Practical Classic Query

[The Moog]

Reading my new copy of PC they are talking about rep cars. They say that in the 70's the car would cost 25% of the cost of an average terraced housing and after 3 years would have had half of its life used up.

 

How does that compare to cars nowadays? I cant imagine that cars are 25% of a houses cost.. unless you live somewhere such as Burnley where they are ridiculously cheap.

[Split_Pin]

I'm just off to read that now

 

Did you see the bit in the readers' cars section about the guy with the collection of 70's 80's cars? He had an early Allegro estate but the car I'd like to see more of is his Chrysler Alpine.

[Mr Lobster]

unless you live somewhere such as Burnley where they are ridiculously cheap.

 

Meh. Not all houses are that cheap in t'Burnley I'll have you know. Some of the shitier ones are yes, but not all of 'em. If they were that cheap then someone might buy mine...

[The Moog]

Just basing that on what my mate from there said

 

Of course living in London we pay £££££££ for a shoebox with no parking. On that basis a modern car should be around £40,000 for a mondeo or the like

[trigger]

Did you see the bit in the readers' cars section about the guy with the collection of 70's 80's cars? He had an early Allegro estate but the car I'd like to see more of is his Chrysler Alpine.

 

Funny enough I was looking at his photos on flickr last night, he has some real gems, he's also just bought that grey Alpine that was for sale on ebay in Colchester, I'll post the link later when I'm home from work.

[brammy777]

Pretty sure he is, or was a member on here, under the name Richie something.... Wonder where he went?

[HillmanImp]

House prices and car prices have generally been relative to each other over the years. They sometimes got out of sync but return to the norm eventually. I just cribbed this from google which was published in 2002:

 

In 1957 the average house cost 4.5 times as much as a standard £444 Ford Popular. The ratio remained at between four and five through the Ford Cortinas of the 1960s before jumping to more than eight in 1973. But by the late 1970s it had returned to earth, the average house costing five times as much as a Mark IV Cortina. It rose again during the 1980s, although not spectacularly, the average house costing just over six times as much as a Ford Sierra in 1988.

 

Lately, however, there have been big changes. In 1998 the average house cost 4.2 times the price of a Ford Mondeo. Since then car prices have fallen and house prices have soared. The average house now costs 10.1 times the list price of a Mondeo LX.

 

Its not returned to norm yet and I am wondering whether it will. Average house price is just under £170k at the mo average car £20k?

[timmyteapot]

I was sat reading that myself on Sat night (part animal arent I), the cost of cars now compared to then is alot less, mind you houses are alot more!. I did think that it was unfair to put a 1.25 Avenger and a 1.3 Marina against a 1.6 'Tina though. Surely a 1.5 and a 1.8 would have been nearer. Great article though and that Hillman was MINT!!! My choice woudl have been the Marina though, I have a thing for them (I owned two).

 

As you say the average price of a car is about £18/20k, which is one 8th of the price of a average family 3 bed semi nowadays.

 

Sod that Im going to live in my Sd1!

[Justin Case]

Here are the figures:

 

1970 Average house =£4975; Cortina 3 = £700. 1 house = 7 Cortinas

 

1975/60 Average house =£11,800; Cortina 4 = £1950. 1 house = 6 Cortinas

 

2010 Average house =£213,000; Mondeo = £17295. 1 house = 12 Mondeos

 

It would appear that houses are a better investment than shite. I will get my coat

[seth]

Some more figures*

 

1970 House £3506 1969 Ford Escort £705 : House = 5 Escorts

 

1990 House £80,000 1969 Ford Escort £50 : House = 1600 Escorts

 

2010 House £170,000 1969 Ford Escort £3,450,683 : House = 0.04 Escorts

 

 

 

 

 

*Possibly made up.

[The Moog]

Here are the figures:

 

1970 Average house =£213,000; Mondeo = £17295. 1 house = 12 Mondeos + 1 roll of gaffer tape for the bumpers of said mondeos

 

 

EFA

[trigger]

Did you see the bit in the readers' cars section about the guy with the collection of 70's 80's cars? He had an early Allegro estate but the car I'd like to see more of is his Chrysler Alpine.

 

Here that link http://www.flickr.com/photos/16726359@N08/

 

052 by riccigooch, on Flickr

[pogweasel]

Shit the bed, that is MEGA.

[Split_Pin]

Nice one Trigger

 

That Alpine is just lovely.