History Prices in Old Classified Ads

So, the other day I bought a stack of "shopper" type classified ad books dating from 1980. That doesn't seem that long ago to me (okay, so I was 8 years old) but the prices woke me up. Fire up the time machine-some of the deals you could have picked up in the spring of '80:
48 Chevy 3/4 ton pickup, 4 spd, good cond, $750
52 antique Chevrolet, good cond $650
52 Chevy 4dr $450
53 Ford pickup, restore or haul firewood $350
54 DeSoto $850
55 Dodge Royal, running, exc cond in and out, $850
56 Olds Holiday 88, fair cond, $200
56 Chevy pickup, tagged, $200
57 Chevy 2dr HT, 327 engine, 4 speed, $1500 or best offer
58 Chevy, 59,000 actual mi, orig paint, exc cond, $1500
58 Buick 4dr $650
59 Pontiac 2dr $550
59 Edsel 2dr, V8 auto, $595
59 Edsel wagon $400
59 Mercedes 4dr 6cyl $300
60 T-Bird, good cond, $1295
60 red Ford 2dr HT Starliner, 22,000 orig mi, V8, 360hp w/straight shift/OD, $2000
62 Ford Thunderbird Classic, tagged, runs good, AT, $400
62 Olds Super 88, 48,000 act. mi, good cond, $500
63 Pontiac 4dr V8 $200
64 Impala Super Sport body, no motor or trans, $75
64 Chevelle Convertible, red with black top, good top, new rear window, runs well, $800
66 Mustang HT, exc cond, 302 AT, good gas mi, needs some repair, $695 firm
66 T-Bird conv't, good cond $1295
66 Corvair conv't, new paint, good cond, $795
66 Chevy pickup, 6 cyl 3 spd, $650
67 Pontiac Firebird, power steering, $600
67 Nova SS drag car, 350 w/angle plugs heads, Elderbrock Holly TRW (sic) 4 spd Hurst, $1500
68 Cadillac 4dr, good cond. $350
68 Camaro, needs some body work, rebuilt trans, good eng, $550
68 Camaro RS conv't, 327 210hp, 3 spd, 123k, 1 owner, $2000
68 Corvette convertible, 4spd, 350 eng $3800
68 Mercedes Benz 250S new radial tires, new Imron paint, motor less than 25,000 miles, good shape, $1950 firm
69 Mach I Mustang $595
69 Mach I Mustang, 351 w/4spd, new tires, new shocks, new brakes, 1974 motor $1200
69 Chevelle body, damaged while parked, very good 350 motor & 4spd trans, $250
69 Barracuda, auto, PS, V8-318, 2bbl, exc cond, asking $850
69 Camaro, blue, 3spd, 90,000 mi, good cond $1100
69 Camaro w/1975 V8 eng, 39,000 mi, AT, PS, exc cond $1050
69 Camaro 6cyl 3spd mag wheels, CB, 2 new tires, needs body work, runs well $695
72 Chevelle 2dr, like new, AT, PS, 350, 28,000 mi on rebuilt engine, $875

 

Hmm, I wonder if they still have the 57 ???

 

I'll take one of each.

 

Yeah,
And gas ain't 75 cents no more.

 

I've got a few old mags with what now seem like super-low prices too. Mind you, everyone was probably only paid a hundred dollars a week, so they still seemed expensive then too.
It's funny what has increased many many times and what hasn't though.

 

Sounds about right for the time - somewhere I've got photos of a tired but running/driving/tagged '57 Chrysler Windsor four-door hardtop at the Pomona swap meet in 1982 which was priced at $350, and a sharp low-mile red and white '56 Packard Clipper hardtop for $2400, also at Pomona.

 

exactly on this day, Oct 1 1980 I moved from Alaska to California, bought the very first car for sale that I saw when leaving the SF airport, a Pontiac for sale parked on the side of the road...

a 1968 black GTO, 400 4 speed, paid $950