Horse Trading in the Age of Cars: Men in the Marketplace
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The trading, selling, and buying of personal transport has changed little over the past one hundred years. Whether horse trading in the early twentieth century or car buying today, haggling over prices has been the common practice of buyers and sellers alike. Horse Trading in the Age of Cars offers a fascinating study of the process of buying an automobile in a historical and gendered context. Steven M. Gelber convincingly demonstrates that the combative and frequently dishonest culture of the showroom floor is a historical artifact whose origins lie in the history of horse trading. Bartering and bargaining were the norm in this predominantly male transaction, with both buyers and sellers staking their reputations and pride on their ability to negotiate the better deal. Gelber comments on this point-of-sale behavior and what it reveals about American men. Gelber's highly readable and lively prose makes clear how this unique economic ritual survived into the industrial twentieth century, in the process adding a colorful and interesting chapter to the history of the automobile.
Preface xiIntroduction: The Cowboy and the Flapper 1Horse Trading: Duping the Buyer 4Horses as Masculine SymbolsThe Manly Art of Horse TradingThe Reputation of Horse TradersThe Horse Trading BusinessHorse Trading as a GameThe Rules of the GameHiding FaultsWarrantiesRetailing: Satisfying the Buyer 25Manufactured Transportation: Carriages and BicyclesNegotiated (Discriminatory) PricesSingle (Democratic) PricesSatisfaction Guaranteed or Your Money Cheerfully RefundedCars: Joining the New Marketplace 41Coachmen to Chauffeurs: The Male LineageCars in StoresOne Posted Price to AllOne-Price by LawAdvertising List PricesUsed Cars: Undermining the New Marketplace 63OriginsTrade-In Allowances and Over-AllowancesControlling Over-AllowancesCheating: "Buyers Are Liars"-And So Are SellersThe Triumph of the Price Pack: Selling the Deal 88Price Padding with the PackAfter-Sales PackingThe 1950s: "...for Thieves to Sell to Mental Defectives"Advertising and Blitz MarketingPosting a PriceThe Great Warranty WarBad Guys 115The Car Seller's Career: Nasty, Brutish, and ShortThe Sales Game: TacticsThe Sales Game: StrategyCar Dealers' Reputation and CharacterBargaining and Gender 138"The Great American Sport of Bargaining"BrokersCars andMasculinityWomen as Buyers and SellersEpilogue: Still Horse Trading in the Internet Age 164The Dealer's CostMake Me an Offer!Notes 175Index 219
