Wow, for $830 bucks you get a brand new car back in the days. They'll be saying something similar 70 years from now.
this post was submitted on 27 Feb 2024
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That comes to about $17500 today using an inflation calculator.
Which is far lower than a new car costs today.
If you hunt you can still find them in the 18-20k range. But you get cheap shit like a Nissan Versa, tiny compacts with bad drivetrains. Not a higher trim boat like that 1941 is.
Sure, the Versa is a crummy, low trim model. But look at what you get in the Versa compared to the Pontiac despite that:
- Fuel injection
- Front disc brakes
- Power brakes
- Automatic transmission
- FM radio
- Bluetooth
- Backup camera
- A damn rear view mirror (Wikipedia says this was optional on the Pontiac)
- Air conditioning
- Power steering
- Airbags
- Crumple zones
- Seat belts
- Traction control
- Anti-lock brakes
- Same power, but vastly improved fuel economy
- 1,000 lbs of weight savings
- Radial tires
- Halogen headlights
- Reverse lights
The list goes on I'm sure. It costs more because you get so much more stuff, a lot of which is for safety.
Yeah, these older cars went slower and were death traps. The passenger cabin was the "crumple zone". People went flying through the windshield in a crash that would be easily survivable by the 80s.
At least it was safety glass (mandated in 1937). Yeah old cars are terrifying. Cool but terrifying.
On top of that, the odometer only went to 99,999 before resetting. Implying they didn't intend the vehicles to last much longer than 100k miles.
And you had to do more service more often such as tune ups for adjusting points ignition. And I think in some engines, adjusting valve lash since hydraulic lifters didn't become ubiquitous until later?
Yup, and king pins, suspension joints and pretty much every other moving part needed greasing constantly since sealed rubber boots, and tough plastics hadn’t been invented yet (let alone ball/spherical joints).
On the plus side, if you or kept up maintenance the joints would last a longer time, but back then the engines weren’t usually as reliable, and relied on leased gas to prevent detonation and valve wear. Now if a ball joint or wheel bearings fail, you just realize the whole assembly. So more waste, but less maintenance.
And I think in some engines, adjusting valve lash since hydraulic lifters didn’t become ubiquitous until later?
Many engines even up to the mid 2000's also needed valve adjustments. Honda F-series engines are notorious for it. The only difference is improvements in metallurgy mean the valve seats no longer recess nearly as much, and thing like the Honda F22's only need the adjustment every 60k or so rather than every 10.
Interesting. I thought I vaguely recalled some modern vehicle needing it. Every 60k isn't too bad though. I think my 60s Datsun needed it more often.
The Nissan is indeed an objectively "Better" car, but compared to it's market (as the Pontiac is comparing itself to it's own market) it is still a crummy car.
The fact is that all those (legally mandated) improvements do make them more expensive overall.
And certainly not something you can upgrade to a V8 for an extra $25.
And its made entirely of steel!
Good ol American union steel!
Another way to look at it. The median household/family annual income in 1945 (the year I can find data on) was a whopping $2379.
So that car was almost 35% (34.88%) of a household's income.
In 2022 median household income was $76330. That same percent gives you $26623 to spend on a car.
It's not the fanciest thing in the world but you can get a new Versa stick shift starting at $16390, that compared to the Pontiac in 1941 will be a million times more reliable, safer, easier to drive, easier to park, and more efficient. Plus it's a 4-door. Not too mention AC, better radio, handsfree calling, etc.
The main area where that comparison falls apart is that these days most households need 2 cars.
taking america by storm in 41, 42, 43, 44, 45... lots of the automotive industrial base was making tanks by the end of the year and the styles didn't update much of anything until after the war.