Non-PRO English Art/Literary General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters trade in used cars - in a Ph. Dick's novel written in 1950s-1960s

Luke trades big. Summer is here and Luke is mighty ready to make a deal with you, mighty ready, at three big lots, all of them busting with cars-cars-cars. What d'you think your old car's worth? Maybe it's worth more than you think on a brandnew Plymouth or Chevrolet fourdoor sedan or a Ford custom deluxe Ranch Wagon. Luke is trading big these days, buying big and selling big. Luke thinks big. Luke is big!

Before Luke came, this wasn't much of a town. Now it's a really big car town. Now everybody drives a brandnew DeSoto with power windows, power seat. Come see Luke. Luke was born in Oklahoma before he moved out here to great old sunny California. Luke moved out here in 1946. Listen to that sound truck that's going up and down the streets. Listen to it go; it goes all the time. It pulls that big red signboard along, and all the time it's playing the "Too Fat Polka" and saying "Regardless of the make or condition of your old car.. ." Hear that? It don't matter what kind of old heap you got. Luke'll give you two hundred dollars for it if you can drag walk tow push it into the lot.

This is Automobile Row; this is the street of cars, Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco. Windows on all sides, all along and up and down, glass with words written in red-and-white poster paint; banners are pasted up high, and flags flutter, and over some lots are wads of colored aluminum strung on wire. And there are balloons and, in the evening, lights. At night the chains go up, the cars are locked, but lights come on, fine spotlights, fine big beams of color frying the bugs. And Luke has his clowns, his painted lady and gent clowns; they stand on top of the building and wave their arms. Luke has his microphones, and the salesmen call to people. Free quart of oil! Free ***dish***! Free candy and cap gun for the kids. The steel guitar sings, and how Luke likes that. It sings like home.