Quote:
Originally Posted by SSmoothie
A lot of the them have money but they want to spend it on the latest electronic gadgets, updating every six months for the new option. When I was young after paying all my living expenses I would spend it on my cars. We didn't have cell phone etc. buy.
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The cost of a new car isn't even in the same ball park as funding 'typical' gadget buying. Few replace their smartphone on an annual basis, every 6 months is rarer still. The average is something like 1.5-2 years. Tablets would probably be similar, maybe a bit longer. Laptops maybe every 3 years. Video game systems come out every 5-6 years. That works out to somewhere between $50-100/month.
Please tell me where I can buy, insure, and fuel a performance car for that kind of money.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pickwithaustin
When some of us were younger, we could not afford a top of the line sports car either. We had old cars that we hot rodded up, spending Saturday afternoon's in the driveway working on them to just make them run. We didn't have fantastic jobs either and it wasn't, at least for me, until I was older and with a family and home and such that I was finally able to start getting the finer cars - even though I had always had some hopped up muscle thing or another. Even then, it wasn't until the kids were grown that there was disposable income for really nice vehicles. One does not have to have the newest 2014 Camaro in order to be "into cars." Cars were different to us back in the day. I remember my first ride was a Ford Pinto. Tiny little four banger which, my friends and I promptly swapped out for a V8. Many Saturday afternoons were spent on that project, and many $2.65 per hour minimum wage pay checks. 
Gasoline, though, definitely detours a lot... I don't "cruise" any more for that very reason. I remember gasoline at 50 cents a gallon... HOWEVER, wages were far lower back then as well... |
When you adjust for inflation, the minimum wage through most of the 60s and 70s worked out to $19-20k/yr. Today its down at around $15k/yr. That affects things quite a bit
The cost of fueling cars is actually less today than it was 'back in the day'. Sure, gasoline is more expensive but again ... adjust for inflation and that $0.50/gal is up to $2.50-$3.00 (going back to the early 1970s). But the cars now burn 1/2 the fuel (if not 1/3) as they used to. So in the end, it works out cheaper today than 40-45 years ago.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LStick
In 1969, 150 bucks a week was an awesome take home pay for a 40 hours.
I was in High School working part time for 1.80 an hour.
No 69 Camaro for me.
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That was 1969 you say. So adjusting for inflation ... that $1.80/hr would be around to $11.50/hr. A lot of highschool kids would probably love to be making that kind of money. Actually, there's probably a lot of people with a university degree that wouldn't mind making that these days.