Owning a car was the essence of freedom to people back in the 1950’s. Having a car meant you could go nearly everywhere and anywhere you pleased, whenever you wanted. It was the ideal sense of freedom that just about everyone wanted to get their hands on. This sense of needing to have a car led to a rapid increase in automobile purchases and as new models came out, more and more people would rush to be the first ones in their neighbor to be the proud owner of the latest Chevy or Ford. Being able to travel vast distances, or even just drive around the neighbor people felt was a representation of not only freedom, but social status as well. Owning a car was the cherry on top, and what many people worked for. The vast increases in purchases of cars began in the 1950’s and increased throughout the years to come. The importances,as well as the luxuries of having a car continued to rise in the years to come.