In the 70's I bought this for $700. Things have really changed. I had either some **** job ($2.50 Hr) or no job at all at the time. Try that "cost to benefit ratio" now!. (BTW-avatar car=$1500)
With all the talent on the HAMB, I'm surprised no one's made a time machine yet. Let me know when you do, there's a '69 Camaro I p***ed up in '79. Dealership wanted $699. I could probably talk him down to $550.
Yeah...I p***ed on a 69 z-28 myself back then for $1800...thought the guy was out of his mind for wanting that much...
Have they?? You're talking about buying a 40 year old car for $700. I just bought a winter beater '96 (17 years old) for $700, and drove it home. True, it needed some lovin', but nothing unreal (wheel bearings, tie rods ends, ball joints and subframe welded together). So, in possible 'real' terms, you got took. BTW, it's 40 years on, now a 40 year old car is the new car you couldn't afford back then. OTOH, I see lots of **** from the '90's for less than $1000. Some from the '80's, but most of that ****'s done melted up here (rust). Cosmo
Yeah, but it just doesn't have the cool factor of what one could get back 40 or 50 years ago. I mean a rusted out 20-25 year old Corsica or tempo just doesn't have it. I don't think one now could get a cheap old worn out 'fun' car (ie buick grand national, dodge little red express, a viper, etc) now a days for cheap like you could get a cheap 20-25 year old FUN car back then.
In 1973 I bought a 1958 Vette for $450.00,,it didn't have a engine or transmission but it did have a ***le. I had the car less than a week and a neighbor ask me was it for sale,,I told him I don't think so...two days later he came back and offered me $1,200.00 Bucks,,needless to say I sold the car. HRP
You guys are old Don't know what the modern equivalent is now days for cheap cars but the original post is f'n awesome.
Hell, in '81 I sold my '35 5window coupe (265 chev, early Ford trans, juice brakes and drivable) for 1900.00 and took that money and bought a '39 Deluxe coupe with a 283 and 4speed. Sold that a year later for 3200.00 and thought I was king of the world! I'm not even that old...
I'm sure in 30 + years time when I look back and say.."I bought my 32 pickup cab for $3000 (no motor/trans just the cab)" people will say "Wow, that's sooooo cheap I can't believe it was only $3000, you are sooooo lucky"
In about 1980 I could have bought the 69 Camaro pace car that Mario won at Indy for $3000, with complete history. I knew it was a good deal, even then. Problem was that I had just sold my hot rod Camaro ( Z spec motor, wide tires ect.) for $1200 and everyone said that was the top of the market then. The guy still has the Mario Camaro I wonder if he would remember what he quoted me on the car?
In 65/66 I bought a running driving 49 ford 2 dr. V8 sedan for a summer party car for $35.00. Cars were easy to get back then.
In 1976 we were buying 64-65 chevelle ss's for $50 to use in stock car racing. I p***ed on a 50 Olds coupe drag car complete w/ flip front end for $500. If you paid more than $350 for a driver 55 Chevy with a small block and 4-speed you overpaid. I don't even want to remember the 32 Ford sedans I p***ed on because they were not cool. It's all relative to the time Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I can't believe how much things have changed even since I was in high school(graduated 1996). Cars I p***ed on and continually kicking myself: 1952? Lincoln Cosmopolitan 2 dr, solid, complete and never worked on but needed total resto - I think the guy was down to $800 when someone else finally bought it 1962 Mercury Meteor 2 dr, 221/Auto, nice running driving original car, supposedly very solid and didn't need anything to be a driver - $900 but was about 300 miles away or I would have bought that one. 1968 Coronet 2 dr, 318/Auto, totally original, ran and drove great - I think $500 but p***ed on it cause the quarters had about 15 lbs of bondo in them. A couple I did get bought though: 1970 Chevelle, wrecked in 1970 and had been stripped of mechanicals and SS specific parts, but the quarters, trunk pan and floor were basically perfect - $5 1972 Cutl*** S, nearly rust free, all correct, ran and drove great, 63k and all do***entation - $800? Sorry most of these are a little off topic.
My first car was a 1955 Ford tudor hardtop/pink and white in 1960 and paid the large sum of $ 550.00. Like everyone else I wish that I can have the car back in my possession. I now enjoy driving my 1960 chevy in the summer months.
No kidding, what we know now would have been quite valuable back then! In 1980, when I was 17 I p***ed on a $3500 57 Nomad with a warmed up 327/4 speed combo. Nice straight rust-free car being in CA. I was not in enough money at the time, and instead settled for a 74 Vega that I built up with 350/T400/12-bolt. It was the late 70's/early 80's and Vegas were cheap and V8 swaps were common as could be. Whole car was less than that Nomad, but now the Nomad is way more valuable. Vega is probably long recycled......
In 1971 I p***ed on a 59 Vette,small block 2 4's on a factory low rise manifold.....the door hinges were sagging some and caused the panels to s****e the sills,and the guy had to tap the carbs as all those floats stick sometimes.....$995 on a car lot. Another lot had a 57 Vette with lots of paint,removable h/t,custom interior,baby moons.....$1400....don't know how long it was there, but I saw it for at least 9 months In '71 sold my driver,needing only paint 65 Buick Skylark conv for $250 or $350.....can't remember,when I bought my new to me 1970 Duster 340 for $1300
Bottom line is we bagged groceries, pumped gas, or delivered pizza and had pretty great cars. I don't see that happening today
Brenda & I got married in 1972 and lived in a garage apartment and I worked in construction framing houses so I was making a little money. A acquaintance of mine had been married a few years and was out of work,he put his wife's 1969 Daytona Charger up for sale (her dad bought the car for her graduation gift) The car had a 426 Hemi,4 speed and I could have come up with the cash but I thought they were ugly,,I ended up buying a Model A pickup I could have bought this car for $800,what are they worth today? BTW,I still think they are ugly but from a collectors aspect they are worth a ton of money. HRP
My first car was a 1954 Ford Mainline bought in 1965 for $40 !!! 239 auto that ran great, but so much rust that when I slammed the door the whole side of the car would move about an inch. Old license plates fixed the holes in the floors. Musta blew up a dozen mufflers turning the ignition off and on going under overp***es. Good times.
i supported my family for two years selling cars and projects i had spent all my life collecting ---my son was beating cancer at that time and selling them was not painful , i was lucky enough to keep my vette i've had since 65 , but just barely...
We forget how many hours we had to work to buy a 700 dollar Model A pickup back then or even buy a 350 dollar 55 Chevy off the car lot in 1964. I'd have had to work right at 300 hrs just to pay for that 55 then. In hours worked to pay for it my 5000 dollar daily driver that I have now is cheaper than that 350 dollar 55 Chevy was in 1964.
In '72 when I was 16, I bought my first car, a '38 Chevy sedan for $237. In '77 when I was 20, I bought a '70 383/4spd Roadrunner for $900. Also a '70 390/auto AMC Javelin SST for $1500. None of 'em were perfect, but not bad. Sold the Chevy for $350 and the Roadrunner and Javelin both got stolen.
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