If I were buying a premium motor car, a bloody OIL FILTER is the last thing I'd wanna pay extra for!

Too bad both Desoto and Oldsmobile are both gone now.

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.

Ruthie's high beams were on in her first scene

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.

Ruth is right on every single point on styling!!!!!!

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.

Hmm...A lot of smack talk back in the day. I love it!!!.

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.

I'm still tempted by the Oldsmobile; after all, Batman has a Batmobile.

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.

He's got one snarky partner! The promo gets the points across; the Desoto is designed and built better.

Back when a heavier car was considered better...I bet those were good times

ok ok I'm sold on the Desoto..

Best slide video I've seen! That lady is a firecracker!

Can't believe they brought out that old line about blowing out the carbon.

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.

Boy, the wife's comments were brutal! (And funny)

Ruthie to Al " Al you closed the sale, you are gonna get lucky tonight"

i like how ruthie was just roasting the hell out of the oldsmobile

We had a 55 olds when I was a kid. Power windows and everything. It was a beast love that car

Didn't know the Hemi in the '55 DeSoto would run on regular gasoline. Thanks for the info.

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.

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.

02:43 I remember those ashtrays that looked like a car tire, the one on his desk under the lamp.

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

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!

got me sold

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'm sold on the DeSoto all around!!!

55 desotos were beautiful cars

Ruthie...tell us what you realy think.

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) kzfaq.info/get/bejne/e65mhKmmq9ragI0.html 3) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_Dart#First_generation_(1959%E2%80%931961)

Classy Chassis

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.

Oh Al !

Bad misrepresentation. The Olds they showed was an 88, not a 98. ( different side trim) I'd take the DeSoto !

5:23 if this came out today everyone would get mad at desoto for bodyshaming

Now it’s all computerized and costs a King’s ransom to replace anything. Somehow I don’t think we’ve made progress.

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! 👍🏻😉

Ruthie is ruthless

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

So that's what they called the rear trim on an Oldsmobile 98--a "goofy rat tail."

Whelp they sure sold me. I'll remember that next time I'm choosing between a 50s Chrysler and GM

Uhh-ohhh!....I'm getting addicted to these videos. Is that bad? 😮

8.52 "cowl extension" I always referred to them as "Kneel Knockers". Had bruised knees a lot back in the day. :)

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!

1:32 - When "Longer, Wider, Weighs More" were considered positive attributes to help someone decide to buy a particular car...

excelente, parabéns.

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.

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”

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.

Either way, I still have to maintain that girth speaks volumes!

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.

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.

The '55 olds 88 WAS my dream car, I'm not so sure anymore...

Desoto is very Chrysler-y.

I'd take the Desoto!!!!!!!!!

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.

Back when weight was considered a positive, fuel economy wasn't an issue I suppose

That was the year I got my braces.

"That higher priced premium gas...." all of about 37 cents.

Ruthie don't like the Olds does she? lol.

Ruthie has some nice spotlights at 3:23

That Desoto was SO MUCH better than the Old's, that Desoto was killed off FIFTY YEARS before Oldsmobiles' swan song!

The DeSoto is a nice Car... That amazing HEMI hadn't found its true potential yet. Ahhh... But that Rocket 88!!! 😁

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...

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 wonder if they gave the empoleys popcorn for watching these films

One detail not mentioned was 55 DeSotos were still 6 volts. Oldsmobile was 12.

Lucy took the olds to Hollywood

I'll take the desoto..

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.

The Desoto was a sports car! LOL

The story I read is Oldsmobile went out of business because they started to put Chevy engines in their cars, and called the Rocket engines. People eventually found out, and Oldsmobile lost credibility. So, did Chevy. But that was many years after 1955.

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.

top car..top choice

Ruthy's voice is a tad bit, um, irritating...

What's tread? Back in the kitchen you go!

Good old Harlow Wilcox

I wish DeSoto had lasted until at least the 1970 model year, was Oldsmobile DeSoto's closest competitor?

3:22 - Does it seem a little chilly in here? 😏

I miss Oldsmobile.😞

This is a good story line and verbal phrases for a great porn movie !

There was a song of Rocket 88 .........the desoto (nope)

Drive a DeSoto before you decide.

Ruthie......bringin' it at Church!

Weighs more to ... :D ah, the times when gas was nothing to think about.

Hemi had it right b4 Oldsmobile

3:23 myyy, Isn't she a charmer?

Yes, you heathen!

The DeSoto does look better, I'm sold, where do I get one.

Five years from this the De Soto was discontinued. The DeSoto did have a much prettier body. However, I don't think the 98 was gaudy.

the lady at 3 30 IS a narcissist if i ever seen one wonder if shes still alive life is sad sometimes

>> Ruthy is kinda hot, but her voice is not. The '55 DeSoto is beautiful!

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.

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

I want to buy it!!! and it's not even in color!

I think I would have bought the DeSoto.

Al's a heathen.