When did car companies stop providing cars?

[Jimmy Owen]

You hardly ever see the actual car manufacturer provide cars to game shows, usually it's "Joe Schmoe Chevrolet" or something like that.  Any particular reason and when did it start happening?

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Feb 24 2004, 12:07 PM\'] You hardly ever see the actual car manufacturer provide cars to game shows, usually it's "Joe Schmoe Chevrolet" or something like that.  Any particular reason and when did it start happening? [/quote]
 Didn't the Whoopi run of HSq mention the manufacturer...for some reason I can hear Shadoe always saying "furnished by Chevrolet!"

As for the dealers, I know that's been done since the 70s era LMaD...Casa de Cadillac comes to mind.

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Feb 24 2004, 12:07 PM\']You hardly ever see the actual car manufacturer provide cars to game shows, usually it's "Joe Schmoe Chevrolet" or something like that.  Any particular reason and when did it start happening?[/quote]
It's off and on--I have the feeling "TPIR" started going to car dealers initially because GM was the only manufacturer the schlockmeisters (to use the affectionate term for prize brokers) regularly dealt with in many case.  They wanted a wider variety of automobiles than Chevy, Buick or Pontiac.

Some manufacturers still provide cars (I think all of "J!"'s cars come right from the manufacturer), but it's not a frequent thing, probably because they want a certain amount of exclusivity.  But how soon we forget Tom Bergeron's admiration of Chryslers and their double-sealed roofs.

[ChuckNet]

As for the dealers, I know that's been done since the 70s era LMaD...Casa de Cadillac comes to mind.

Not to mention Sopp Chevrolet, who supplied cars for PYL and 80s LMaD, among other shows.

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")

[Pyramid80]

[quote name=\'ChuckNet\' date=\'Feb 24 2004, 05:43 PM\']

As for the dealers, I know that's been done since the 70s era LMaD...Casa de Cadillac comes to mind.

Not to mention Schopp Chevrolet, who supplied cars for PYL and 80s LMaD, among other shows.

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby") [/quote]
 Sopp Chevrolet also did Chevette's for 80's Pyramid.

[GS Warehouse]

[quote name=\'Pyramid80\' date=\'Feb 24 2004, 06:50 PM\'] Sopp Chevrolet also did Chevette's for 80's Pyramid. [/quote]
 Did Sopp provide the '58 Chevette from that one episode?  [ducking]

[Neumms]

Another question--why would TPIR offer only American cars? The CBS website says it's their policy, but doesn't explain why. Not that I'm hoping for Daihatsu Charades or anything.

[ChuckNet]

Did Sopp provide the '58 Chevette from that one episode? [ducking]

LOL...Dick seemed to have a prob w/flipping dates...just a year later (1986), on the daytime show, the Mystery 7 prize was a new car, and Dick said that if the team got all 7 right, it would be worth a "1968 (whatever)". :-)

Cuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'Neumms\' date=\'Feb 24 2004, 09:00 PM\'] Another question--why would TPIR offer only American cars? The CBS website says it's their policy, but doesn't explain why. Not that I'm hoping for Daihatsu Charades or anything. [/quote]
IIRC, it was Bob's protesting the animal testing with some foreign cars or something like that...they haven't offered one since the early-90s I believe.

[tvrandywest]

[quote name=\'Neumms\' date=\'Feb 24 2004, 06:00 PM\']Another question--why would TPIR offer only American cars? The CBS website says it's their policy, but doesn't explain why. Not that I'm hoping for Daihatsu Charades or anything.[/quote]
It's a Barker-ism. When asked what kind of car he drives he responds loudly and proudly "I drive an AMERICAN car"!

Randy
tvrandywest.com

[76GMC]

[quote name=\'Neumms\' date=\'Feb 24 2004, 09:00 PM\'] Another question--why would TPIR offer only American cars? The CBS website says it's their policy, but doesn't explain why. Not that I'm hoping for Daihatsu Charades or anything. [/quote]
 Here's my two Lincolns (I'll keep the Cadillacs)  

To me, it seemed like around the late-80s/EARLY 90s, there seemed to be an abundance of foreign nameplates on TPIR.  Most domestics by then had 5-digit prices, while there were still quite a few foreign cars under $10k.  

Just a thought, but I think they wanted to use as many 4-digit-price cars while they still could, which by then meant using (mostly) imports.  Once using sub-$10k cars was no longer feasible, TPIRs use of foreign cars was no longer needed.  

I think they could've used 5-digit cars on a reg. basis sooner than they did.  By 1990, any car game could accomodate them, yet I remember 4-digit cars were still regularly offered as late as 1993.

All of which is not to say they still couldn't use foreign cars now.  But American cars were about 98% of what TPIR offered in the early years; American is all they offer now.  It seems that the only reason foreign cars were offered at all was for budgetary concerns.

Rick