I bought a left-over Ford Fastback Mustang in 1970 for $2,500 with only 10 miles on the odometer. At the dealer's, Dad offered to fill the tank if I let him drive it home, so I agreed. About 4 hours, 1/2 a tank of gas and 150 miles later, he finally pulled into the driveway. The first words out of my mouth: "Where the hell have you been?" I suddenly realized that, for a moment only, our roles had just been reversed.
I had just gotten my license and took a city corner too fast in my dad's green and white 59 Fairlane 4 door. End result was the wreckage of three parking meters with coins flying everywhere, a dented Ford and loss of license for 30 days. Dad traded the Ford for a new 61 Impala 4 door which we both liked better.
I had a 1959 ford .Bought it with no reverse and drove it for about a month like that .I had to be careful where I parked.when I had the auto tranny rebuilt it cost $300.That was alot of money.
I turned 18 in Kansas in '65 and could legally drink 3.2 beer. An eight oz. glass of draught cost a dime and a long neck, 12 oz. bottle cost a quarter. A guy could get drunk for two or three dollars. Of course, I was only making $254/month at a State civil service job!
When gas prices looked like they might eventually approach $1.00 per gallon, I traded my brand new Dodge Challenger for a new 1972 Volkswagen. In 1977, an improper left turn ended up with the "bug" demolished all the way to the windshield. Because I liked it so much, rather than getting another car, I used the insurance money to have the front end rebuilt. I went on to drive it for another decade, the last four years without an oil change, under the premise that the worse you treated them, the longer they would last.
My grandfather who never bought Christmas gifts, instead choosing and researching some family in need, then sneaking food, toys and clothes to them in the dead of night, but once bought me what had to have been one of the first "remote controlled" cars...it was a two-tone green-on-green Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner, maybe eight or so inches long...there was a control box about the size of two decks of cards, a rubber tube several feet long, and that's how it worked...I think he just wanted to play with it too...
A neighbor had a salmon pink Edsel, decided it was no good, ended up hacksawing it to bits and making an odd camper thing out of it...
My first car was a 59 Chevy Impala two tone, four door, and perfect. Bought it in about 67 or 68 from my Aunt for $100......
Next car was a one year old 68 Plymouth Valiant, purchased, obviously, in 69 for $1400.....
Hey, at least gas dipped below $3 a gallon here over the last few days.
I think in 1962 , comics were already 12 ¢.I was reading them and saving up for them with the returns on Coke bottles....A six-pack of bottles got me 12¢.
Ours was a 1959 Ford Galaxie Fairlane 500, like the one pictured here, but black. I tend to gauge inflation by how much things cost when I was 12, in 1962. For example, it cost
5 cents for a candy bar or a pack or baseball cards,
10 cents for a comic book,
25 cents for a quart of milk, and
35 cents for a milk shake.
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There are 17 comments for this item.
These cars had style.
A neighbor had a salmon pink Edsel, decided it was no good, ended up hacksawing it to bits and making an odd camper thing out of it...
Next car was a one year old 68 Plymouth Valiant, purchased, obviously, in 69 for $1400.....
Hey, at least gas dipped below $3 a gallon here over the last few days.
5 cents for a candy bar or a pack or baseball cards,
10 cents for a comic book,
25 cents for a quart of milk, and
35 cents for a milk shake.
Registered users can log in to post comments or submit items for the galleries.