The text aims to investigate the operation of car exchanges in the final decade of the Polish People’s Republic. The findings are based on a comprehensive study of archival and press sources, and the literature of the subject. One of the issues raised in the text is the attitude of state institutions towards the private trade of passenger cars on car exchanges. One of the most common problems was the discrepancies between the prices of cars, both new and used. It was quite a common practice to sell new cars at prices several times higher than the official ones. It elicited many rude comments directed towards the unjust (in the society’s view) vehicle distribution system. Often, state institutions tried to limit the sale of new cars. Another problem was supplying the car parts and car accessories to the exchanges. According to popular opinion, the exchanges provided everything unavailable in the normal state-based distribution. Naturally, the availability of limited products (tires, batteries) aroused questions about the legality of their origin. Multiple inspections by the Citizens’ Militia officers revealed that they were often stolen. The range of products offered for sale expanded over time: there were not only cars and car accessories but also household products or clothes. Such practice was especially prevalent in the late 1980s