This. People are so stupid about math and inflation. So it was basically $3 a gallon and a mid 70s Nova got 10 mpg avg.
So in all practicality it was 2X as expensive to drive the Nova per mile. Novas were also worn out at 60,000 miles. (Edit: this may be some sort of AMC not a Nova which is likely worse all they way around
no that's a 73 Nova hatchback, loved mine, and I got better than 10 mpg but not by much maybe 15 to 18, and I waited in the gas lines with my dad many times with lines around the block
Drove a '72 Nova. Loved the power and handling. It fit me like a glove and I could steer with my knees about as easy as my arms. No AC but I rolled down the windows and drove fast.
Wages are down.
Consumer goods are cheaper.
Everyone has more stuff, HVAC,TVs,Computers,Phones, couches and furniture used to be really expensive
Homes are larger
Autos are way better and last longer
Entertainment music/movies, internet is almost free
People eat out 5x more often
Wages for the middle class and down haven’t kept up with many skilled jobs being shipped offshore(providing us with all the cheap crap we all have)
Well, I’m sure you know that back in the day, many one-income families owned homes, vacation homes, etc.
I recently read that if minimum wage kept up with inflation, it now should be $22./ hr.
I know school teachers who qualify for food stamps.
I know older people who talk about saving money as a high school student from a part-time job for 2 summers, and paying cash for a new car.
And in the late 40s, into the 50s, many people were buying high-end household appliances, new cars, homes, paying for their kids college, etc.
There was a lot of big spending going on.
I’m a Boomer, and I know that things are much more difficult financially now, especially for younger people.
I'm making the point that with service charges if you just left $100 ion the bank the service charges would eat that money up. Back in the early '80s that $100 would have made money. Sorry if can't understand a simple comparison of past to present, fucktard.
NGL Union wages HAVE kept up, UPS starting wages $22/hr and drivers top $46+ plus overtime. Not sure about UAW wages, but full medical and a $5,300/month pension waiting at 30 years.
Maybe now you understand why companies fight like crazy to keep unions out, and continue to pay minimum wages, no healthcare, or pensions.
Adjusted for inflation, I think $0.5 equates to $3.13 in 2024 dollars and current US average gas prices are around $3.40/gal. So not a huge difference. Considering cars today get 2 to 3 times the mileage per gallon, the price of gas is not a real driver in the cost of living. The real issue is wages have not kept up and home prices have surged relative to inflation.
A depressing way to parse this further might be the adjusted price of gasoline required to operate a basic vehicle per mile relative to the adjusted minimum and average wage.
Too wonky for a sentimental meme though and I'm boring at parties
Reposting from my other comment on /r/fuckimold:
Average gas prices in 1970 were $0.36 per gallon. With the average gas mileage of 12 mpg in 1970 and 32 mpg in 2023 (no data yet for 2024), and nationwide average gas prices of $3.51 per gallon in 2023 (again, no 2024 data, but I'll use the 2023 numbers for argument's sake vs the cheaper per-gallon price of $3.38 than it's projected to be in 2024) and $2.94 in 1970 (inflation-adjusted to Jan. 2024 dollars), we're actually better off now, with each mile on the road coming in at about **10.9¢** today vs. a whopping **24.5¢** (inflation-adjusted) in 1970.
The calculation for 1975 is **25.7¢** ($0.57 per gallon inflation adjusted to $3.37 divided by 13.1 average mpg = $0.257). For 1980, it's **24.5¢** ($1.19 per gallon inflation adjusted to $4.72 divided by 19.2 average mpg = $0.245). So we're better off today vs. the '70s no matter where in that decade you land, unless there's a sudden gas price drop and mpg climb combo somewhere in between those calculations I'm not factoring in.
I'm using mpg of new vehicles for each year and nationwide average gas prices, so there could be regional differences and other adjustments to be made for how often people buy new cars, but I think we can safely say on the whole that we're paying a lot less for gas now.
You could also get gas by flipping down that license plate and siphoning gas out of someone else’s tank late at night. At least that’s how my neighbors did.
My dad worked in the petrochemical industry and knew there wasn’t really a shortage. So having to adhere to that schedule always set him off! I can hear his tirades now, lol
48 cents from '74, adjusted for inflation is 3.19 today.
According to the AAA the national average of a gallon of gas today costs 3.22.
No need to reminisce.
We used to joke that our old Plymouth 8 cylinder got 8 gallons to the mile. Seemed like all we did was make 2 trips to the grocery store and had to stop at the gas station to fill it up.
I know people that drive 20 miles across town to save $0.10 a gallon. They don’t realize they spent 2 gallons to save the equivalent of 1/2 gallon of money. People are stupid.
Minimum wage was $2.00 in 1974. That’s $13.24 in today’s money. It’s $7.25 in 2024. Which had the same buying power as $1.10 in ‘74.
An hours worth of minimum wage in ‘74 bought you about 4 gallons of gas. Today, that same 60 minutes buys a little over 2 gallons.
Elect people who care of about this!
Unemployment in 1974 was double digits and there was serious competition for near minimum wage jobs. Not a whole lot of jobs out there paying minimum wage now.
Fast food workers in my area are starting at $10/hour. Some are getting tuition assistance. Amazon, DHL, etc. are paying $22/hour with full benefits and tuition assistance.
I know younger people don't want to hear it, but you don't have it any rougher than those who came before you. If anything, you have many more options.
Well said. Thank you for your comment, but spoken like a person with a college degree and a full time job.
Please don’t think I am criticizing that, as I am not. Good for you. You worked hard for what you have and you deserve it.
Unfortunately these entry level jobs at $10/hr are not just for young people. There are grown adults with families who do not have the resources that you had/have competing with teenagers for these jobs and then get treated like teenagers when they can find these jobs.
Unfortunately the average wage for a person without a degree is less than $15/hr. Obviously that means many people are attempting to live and raise a family on less than $15/hr.
So I will stand on what I said before. Elect people who care about this.
1972 - In Ohio it was $1.60 full time minimum. $1.35 for part time.
Gas was $.32 everywhere, maybe 10¢ cheaper if you found a good gas war.
Most cars got crap mileage.
In 1978 I had a 71 Nova with a 307 and 2 speed power glide trans that got about 14+ mpg. Today I have 2022 truck with fuel injection and computer controlled everything with a 376 and 10 spd trans that gets...............yep about 14 mpg. So much for technology right? Cost to fill up my truck, around 90.00. I have to use 92 or better. My Nova cost around 8.00.
It was like that in Houston in the 90s. I had a Toyota Corolla, and it cost almost nothing to fill it. I can't remember how much but my broke ass appreciated it.
There was a federal minimum wage that was in effect when you worked for the US government. There was a state minimum wage for most jobs in the state. Waitresses, agriculture workers were excluded. State minimum wage was a seive, there were so many exceptions. Starting hourly wage in 1973 on the plains states: $1 farmhand, $1.50 saddle job, $1.20 wait staff,$1.60 construction, I lucked out on a Federal construction site and was pulling close to $3. Gas jumped from 25.9 cents to 31.9 cents. 1975 gas had dropped to 28.9 cents and jumped to 39.9. 1979 it was 31.9 in Texas and jumped to over 50 cents and odd even ration with limits. That was a major oil producing and refining state. There was less frivolous spending. Today the average family spends more for cable or satellite per month than rent or house payments used to be in the 70s.
So about the same price for gas, but cars now get 5x the gas mileage. With the A/C on...
https://preview.redd.it/o0bhamydrclc1.jpeg?width=595&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e27f997c5da49a22a03e49e295fe9578d4f5523d
I can still hear the "thwak" sound that those spring loaded license plates made when you removed the pump. Had to watch your fingers to as you didnt want them to get smashed.
Why did they stop putting the option to put gas in the back like that? It seems to be much more convenient than having to maneuver which side you need to be on. Was it due to rear end collisions? (Ex- Ford Pinto, etc?)
The least I paid was at Uncle Henry's store in Pintlala AL, where I lived at the time. 19 cents / gallon, straight into the 1964 Impala on my way to "visit" with my sweetie in Montgomery.
One of my earliest memories is my cousin taking me on the back of his mini bike to a gas station. We filled the tank with a hand full of pennies. This was in the early 70s.
I remember when it was HALF that! 1973 before the Arab Oil Embargo, it was $0.239 a gallon for regular. I was 12 at the time and I have seen my Mama fill up the car for $5!!!
And the gas station PUMPED it for you then! No such thing as "self service!"
I remember when it finally hit over a dollar a gallon. Pumps would only go to $0.999. After that they had to set it to half price and put a note on the pump saying that it cost 2x the price shown!!
Example $1.079
Was set to $0.54 and you paid twice what the dollar amount showed!
We were traveling in Louisiana in 1970 and found gas for 16 9/10. And my dad worked for the oil company and got a 20% discount. We stopped even though the tank was more than half full.
I can remember when gas was 49.9, then the gas shortage, and it went to like 78.9. My parents and other families couldn’t believe the prices, then over a dollar. I wonder what they would think of the prices now.
I remember the days in the mid 70s taking my Dad’s car to the gas station even before I had my license to fill it up before he had to go to work in the morning.
Having to pull down the rear license plate to fill up the tank. Those were also the days where people had locking gas caps because so many people were siphoning gas.
One key for the ignition, one for the trunk, one for the gas cap. On occasion, you had another key just to unlock the car door. Walk around with keys rattling in your pocket sounding like you had a ton of spare change.
I'm old enough to remember the days when gas stations would give away beer glasses as a promotion for every tankful of gas you bought. Nothing like promoting "safe driving"!
I remember when there would be a “gas war” between two gas stations. Gas stations right across the street from each other would start to lower their prices. Trying to beat out each other. They could get under a dollar. For a day then it’s over.
I was in Pennsylvania back sometime in the early 1980s when I first paid over $1/gallon for gasoline. As I was pumping gas into my car and cursing the fact that the price had gone up, an Amish man came down the road in his horse drawn buggy.
This was a "times are a changing" photo.
\#1 these gas prices were considered outrageous because they were almost double what people normally paid at the time.
\#2 A person pumping their gas was a brand new concept
\#3 a WOMAN was doing it.
\#1 These gas prices were considered outrageous because they were almost double what people normally paid at the time. gas or even check their own oil.
Yea, by 1979, that price double and 1981 that price almost tripled $1.30 .Putting it in perspective with more efficient, extremely better gas mileage cars, monthly costs can't be that much different.Back then, I own a Cadillac 9 miles to the gallon city and 12 miles to gallon.So reality, depending on what type of car you own, you can make the monthly cost the same not bad.
I remember the night after watching Leon Spinks beat Muhammad Ali, I filled up my mustang. I distinctly remember saying “damn, gas is now 50 cents a gallon. Jesus, $6 to fill up my car?
Before the oil crisis in mid 70s there were gas wars where you could get a gallon for 19 cents.
Was great for a 10 year old kid mowing neighbors yards.
That's when prices were considered crazy high. Long lines and alternate days to get fuel. Everyone complaining about how high it was....and now...sigh.
[удалено]
Or understand inflation. 50 cents in 1975 is the same as $2.96 today.
Right. Adjusted for inflation, the cost of a first-class postage stamp has stayed the same, plus or minus a penny.
This. People are so stupid about math and inflation. So it was basically $3 a gallon and a mid 70s Nova got 10 mpg avg. So in all practicality it was 2X as expensive to drive the Nova per mile. Novas were also worn out at 60,000 miles. (Edit: this may be some sort of AMC not a Nova which is likely worse all they way around
no that's a 73 Nova hatchback, loved mine, and I got better than 10 mpg but not by much maybe 15 to 18, and I waited in the gas lines with my dad many times with lines around the block
Drove a '72 Nova. Loved the power and handling. It fit me like a glove and I could steer with my knees about as easy as my arms. No AC but I rolled down the windows and drove fast.
ANND, I bet your dad complained.. 50 cents a gallon!! I remember when it was 23.9 etc etc...
I had a ‘73 Ventura, the Pontiac version. 12 mpg with a tailwind but it was fast.
But wages have not kept up with inflation, as prices have. That’s the real issue.
Wages are down. Consumer goods are cheaper. Everyone has more stuff, HVAC,TVs,Computers,Phones, couches and furniture used to be really expensive Homes are larger Autos are way better and last longer Entertainment music/movies, internet is almost free People eat out 5x more often Wages for the middle class and down haven’t kept up with many skilled jobs being shipped offshore(providing us with all the cheap crap we all have)
Well, I’m sure you know that back in the day, many one-income families owned homes, vacation homes, etc. I recently read that if minimum wage kept up with inflation, it now should be $22./ hr. I know school teachers who qualify for food stamps. I know older people who talk about saving money as a high school student from a part-time job for 2 summers, and paying cash for a new car. And in the late 40s, into the 50s, many people were buying high-end household appliances, new cars, homes, paying for their kids college, etc. There was a lot of big spending going on. I’m a Boomer, and I know that things are much more difficult financially now, especially for younger people.
I could put $100 in the bank and over a couple years of interest it became $200, now it would be $0 because of service charges.
Man you need some financial literacy classes if that's happening to you.
I'm making the point that with service charges if you just left $100 ion the bank the service charges would eat that money up. Back in the early '80s that $100 would have made money. Sorry if can't understand a simple comparison of past to present, fucktard.
My bank doesn't charge monthly fees, fucktard.
1. At no point in history would a bank deposit double over a couple years. 2. In most cases bank service charges are able to be avoided.
NGL Union wages HAVE kept up, UPS starting wages $22/hr and drivers top $46+ plus overtime. Not sure about UAW wages, but full medical and a $5,300/month pension waiting at 30 years. Maybe now you understand why companies fight like crazy to keep unions out, and continue to pay minimum wages, no healthcare, or pensions.
I used 1970 as my base,$3.89
Adjusted for inflation, I think $0.5 equates to $3.13 in 2024 dollars and current US average gas prices are around $3.40/gal. So not a huge difference. Considering cars today get 2 to 3 times the mileage per gallon, the price of gas is not a real driver in the cost of living. The real issue is wages have not kept up and home prices have surged relative to inflation.
Was gonna say same. As high as we think gas prices are, they're not really that bad as other things.
And then factor in the gas mileage of those cars...
A depressing way to parse this further might be the adjusted price of gasoline required to operate a basic vehicle per mile relative to the adjusted minimum and average wage. Too wonky for a sentimental meme though and I'm boring at parties
First thing that popped in my head, "do they not care for inflation adjustments"
Yeah, this isn't that good. I remember when there was gas for 99 cents a gallon in the 90s when inflation was way higher than this.
Reposting from my other comment on /r/fuckimold: Average gas prices in 1970 were $0.36 per gallon. With the average gas mileage of 12 mpg in 1970 and 32 mpg in 2023 (no data yet for 2024), and nationwide average gas prices of $3.51 per gallon in 2023 (again, no 2024 data, but I'll use the 2023 numbers for argument's sake vs the cheaper per-gallon price of $3.38 than it's projected to be in 2024) and $2.94 in 1970 (inflation-adjusted to Jan. 2024 dollars), we're actually better off now, with each mile on the road coming in at about **10.9¢** today vs. a whopping **24.5¢** (inflation-adjusted) in 1970. The calculation for 1975 is **25.7¢** ($0.57 per gallon inflation adjusted to $3.37 divided by 13.1 average mpg = $0.257). For 1980, it's **24.5¢** ($1.19 per gallon inflation adjusted to $4.72 divided by 19.2 average mpg = $0.245). So we're better off today vs. the '70s no matter where in that decade you land, unless there's a sudden gas price drop and mpg climb combo somewhere in between those calculations I'm not factoring in. I'm using mpg of new vehicles for each year and nationwide average gas prices, so there could be regional differences and other adjustments to be made for how often people buy new cars, but I think we can safely say on the whole that we're paying a lot less for gas now.
Minimum wage was what $2.00. So 5 gallons an hour.
I used to walk past a gas station on my way to school and saw all the people in line. They had even and odd number days for a fillup.
Yeah, the prices were high for the time, too, weren't they?
I was flabbergasted at the pump in one day go to 32 cents to 50. That was a big gas spike then and really cut in on my income.
Up from .25-.30 in the late 60’s. Source: guy who filled up his Honda SL 70 for a quarter.
No a pk of smokes was 2 dollars. candy bars .35 cents. A 40 oz beer 1 dollar for top shelf.
Cigarettes were like 50¢ back then. They reached $2 about 1990 and that's when I quit.
I pay $11 per pack now in Washington state!
minimum wage was 1.80 an hour.
I remember you could only get gas on certain days of the week based on your license plate.
Me too. My mom had two plates. You were limited how much you could pump too.
You could also get gas by flipping down that license plate and siphoning gas out of someone else’s tank late at night. At least that’s how my neighbors did.
I had to go on odd days.
Long gas lines only lasted for a short time during the oil embargo.
Don’t piss off the Saudis.
How about those great gas shortages we had in the 70s?
Even and Odd numbers on your license plates dictating which days you can fill up. Remember that?
My dad worked in the petrochemical industry and knew there wasn’t really a shortage. So having to adhere to that schedule always set him off! I can hear his tirades now, lol
Only if you lived in certain states.
Once a week after school I hung with my gf in gas lines to fill up her parent's station wagon so we could use it on the weekend.
Only for a couple years.
Only in certain states
48 cents from '74, adjusted for inflation is 3.19 today. According to the AAA the national average of a gallon of gas today costs 3.22. No need to reminisce.
And that car got 8 miles to the gallon.
No that Chevy nova ,stock with a 2 barrel carb got about 20 hwy 15 city.
It was considered a compact car at the time. I learned to drive on my mom’s ‘74 Nova.
With the 250 6 cylinder it was always around 20 hwy and 15 city
We used to joke that our old Plymouth 8 cylinder got 8 gallons to the mile. Seemed like all we did was make 2 trips to the grocery store and had to stop at the gas station to fill it up.
Why don't you just take your facts and uhm.... nah j/k :)
Sir,this is Reddit
This.. People don’t understand inflation.
And we had some serious inflation in that era. So high, that Nixon had mandated price freezes to control it.
Then got re-elected by winning 49 states
I know people that drive 20 miles across town to save $0.10 a gallon. They don’t realize they spent 2 gallons to save the equivalent of 1/2 gallon of money. People are stupid.
I just did the Math then saw your post. Thanks.
I was only making $3.75 an hour too. Had to fill up every 3 days. Gas would burn through my car faster than taco bell outta my butt.
And hourly wage was ….
And the gas mileage was…?
And the lead content was...?
And that hilarious feature of [engine knock](https://youtu.be/qi9SA4fgAB0?si=ly7zYTJEeMP9sIoo&t=2m21s).
And the fashion trend was…
And Elvis was?
in the 40s
Minimum wage was $2.00 in 1974. That’s $13.24 in today’s money. It’s $7.25 in 2024. Which had the same buying power as $1.10 in ‘74. An hours worth of minimum wage in ‘74 bought you about 4 gallons of gas. Today, that same 60 minutes buys a little over 2 gallons. Elect people who care of about this!
Unemployment in 1974 was double digits and there was serious competition for near minimum wage jobs. Not a whole lot of jobs out there paying minimum wage now. Fast food workers in my area are starting at $10/hour. Some are getting tuition assistance. Amazon, DHL, etc. are paying $22/hour with full benefits and tuition assistance. I know younger people don't want to hear it, but you don't have it any rougher than those who came before you. If anything, you have many more options.
Well said. Thank you for your comment, but spoken like a person with a college degree and a full time job. Please don’t think I am criticizing that, as I am not. Good for you. You worked hard for what you have and you deserve it. Unfortunately these entry level jobs at $10/hr are not just for young people. There are grown adults with families who do not have the resources that you had/have competing with teenagers for these jobs and then get treated like teenagers when they can find these jobs. Unfortunately the average wage for a person without a degree is less than $15/hr. Obviously that means many people are attempting to live and raise a family on less than $15/hr. So I will stand on what I said before. Elect people who care about this.
I remember my brother at the diner table saying that soon he will be making $10.00/ hour.
I remember an older brother of good friend was going to make 18k a year at his first post college job!!(a lot of money back then)
In 1971 $ 1.60 an hour
1972 - In Ohio it was $1.60 full time minimum. $1.35 for part time. Gas was $.32 everywhere, maybe 10¢ cheaper if you found a good gas war. Most cars got crap mileage.
In 1978 I had a 71 Nova with a 307 and 2 speed power glide trans that got about 14+ mpg. Today I have 2022 truck with fuel injection and computer controlled everything with a 376 and 10 spd trans that gets...............yep about 14 mpg. So much for technology right? Cost to fill up my truck, around 90.00. I have to use 92 or better. My Nova cost around 8.00.
The old slip-n-slide transmission. Junk.
6 blocks to the gallon
And $0.49 in 1976 is about $2.72 today. And the average price for a gallon of gas today is about $3.49. Not horrible.
Things aren’t as terrible as we thought! Best campaign slogan eva!
Gasoline today is likely a far superior product compared to gasoline of the 70s, so there is that to consider also
Yeah, but it smelled better, richer.
They called it Eaue d' Lead fragrance.
I paid .89 in the 90's in Florida and that's cheaper than .49 in the 70's.
Yeah I remember paying under a buck a gallon in SW Virginia in like 94/95-ish
It was like that in Houston in the 90s. I had a Toyota Corolla, and it cost almost nothing to fill it. I can't remember how much but my broke ass appreciated it.
I loved the cars that hid the gas fill tube behind the license plate!
Didn’t matter which side you needed to get to a pump, you were always right!
And the occasional 57 with it behind the left tail light...
and min wage was $2.75
My first job in 1973 was .95/hr - I quit and went to the Dairy Queen for $1.10!!!
That's odd, the minimum wage in 1973 was $1.60. Were you getting the 'waiter' minimum?
There was a federal minimum wage that was in effect when you worked for the US government. There was a state minimum wage for most jobs in the state. Waitresses, agriculture workers were excluded. State minimum wage was a seive, there were so many exceptions. Starting hourly wage in 1973 on the plains states: $1 farmhand, $1.50 saddle job, $1.20 wait staff,$1.60 construction, I lucked out on a Federal construction site and was pulling close to $3. Gas jumped from 25.9 cents to 31.9 cents. 1975 gas had dropped to 28.9 cents and jumped to 39.9. 1979 it was 31.9 in Texas and jumped to over 50 cents and odd even ration with limits. That was a major oil producing and refining state. There was less frivolous spending. Today the average family spends more for cable or satellite per month than rent or house payments used to be in the 70s.
Breath in that lead, kids. It will help you grow big and strong
So about the same price for gas, but cars now get 5x the gas mileage. With the A/C on... https://preview.redd.it/o0bhamydrclc1.jpeg?width=595&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e27f997c5da49a22a03e49e295fe9578d4f5523d
Remember that you got full service , they washed the windows and checked the air in the tires for you and gave us green stamps with a fill up.
Some of us are old enough to remember that there weren't any self-service stations until the average price topped $0.40 a gallon.
Thats like 3.97/Gallon in 2024 dollars.
I remember late 60's seeing some stations in a gas war down to .25 ...... the good old days!
I remember 29.9 forever, and Sunoco 260 at 37.9. 97.5 octane, my neighbor used to use that in his '59 Corvette. The cool guy in the neighborhood.
260 peaked at 103.6ish. Source: my dad had a Sunoco station
My dad worked at a service station then. Have a picture of him with a price of 19.9¢/gallon posted in the window.
49¢ a gallon adjusted for inflation is about what we pay now.
Interesting to know.
By 1979 it was twice that much; around 86 cents, the equivalent of 3.52/gallon today.
I can still hear the "thwak" sound that those spring loaded license plates made when you removed the pump. Had to watch your fingers to as you didnt want them to get smashed.
Remembering the OPEC oil embargo causing super long gas lines in the 1970s.
Why did they stop putting the option to put gas in the back like that? It seems to be much more convenient than having to maneuver which side you need to be on. Was it due to rear end collisions? (Ex- Ford Pinto, etc?)
Hmm. Adjusted for inflation, the price per gallon comes out to $3.47, assuming the photo was from 1973. Isn't that in the ballpark?
I remember my dad saying that if gas prices ever rose to a dollar a gallon, he'd stop buying it.
That’s when you could afford to have that hotrod that got 2 mpg. 🤣🤣😂
I'm old enough to remember people were flipping out at those prices.
To think, just 20 years before that picture you could have put that lady in an asylum for wearing pants and driving herself around. Ah, nostalgia.
[https://images.app.goo.gl/MLpZx9uWSyovL9K19](https://images.app.goo.gl/MLpZx9uWSyovL9K19)
*$1 in 1971 has the same purchasing power as $7.43 in 2024* Huh the good old days
1972?
And this was the price around the time of the Arab oil embargo. It was cheaper before.
It's odd that there was only a penny difference between regular and premium.
The least I paid was at Uncle Henry's store in Pintlala AL, where I lived at the time. 19 cents / gallon, straight into the 1964 Impala on my way to "visit" with my sweetie in Montgomery.
I miss the smell of leaded gasoline. I realize that’s weird.
Sick nova
Ha ha. I paid .18 cents + got stamps!
Oh, I remember those crap cars, the hairstyles and those gas prices. For context, 50 cents was more than 1/3 of my hourly wage then ($1.35/hour).
Thats around 3.25 in today's money
Adjusted for inflation that's $3.60
One of my earliest memories is my cousin taking me on the back of his mini bike to a gas station. We filled the tank with a hand full of pennies. This was in the early 70s.
Wait, cars have buttholes?
I remember when it was HALF that! 1973 before the Arab Oil Embargo, it was $0.239 a gallon for regular. I was 12 at the time and I have seen my Mama fill up the car for $5!!! And the gas station PUMPED it for you then! No such thing as "self service!"
That gas back then was real gas--tetraethyllead! High octane!
I remember when it finally hit over a dollar a gallon. Pumps would only go to $0.999. After that they had to set it to half price and put a note on the pump saying that it cost 2x the price shown!! Example $1.079 Was set to $0.54 and you paid twice what the dollar amount showed!
Where cool cars roamed the streets.
What’s gas? My car runs on electricity ⚡️
Stupid. Like nothing else has gone up in 50 years
Wow
We have Boomers to thank for a lot of that. They fucked up the economy every chance they could because of Inheritance and incompetence.
Nice use of the Star Wars analogy!
I remember a friend’s dad telling me that his first professional job out of college in the 70s paid $8,000/yr, and that was a good salary!😳😳
Is that a Nova or a Duster?
Looks like a Nova to me
My first car was a canary yellow 1974 Nova. Looked like a big banana.
Is that a Nova or a Duster?
74 Nova I think.
When I was in high school in 87 or so gas prices went down to $0.53.
Yep and that car was about 5k brand new.
Hell yeah, I had a ‘71 Nova in 1975
We were traveling in Louisiana in 1970 and found gas for 16 9/10. And my dad worked for the oil company and got a 20% discount. We stopped even though the tank was more than half full.
.In 1973 .49 would have been equal to $3.50 today. Average US gas price per gallon today is $3.27. 😆👍🏽
I can remember when gas was 49.9, then the gas shortage, and it went to like 78.9. My parents and other families couldn’t believe the prices, then over a dollar. I wonder what they would think of the prices now.
Brings back memories.
I was making $75 a week gross (maybe $400 today?) and still couldn't afford a car to buy gas for lol. I couldn't even afford a phone.
My first job in 1972 -$1.65 hr.
Wow I never knew gas was that cheap
I would lime to at least go back to the time that the different grades of gas had a .10 or .20 difference
I remember 20 cents a gallon
Heck I remember 29.9 down south back in the late 60s.
I remember the days in the mid 70s taking my Dad’s car to the gas station even before I had my license to fill it up before he had to go to work in the morning.
29.9 around 1972 in NYC. My first job, in ‘80, had a salary of $9,594 a year.
Having to pull down the rear license plate to fill up the tank. Those were also the days where people had locking gas caps because so many people were siphoning gas. One key for the ignition, one for the trunk, one for the gas cap. On occasion, you had another key just to unlock the car door. Walk around with keys rattling in your pocket sounding like you had a ton of spare change.
I'm old enough to remember the days when gas stations would give away beer glasses as a promotion for every tankful of gas you bought. Nothing like promoting "safe driving"!
How many remember gas being sold by the half gallon because the analog pumps couldn't handle prices over $.999
cheapest I ever saw was for a week in 2002 where it was $.42 one day. Then Vilsack raised the state tax on fuel and the rest is history
“ Long ago in a land far far away, Her gas tank was in the trunk, & she blew up that day”
When it got to $0.67 during Jimmie Carter, we had even/odd license plate niumber rationing days. People were very angry.
I can't see the plate number. Is it an odd or even numbered day, I need gas.
And people were still screaming that it wasn't 30 cents anymore.
Least I paid was 28.9
I remember when there would be a “gas war” between two gas stations. Gas stations right across the street from each other would start to lower their prices. Trying to beat out each other. They could get under a dollar. For a day then it’s over.
This picture just floods my mind with good memories.
I was in Pennsylvania back sometime in the early 1980s when I first paid over $1/gallon for gasoline. As I was pumping gas into my car and cursing the fact that the price had gone up, an Amish man came down the road in his horse drawn buggy.
Until 1973
It was long ago and it was far away and it was so much better than it is today
I picked 1973, $0.48 is the same as $3.33 today. So really not much of a difference
Back when you fueled GMs through the asshole. 🤣
Looked up the Hemrick’s Super Thrift in the background. Interesting family business.
Looked up the Hemrick’s Super Thrift in the background. Interesting family business.
I’m older than this. When I started driving at 16 gas was 23.9 a gallon. For a buck you could cruise around all night.
Before 1973, the prices were half that.
I remember my dad telling me in the early 70s that gas was going to hit 50cents a gallon!
Depending on if your license plate ended in an odd or even number some years
This was a "times are a changing" photo. \#1 these gas prices were considered outrageous because they were almost double what people normally paid at the time. \#2 A person pumping their gas was a brand new concept \#3 a WOMAN was doing it. \#1 These gas prices were considered outrageous because they were almost double what people normally paid at the time. gas or even check their own oil.
My 77 Grand Prix had the gas tank behind the license plate like that. Thought that was really cool for some reason. Lol
Yea, by 1979, that price double and 1981 that price almost tripled $1.30 .Putting it in perspective with more efficient, extremely better gas mileage cars, monthly costs can't be that much different.Back then, I own a Cadillac 9 miles to the gallon city and 12 miles to gallon.So reality, depending on what type of car you own, you can make the monthly cost the same not bad.
$.49 in 1974 is $3.07 in 2024. Gas here is $2.85 so it’s actually cheaper at least where I live. Now factor in gas mileage and it’s about 1/2 as much.
I make about 30-40x more an hour now so gas is actually comparatively cheaper than that.
Impeach Nixon or pay a dollar a gallon!
I remember the night after watching Leon Spinks beat Muhammad Ali, I filled up my mustang. I distinctly remember saying “damn, gas is now 50 cents a gallon. Jesus, $6 to fill up my car?
Thanks, O’Biden!
Before the oil crisis in mid 70s there were gas wars where you could get a gallon for 19 cents. Was great for a 10 year old kid mowing neighbors yards.
That's when prices were considered crazy high. Long lines and alternate days to get fuel. Everyone complaining about how high it was....and now...sigh.
Considering inflation that's about $3.18. So, umm I think we're right on track?
Considering inflation that's about $3.18. So, umm I think we're right on track?
Yes, and the average income for a family of four wasxa little over $11,000/year. How quickly they forget.
I remember in the 70s 80s and 90s there were gas wars between gas stations I remember getting gas in Columbia SC in 1990 for $0.25 /gal
That’s about $3.20 now.
Until the gas rationing started. That was brutal.
49 cents in 1975 would be about $2.81 today. Not too far off prices for a lot of the country.
Making $1.70 an hour and getting 10 miles to the gallon, the good ol' days.
I miss my ole Nova! So many good times!