Many people in Chicago’s Uptown could not afford cars during the 1970s, but there was at least one car lot on Broadway. I remember it well. I bought by first car there. The deal was Arnie Yusim Chevrolet. One day, while out photographing on Broadway in 1976, I walked by the lot. I was a sweaty mess and looked it. I was wearing a gray, athletic t-shirt with several holes in it, cut off shorts, Converse All-star basketball shoes and a fairly long beard. I couldn’t believe that anyone would confuse me with a serious car buyer. But when I stopped to look at the new Chevy Chevette, Chevy’s first compact hatchback vehicle, a salesman approached me. I told him was just looking and didn’t have any money. He said I didn’t need money to buy a car. He xeroxed my credit card and I drove a vehicle home for the weekend to show my wife. We decided to keep it and I went back Monday night with a down payment. Say what you want about the American car industry, but they make it remarkably easy to buy a new vehicle. Note the fins on some of the vehicles.
