No A/C
No power steering
No water cooling
Heater barely worked
Vast majority was 4 speed manual
Just 50 HP (at best)

This car for 1975 sold brand new fifty years ago was just $2999. Adjusted for inflation that comes to $17,920 in today's money.

If it was made again, would you buy one?

>>28530268 (OP)
For 18k? Hell no, you can do a lot better than that for that much.

>>28530268 (OP)
In a heartbeat. Fuck the AIDS-infested screenshit they try to push on us today.

>>28530275
For a brand new car? Dude the competition is what, the Nissan Versa and the Mitsubishi Mirage?

>>28530268 (OP)
i'd buy it for the basis of a project car that i wouldn't feel guilty about chopping up

>>28530280
Kia Picanto, some Dacia, a Fiat Panda, I think you could get a petrol Yaris for that much but dunno if they've gone up recently or if they even sell them anymore.

>>28530268 (OP)
no

>>28530284
Ok, let's break it down:

>Kia Picanto
Not sold in the US
>some Dacia
None are sold in the US
>Fiat Panda
Again, not available in the US
>petrol Yaris
Ok, here we go. Now this guy has quit being sold new here about five years ago. Not many (if any) are left on a dealer lot you could buy "new" and no real replacement. Hardly a contender.

>>28530300
Conclusion: cheap small cars don't sell in the US.

>>28530303
Correction: Cheap boring cars lacking charm don't sell in the us.

>>28530303
Uh, Miata?

>>28530303
>don't offer car for sale
>Gee, why isn't anyone buying these? Oh well, no time to think about that. Gotta get Dave to sign up for a 30 year loan on an F550 to get to and from the office!

>>28530280
A versa is absurdly, wildly better than 1975 beetle.

>>28530305
All the charm of a beetle is gonna go away real fast once people realize how much of a noisy slow barebones and uncomfortable ride they are compared to even the most basic modern vehicle.

>>28530313
Plenty of small cars have been offered for sale in the US before and they don't sell.

>>28530280
Swift Sport.

>>28530351
Discontinued

>>28530318
>effu effu
no thanks

>>28530268 (OP)
But still better than a horse-drawn wagon.

Those were other more primitive times .

>>28530291
There's a huge difference between 69 and 75 prices.

>>28530505
>Beetle prices rose again. The 1969 Beetle Deluxe Sedan was now $1799, the Sunroof Sedan was $1899 and the Cabriolet was now $2209.

>>28530505
You would be right

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/salesfigurest1.php

>>28530505
Yeah, a full $200 cheaper than a '70 Maverick or $1657 in today money.

>>28530700
Shit, I'd take a '68 bug for $15k in corrected cash.

>>28530710
Why? They're actual garbage.

>>28530722
I have a '73 Super. They're not. It's really the easiest car I've pulled an engine from and done a clutch job on. I rewired the whole car in a weekend. The aftermarket is huge and parts cheap. Every part of the car to work on is documented on YT.

Try that on any other compact car.

>>28530747
>Try that on any other compact car.
ENTER

>>28530754
>Posts a car not available in the US

This isn't that hard anon...

>>28530303
scion xA

>This car for 1975 sold brand new fifty years ago was just $2999. Adjusted for inflation that comes to $17,920 in today's money.
you can't use inflation calculators because they are extremely inaccurate to actual purchasing power. the average price of an ounce of gold in 1975 was $160 an ounce, so the car would have been the equivalent of 18.75 ounces. 18.75 ounces in today's dollars is ~$63k. so in real terms, a stripper Toyota crapolla is roughly 1/3rd the price.
When you hear stories about boomers buying muscle cars working part time minimum wage jobs, it's because they were making $75 an hour in gold terms.

>>28530801
In 1975 the average salary for a US worker was far lower than it is today at $7,653 or a corrected $39,687. That's pretty cut and dry no matter what way you want to want to re-position the goalposts anon.

>>28530796
Look up the history of the xA. It didn't sell great.

The xB on the other hand...

>>28530280
the mirage rapes it

>>28530325
the small-ish crossovers seem to sell, though they aren't really a "small car" i guess.

>>28530268 (OP)
Early 1970's inflation was wild. Car was only $2k just two years before. That's $14374.46 today.

How the fuck did it sell 600k cars in US in 1970?

>>28530747
The Super had McStruts in the front, as I recall.
As someone who is old enough to have ridden around in quite a few VW Bugs back in the day, I found them to be comfy. The heater worked fine, BTW. Even in upstate NY
>>28530968
VW was the Hyundai of it's era

>>28530995
Yeah the heater works, but it's one hell of a contraption that requires regular maintenance to work efficiently (as far as heaters go ofc). So back when our parents started running their cheap shitbox into the ground the heater was the first thing to go
>>28530841
they also spent far less of their money on insurance, housing, education etc
>>28530747
fuck that one bolt though

>>28530968
A combination of cheapness, proven track record, the overall counter culture of the hippie movement.. And like most WW2 era cars there was a significant focus on drivability.

These cars did not get outpaced until there was a real need for water cooling AND fuel atomization.
Both of these did effectively not happen until there was stricter emission standards.

>>28530968
There's a great story about Toyota engineers in SoCal working on the corolla in the late 60s.
The engine was severely underpowered and did not do well with the hills and canyons around L.A.
When they were finally able to pass a beetle on a grade on the freeway they knew they were making progress and had a product they could sell.

>>28530268 (OP)
Fuck no, I hate vw's and the weirdos that buy them

They are good while they work but are a pain in the ass with certain problems, specially with the latest one that have fuel injection and the digifant system.

>>28530268 (OP)
Absolutely.

>>28530279
SPBP

>>28530968
Designed with the Autobahn in mind, so it was actually compatible with American highways.

>>28531305
Link?

>>28532016
Shalom

>>28530848
I unironically drive an xB. I love it so much bros.

>>28530306
>miata
>cheap

>>28532843
>shalom
The biggest vw guy I know is Jewish

>>28532867
Absolutely disgusting

>>28530268 (OP)
Probably. Fix the overheating on number 3 and add electronic engine management and fuel injection.
The closest thing to a Beetle now is

>>28533097
Addendum 11k New.

>>28530754
are the Saxo and the 106 related? They look very similar. I know about PSA, but I didn't know it went so far back.

>>28530968
US-GM cars must have been a bit gay?

>>28533079
Oy vey

>>28533295
Humiliation ritual

>>28533301
For who? The cars?

>>28533320
Just memeing m8

>>28530291
That's prices before the boomers 2 more weeks to flatten the oil curve thing.
2x the 1970 prices to get the 1975 ones.

I've been wanting one for years. The only thing holding me back is their lack of ability to reach highway speeds (a necessity where I live). Don't want to engine swap, it's gotta sound like a bug too.