The commercial for Rob Comeau's 2010 Nissan Altima coupe has been watched more than 408,000 times.
So far, he's had only one sort of serious call.
"The car has not sold yet," says Comeau, a 25-year-old filmmaker. "I'm quite surprised, but the average person who sees the ad, they're not in the market for cars."
The asking price? $12,499 or best offer.
Comeau's had the car, a 2.5 S with about 88,000 km on it, listed on Kijiji, Craigslist and AutoTrader.ca on and off for more than a year.
"Before the video, I had two people come," he says. "The price wasn't an issue – they just wanted a four-door."
Guy makes epic commercial to sell old car!My buddy Rob’s been trying to sell his car for over a year now, so we made this kinda over-the-top car commercial to see if we can get a few offers on the table! Tag your friend’s that are in the market for a new car… or just need a good laugh :)
Posted by Chris Hau on Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Comeau and producer Chris Hau shot the video in a day. In it, a professional voice-over actor touts the coupe's features, including, but not limited to "four rubber wheels for maximum traction," "gas input and output," a "bi-directional transmission that goes forward and backwards," and "windshield wipers with a windshield for them to wipe."
Comeau says the Altima has leather seats and is in great shape – and he'll be buying four new summer tires, so he'll "throw those in."
So why hasn't it sold, despite the epic commercial? Comeau thinks the price might be too high.
"I listed that price after seeing other Altimas with over 100,000 km going for $12,000," he says. "How low would I go? I guess between $10,500 to $11,000."
The original base price for the 2010 Altima coupe was $27,349. Canadian Black Book gives a six-year-old Altima an average asking price of just less than $13,750.
Comeau's Altima has a 175-hp 2.5-litre four-cylinder and a continuously variable transmission. On top of the luxuries mentioned in the ad, it has push-button ignition and keyless entry.
But, it's a coupe. And it's not a stylish sports car sort of coupe. It's more of a mildly sporty sedan that's missing two doors. And when sedans get turned into coupes, they usually lose room in their back seats, making them mostly useless for anyone older than 4. Nissan axed the Altima coupe after the 2013 model year.
So, what coupes are competing against the Altima on Kijiji and Craigslist? There are a couple of contenders around Comeau's original $12,500 asking price – and they both come with windshield wipers:
2012 Honda Civic EX or EX-L coupe: While the Accord coupe is the Altima's direct competitor, for this price they'll be a year or two older than 2010 – and have at least 125,000 kilometres on them. So that leaves the newer Civic.
Honda gave the Civic more conventional styling for its 2012 redesign, so it's duller inside and out than the previous version (it upgraded the interior for 2013). But, arguably, even the duller Civic has more style than the Altima. One place where there's too much style? The double-decker instrument cluster and the digital speedometer. Like the Altima, the back seat is cramped.
It has a 1.8-litre, 140 hp four-cylinder engine. The EX-L is loaded.
You might be able to find the sportier Si for around this price. It has a stick and a 201-hp 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine. The Altima is peppier on paper, but owners comparing the two say the Si is more fun.
Consumer Reports gives the Civic top reliability ratings across the board. The Altima gets most above-average reliability ratings – with one fail for brakes.
2011 Hyundai Genesis coupe: This two-door version of Hyundai's rear-wheel drive sedan is sporty and stylish – although Hyundai made it even sportier for its 2013 refresh. The four-cylinder model uses Hyundai's turbocharged 2.0-litre 210 hp engine.
It has the same weakness as the other coupes – its back seat is mostly only good as somewhere to keep a gym bag.
But where the other two don't have all that much to distinguish them from their four-door counterparts, the Genesis is the closest you'll get to a sports car here, both in style and substance, reviewers say.
Consumer Reports gave the Genesis top reliability ratings across the board.
In Canada, there's been one recall for a problem with the brake lights on the Genesis Coupe and six other Hyundai models.
There are other, smaller two-doors in the price range, mostly 2012 Mini Coopers and almost-new Fiat 500s.
One alternative for around $12,499 that's not a coupe?
The 2010-2012 Nissan Altima 2.5 S sedan: It has two more doors than Comeau's car. And bigger back seats.
"I'm actually selling it because I want something a bit bigger," Comeau says. "I was maybe thinking of a new four-door Altima."
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