So, an auto dealer is offering a semiautomatic clone of an AK47 rifle to everyone who buys one of his pickup trucks.
Selling pretty good, too.
Yes, those offended by the concept can apply the $400 value of the rifle to the price of the vehicle. But, interestingly enough, most buyers seem to be opting for the AK.
Hey, beats giving away a free snow shovel with it. And, in the environs where it’s sold, the AK47 is undoubtedly more useful than the snow shovel.
I think it’s pretty cool, to tell you the truth.
YOUR thoughts … ???
I also think it’s a great idea. For tripling the sales, they should do it more often.(helps the economy.) How about a Mossberg shotgun?
Couldn’t I just buy a used truck and spend the difference on an AK, magazines, ammo and training instead?
Seems to happen about once a year or so and the press seems to love the stories. It gives them something to air, the dealership gets free air time, the gun shop gets more foot traffic, and maybe some customers end up with an AK that they’d have otherwise never considered buying.
Everybody wins by my count.
Dang, too bad I’m not in the market for a truck. You’ve got to love the AOL article in which they call this a “rapid-fire machine gun.” Double dang, you mean I can get a fully automatic machine gun simply by buying a truck!!! And I thought I needed to go through a lengthy application process with BATFE investigations and what not.
Hope they are including a nice gun rack. It would be a shame to have to lay it on the seat…might get that 30 rnd mag scratched.
Truck, who needs a truck? I have one. But one can always use another rifle.
Make it a Ruger SR-556 and a Ford F350 Diesel and I might just…
Will they take a 2006 Ford F150 and a couple of extra S&W Model 10s on trade?
Funny thing Mas, in reality, we require a background check on the gun, but we’ll let anybody drive off with a 6,000lb truck if they have the money in hand without even asking to see their driver’s license… Our laws are so messed up (and I don’t mean we need background checks on trucks).
Dann in Ohio
A car dealer here in Knoxville did that some years ago, and it was quite successful as I recall.
I did a term paper back in college on a similiar deal. It was for a business class and the deal, which I believe was in Colorado, was your choice of a pistol rifle or shotgun if you bought a new vehicle, as I recall.
The current version seems to have morphed to where you can take the cash ($400 in this case) instead of the gun, if that is more in line with your needs. This, I think, is an improvement.
This type of deal grabs headlines which can be good for business. But the gun nature of this issue could turn off the non gun owners.
The option to take the cash mitigates that negative and makes this a savy marketing strategy for the modern day capitalist. Hey, were talking about it right?
BlazinDave
Awesome idea!! Great way to sell cars, have to give the guy some credit and applaud the creativity.
As long as the pick-up truck is as reliable as the AK, it’s a good deal. I still drive my 1980 Toyota SR5 (over 275,000 miles) every day with my AK clone ~;-)
Well, I own both a snow shovel as well as an AK-47. I can see where either might be useful in an emergency.
I doubt most of those buyers will go rob banks.
I have never shot either but, from what I’ve read, I’d rather have the AK than the AR.
There was a dealer called Max Motors in Butler, MO that did this exact thing a couple years ago– free AK with truck purchase. It got some attention nationally by CNN, too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlHD8iT6IRA
Butler, MO, hometown for fiction author Robert Heinlein who penned the famous line: “An armed society is a polite society.”
I notice that Paul Helmke didn’t waste any time chiming in.
“Bad press is better than no press.”
I don’t know whom to attribute that to, but it is accurate in my opinion. As noted by BlaznDave, we are talking about it. Stunts and attractions like this get people in the door, and that’s what you need to do to make a sale. You can have the best widget in the world for sale, but if people don’t know about it, it doesn’t matter.
BikerRN
EVERY car dealer in America should do this; it would give them far more sales than “Cash For Clunkers” did – and it would arm far more Americans with effective semiauto tactical rifles!
He got nationwide coverage for $0. Everybody knows about the truck dealer that gives a gun with the truck. In the South, every truck must have a gun, right?
The buyer can also use the $400 certificate towards a better rifle, or a nice 1911.
A dealer in the Omaha, NE area was recently doing a rifle or shotgun with the purchase of any new Chevy. Had it been a Ford or Jeep dealer I might have had to buy a new car. 🙂
(Nov. 15) — A truck dealership in Florida is firing up sales with the promise of a rapid-fire machine gun.
Typically, the mainstream media calls this a machinegun….why am I not surprised? Jack
Doesn’t the “A” in “AK” stand for automatik? I thought the semi auto variant was an SK or SKS. Just saying…. 🙂 If he has a gun dealer selling real AK-47’s for 400 clams I’m gettin ine line 🙂
THIS IS AN OUTRAGE. These dangerous machines should be reserved for police and military only! Really, why does ANYONE need a truck with more than 150 HP and a half-ton capacity?!
@ BlueBarrel
“THIS IS AN OUTRAGE. These dangerous machines should be reserved for police and military only! Really, why does ANYONE need a truck with more than 150 HP and a half-ton capacity?!”
You do realize don’t you that some of us use a truck to pull a six horse slant load at highway speeds don’t you?
The half ton capacity and 150 HP truck wouldn’t even manage to make it out of the parking lot. While you may not have a “need”, nor a desire to own such a truck, why would you infringe upon my right to do so? You have the choice to own one, or not own one. Shouldn’t I be afforded the same courtesy?
Today they want our guns. Tomorrow it will be our trucks. It’s getting harder and harder to be a Redneck.
BikerRN
I drove about 10 miles to speak to Nick, the manager at Nation’s Trucks. He’s from New Yawk City and a strong 2A supporter. No firearms are present at the dealership. Buyers get a $400 voucher good at a local gun store (minority owned, by the way) good for a free Romanian AK clone are applicable to any other firearm as well.
I think it was the Bank of Colorado used to offer a CD with no interest but you got your choice of a few nice hunting rifles instead. It was an annual event for years back in the 70’s or 80’s I think.
“I have never shot either but, from what I’ve read, I’d rather have the AK than the AR.”
I’ve shot BOTH – and, believe me, you want the AK:
1) You can buy 2+ AKs for the price of 1 AR.
2) Ammo for AK is cheaper.
3) More stopping power for AK.
3) Can double as hunting rifle beyond varmints.
4) Most of all, RELIABLE and RUGGED.
It would be sweet to have one in my collection but I probably wouldn’t use it much. Now if they were offering a Glock 34, I might be more interested in trading my vehicle in.
@BikerRN, I see my attempt at humor fell flat.
“A truck dealership in Florida is firing up sales with the promise of a rapid-fire machine gun.”
“These aren’t deer rifles that he’s giving away,” said Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. “He’s saying here’s a gun that bank robbers use.”
As the other guys have mentioned, the media never misses an opportunity to deceive the public.
Hope that dealer clears his lot and needs a refill.
🙂 🙂 🙂
““I have never shot either but, from what I’ve read, I’d rather have the AK than the AR.”
I’ve shot BOTH – and, believe me, you want the AK:
1) You can buy 2+ AKs for the price of 1 AR.
2) Ammo for AK is cheaper.
3) More stopping power for AK.
3) Can double as hunting rifle beyond varmints.
4) Most of all, RELIABLE and RUGGED.”
I will differ here, also having shot both.
The AK is a decent general purpose rifle that has acceptable accuracy for minimal to moderate distance. While the round is larger, and offers more reach, it is my opinion that the delivery platform cannot be accurized enough to make that feasible on a mass production scale.
The basic AR will have, in the hands of the average user, greater accuracy at longer distances. While the round is smaller, and not something I care to use on anything larger than a medium sized dog, it’s ability to be shot accurately out to 600 meters overrides it’s lack of power that the AK gives you.
Also, the AR is a very modular platform, with caliber changes for longer range or more power being so simple even I can do it. That doesn’t seem as common with the AK for some reason. With my AR I can use 5.56 for home defense or general purpose issue and then change to a 6.8 to put that Elk on the dinner plate.
Both are good platforms, for their respective uses, but for me the ability to produce the greatest accuracy overrides the power that the AK gives you.
Respectfully,
Biker
@ BlueBarrel,
Having had a few conversations with people that want to ban, yes ban fossil fuels and their use, I wasn’t sure.
I suspected that you were being jocular, but erred on the side of caution due to previous expiriences.
Biker
Max Motors also had a .50 Barrett giveaway, when you bought a Viper, a couple months ago….. I’ll bet they cleared their lot of Vipers.
@BikerRN,
Probably a wise default setting these days, public discourse being what it is!
Have a pickup truck I really like already (cuz it’s paid for) so maybe I can just drive down to the shop here and pick up a WASR for $369 on sale.
It’ll look great, next to my SKS and AR the 3 Mosins, a K98 Mauser, 1903A3, PSL and a couple other various bolt action Hunting Rifles.
Now if we can find a dealer giving away 1911’s (preferable Springfields or Sig Sauer) But I’d take about any of them not made in the Philipines
I am old enough to remember when the Bank of Boulder would give you a Weatherby rifle for a certain size deposit. I bet that’d knot up some shorts in Boulder now-makes me grin to think about it.
Instead of the AK, I would rather have a Vanguard in .308 Winchester. I have a cowboy cadillac…don’t need another one. A dump truck, I could use, though..
I’m looking for people that have and fired an AK 47 to help me salve a problem that I have with mine. When using iron sights the rifle shoots on target at 100yards. I put a 3 to 9 scope on the rifle and zeroed in at a 100 yards. the rifle shoots on target at a 100 yards. I put a 4 to 20 scope and tried to zero in at 100 yards at 10 power The rounds where high 12 inch and 36 inch to the left and could not adjust the scope any more then 6 ins to left. I put on another scope 4 to 16 at 10 power tried to zero in at 100yards. with the same result. Put the 3 to 9 scope back on and the rounds are on target. Have any of you guys ever seen this problem be fore. I just don’t believe that 2 scopes can be bad with the same error
Thank you
Paul