For how much?

I live in a college town (College Station, TX) and there are ads and i have actually seen vehicles (newer models of course) with advertisements all over them. It is an easy way for college kids to make some money i heard $200-$400 and possibly more a month depending on the model of car and your driving habits. If I had a newer car I would do it, with gas prices these days, sheeessshhhh!

Hmm... Looks like most of the companies that do this don't want people with cars more than 5 years old.

i wonder if they'd do it to my 1994 mazda protege.

I've thought about doing it, but I like my car the way it is now ... still, the idea of driving without having to worry about payments would be nice. I'm leaning toward "no", though.

I give kudos to anyone that DOESN'T contribute to the visual clutter of our neighborhoods and communities by whoring out their cars for wraps.

Yes there will always be ads, but we collectively as a society can limit how much is too much.

I used to have a 62 VW that they paid me to have ads on. This was like 25 years ago. They were called Beetle Boards.
They painted the car, applied the adhesive ads and the car looked like a giant pack of Rich Lights cigarettes.
After the contract was up they would repaint it or give you cash.
I took the cash.

This seems like a bad idea for the advertisers because if the car owner drives like a maniac, flips someone the bird, catcalls someone out the window, hits and runs... all of that will reflect badly on the advertiser.

About 3 years ago I got a flier that wanted to use my 73 Beetle as a wrap. I never contacted them, because I liked my custom vinyls already on the car. A 12" autobot sticker on the bonnet.

I would totally do this. When I'm cruising around town, I don't have to see the advert by simple virtue of being *inside* my car.

It would also make finding my car in the parking lot much easier. It will be the one flipped over with the windows smashed by an irate mob of Consumerists.

I'd do it. Who gives a fuck. It's free money.

@coss3n: i loled

Yeah, I would absolutely do this. I would buy a new(er) car, and let them pay it off for me. Where do I sign up??

If they're the magnetic sticker type, I'd consider it. Which is funny, because I removed the dealership sticker with-in 24hrs of driving it home and I won't even allow Valvoline, nor any other service station to place those static cling 'next service' stickers on. But if its something that would be hard to remove, no thanks. I did not spend 30k, so Bobs BBQ can screw up my paintjob.

@Shadesofblue,

lol no its no magnetic thing where someone could just take it off and on. It's an actual vinyl. They're semi-permanent, which means they typically take a little elbow grease to get off, but they are removable and typically won't mess your paint job up.

I should look into this for my 1989 Ford Crown Victoria Interceptor with only 338,000 original miles on it. Cop motor, cop suspension, fix the cigarette lighter, etc. I wonder how well the stickers apply over rust? If the car rusts any further, maybe they'll help hold it together.

Get a nice new car for a 200 dollar lease and make 300 dollars a month minus insurance. Hell, that is completely worth it. Where do I sign up?

what's the problem? people with cars need money. he needs cars for ad space. it's win/win.

So err... Just how much we talkin here?

It'd work out well unless he gets somebody with a nice vehicle who also happens to be a nut-job. One day Mr. Morris sees a white SUV with his vinyl adverts on it in a low-speed pursuit on the news... actually, that's not bad for business. Boy, if this guy only knew OJ was going to go nutso, think of the free national media coverage his pool company could've gotten.

So, yes, I'd do it too. My truck's about the same size as the one he's sitting on in the photo. I wonder if he pays by the size of the vehicle/rolling ad?

Beware and check with your local jurisdiction!

I had a wrap on my vehicle and received a ticket. Why you may ask. Well I found out the advertising on my vehicle put me in a class of a commercial vehicle and I drove thru an area that says "no commercial vehicles"

After paying the $150 fine i had the wrap removed.

@droidd: you should have sent a copy to your boss. make him reimburse you.

Thinking about it, while I'd let the pool guy place his vinyl on my truck, maybe not so much if the business owner wanted to put something like a huge vinyl wrap of the latest Tampax thingy, Herpes drug, or name-your-own-embarrassing-product on my ride... unless it paid enough to put my kid thru law school... then feel free to embarrass me as you wish.
I wish beer & liquor companies would advertise like this, and maybe pay you with cases of their tasty adult beverage. I can dream...

Capitalism at its finest!!!

This was an article in the NY Times today. They pay up to $500, your car has to be less than 5 years old, and you actually have to behave when you're driving. No flipping people off and no cussing. I'm out.

I would totally do this, for the right price. The right price fluctuates based on size, flashyness, amount of pink/purple (think Molly Maid car), and product type.

@droidd: What area was this? Heck in my *residential* neighborhood I see people parking their cal trans trucks, tow trucks, and other work vehicles at the curb. As long as it doesn't sit there for 48 continuous hours the police don't care.

Pheonix, eh?

@droidd: I was driving my personal vehicle that was wrapped. I was being paid about 100 bucks a month to have the wrap on my vehicle.

I went to court to fight it saying that it was a personal vehicle. The judge asked me if I was being paid to have the ad wrap on y vehicle and I said yes. That according to the law qualified it as a commercial vehicle.

I am guessing that if I would have lied and said that I was not being paid the ticket would have been tossed.

No big deal. The cost of the ticket was basically a wash. I had the wrap on for about 6 months and the 700 bucks or so I had been paid for having my vehicle wrap paid for the ticket.

@SHADES_OF_BLUE: Read the article. It's the same adhesive that's used on PostIt notes, and (at least, the article claims) it protects your paint job.

Great, just what we need. More amateur idiot advertising. I think advertising as a whole is an annoyance, but done well it can be somewhat amusing and even, very rarely, beneficial.

It's those morans with their 'We'll buy your house ca$h today in any condition!' signs that seem to sprout from every other intersection that really drive me nuts. Right. Northing says accountability like a $5.00 illegal sign. Are you buying those houses with S&H Green Stamps?

I guess what I'm trying to say is if you're going to advertise at least do it well. Badvertising is way more annoying than even telemarketing in my opinion.

@wring: So did I

I see these all over the place.

I've never seen any Ugly Pool Guy wraps, but there are a few others floating around Phoenix. They aren't very common.

Of course, when you do see a car with advertisements all over it, you usually assume that it's an employee driving a company vehicle.

Will i get a new paintjob after the ads are removed & find out that I have the ad-shaped portions of my vehicle where the paint hasnt faded like it did on the rest of the car?

Of course it'll depend on the amount he'll pay me, but I'm not adverse to driving a car with an ad on it while making money. Everyone will just assume I work for them, just like my boss's work van that has a vinyl wrap with the company name/info/logo.

I prefer my ads beamed directly into my brain while I sleep

Funny. I live about 4 blocks from this place. They're on 7th St. in Phoenix. I drive a wrapped vehicle too. I paid $3600 for my Scion XB to get done. It was professionally & tastefully done. Easy to remove as well.

www.bluemedia.com

Occassionally, I drive like an ass sometimes and I've actually received calls from pissed off drivers saying they want to speak to the company's owner to complain. I usually told these clowns that they can eat me and THEY shouldn't instigate the road rage.

You are certainly a target when driving around town and that's not all good...

I signed up to do this a while back, but they never contacted me. I figured it was because I drive less than 6 miles per day, and maybe because they weren't interested in advertising in West Philly, through which I commute every day.

And what's with the requirement that the car must be less than five years old? Wouldn't the ads do nicely in covering a rust-bucket? Or is the problem that the advertisers don't want their ad broken down on the side of the road?

I've seen a few of these around Jacksonville, FL. Mostly New Beetles, PT Cruisers & one HHR. I might look into it to subsidize the cost of my next car.

@loueloui: Oh come on, you have to spell 'morons' right.

I did this for my former employer. I received $500 monthly. However, my clearcoat was damaged upon removal. Thankfully, they paid for the repairs.

I've heard of this years back, maybe on Slashdot.

Of course, they have competitors. Another company has dedicated trucks just driving around Baltimore and DC carrying rotating signs filled with ads... and I believe they were looking for drivers.

I can't believe you thought it was a hoax. I see those all the time in Chicago.

Auto Wraps is another company that wraps cars. Here is an interesting quote from their site:

Can I be selected if my vehicle is not new or in excellent condition or I do not own one?

Yes. Although if your paint does not meet 3M specifications, we cannot guarantee the condition of your vehicle when the wrap is removed. Also this is where the FREE CAR Program enters the picture, if your current vehicle does not meet the qualifications for a promotion we will give you the option of being supplied a vehicle for the term of the contract. The FREE CAR Program is also available to those who do not currently have a car, but who otherwise meet the requirements of the program.

Auto Wraps is another company that wraps cars. Here is an interesting quote from their site:
Can I be selected if my vehicle is not new or in excellent condition or I do not own one?
Yes. Although if your paint does not meet 3M specifications, we cannot guarantee the condition of your vehicle when the wrap is removed. Also this is where the FREE CAR Program enters the picture, if your current vehicle does not meet the qualifications for a promotion we will give you the option of being supplied a vehicle for the term of the contract. The FREE CAR Program is also available to those who do not currently have a car, but who otherwise meet the requirements of the program.

If they helped pay to replace the paint job on my car, I'd go for it. I bought my car used and the people before me apparently ice skated on the roof, the paint is chipping everywhere. I'd slap whatever ad you wanted if you said you'd paint the car white again when you were done.

I first heard about this in 1999 when I was in college. I kept applying for it, because at the time if you didn't have a car they would pay for a lease instead of sending a check once a month and I really wanted a car. I guess Chattanooga wasn't considered a hot advertising spot then. :(

I see this all the time in NYC (my favorite are the shark week taxis) so I don't even pay attention to it anymore. It's like the guy who allowed his forehead to be sold for advertising space--whatever, dude. If you're happy selling your skin or your ride, I just hope you get a good price for it.

Ehh not that bad of an idea, but I wouldn't want to see everyone on the road with them. I wouldn't do it, but if you like driving a lot, I think its a good option to make some extra income. I found Ad Wraps, which is another company that does this. Too bad many of the "participating" vehicles are either fugly looking - PT Cruiser and HHR - or are gas guzzlers - Hummer and Suburbans, and for all you know you may get an ad for Vagisil on your car!

I think some of these wrap companies have insurance that'll pay for a repaint if their wraps cause harm to a paintjob they deemed suitable. 3M does know a thing or two about temporary adhesives and auto paint. I'd drive around with an ad wrap on my truck. It'd probably pay as much as my payments used to be.

@Snakeophelia: The problem with older cars is that the 3M vinyl doesn't adhere well to corroded paint. Also, if the paint has started to flake or show other defects, then removing the vinyl later could result in removing the paint. So by requiring that the car is less than 5 years old, they are making sure they won't have to buy a new paint job as well.