Sunday, August 22, 2010

My 1st Car And My Latest Car.

My first car was a 1971 Plymouth Duster that I purchased for $200 from the next door neighbor in 1980. Other than being dark brown instead of orange mine looked just like this.
The car had a 140 horsepower, 225 cubic inch/3.7 liter engine which gave about 20 miles to a gallon and had a top speed of 100 mph. It had power nothing; extras included the AM radio. The windshield washer fluid was operated by a foot pump in the car.

My latest car is a$18,000, 2009 Honda Civic. The car's 1.8 liter/ 110 cubic inch engine also produces 140 horsepower giving 35 miles/gallon on my last tank. The top speed is 115 mph.



Comparatively cars of old sucked. Comfort, safety, mileage performance and reliability have improved so much. These cars were at a similar price point at the time they were new. $18,000 in 2009 is the equivalent $3,400 in 1971. The Duster new would have been about $2,700 in 1971 dollars or $14,300 in today's dollars.

I used this cool inflation calculator to figure out the inflation.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I had the Duster in orange, that is the exact same car.

Heath said...

I would like to go back in time and drive my old duster again. I owned it from the time I was 16 until I was 21. If that car could talk, it would tell me stories both remembered and forgotten?

Car Finance Experts said...

Thank you for sharing your car comparison views. Your Honda Civic is a true beauty! Congratulations on your new ride!