At some point in the summer of 1976, having ruined my deceased grandfather’s pristine 1962 Ford Fairlane by depriving it of precious bodily fluids for over a year, I borrowed $1,500 from the CCC Credit Union and bought a 1972 Volvo 142 sedan at John’s Import Auto. It was in good shape and a sleek looking machine that handled like a dream compared to the Fairlane. The money taken out of my weekly paycheck was hardly missed and I remember feeling quite adult having financed my own automobile.