Motor City Person

Which consumer did you choose?

What did you choose?

Buy a Model T on credit

Keep building your Savings

What did you choose?

Invest $200 in the stock market

Buy new household appliances on installment

What did you choose?

Invest in the stock market

Save for a Model T

Buy the Model T on credit 🚗 Life feels easier! Dad can drive to work; family takes Sunday drives. 💸 Monthly payments add up. When layoffs hit in 1927, you fall behind on bills. ⚠️ By 1929, your debt and the market crash wipe out your savings.

Keep saving for emergencies 💰 You avoid debt and slowly save for a used car. 💤 The kids envy neighbors who already own Model Ts. 🌧️ When hard times come, you’re one of the few families with cash in hand.

Buy new household appliances on installment

🧺 The washing machine saves hours of work; your home feels modern. 💳 But each month, more bills arrive — by 1929 you owe $400. ⚠️ The Great Depression hits, and your department store job vanishes.

Invest $200 in the stock market

📈 You double your money by 1928! You upgrade to a radio and refrigerator. 📉 But the 1929 crash erases nearly everything. 👩‍👦 Still, you learn that risk can bring reward — or ruin.

Invest in the stock market

📊 You ride the market’s highs — until Black Tuesday. 💔 You lose all your savings and move in with friends. ✍️ Lesson: Not every boom lasts forever.

Save for a Model T

🚙 You finally buy your dream car in 1928 — freedom at last! ⛽ Gas and repairs cost more than expected. 📉 When the crash hits, you sell it to pay rent.