Model A cost in today's $$$

If Ford were allowed by today's Federal Government to make a million Model A's next year, (either the 1928, 1929, 1930, or 1931 models), with the same steel in the same thickness, same metal in transmission, etc., etc., and "everything identical" to original, (maybe with seat belts, two (2) tail lights, & directional signal lights), the cost would probably be the same as that of any other automobile sold today -- i.e., based on supply & demand; however:

How many present Model A owners would want a new one?

How many vintage automobile owners would want one?

How many vintage car collectors would want one?

After one (1) year on the market, would the remaining ones, (if any), go on sale?
 
I like the "how many weeks would a person have to work to pay for a new Ford" approach.

From a "cost of living" perspective, the factor to bring a 1929 price up to the present is 23.3559, so you can take the price of a new car and bring it forward to today's money by multiplying.

With this approach, a $500 Model A in 1929 would be $11,678 in today's dollars. A pretty low cost car (lower than any new car I know of).
 
I dont think a Model A would sell today unless you put a 1000 watt sound system with 10 speakers in it.
 
It's a lot tougher to come up with an answer then one would first think. You can compare it to cost of living, as compared to a home, etc. I like to compare it to pay.

Average pay then - $1236.00
Average pay now - $50,054
40.5 times the pay of the era
$500.00 model A = $20,250 in 2012
 
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apples and oranges-not even close for comparisons sake....

who wants to drive a model A into a brick wall at 50mph?
a new Nissan versa can be had for 11000. has no soul and yes, you get to walk away from the brick wall because of 6 airbags....

model A's could probably be built inexpensively today if there were volume and demand, just make sure to ommit the cost of the safety equipment.... and yeah, the sound system too!
 

Hi Guy's


Only reason I asked about the cost is young kid's are always asking what it sold for new.When You tell them 500 something..they get the wrong idea...You have to explaine that the pay wasn't that much way back either.



If I said it's like a car for 20 K. It put's in a proper perspective today


Thank's Greg out west


 
Today's cars are disposable and end up in the scrap pile after 5 or 10 years. My Model A is 83 years old and still going. That's priceless.
Mike
 
to put things in perspective for the young uns, Hemmings did an article in August of 2005. The article indicates that the average coist of a new home was $ 4,250 dollars and the average yearly salary was $ 1,490.
Hope that helps !
Al
 
The cost of cars has always been the same. 1 years worth of pay = one car. Pretty well the same today.

The Old Tinbasher
 
Mike V in Florida
I will bet there are a lot of Barners not making $50,000 plus. There must be a lot of rocket scientists figured in to get this average ! I personally don't believe that the average citizen makes 50K plus !
Al
 
luckyal said:
Mike V in Florida
I will bet there are a lot of Barners not making $50,000 plus. There must be a lot of rocket scientists figured in to get this average ! I personally don't believe that the average citizen makes 50K plus !
Al
Click to expand...

You are so right about not making $50K plus! As for your personal beliefs, there are so many numbers batted around pick one.

The number seem to vary some depending on where you look;

This website; http://financemymoney.com/average-a...a-per-year-household-income-data-median-wage/

states "The average American household takes in $63,091 per year."

This one calles out median income (the amount that has the same number of people making more and the same number of people making more)

http://money.cnn.com/2012/09/12/news/economy/median-income-poverty/index.html

Median household income fell to $50,054 in 2011

(which was down 4.8% from the pervious year http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/24/us-annual-income-recovery-recession_n_1828127.html
This one:

http://www.therichest.org/salary/middle-class/

Census showed that middle class average yearly income range from $36,000 – $57,657
 
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