How Much Did Your First Car Cost? Was It New Or Used?
How much did your first car cost you? Did you buy it new or used? How is it any of my business? You don’t have to answer any of those questions, but with the prices of new and used vehicles nowadays, it seems normal to reminisce about my first few vehicles.
There Is Now Only One New Model Selling For Under $20,000
At this point in time, can you believe that there’s only one new car model available for under $20,000 dollars here in the U.S.A.? Out of all the car manufacturers, with all the different models available, there’s now only one. And that vehicle is: (drum roll please) The Mitsubishi Mirage!
According to an article by Tom Krisher on APNews.com, the Mirage lists for an average price of $19,205. That’s according to data from Cox Automotive. Moreover, just five short years ago, there were a dozen new car models selling for under twenty grand. Not to mention the fact that there are now 32 new car models which sell for over $100,000 bucks!
I currently drive a 10-year-old vehicle, and I dread having to go buy my next new vehicle. Furthermore, if I wanted to go with used vehicles from now on, those prices currently average $29,000. Nevertheless, all this talk about what cars cost nowadays got me thinking about what my first few cars cost.
How Much Did Your First Car Cost?
I had just turned 16-years-old and I got a job as a busboy at a local restaurant. Of course, I needed a car to get to-and-from work. My Mom co-signed on a used 1970 Ford Galaxie 500. I called it the green monster. The price? $500 bucks. Man, that thing drank gas like it was water.
A couple of years later I traded it in on a used 1974 Chevy Vega. Remember those? The price? $1,200. It was royal blue with a white racing stripe down the side, and a 4-speed manual transmission. At first, I thought I was so cool. But, I had to replace the clutch about five times in the next two years. So, there goes all that cash down the drain.
Subsequently, I traded in the Vega for a used black Chevy Malibu with swivel bucket seats. It was only three years old, and I think it cost around three grand. I didn’t buy my first new car until I was twenty-five years old. How about you? Happy motoring!