1963 AMC Rambler Classic 660 from North America - Comments

"Look at it this way - in 1969 an average income was something like $10-20,000/year, but a car was only $3,000. Nowadays the average income is $30-40,000, but a car is $25-30,000 dollars!"

Uhm, would you care to cite a (reliable) source for these figures? Or are they just your own estimates?"

Sure, the census bureau has all that stuff:

http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/histinc/histinctb.html

http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/histinc/p01AR.xls

How can you doubt the income has fallen relative to the price of things like cars? Seems obvious and common knowledge, and it's shown right there in the above links.

The average wage in the late 60s was closer to 8000 for men and 3500 for women. Many women did not work in my community. A car may have been half or more I would say of annual income. Most had payments, likely a trade in.

I graduated high school in 72. The best deals were used sports cars. Even kids with 600-800 found GTO'S Chevelle SS etc to drive. Many parents in the 60s had 1 car and again moms mostly were home. My mom had a 59 white Rambler sedan that was 9 years old. It was reliable it had the small rear fins. My grandparents had a 66 Ambassador nice car and they gave it to me. They also always had a single car. My grandmother drove my grandfather to work and used the car stayed at home too.

Nowadays women and men work together and have dual incomes. My wife drives a 40K car and earns nearly 3 times what I work for, and we would say we are better off than our parents were then. In all fairness it's a single income. Factor in mortgages, kids, tuitions etc, maybe it's not widespread though.

I think it was easier for the average person to earn enough to support a family, own a home etc. back in the 1960's.

My dad was the sole wage earner in our home, he had no college degree, but we owned our own home and never wanted for anything. He always drove used cars until when he was 49 years old he purchased a new 1969 Dodge Polara Wagon. 318 V8 power steering & brakes, AM radio, vinyl interior, no air conditioning - $4,000. His brothers also never went to college, but they also owned their own homes and supported their families. Nowadays it is tough for a college educated couple to own a home and raise a family.