steaming pile behind Bob's desk and I slung a big 'ol scoop of fresh plop her way for good measure.
Actually, people would cross shop DeSoto with Oldsmobile, Buick, Pontiac, Mercury, Ford and even stablemates Chrysler and Dodge. They weren’t all that different.
As for me I would have chosen neither, as either one does not appear too appealing looking. But if I had my choice back in '55, I think I would have picked either a Ford Thunderbird or a Chevrolet Bel Air convertible. Boy, those were some real gorgeous looking cars and I could care less about what they cost!
@@8176morgan boy are you an optimist of original ideas. Wow gee Haven't heard of a Ford Thunderbird or Chevrolet BelAir before. Think original, think smart, and most importantly be smart yourself.
If I had a salesman that all they did was tell you the negatives of the competition, I would steer clear of that dealer! Thankfully nowadays you can look at vehicles on the internet and never even talk to a salesman!
to me the BIGGEST advantage of the desota was it having the powerflite with a TORQUE CONVERTER while the olds had the SICK Shifting hydramatic p.s. that lady is QUITE a nag
4 speed Hydramatic was a fabulous transmission... designed by GM technology leader Olds way back in 1940... then used by Cadillac the next year as well... and a favorite of drag racers in 1950's... used until mid 1960's... Yes, that lady was lying her ass off... pure sales BS... Only good thing Desoto had was the Hemi... and electric wipers...
BuzzLOLOL To be fair the historic Hydramatic was a clunky shifting tranny. Buick used the Dynaflow, and Chevy used the Power Glide (itself a close relative to Dynaflow.) due to both Chevy and Buick using torque tube drivelines and Hydramatic was deemed to shift too rough for such a driveline setup.(Olds, Pontiac and Cadillac used traditional open drivelines, hence the use of Hydra Matics). a torque converter solved this and thus the Turbo Hydra Matic was born in the early-mid 60's. Chrysler's Power Flite and especially Torque Flite transmissions were in fact excellent trannies. (both GM and MoPar were the best in the world at automatic transmissions for three decades.).
Good ol' Ruthie. She's a swell gal! Whenever we're going to see a client in the Desoto she's always trying to help me "shift" by grabbing the knob of my stick! I keep reminding her that it's an automatic but she just laughs and keeps on yanking on it! Yes siree, it's always fun when Ruthie comes along for the ride! And she always helps make the sale when she shows a client how to "shift" as well! Good ol' Ruthie! 👍🏻😉
JoJo S DeSoto had to compete with a bunch of its sister companies, Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth were the three big ones, but there were still more. Olds only had to compete with their sister brand Chevy.
DeSoto was done in by Chrysler moving the "Chrysler" brand downscale from above. People figured "Why buy the 'lesser' DeSoto when a 'real' Chrysler cost the same?". This also happened at GM with Oldsmobile with lower priced Buicks. Only difference is 'Chrysler' ate into DeSoto sales in the early 60's and Buick ate into Oldsmobile sales in the 80s. In the end it wasn't good for Mopar or GM, But at the time selling a higher volume of the 'upper' level cars to attract buyers into the 'higher' line dealerships looked good - in the short term.
The Oldsmobile 98 was a fine car comparable to the Buick Roadmaster or Cadillac…though both the Buick and Oldsmobile were less expensive than Cadillac, all three cars were nicer than the De Soto, which would have been more appropriately compared with Pontiac or Mercury….
![[MV] A leap of faith...ความเชื่อใจครั้งสุดท้าย (From "Petrichor the series")](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U1piZH2CNXA/mqdefault.jpg)
Too bad both Desoto and Oldsmobile are both gone now.
It was inevitable. DeSotos looked too much like a Chrysler. For not a whole lot more, a buyer could move up to Chrysler which was more prestigious.
GM just abandoned Oldsmobile, left it to wither in the vine. Towards the end there were just a few models that were poorly received.
Warner Athey Too bad a lot if great names are gone. All that's left are generic car 1 and 2 and so on.
Cool I had this 55 desoto in 63 and delivered pizza with it in Detroit.the hemi was the small one 292 cid maybe, I forget for sure. One thing was the sound of that engine as it wound up, music. Oh just heard the trans and it's a 2 sp fire flight. The olds was a 4sp. Same trans in my 52 Hudson hornet.
He He.....and Desoto died before Oldsmobile did!
Saturn is gone. I have a DeSoto Land sticker on the rear window. It's there for two reasons, my idea of heaven is a DeSoto on every block. The other reason is because the Saturn is a good old car low miles and like Desoto is gone defunct and ain't never coming back. I saw the proposed prototype of the scaled down 62 DeSoto and I think it would have been a nice looking smaller car and may had been a success. Do not get me wrong, I'm certainly not comparing my Saturn to a DeSoto. That's impossible, because DeSoto was a great beautiful machine. Most cars today all look alike and most are SUVs. No excitement at all. My old man and I always looked at cars at the dealership's when I was a kid. It was a big event when the new year models came out. People would go the the dealership's one evening when the new models were on display. I don't see the essence of it today, they practically all are alike in styles. My old man passed in 93, but I'm am glad I had the opportunity to keep his prized 72 Malibu. Once GM stops making them as they once did then reused the name, I'll put a DeSoto Land sticker on old Betsy.
I remember both cars quite well. The 1955 De Soto was a pretty automobile but so was the Olds. GM was very slow to offer electric windshield wipers. Chrysler Corporation had power steering that was exceptionally easy to turn. My grandfather liked the fact that his 1955 De Soto run on regular gas because of the hemi. I didn't particularly like the gear shift on the dash. Hydro-Matic was not my favorite transmission either. Oldsmobiles road fine. Many comments about styling were personal opinion. Both cars were in the best of times. I would take either car over most everything vehicle today.
The car magazines complain about power steering that is too easy to turn, gives no road feel... I once test drove a GM car that the power steering was out of adjustment... it turned too easily and felt like it wasn't connected to anything at all! Like just a steering wheel on a shaft. Weird sensation! The salesman said they would adjust it back to normal feeling before I picked up the car if I wanted to buy it. Yeah, gear shift on dash looked old timey... Loved the Hydramatic... and it was a favorite of drag racers in 1950's... Loved the Hemi... My brother had a '55 Dodge that was clean, classic styling like a '55 Chevy... Would have loved that '55 Dodge with a Hemi and manual tranny...
Bruce Bryant these are the 1995 models you dumbass
@@mikeingersoll7344 - You tell him.
I bought a 55 DeSoto in 63. My first car turning 16 and a new driver. I paid 35 dollars for it. Nice car, bought it from an elderly woman whose husband had just died. Garage kept. Had that car for 8 years. Never any issues. Dad drove it for 3 years while I was in the Army.
My uncle was a mechanic, worked primarily on Chevrolet. He said that every engine gets carbon build up regardless of what you are told. He advised putting the car in passing gear and blowing out the engine most every time you were out. My dad would do it with our car about once a week.
My Grandfather was a engineer for Cadillac back in the day they had many problems with carbs esp in the 50s. He used Raw Diesel fuel and it would clear up. My 57 Studebaker came with a Extra “Funel” if you will next to the gas line and you would put diesel in it so when one would slow down when turning corners and push a button on the dash and you would have faint smell of diesel. Still works !
1955 Olds 98 production: 118,626
1955 Desoto Fireflight production: 37,725
Looks like gossipy Al lost his sales job LOL.
Both cars are nice rides though.
Ruthie's high beams were on in her first scene
yes she does its at 3:21, real perky too. lololol
And she just got back from church!
Indeed
I hope she doesn't ride too smooth.
Those were her low beams. She turns on her high beams when she sees the smooth new desoto.
We had a '54 Olds and a '59 Desoto. I think I did like the Desoto better. It even had push button shift. You shifted with your left hand. Both were really good cars.
5 years newer car would seem better... and by then, 3 speed automatic tranny... plus, the Hydramatic factory burned and '54 Olds was stuck with the crappy 2 speed Powerglide tranny like Desoto used instead of the fabulous 4 speed Olds-designed Hydramatic tranny...
the Chrysler Torqueflite was vastly superior to the Olds transmission - which GM dropped because of all the problems - in fact, for the next 20 years the Torqueflite was the best automatic in the world
Ah Stan, Hydramatics in use from 1941 until still today !!!
@@BuzzLOLOL nowadays, hydromatic in name only.
I'm still tempted by the Oldsmobile; after all, Batman has a Batmobile.
He's got one snarky partner! The promo gets the points across; the Desoto is designed and built better.
Hmm...A lot of smack talk back in the day. I love it!!!.
Ooooooh...."Confidential". I can't wait. DeSoto has the "trim, slim lines of a Miss America, a classy chassis", and that boxy Olds is like a woman with "a powerful figure". The Olds is a "warmed over version of last year's circus wagon". Gee ol Ruthie sure did not like the Olds styling. Al and Ruthie nearly came to blows when dumb Al could not figure out the Olds transmission...good thing Ruthie has a PhD in anger management. This slideshow as like the TV sitcoms of 1955.
Thanks for uploading this and the other slideshows.
🤣🤣🤣🤣 Ruthie had Prince Valium in her purse. She sure needed it with that dumb ass Al. Whew! After the kids graduated from high school, Ruthie informed Al she was a Lesbian, wanted to move in with her girlfriend of 20 years, and gave him the heave-ho. Poor Al ended up on skid row in downtown LA, back in the 70s.
@@Fandango541 - LOL !
Didn't know the Hemi in the '55 DeSoto would run on regular gasoline. Thanks for the info.
Hemi design on regular gas, lower compression ratio, could make the power of a wedge head engine on premium gas and higher compression ratio... but Hemi prolly lower MPG on regular gas...
Everybody also offered choice of regular gas engines in those days, though, as well...
Olds offered regular or premium gas engines and 2 or 4 barrel carb.s on either one...
Back when a heavier car was considered better...I bet those were good times
You had to live thru the times to know how really good they were.
+Bruce Bryant I whish I did
Heavier isn't always better. But it isn't always worse either
Ellenor Malik It's not that I think they were good times because a heavier car was better, but because somebody could say that. Now, try to sell a car saying it's better because it's heavier....Yeah but gas milleage? Yeah but cornering capabilities? Yeah bur tire wear? Yeah but poor performance? Instead, back in the day, if a car wasn't faat enough they would just fit in a larger (and heavier) engine, instead of caring about weight, fuel consumption or handling. This makes me think that people made and bought cars, and everything else, with the heart, emotionally, while today very few people does. This is why I think they were good times.
+Dave, cars are once again HEAVY !!! Mustangs have gained 400 lbs. Challengers gained 600 lbs... The last T-Birds produced gained 800 lbs. over the first ones...
Can't believe they brought out that old line about blowing out the carbon.
Necessary in those days of dirty leaded gasoline and engines with poor oil control at the rings...
People tried to use that blowing out the carbon line when they got stopped for speeding on the highway but I doubt it worked on the cops...
@@scottmathews3777 Yeah, cops have moved from 'law enforcement' to 'profit centers' these days...
Ruth is right on every single point on styling!!!!!!
Ruthie to Al " Al you closed the sale, you are gonna get lucky tonight"
How I wish I could have been a salesman at that time. I would have sold them! You have to believe in your product in order to sell it and I LOVED MOPAR.
gentillydanny ... I agree. An enthusiastic salesman who knows his product and the competition can sell anything
I didn't believe in Chrysler's, Kaiser's, Hudson's, AMC's, Studebaker's, or Ford's junk, I would have sold GM... my conscience would prevent me from selling people junk...
@@BuzzLOLOL you would've changed your tune by the 80s, then you'd be inclined to sell Japanese
@@sutherlandA1 - I wouldn't sell stuff that hurts my USA...
@@BuzzLOLOL almost all Toyotas sold in the USA are built in the USA.
Best slide video I've seen! That lady is a firecracker!
ok ok I'm sold on the Desoto..
william jones Delightful, Delovely, Desoto?
Honest to God, I learned to drive on a 1956 DeSoto!.....boy, I didn't realize how much more advanced this was vs any other car of the same vintage.......I still today love DeSoto!...wish FCA still made them!
That DeSoto was our first "modern" family car....and became my 1st car when I turned 16 in 1966. It was a great car. later, Mom had a pink and gray 1956 Fireflight
i like how ruthie was just roasting the hell out of the oldsmobile
My kind of woman!
We had a 55 olds when I was a kid. Power windows and everything. It was a beast love that car
Boy, the wife's comments were brutal! (And funny)
As if most women of the
day would have known
anything about tire pressure
and a rough ride.
Ruthie...tell us what you realy think.
Too bad DeSoto hadn't upgraded to 12 volts in '55. It would have given the 291Hemi better performance via a better, stronger ignition system.
02:43 I remember those ashtrays that looked like a car tire, the one on his desk under the lamp.
Funny...my uncle still has his 1956 Rocket Oldsmobile 98...it's a car show classic now..& has won many awards here in Arizona🏜
I certainly hope it's stock, Ruthie would kill you if she saw anything but its original paint and firestones.
@@artdecotimes2942 Yes..right down to the OEM hub caps & Coker White wall tires
@@stevedeleon8775 a notable company
@@artdecotimes2942☝️
The beginning of that "forward look " that would be a radical new style!
Fins and even more chrome on the low, lean machines that were coming just a couple of years later! 👍🏻😉
You can hear the pressure from Chrysler in this film. You can tell Oldsmobile was kicking DeSoto's ass with how pushy they were with the sales people in this video (if you don't sell it's your fault) plus the fact that DeSoto died a short 5 years later (1960) while Oldsmobile made it to the 21st century.
Chrysler Corporation made the serious mistake of not putting price caps on their different divisions' cars. DODGE was the big culprit. Acting as an autonomous division within the Corporation, they were constantly targeting the price brackets of their sister divisions' cars...by introducing cars in those other divisions' price classes . This was the very reason why the original Dodge Dart was introduced in 1960. Dodge Dealers were angry that they lost their Plymouth franchises...so Dodge secretly developed their OWN "Plymouth"...the 1960 Dart...which cut right into Plymouth sales...until Chrysler management put a stop to it, by making Dodge shrink the Dart down to compact size, as a "step up" from the Plymouth Valiant.,,and a replacement for the ill-fated Dodge Lancer. Dodge also kept creeping up into DeSoto's market ...with The Custom Royal, until DeSoto no longer HAD a market. Then, once DE SOTO was GONE, Dodge REPLACED it with their OWN DeSoto, The DODGE CUSTOM 880.Dodge's sales were never in any danger. THEY already had the TRUCK LINE. But Dodge's Management was GREEDY. They wanted it ALL. And today ? Even the CHRYSLER DIVISION is in DANGER too !! They re-absorbed The IMPERIAL DIVISION back into their OWN back in the 1970's, But now, with only TWO LINES LEFT, 300 and Pacifica, Chrysler Division may be next to fall !!
Wanna know why PLYMOUTH and DeSOTO are no longer around today?? Blame DODGE !!
1) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeSoto_(automobile)#Termination_factors
2) th-cam.com/video/EH6QFuFtvPY/w-d-xo.html
3) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_Dart#First_generation_(1959%E2%80%931961)
Uhh-ohhh!....I'm getting addicted to these videos. Is that bad? 😮
I have EXACTLY the same addiction 😂
55 desotos were beautiful cars
The one in the video is ugly... a different paint scheme, 2 doors, and simpler grill would have vastly improved its looks...
But the grill was sorta like on a Ferraris
For a 4 door sedan this Desoto looks good. The Desoto coupe looks great.
"Were" aren't they beautiful anymore? Or what do you mean by that
So that's what they called the rear trim on an Oldsmobile 98--a "goofy rat tail."
Now it’s all computerized and costs a King’s ransom to replace anything. Somehow I don’t think we’ve made progress.
And the damned hi beam switch needs to be back on the floor!
No, I don't think they have! All things considered we are now living in an very depressing time including what we have as modern American cars!!!
@@keithdukes5990 or lackthereof. We're the heathens now as Ruthie so generously said, we gave American automobiles to China...and now their benefiting from it, ruining their cities with our pay money, Shanghai looks dystopian, Singapore is ridiculous, Dubai is awkward (their oil plays in this as well) and made by children, and Japan is a weak mess of PTSD since 1946 turned into their only culture left.
5:23 if this came out today everyone would get mad at desoto for bodyshaming
My dad told me he had a 55 Desoto. Said it was the fastest thing he ever had but it rusted to the point of not passing inspection
The DeSoto is a nice Car...
That amazing HEMI hadn't found its true potential yet.
Ahhh... But that Rocket 88!!! 😁
Bad misrepresentation. The Olds they showed was an 88, not a 98. ( different side trim) I'd take the DeSoto !
Lucy took the olds to Hollywood
Classy Chassis
I'm sold on the DeSoto all around!!!
Whelp they sure sold me.
I'll remember that next time I'm choosing between a 50s Chrysler and GM
got me sold
Sold me on the Olds!
My dad bought a new '55 like these form my Uncle, a salesman. Nice car. It is actually what I learned to drive in. I remember him telling me that total price including finance charges was $4004.00 total! Seems cheap today!
1968 RoadRunners with 383" 335 HP V8, 4 speed, and posi could be had for $2595 new !!!
That would have been a difficult choice! I think the Desoto was "more car" however. But the 98 had the larger V8 (324 cid vs 291 cid) and a 4-speed Hydramatic transmission (Desoto had 2-speed Powerflite). They make a good point about the torque convertor in the Powerflite making it superior. The Desoto was a prettier car in my opinion too.
Unlike the other Ross Roy films, this one actually has valid sales points (Ruthie's commentary on looks aside) that truly differentiate the car. Al would convince me to get a Desoto. And it may sound stupid, but if you didn't know what car you were talking about, that trunk (8:30 mins) looks like it came from a Rolls Royce. It's the first good looking trunk I've seen in any of these films, and shows a good attention to detail. Too bad Desoto was ultimately disbanded.
I agree with Ruthie on the odd shape of the Olds fender skirt...
De Soto lasted only 33 years (1928-1961)...Oldsmobile lasted 108 years (1896-2004). Desoto was too much like a tarted up Plymouth or Dodge. Chrysler Corporation was never able to establish the brand hierarchy the way GM did. That's why they never came close to challenging GM. At the top, the public saw Imperial as just an expensive Chrysler. They tried to match GM brand for brand...Plymouth/Chevy...Dodge/Pontiac...DeSoto/Oldsmobile...Chrysler/Buick...Imperial/Cadillac.
You are so naïve WOW. Chrysler came out in 1928 as did Plymouth, and Desoto and Fargo trucks. Desoto broke all sales records 81,000 copies the first year. Dodge was ran by the banks after the brothers past away 6 months apart. The banks wanted out of the car business and the came to Walter P. because he bailed them out before a few times. Chrysler bought Dodge from the banks and history was made. All division sold well and they found their own niche. As for GM, you must not know about all the companion divisions that bit the dust.Oakland brought out Pontiac, yet it was Pontiac that survived, Buick brought out Marquette, Marquette died .Cadillac had LaSalle, Cadillac survived only and only because they allowed African Americans to buy their cars direct from the dealerships, And Oldsmobile had the Viking and the Viking died. Chevrolet never had a companion, but the Geo was a latter day companion and that died oh so quick. So do not jump on Chrysler brand divisions so fast. GM had their failures, oh so many failures in their life time. Now Pontiac, Saturn and Oldsmobile.Thank God for China otherwise Buick would be gone. No Joke!!!!!!
Anthony, in the 1960's, the Govt slowed GM down, claiming they were a monopoly, because GM alone sold 52% of all cars sold in the USA! If GM didn't do something to slow its sales, it would be broken up like the Govt later did to AT&T. The car buying public just plain preferred GM's cars over all others...
Lots of car companies died... at one time, 85 car brands were made in Cleveland alone!
BuzzLOLOL you sir must be a GM lover, which is fine. I am devoted to AMC. You remind me of the guy that bought the 1980's Oldsmobile for o e main reason. The Rocket 350. And when he found out, by his mechanic, that Oldsmobile screwed him and installed a Chevrolet 350, he started the lawsuit against GM and Olsmobile. when interviewed after he won the case, his reponse was, "I will never buy another Oldsmobile again. My next car is going to be a Buick. "There's your sign".
Don't know where you got those ideas from... I knew an Olds engine from a Chevy engine... knew the Olds had a forged steel crankshaft... the Chevy a cast iron one... my Dad was an Olds guy and we couldn't have anything but an Olds until turned 21 and could buy in our own names... I was a kid in early - mid 1950's when Olds owned NASCAR, so it was OK... Olds was kewl... I sold my Allstate scooter for $75 and bought a '57 Olds 98 for $75 in '64 when it wasn't that old because the new/used car dealer couldn't get it to run... had a hidden break in the coil wire... they were good looking cars... That thing was fast, would put the speedometer needle most of the way between the 120 mark and -0- mark on that oval speedometer... prolly about 135... Then got a '62 Olds Jetfire w/ turbocharged V8... then '65 Cutlass convertible... at 21, sold Cutlass and bought '65 GTO convertible tripower 389" 4 speed for same money... would have loved a '66 442 tripower convertible, but those things were expensive. even used...
I went straight from high school into GM Engineering via the GMI program... same program the current CEO of GM went into 13 years later...
BuzzLOLOL what is funny was I was right Olds boy and being and Olds boy, you completely missed the point. Hey, I got one for you. What do you call a high school drop out working on a Oldsmobile?..............ready..... An under Achieva.....Get it?
I'd take the Desoto!!!!!!!!!
Ruthie don't like the Olds does she? lol.
Ruthie lies! Everything she says is ugly on the Olds actually looks better than the Desoto part!
Can you imagine that the man has a 1953 Oldsmobile and a dealer already wants to sell him a 1955 DeSoto! How about waiting for a few more years so he can put some real mileage on his car.
Some people trade cars yearly...
If only DeSoto had the dealer network that Oldsmobile had at the time - then sales history would have been quite different. All engines get carbon buildup - the difference was the the Hemi did not foul the plugs the way others would that needed to have the carbon “blown out”
As much as I like those old Oldsmobiles, I would have taken the Desoto in a heartbeat. In 1967, my dad bought a 12 year old '55 Olds. The body and paint were still in decent condition, but he was having problems with the rest of the car, because back then, the average car that was 10 or 12 years old was on it's way out unless it was very meticulously maintained. Maybe my dad would have gotten more out of a Desoto.
By '67, you couldn't give a Desoto away... but I did buy the 354" Hemi out of a '56 Desoto for $15 for my '31 Ford model A long body hot rod back in those days... added a '57 Chrysler 3 speed TorqueFlite tranny to it...
The '55 olds 88 WAS my dream car, I'm not so sure anymore...
8.52 "cowl extension" I always referred to them as "Kneel Knockers". Had bruised knees a lot back in the day. :)
1:32 - When "Longer, Wider, Weighs More" were considered positive attributes to help someone decide to buy a particular car...
Heavier cars ride better.
Ruthie is ruthless
I wonder if they gave the empoleys popcorn for watching these films
HA
Champagne... to help swallow all that BS...
Heavy is relative. Curb weights on 1956 98's were 3700-4300 pounds. I have a Chevy Cruze with a factory curb weight at 3500 pounds. Emissions, convenience and safety equipment is heavy.
jalapenochomper ...
56 olds 98 weighed 4000 to 4400 lbs.
The Cruze weighs 3000 to 3470 lbs
Oh Al !
Desoto is very Chrysler-y.
This channel IS called My MoPar....
Which Mopar is best Mopar?
My buddy still often drives his 1932 Desoto... it's very Desoto-ish... Chrysler slowly ruined Desoto... then killed it off... His '32 looks just like the one on Wikipedia, even right down to the colors...
Ruthie has some nice spotlights at 3:23
🤣🤣
They were pert and at attention.
Back when weight was considered a positive, fuel economy wasn't an issue I suppose
Today's cars are even heavier!
"That higher priced premium gas...." all of about 37 cents.
The minimum wage in 1955 was 75¢ per hour. Average yearly wage was $3,400.
Ruthy's voice is a tad bit, um, irritating...
And she's obviously LYING her ass off!
She had a good figure though, just ask her.
@@Johnnycdrums 🤣🤣
@@Johnnycdrums She just looks, smart...
Ruthie was what was known back then as a "brassy dame".
Powerflite's better than Hydra-Matic....lmaooooooo! Yeah...those 2 speeds REALLY transmit the power...NOT! Powerflite was a cheapie from '55 to '56 to allow Chrysler time to finish their Torqflite. By '57, THEN they had something going on! But until then. GM had the best with the cast iron Hydra-Matic. Chrysler even offered dealer upgrade kits for all '55-'56 models.
Either way, I still have to maintain that girth speaks volumes!
I'll take the desoto..
What's tread? Back in the kitchen you go!
That was the year I got my braces.
Got laid in 1955, Mike? I’ll bet that limp salami hasn’t been hard this century though......
The Desoto grille reminded you of braces?
Lamentable that let loose with an entirely inappropriate scatalogical reference.
Styling is a matter of personal opinion,as always - Personally,I like the Oldsmobiles styling better.Both cars,of course,had their pros and cons.The Olds had Power steering that still had some road feel to it,IMHO,more pleasant to drive than the over assisted Full time power steering on the DeSoto.The Olds also had 12 volt electrics;the DeSoto had 6 volts.While the performance of the 4 speed Hydramatic in the Olds was probably better than the 2 speed Powerflite in the DeSoto,the Powerflite was probably more durable than the Hydramatic.The electric wipers on the DeSoto were also better than the Oldsmobiles vacuum wipers...
One detail not mentioned was 55 DeSotos were still 6 volts. Oldsmobile was 12.
That Desoto was SO MUCH better than the Old's, that Desoto was killed off FIFTY YEARS before Oldsmobiles' swan song!
excelente, parabéns.
Good old Harlow Wilcox
I did it closed the deal and here's how. Before Bob could say hello I was shoveling the bull-crap on him, in fact in a couple minutes his wife bounced in and asked me where's Bob, well I couldn't help but laugh as I pointed to the big steaming pile behind Bob's desk and I slung a big 'ol scoop of fresh plop her way for good measure.
The Desoto was a sports car! LOL
I wish DeSoto had lasted until at least the 1970 model year, was Oldsmobile DeSoto's closest competitor?
Doobie1975 yes and buick with chrysler
Actually, people would cross shop DeSoto with Oldsmobile, Buick, Pontiac, Mercury, Ford and even stablemates Chrysler and Dodge. They weren’t all that different.
Let's face it ... MOPAR over subpar.
Drive a DeSoto before you decide.
I think I would have bought the DeSoto.
As for me I would have chosen neither, as either one does not appear too appealing looking. But if I had my choice back in '55, I think I would have picked either a Ford Thunderbird or a Chevrolet Bel Air convertible. Boy, those were some real gorgeous looking cars and I could care less about what they cost!
@@8176morgan Ehh... For me I would have gone for a Studebaker Speedster in lemon-lime paint. It's so ridiculous it looks good!
@@8176morgan boy are you an optimist of original ideas. Wow gee Haven't heard of a Ford Thunderbird or Chevrolet BelAir before. Think original, think smart, and most importantly be smart yourself.
@@artdecotimes2942 And you are an absolute idiot.
@@8176morgan alright Hudson Super six, how am I an idiot?
This is a good story line and verbal phrases for a great porn movie !
>> Ruthy is kinda hot, but her voice is not. The '55 DeSoto is beautiful!
Put her face down in the pillow that will shut her up
3:22 - Does it seem a little chilly in here? 😏
If I had a salesman that all they did was tell you the negatives of the competition, I would steer clear of that dealer! Thankfully nowadays you can look at vehicles on the internet and never even talk to a salesman!
I miss Oldsmobile.😞
And Pontiac...
@@BuzzLOLOL And Mercury!
@@MisterMikeTexas - And Plymouth...
to me the BIGGEST advantage of the desota was it having the powerflite with a TORQUE CONVERTER while the olds had the SICK Shifting hydramatic
p.s. that lady is QUITE a nag
?? Powerflite was 2-speed, personally I'd rather have the Hydramatic.
4 speed Hydramatic was a fabulous transmission... designed by GM technology leader Olds way back in 1940... then used by Cadillac the next year as well... and a favorite of drag racers in 1950's... used until mid 1960's...
Yes, that lady was lying her ass off... pure sales BS... Only good thing Desoto had was the Hemi... and electric wipers...
BuzzLOLOL To be fair the historic Hydramatic was a clunky shifting tranny. Buick used the Dynaflow, and Chevy used the Power Glide (itself a close relative to Dynaflow.) due to both Chevy and Buick using torque tube drivelines and Hydramatic was deemed to shift too rough for such a driveline setup.(Olds, Pontiac and Cadillac used traditional open drivelines, hence the use of Hydra Matics). a torque converter solved this and thus the Turbo Hydra Matic was born in the early-mid 60's. Chrysler's Power Flite and especially Torque Flite transmissions were in fact excellent trannies. (both GM and MoPar were the best in the world at automatic transmissions for three decades.).
The Hydramatic was shifted badly and was a gas hog. The Powerflite was super smooth.
The 2 speed powerflite was a fully automatick like chevys powerglide only better.
There was a song of Rocket 88
.........the desoto (nope)
Ruthie didn't wear a bra to church, but Al's the heathen?
Good ol' Ruthie. She's a swell gal! Whenever we're going to see a client in the Desoto she's always trying to help me "shift" by grabbing the knob of my stick! I keep reminding her that it's an automatic but she just laughs and keeps on yanking on it! Yes siree, it's always fun when Ruthie comes along for the ride! And she always helps make the sale when she shows a client how to "shift" as well! Good ol' Ruthie! 👍🏻😉
Women are ahead of you before your ever ahead of a women.
DeSoto might have been the last decent car Chrysler built
top car..top choice
Ruthie......bringin' it at Church!
And yet Olds lasted longer than DeSoto. Lol
JoJo S DeSoto had to compete with a bunch of its sister companies, Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth were the three big ones, but there were still more.
Olds only had to compete with their sister brand Chevy.
and Buick & Cadillac......
And Pontiac... Chevy was no competition for Olds except in price...
and Pontiac.
DeSoto was done in by Chrysler moving the "Chrysler" brand downscale from above. People figured "Why buy the 'lesser' DeSoto when a 'real' Chrysler cost the same?". This also happened at GM with Oldsmobile with lower priced Buicks. Only difference is 'Chrysler' ate into DeSoto sales in the early 60's and Buick ate into Oldsmobile sales in the 80s. In the end it wasn't good for Mopar or GM, But at the time selling a higher volume of the 'upper' level cars to attract buyers into the 'higher' line dealerships looked good - in the short term.
3:23 myyy, Isn't she a charmer?
The DeSoto does look better, I'm sold, where do I get one.
the lady at 3 30 IS a narcissist if i ever seen one
wonder if shes still alive
life is sad sometimes
She is/was an actress reading a script....
Weighs more to ... :D ah, the times when gas was nothing to think about.
i would buy the olds before i would take the de soto for free
The Oldsmobile 98 was a fine car comparable to the Buick Roadmaster or Cadillac…though both the Buick and Oldsmobile were less expensive than Cadillac, all three cars were nicer than the De Soto, which would have been more appropriately compared with Pontiac or Mercury….
Dodge competed with Pontiac and Mercury, DeSoto competed with Olds 98 and Buick and to some degree, Nash and Hudson.