The garages with blazoned signs – Used Cars, Good Used Cars.
– John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath, Chapter 7. Used car lots aggressively market cheap used cars, hoping to target poor migrant families to purchase their "bargains." The phrase "used cars" is constantly repeated throughout this chapter, suggesting desperation and deception. It is as if the salesmen need to convince themselves – a well as the customers – of the truth of their sales hype.