Ok, so I know I am getting older, but WOW . . . I am outta touch for prices of cars. . . I mean used to be you could find something "nice" you could drive and fix little things on, for about $10k . . . not anymore ! YIKES . . . when did A bodies get so expensive ?!?!?! . . . And do you "drive" em with that much $$$ invested ??? I mean for the price of a "nice used" modern (say 5yr old??) rig, you might be able to find something "nice" in the old machines . . . Guess BJ & Mecum have taken the bar way up ????

Just my old brain ramblings . . .

Cheers,

Mark

A gallon of milk doesn't cost a nickel anymore either.

You can find 99-04 Ford mustangs and 98-02 Camaros pretty easily these days

I agree with the op
I found myself needing to buy another one that could haul 2 kids in car seats, and I still can't get over having to pay $3500 for what is now a 20 yo Durango when 10 years ago I bought one just as nice for $2200 which at the time was only 12 years old.

Then to add insult to injury the miserable state of Illinois bent me over big time on license and title.... I'm still steaming about that aspect. I never imagined that would skyrocket to the extent it did.
It "only" cost me $416 to license and title a 2003... Fuckers...

Money is being devalued so people are putting it into other things as investments. Even average parts are way up. Guys now want $100 for a dirty SB Mopar timing chain cover. Used 350 Chevy core engines that used to sell for the standard $150 now guys are asking $300-400 for them. There is no supply and demand at play with these parts as they are easy to get. I can still get this stuff in the junkyards with a little digging at the old days prices with a return/exhange warranty if I wanted to.

I doubt this is some sort of muscle car resurgence as before Covid disrupted the economy the older people in the hobby were slowly ditching their old cars and buying new Challengers ect ,or just getting out of old cars altogether. I think people are just buying these projects and parts and plan to flip it later for more money down the road. I wonder if any of them have a clue what metal replacement and a new paint job costs? If they did they might not be paying so much for some of these projects you see for sale.

Before we moved across country, I was buying 2003 to 2005 Neons all needing some work. And never paid over $1000 for anyone. Fix and flip them in the $25-2800 range all day every day

Ive looked out here the past year or 2 and the only ones I can find are 200k mile cars that are junk. Still needing work and asking $1000-1500

Bought one this spring for $2200 put maybe 4-500 into it. Sold it in a day for $3000 to the 1st one that looked at it. Deep down I could have got the $3250 I had it listed for.
Finding good ones is tough .

All used vehicles are expensive unless I try to sell one, still can't figure that out...

Inflation is a thing.

A brand new 1969 Charger went for $3,600 or so sticker price back in the day. That's the equivalent of about $30K in 2023 calculating for inflation.

Sure the auction hype has the really nice ones much higher than that, but you can find nice B-Bodies for $30-$45K. So not too far off.

Prices are definitely insane.

I was contemplating selling one or two cars to offset the cost of finishing another one but I'm afraid to let go of anything because I'd never be able to get another at these prices. It's also why I put money into repairing my 2004 Dodge Ram several years ago. When I bought it new it was heavily discounted to $23,000 with a sticker of $36,000. I was looking at used at the time & found it in the paper for less money than 2 to 3 year old trucks with about 30,000 miles. I never saw anything ever again with that price discount.

When my son was in his last year of high school my truck was starting to rust in the typical places & also in need of a few expensive mechanical repairs so I started looking at new ones. I changed my mind because I wasn't going to take on a truck mortgage with college tuition at the same time. I bought cheap body parts off ebay, had my body guy repair the rust & paint the back of my truck, got the mechanicals done & spent around $6000 total. Now, 5 years later it still runs great & looks presentable for a 20 year old truck. I'm going to keep driving it until I can't because prices now are even worse.

Tell me about it. Looking at a new job, Ill have to supply the work vehicle if I go that route.

Wow, stuff is expensive. Though I did hunt up a Caddy CUV that would do the job for a reasonable price. Not sure what insurance would cost though.

I still have my 92 D150 I bought new back in 92 , I still have the window sticker it listed for $14,900 with rebates and discounts I paid around $12,000... my 21 Ram 1500 listed for over $50,000 , I paid around $45,000 ! now they are well over $60,000 equipped about the same .

30 years quadrupled the cost? Sounds about right.

Oh my gosh so true, and parts too!!!!

Have you seen the “meme” where someone went to a store and bought the same things that were bought for $20 in the old 1990 movie “Home Alone”?

Today that list of stuff costs $79 or more.

A Milky Way candy bar cost 5 cents in 1952.
Check today’s price.

A bet some here remember the billboards with $ 1999 for a Ford Maverick

Seems things went up a lot starting August 15th, 1971.

When I sat down with my co-signing dad to order a '69 Road Runner hardtop RM23 at our local "hometown" Plymouth dealer in the early spring of 1969 the base price was $3083 for the CAR. That $3083 wouldn't get you a "Preferred Option Package" in most vehicles today, go figure.

It is only “temporary”

https://www.forbes.com/sites/briand...ich-has-lived-in-infamy/?sh=511a9794581a

Would MAYBE pay the tax.

Median income for men in 1969 was about $6,430. Guys buying Road Runners were probably making significantly less than that. Big purchase.

They figure a 1969 dollar today is the equivalent of $8.20. So that car would be $25,281.00 today. Still cannot buy much today for that money.