1960 Car Price + Inflation

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If the average car price in 1960 was $3,000 (I may be wrong).
What would it cost today to purchase an equalivent car today ? ? ?

This web-site Calculator shows $25,058.
https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=3000.&year1=196001&year2=201705

To me, it means for the same amount of money (accounting for inflation)
your basically getting:

FREE Air Conditioning
FREE Sterio
FREE Cruise Control
FREE Power Windows
FREE Air Bags
FREE etc, etc
And an engine that may very well go 200,000 miles

Sure sounds like a good deal to me.

The 1960's car most likely had a better design and more chrome,
but it just shows you what modern manufacturing can do.
 
You're also getting a rigid, safe unibody with purposefully-engineered load paths which direct collision energy away from you and your family.

You also don't have to send your kids outside to play in the leaded gasoline fumes of passing cars.

Fuel injection is pretty cool, too.
 
Cheaper (adjusted for inflation), safer, wayyyyy more reliable. I'll take it!

I do like having EFI and distributorless ignition; having something that will start on a -30F morning is pretty nice!

Base model cars from reputable manufacturers are the way to go. The mechanical bits will last 200k+ miles, just need to worry about the infotainment systems and the rust.
 
How do repairs compare between the cars from the two different eras? On the plus side there is less maintenance. On the negative side we have to deal with expensive repairs that were unheard of back in the 60s. This is one pet peeve of mine. Modern cars have the potential of ending up in the junkyard not from rust, but from the electronics that go bad.
 
Today people walk away from a crash that would certainly have killed them in 1960. That alone has probably had a profound change on society, one that we will never be able to examine. You might be here today because your mother to be was saved by an airbag. If this happened in 1960 you'd be reading this somewhere else because you would not be here. Ever wonder about that?
 
Originally Posted By: Kestas
How do repairs compare between the cars from the two different eras? On the plus side there is less maintenance. On the negative side we have to deal with expensive repairs that were unheard of back in the 60s. This is one pet peeve of mine. Modern cars have the potential of ending up in the junkyard not from rust, but from the electronics that go bad.


While I agree, I have to wonder how many cars have been junked because "no one makes that part anymore". Think of all the makes that have quit. Think about what has gone away. Yes I know there are still parts for torque tube drive, but still: some of the older automatics, some of the engines that haven't been made for decades (think other than SBC or Ford), windshields.

Part of my car shopping tries to figure out when I want to get rid of it. Repairs factor into that, along with TCO. I try to have an idea as to when I'm in the good zone, ahead of what I planned for; but also an eye on when it might be best to let it go.
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Today people walk away from a crash that would certainly have killed them in 1960. That alone has probably had a profound change on society, one that we will never be able to examine. You might be here today because your mother to be was saved by an airbag. If this happened in 1960 you'd be reading this somewhere else because you would not be here. Ever wonder about that?


Yeah, and we have lost many darwinistic effects, so where is society going ...
 
That means the AVERAGE car cost $25,000. Most ENTRY level cars cost that today. I wonder how the taxes and fees of back then compare also.
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Today people walk away from a crash that would certainly have killed them in 1960. That alone has probably had a profound change on society, one that we will never be able to examine. You might be here today because your mother to be was saved by an airbag. If this happened in 1960 you'd be reading this somewhere else because you would not be here. Ever wonder about that?


I don't believe that. Being the owner of a 1969 Cadillac Sedan DeVille. I will tell you I could have went through a house and out the other side.
Also getting a Buick LeSabre and pretty off roading it through trees for fun. I will say they put alot of metal in them old cars. I d take a one of them against the modern crush zone cars.
 
Originally Posted By: Panzerman
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Today people walk away from a crash that would certainly have killed them in 1960. That alone has probably had a profound change on society, one that we will never be able to examine. You might be here today because your mother to be was saved by an airbag. If this happened in 1960 you'd be reading this somewhere else because you would not be here. Ever wonder about that?


I don't believe that. Being the owner of a 1969 Cadillac Sedan DeVille. I will tell you I could have went through a house and out the other side.
Also getting a Buick LeSabre and pretty off roading it through trees for fun. I will say they put alot of metal in them old cars. I d take a one of them against the modern crush zone cars.
you should believe it !! modern cars are much safer
 
Originally Posted By: Panzerman
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Today people walk away from a crash that would certainly have killed them in 1960. That alone has probably had a profound change on society, one that we will never be able to examine. You might be here today because your mother to be was saved by an airbag. If this happened in 1960 you'd be reading this somewhere else because you would not be here. Ever wonder about that?


I don't believe that. Being the owner of a 1969 Cadillac Sedan DeVille. I will tell you I could have went through a house and out the other side.
Also getting a Buick LeSabre and pretty off roading it through trees for fun. I will say they put alot of metal in them old cars. I d take a one of them against the modern crush zone cars.


The crush zones are what saves you. Those old cars transmitted all the force of the accident to your body.
 
When I worked for Mountain Bell in the fifties, we attended safety meetings and sometimes the topic was driving safely. Some of the most gruesome sights I have ever seen were pictures taken of vehicle accident victims. Those older vehicles may have had a lot of metal in them but that didn't make for safer cars Some of the people being pulled out of those wrecks looked liked they had been run through a meat grinder.. Scared me straight for sure. I understand the physics involved with being an occupant in two tons of moving mass. Seem that I recall some of the early Defensive Driving courses also showed terrible accident victims. What was left of them.
shocked.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Brons2
Originally Posted By: Panzerman
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Today people walk away from a crash that would certainly have killed them in 1960. That alone has probably had a profound change on society, one that we will never be able to examine. You might be here today because your mother to be was saved by an airbag. If this happened in 1960 you'd be reading this somewhere else because you would not be here. Ever wonder about that?


I don't believe that. Being the owner of a 1969 Cadillac Sedan DeVille. I will tell you I could have went through a house and out the other side.
Also getting a Buick LeSabre and pretty off roading it through trees for fun. I will say they put alot of metal in them old cars. I d take a one of them against the modern crush zone cars.


The crush zones are what saves you. Those old cars transmitted all the force of the accident to your body.


This should remove any doubt that those older big heavy cars were death traps when compared to a modern car with built in crumple zones and airbags. After watching this video tell me which care you would have chosen to ride in, the one that you walked away from or the one that they removed you with a shop vac?
 
Originally Posted By: Kestas
How do repairs compare between the cars from the two different eras? On the plus side there is less maintenance. On the negative side we have to deal with expensive repairs that were unheard of back in the 60s. This is one pet peeve of mine. Modern cars have the potential of ending up in the junkyard not from rust, but from the electronics that go bad.

Absolutely. On the other hand, we don't have piston ring manufacturers advertising their product as an occasional maintenance item on the radio, like used to be the norm.
wink.gif


supton: Yes, that's problematic for old stuff. At least with older trucks, things like LMC Truck make sure lots of stuff is available.
 
Originally Posted By: Rock_Hudstone

The average 2017 new car sales price is $34,968. (Plus sales tax, which some states didn't yet have in 1960).

http://mediaroom.kbb.com/2017-02-01-New-...elley-Blue-Book

That works out to about $4,261 which in 1960 could probably buy a nicely optioned Cadillac at the time.




Wouldn't a nicely optioned Cadillac be essentially base model today? I mean, what doesn't have AT, power steering and brakes, electric windows & locks, remote keyless entry, a backup camera, stereo with BT, ABS/VSC/etc, and who knows what else? Power seats I think is the only thing that old Caddy's would have. Along with much nicer NVH (but the newer car probably would handle better).
 
Originally Posted By: supton
Originally Posted By: Rock_Hudstone

The average 2017 new car sales price is $34,968. (Plus sales tax, which some states didn't yet have in 1960).

http://mediaroom.kbb.com/2017-02-01-New-...elley-Blue-Book

That works out to about $4,261 which in 1960 could probably buy a nicely optioned Cadillac at the time.




Wouldn't a nicely optioned Cadillac be essentially base model today? I mean, what doesn't have AT, power steering and brakes, electric windows & locks, remote keyless entry, a backup camera, stereo with BT, ABS/VSC/etc, and who knows what else? Power seats I think is the only thing that old Caddy's would have. Along with much nicer NVH (but the newer car probably would handle better).

I'd like to see an analysis on total man-hours needed for production per car, comparing the 60's to now.
Seems like now its very expensive to create the first car, but after that, the actual manufacturing should be way cheaper than it was in the 60's. I think marketing and financial services add more cost to cars than they did before as well, and the "infotainment" systems are 100's of millions wasted on development, production and repair IMO, and often aren't optional.
Also I think in the 60,70's you could buy a stripper version of almost anything with almost any motor and drivetrain combo made for that chassis. Now AWD is $2000 of parts attached to $6-8k of fluff.
 
Originally Posted By: supton
Rock_Hudstone said:
The average 2017 new car sales price is $34,968. (Plus sales tax, which some states didn't yet have in 1960).

http://mediaroom.kbb.com/2017-02-01-New-...elley-Blue-Book

That works out to about $4,261 which in 1960 could probably buy a nicely optioned Cadillac at the time./quote]

Wouldn't a nicely optioned Cadillac be essentially base model today? I mean, what doesn't have AT, power steering and brakes, electric windows & locks, remote keyless entry, a backup camera, stereo with BT, ABS/VSC/etc, and who knows what else? Power seats I think is the only thing that old Caddy's would have. Along with much nicer NVH (but the newer car probably would handle better).


Even a base model 1960 Cadillac would have as standard A/T, P/S, P/B. I think $4200+ out the door would cover A/C, power windows, locks. perhaps power seat and other items.

Not to mention pride of ownership and a major status symbol in the driveway.
 
According to this, the average price of a new car, adjusted for inflation, has varied from $22k to $29k over the past 45 years, and was $25.5k in 2016.

http://wgntv.com/2016/04/25/the-average-...-you-were-born/

I also saw another site that said the average new vehicle transaction was $33k in 2017. I'm not sure why the two numbers are so different, but it's possible the $25.5k figure doesn't include trucks/SUVs.

I think a better measure is comparing what car you can get for the average salary 1960 vs 2017.
 
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