The People History Home 90 Years of Price Change

Below are example's for each decade

1924 Chevrolet

1924 Chevrolet Price $525.00

Back in the 1920's following Fords automation of the car industry, Chevrolet was the biggest and most successful competitor, they were sold at a higher base price but many additional extras that were required were built in to the price making them competitive.





Auburn 1931 Convertible Cabriolet

Convertible Cabriolet Auburn	1931
Price $1045
127 inch wheelbase
98HP straight 8

Includes finest leather upholstery specialy designed window construction that positively prevents rattle finger tip door handles and adjustable steering wheel in the Convertible Cabriolet





Hudson 1949

the new 1949 Hudson  Prices From $2381

Ride the most beautiful most roomy most road worthy most "all round performance car in America" the new Hudson

Ford 1956

Ford Fairlane 1956
from $2,013

Ford Fairlane with the new with the 202HP Thunderbird Y8 Engine and dramatic go lines

Pontiac Firebird Transam 1969

 Pontiac Firebird Transam 1969 $4,366

This car still looks every bit of a muscle car today as it did then


Buick Cars from $1260 to $2000 in 1930
Buick Cars from $1260 to $2000 in 1930


Plymouth 6 from $445 1930's
Plymouth 6 from $445 1930's

Studebaker Dictator starting at $665 and the Presedent Series starting at $965 1930's
Studebaker Dictator starting at $665 and the Presedent Series starting at $965 1930's
Comet Montego ( Lincoln Mercury ) $4.439 1976
Datsun 210 $3,869 New York 1979
Dodge Aspen $4,515 1977
Dodge Charger $3,579 1971
Dodge Charger Daytona $5,434 1976
Camero Z28 Dash $7,263 1980
Chevrolet Corvette $23,392 Illinois 1984
Chevy S10 Pickup $6,993 Illinois 1984
BMW 328is $29,780 New Jersey 1996
Cadillac Seville $36,995 Annapolis 1993
Chevy S10 Pickup $6,999.00 Ohio 1990
Dodge Grand Caravan $16,995.00 Annapolis 1993
Dodge Ram 2500 $19,995 Annapolis 1993

Vista Cruiser from Oldsmobile the New skys the limit look in station wagons 1960's
Vista Cruiser from Oldsmobile the New skys the limit look in station wagons 1960's

Toyota Corona $1,950.00 quality from thousnads of tests and solid construction 1970's
Toyota Corona $1,950.00 quality from thousnads of tests and solid construction 1970's

AMC Matador Mid Size family car with sweeping clean lines and low profile 1970's
AMC Matador Mid Size family car with sweeping clean lines and low profile 1970's

Datsun 280ZX 2.8 OHC elagantly appointed interior 1980's
Datsun 280ZX 2.8 OHC elagantly appointed interior 1980's

Dodge Ram 50 Truck from $5665.00 this hard working vehicle a leader in it's class 1980's
Dodge Ram 50 Truck from $5665.00 this hard working vehicle a leader in it's class 1980's

Brief History of the Motor Car

Karl Benz is credited with the invention of the first Automobile in 1885 but many other inventors were working on the Horseless Carriage at around or even earlier at the same time scale.
Among other items Karl Benz invented for his first production car were the carburetor, the accelerator, the spark plug, the clutch, the gear shift, and finally the radiator to keep the engine cool which allowed him to sell production cars in 1888, in the beginning his cars were 3 wheelers but as he continued refining his design the first 4 wheel car appeared in 1893.

But for the next few years the car was still hand built and only available to the very rich but in 1908 Henry Ford changed everything by making the car affordable to a much wider audience ( The Middle Class ) through the use mass production on assembly lines, this meant the people building the cars did not have to be as highly skilled engineers or craftsman as each man worked on a specific area of the car. The car that created this was the Ford Model T and by 1910 12,000 Model T's had been made and sold and they could not keep up with demand. To help with saving money on production most Model T's were only made in black but some other colours were used occasionally.
As they continued to refine assembly line production Ford managed to bring the time to build a car to only 93 minutes and at one stage 9 out of every 10 cars driven on the roads throughout the world were Fords.
Over the next few years new manufacturers appeared some creating mass produced cars with designs changed reflecting the tastes and styles of the consumers, At the same time a number of well known manufacturers catered to the super rich with ever faster and more quality refined super cars which are so desired by collectors the world over.
Around the world Car makers appeared who catered to their own consumers in UK including Austin and Rover, France including Peugeot and Renault, Sweden with Volvo and Saab and Germany with BMW and Mercedes Benz, but Ford were one of the first companies to become a global brand. But in the late 1970's a new breed of Car manufacturers appeared and the Japanese invasion started , at first they were renowned for cheap and poor quality but in a very short time they have learned from their mistakes and Toyota and Honda are among the world leaders if not the Top in car sales worldwide and some of the leaders in innovation with Hybrid Cars. And as a consequence some of the older car makers have now disappeared or have been swallowed up by the truly global manufacturers.
Over the last 20 years after each oil crisis and the cost of petrol increasing the cars we drive are becoming smaller, sometimes through consumers demanding better fuel economy and others through government initiatives or major innovation in more efficient use of fossil fuels. In general cars have become more fuel efficient and the use of the latest generation of technical engineering to improve fuel efficiency by stopping the engine running when car is stationary and auto starting as accelerator is pressed and Hybrid technology which allows the car batteries to charge when in motion and using batteries when in traffic not only help with fuel efficiency but also pollution.
In 2005 63 million cars and light trucks were produced worldwide
Changes that happened with car engineering, safety and comfort, providing a timeline of how we got to where we are today.
Top 10 car manufacturers together with brands they market or hold significant shares

The Advances below may have appeared in a small number of cars prior to the dates given but we have tried to define dates when available in mass produced cars but especially for the safety features depends on Government legislation when they were available on all cars
Car Advances
Car Radios 1930's
Car Heaters 1930's
Turn Signals 1940's
Seatbelts 1950's
Automatic Gearboxes 1950's
Disk Brakes 1950's
Synchronized Manual Gearboxes 1950's
Electric Windows 1950's
Radial Tyres 1950's
Powersteering 1950's
Four Wheel Drive 1970's
Airbags 1970's
Remote Keyless Entry 1990's
Hybrid Cars 1990's
Some of the car ads You May Have Seen Advertised over the last 60 years

Ford Mercury Cars V Type 100HP 8 Cylinder Engine 1940's
Ford Mercury Cars V Type 100HP 8 Cylinder Engine 1940's
Chevrolet brings you better breaks surer steering and with smooth graceful styling 1940's
Chevrolet brings you better breaks surer steering and with smooth graceful styling 1940's
Pontiac 55 with 180HP and twin streak styling 1950's
Pontiac 55 with 180HP and twin streak styling 1950's
American Motors Rambler from Nash and Hudson Distinction in Driving 1950's
American Motors Rambler from Nash and Hudson Distinction in Driving 1950's
Fairline 500 1962 its room and ride are big car from the word go 1960's
Fairline 500 1962 its room and ride are big car from the word go 1960's
Corvair Monza You will love the way it hugs and drives 1960's
Corvair Monza You will love the way it hugs and drives 1960's