Blast from the past

[avant1963]

My father brought over some newspapers that they saved from summer 1969 when we landed on the moon (hate to break it to you conspiracy nuts, but the United States did really land there).

I though that everyone would get a kick out of some of the ads and prices on cars back then. Get your time machine ready because we could make huge $$ with these:

They're having a hard time getting rid of this 69 GTO... I don't know $2995 seems a little expensive for a stick...

I've got the fever for a 69 Dodge:

There are a few 442's and a couple of other Olds you guys may be interested in:

A 54 Corvette, garage kept for $950? Can you do $800?

I'll take the '68 Impala. Remind me how to dial CH 7-5168 again?

When I get a chance to scan more in, I will.

[wildcat]

avant1963: Thank you for sharing those neat ads!

From the days when "radio," "heater," and "whitewall tires" were selling points.

[Robert Hall]

avant1963: Thank you for sharing those neat ads!

From the days when "radio," "heater," and "whitewall tires" were selling points.

Yeah..and a few are advertised as having '8-track stereo with tapes'....and on some, 'air conditioned' merits all caps. Radical. I wonder what $4000 40 years ago is equivalent to today, with inflation.

Edited August 24, 2008 by moltar

[gm4life]

I don't know but I should have purchased more cars when I was really young. Hell I was only 13 in '69.

[Oracle of Delphi]

We don't need no stinking heater!

[Robert Hall]

I don't know but I should have purchased more cars when I was really young. Hell I was only 13 in '69.

I was -1 then. But my brother was 20 then and was on his 3rd car at Ohio State....he had previously had a '58 Biscayne, then a '66 Mustang GT convertible that my folks bought him, then a '65 Mustang 289 'hi-po' coupe...and a couple motorcycles.

[Satty]

Yeah..and a few are advertised as having '8-track stereo with tapes'....and on some, 'air conditioned' merits all caps. Radical. I wonder what $4000 40 years ago is equivalent to today, with inflation.

$4000 in 1969 is about $23,000 today.

[balthazar]

>>"I wonder what $4000 40 years ago is equivalent to today, with inflation."<<

Looks like $4K in '68 is worth $24.7K in 2008 :

http://www.minneapolisfed.org/Research/data/us/calc/

'69 GTO hardtop is worth far more than $24K today, in nice shape with a stick.

Another conversion that's interestig to note: the '57-58 Eldorado Brougham was $13,704. In 2008 that would be equivalent to $105K, so let's not ever hear that Cadillac never been in the uber-expensive class.

Not sure how accurate the calculator is: my '40 Ford truck cost $915 new (cab/chassis) - that's only $14K today. Could it really have been that incredibly cheap?

[Camino LS6]

It makes me wonder how many of those listed cars still exist.

Very cool.

[ocnblu]

Very entertaining read, thanks for posting these... oh man, to have a time machine...

[LeoC2]

Not sure how accurate the calculator is: my '40 Ford truck cost $915 new (cab/chassis) - that's only $14K today. Could it really have been that incredibly cheap?

I think it's not quite right. actually cars were relatively cheaper than today. Relatively in the sense that most people actually paid cash for cars back then, bank loans were not the norm. In 1970 I bought my first new car for $2150 and paid cash. I saved for a few months and bought it. There is NO WAY that is the equivalent of over $11,000 in 2008 dollars. In 1971 I bought an SS454 Monte Carlo for $3500 cash. In 1978 I bought a brand new Coupe de Ville for $7500 for cash and again, there is no way that is equivalent to nearly $25,000.

Another way to look at is in percentage of income. For instance, when I bought the 1978 Caddy I was making $12,000 a year which was darn good scratch. I saved for three years before I bought that car. The car was 65% of one year's salary. So today you'd have to be earning about $80,000 and with that salary I seriously doubt if anyone can save $50,000 in about three years. Cars today are much more expensive than in the past.

[HarleyEarl]

Cars were much simpler back then and expectations were not as high.

Most now would not do without airconditioning, stereos, leather, power windows, power seats, sunroofs, abs, automatic transmissions, etc.

Not to mention numerous gov't mandated safety equipment.

It would be interesting to see the comparison of a car back then and now, feature for feature.

[balthazar]

LeoC2- good points and very true :

>>"Cars today are much more expensive than in the past."<<

Not that this is exactly in the same vein, but it always struck me that the Eldorado's base price actually declined over the 1960s, it was $7401 in '60 and $6711 in '69. Unfathomable in today's world- 10 years and the price actually drops (without pimping it out to china, either)!

[toesuf94]

Personal favorite of the list: 1958 Olds 88 A-1 condition $75! No wonder there were so many of these things getting scrapped and thrown away! $75 for that much chrome? Wow! I would love to know how much those 'vettes went for as well. The 67 427 4 speed? Thanks for sharing these.

[Sixty8panther]

more hardtops than you can shake a stick at...

and yes, those days people KNEW what a hardtop WAS and they apreciated the luxury.

[knightfan26917]

Ahhhhh....!!! Avant, I LOVE looking at old ads like this! Sweet that you shared 'em here .