I remember my old man buying a base model 1.3 XL 1989 Corolla in 1990 for $11k, it was an ex rental with 60,000k, seemed a good deal at the time, but adjusted that's $18200.
tgray,
Aug 17, 1:26am
Two years after purchase, I parked it on the street in Te Atatu with a for sale sign, and re sold it for $11,500. Not bad.
upnorth,
Aug 17, 2:41am
Until August 83 a new car needed a minimum 2/3 deposit and 1/3 financed over one year max.
I bought a Mirage Panther for $12500 the day before those HP rules were scrapped.
The following week Kirk Motors were offering Mitsis for $500 deposit and they offered to give you the $500
While I was happy with my deal somehow the ad hit a raw nerve.
rctr,
Aug 17, 2:46am
Funny thing is I was going through our tool room the other day and there are still a few things in there from beale motors
sw20,
Aug 17, 4:10am
Everyone soon forgets how the 'good old days' were so bloody expensive.
The only thing cheap was housing.
tigra,
Aug 17, 4:16am
And most people who got in during the 70s did so by Capitalising family Benefiit
tgray,
Aug 17, 4:18am
Relative to income, you are correct. The big difference is, you couldn't get a mortgage with a 5% interest rate.
ambo11,
Aug 17, 4:47am
I remember buying a 1976 Mazda 929 for $6000 in the 80s, high mileage and fresh paint , so no doubt the dodgy car yard had it bogged and sprayed. By the time I'd paid it off 2.5 years later it was bubbling through all over the place. But was young and needed wheels. I dreamed of owning the "modern square Mk5 Cortina" back then or a 4 cyl Commodore, but were too expensive. wouldn't take a dump in them now. Mazda had 4 new tyres (retreads) and i thought I was just it. One and only time I've ever paid a car off, that $6000 turned into around $10000 at the end, and the car wasn't wort a cent. Live and learn.
stevo2,
Aug 17, 5:05am
I remember my old man bought his one and only Brand New car. A Brand New Hilly Hunter in 72 for $3350 on the road. A Corolla at the time was about $50 dearer but he wouldnt have one because he fought against them in the war. (and $50 was another weeks wages) An HQ Holden at the time was way over the budget at around $4k.
I bought a Brand New Galant Sigma in 79 for $10k on the road. I wanted a Cortina but the salesman didnt take me seriously, wouldnt let me have a test drive so I had to go elsewhere. Mitsi welcomed me and my cash with open arms.
ema1,
Aug 17, 5:11am
I remember the first Chrysler Valiant AP5 TorqueFlite my folks had in 1963 cost them £1398 ($2796 in dollar terms) and the manual ones back then cost £1298 ($2596 in dollar terms) and the "overseas funds requirement" which was a big deal back then too? The VC V8 Valiant they got in 1967 was in the $4000 region I seem to remember, wish I had laid claim to it somehow as they are a nice rare old beast now for sure. Sorry it's not squarely on thread topic but I do recall the 1983=4 Toyota Cressida's being rather expensive, not sure what their list price was when new in New Zealand, someone could inform me please I'd like to know just how expensive they were as I owned various versions of them from 1982 through to 1987 used cars, about 6 or 7 in all and they were good honest reliable comfy cruisers all of them.
bwg11,
Aug 17, 5:57am
ema1 - Here are some 6 cylinder Cressida prices. They were an vastly under-rated car in their day. I delivered a few from Christchurch to Alexandra.
Hope you can read the link as the resolution is not brilliant.
Thanks for that bwg11 I thought the list prices were in the region of those shown in your posted pic. I loved those cars and they had features as standard that lots of cars only got eventually some 2 decades later, they were cutting edge stuff at the time for sure and bullet proof tough into the bargain. Comfort wise and in build quality they were hard to beat.
bryshaw,
Aug 17, 8:52am
Ah, TorqueFlite, the virtually indestructible auto; cabbies loved them.
rosiejoy,
Aug 17, 8:55am
Dang! - what caused the massive price jump with the 2.8GLXi in 1987?
bwg11,
Aug 17, 9:18am
The Lange Governments 20% devaluation of the NZ dollar mid 1984. As the Cressida was assembled in NZ probably took a couple of years to filter through to retail prices.
ema1,
Aug 17, 10:49am
Very true, the VC 273cid V8 the folks had was a Torque Flite also, Chrysler had a winner there for sure. Both the 225 Slant 6 and the 273 V8 were great engines liked em a lot and got to work on plenty of em too as well as the LA 318cid V8 etc and big block Mopars. Good times they were.
sw20,
Aug 17, 11:05am
Same with the NZ assembled Corolla GT's. They were $24,995 in 1985, by the end of the run in 1988 they were $37,995.
tgray,
Aug 17, 7:26pm
And that's when houses could be bought in Auckland for $30,000 I remember 1985 and yes, that is not an exaggeration.
elect70,
Aug 18, 2:43am
I bought my first & only brand new vehicle in 1983 a datsun bluebird SW . Spent half its time in the dealers workshop must have been a monday car . Cost me $16000 sold it when warranty ran out for $10000 & considered myself lucky . POS Bought a used falcon panel van for that & it gave many years of faithfull service .
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