Flash animations are a popular feature of modern websites. They can be extremely effective in communicating your message if properly designed and used.
Advantages:
they immediately capture the attention of your customer;
they can demonstrate product difference and variation; eg as in the paint colour of the car, above;
their subtle use can simply enhance the experience of visiting your website.
Disadvantages:
they can be annoying for your customer through
inappropriate, "over the top design";
getting in the way of the information your customer is seeking
cost - they are time consuming to develop;
Bottom line: Will "Flash" result in you better communicating your message to your customer?