Max Lanman's girlfriend was looking to sell her car, a 1996 Honda Accord with 141,095 miles, so he stepped up to the plate to help out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KlNeiY4Rf4
The ad, with a cinematic voice-over which parodies the real deal, features an actress driving the car in LA.
There are close-ups of a vintage-looking tape-deck, as well as rubber duckies and a coffee pot strapped into the passenger seat.
"You, you're different," the narrator says, as the ad begins. "You do things your way. That's what makes you one of a kind."
The one-minute spot culminates with its own spoof tongue in cheek tagline: "Luxury is a state of mind".
Lanman's YouTube post encourages viewers to read the fine print — here it is, if you missed it.
The video has since gone viral, with over 1.5 million views on YouTube. It seems to be effective too: in the linked eBay listing, the car has picked up over a hundred bids, with the top price an astounding $100,100. Not bad for a car with 141,095 miles on the odometer.
"The inspiration to make the ad came while my girlfriend Carrie and I were driving up the coast on Highway 1, heading to Big Sur to go camping," Mr Lanman told the BBC.
"It dawned on me that it would be really funny to film a car commercial for a really crappy car against such a gorgeous backdrop."
It was an "absolutely insane" experience watching the spoof ad go viral, Mr Lanman said.
"It is surreal to think that something that I made with my friends, that two days ago sat on my computer, is now being watched around the world. Thank God for the internet."
It's too bad the Oscars don't have a category for "Ad Parody Short Film," but maybe Lanman's masterpiece could sneak into the Clio Awards somehow.