Of all the trim levels available for the 2006 Chevrolet Impala, the first car sold to a customer was a top-of-the-line V8-powered SS. Sounds like something a diehard Chevy fan would buy, doesn’t it?

He had a grin as big as summertime. David rode his bike past my house every day, and every day he smiled. You know the smile-the one you had when your uncle came by with his shiny new Cadillac. The ...