Question about the dealership

The first time I saw this episode I thought it majorly sucked, but after subsequent viewings I find it actually very funny. But a few things about the episode elude me ... first, at the end Elaine asks the driver what kind of car they are in, and he answers "Caprice Classic". The audience gets a kick out of this but I don't understand why. Could someone explain the joke to me?

Also, I see that George somehow knows that the mechanic that stole his twix has a short name. I found the couple scenes where he lists possible names for the culprit hillarious, but is it made clear how he found this out in the first place? Is it just poking at the fact that a lot of mechanics have those kind of names or is there some factual basis for his assumption? thanks

JC

J.C. pondered

<<<....... But a few things about the episode elude me ... first, at the end Elaine asks the driver what kind of car they are in, and he answers "Caprice Classic". The audience gets a kick out of this but I don't understand why. Could someone explain the joke to me? Also, I see that George somehow knows that the mechanic that stole his twix has a short name. I found the couple scenes where he lists possible names for the culprit hillarious, but is it made clear how he found this out in the first place? Is it just poking at the fact that a lot of mechanics have those kind of names or is there some factual basis for his assumption? thanks>>>

You're trying to dig real deep in a very shallow sandbox. That episode is a mess on many levels...attempting to logically explain what went on will only lead to headaches.

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"Always after me lucky charms...." Old Irish Adage

On Fri, 31 Aug 2001 00:54:45 -0400, "J. C." wrote:

Can you say,... "Laugh Track?"

I have found that the mechanics working on my old Ford were named, Doug, Tony or Pete.

When my friend, Jim, takes his Audi in Helmet, Volker or Hermann work on it.

Of course my wife's Celica had the brakes replaced by Tak or Mas.

Sven and Lars work on my friend Sandy's Vovlo.

I think there is a pattern. :-)

I do not know the answer to the Capri Classic question, but in the episode George points out the manager of the dealership that this mechanic had a short name BASED on seeing a short name on the name tag of his work overalls. This part might have been cut during syndication reruns.

My recording of it is probably the syndicated version, so I might be missing some relevant parts. Though I think they should have cut from the Kramer storyline instead - there was a lot of fluff there that had no berring on the plot and was not particularly funny.

Anyway the mechanic doesn't have any kind of tag in the first scene he appears in, though later when George confronts him about the cookie crunch on his lip there is a patch on his shirt that says SAAB. When Puddy started screwing Jerry I was under the impression that he tried to sell him a yellow 900 convertible, is there any clue you picked up on that points to the car being a caprice classic? This may be missing from my recording as well.

"DFrank1068" wrote in message news:[email]...

short

This

Upon further review I've come upon the answer to the Capri Classic joke in the episode. The Capri Classic (a yellow one in fact) was the car Puddy was trying to "switch" Jerry to once Elaine & Puddy had broken up and Jerry was not going to get "the deal" from Dave. This motivated Jerry to get them back together so he could get "the deal".

Here is my thought on the Caprice Classic Joke. At the end when Jerry & Puddy agree about the car, Puddy puts up his hand and says "High 5". Jerry looks at Puddy's hand in a weird way then the shot cuts to Elaine in the car. I suppose were to assume Jerry is driving the car, but it is actually a cab driver.

P.S The cab driver was one of the Seinfeld crew.

"J. C." wrote:

That might be it, but then it would seem the laughter would come when we first see Jerry in the back, rather than after the cab driver says the type of car they are in. Maybe Art is right and I am just reading too much into this. The episode surely has its flaws, but any episode where 4 characters get to say "Arby's" is fine by me, hehe. I like the whole mental hospital bit too, and how it ties into Kramer.

What character is driving the cab in the end?

I do think I have some possible explanations to your questions: (It feels weird to analyze a sitcom, but this is what I think) ;-)

[Caprice Classic]

When Elaine says something like "This is a nice car" about the Caprice Classic, she says it in a way that I get the idea she does not know anything about cars at all, and therefor the added laughter.

A yellow Caprice Classic must be a _really_ common cabbie-car. Not really something compared to a black Saab 900 conv. And not something a person like Jerry Seinfeld would like to drive around in.

[MOL, SOL or LEM]

About this namething. Even if George refers several time that he is in fact at a "dealership", he might think that the label "Saab" on the mechanic is in fact a nametag. This makes sense, since its one weird _dealarship_ that sells more than one brand of car. Especially both Saabs and Volvos, which are two _completetely_ different brands, and not in the same manuf. cop.

This is a tricky one, that's for sure.

A third possible sollution is : it's a sitcom, it was just a bunch of stuff that happened. :)

Great discussions though people! :)

"J. C." skrev i meddelandet news:9mr702$kn2$[email]...

type

On Sat, 08 Sep 2001 07:39:47 GMT, "Jonathan Seinfeld" wrote:

<snip>

I was under the impression that in the US, dealerships can sell whatever cars they want, contrarily to Canada for example where you can only sell one make uder one given roof (furthermore, you can't, for instance sell Lexuses -- Lexi? -- and Toyotas in the same building, you are supposed to get two different showrooms even if it is in the same "dealership" per se and that both brands are owned by Toyota).

Then again, what do I know, I've never set foot on American soil.

Sophie

On Sat, 08 Sep 2001 18:30:25 GMT, [email]. (Sophie) wrote:

I am working for a Canadian franchise-type company now and they opened stores in the USA. They found the franchise laws in the US much more lenient than in Canada. In the US their franchise stores could carry any product and were not as "bound" to the central company's rules as they are here in Canada.

On Fri, 31 Aug 2001 00:54:45 -0400, "J. C." wrote:

They are riding back in taxi cab. Jerry did not get the car because he wouldn't give Puddy a high five. In new york (and most other major cities) taxi cabs are Caprice Classic. They are a large rear wheel drive vehicle that was discontinued by GMC a few years ago. They are almost exclusively used as taxi cabs and police cruisers. Many of the taxis are former police vehicles. Here in Seattle, Ford Crown Victorias (the last rear wheel driver sedan on the market) are replace Caprice Classics both as taxis and cruisers.

Definately not as nice as a Saab.