In 1967, my Grandmother paid $259 for a new Maytag automatic washer.  I put that number into an inflation calculator and she would pay almost $2,000 for the same washer today!

Why were home appliances and consumer electronics so expensive back then?  I'm assuming that cheap goods from China explains some of the cheaper cost today.  But was it also because products were higher quality then? 

I remember in 1966, my Dad bought our family a new Zenith color console TV.  He went to the bank and borrowed $599 to buy it!  That is $4600 in today's dollars!  Very few people would pay that much for a television these days! 

The real question is why are most new cars TODAY so expensive?  

A car is just an appliance, built on the same assembly lines as washers and other appliances, so.....why the cost is so ridiculous?  

In terms of weight, a typical car weighs about 10X what a washer weighs so if you price a car based on weight, a washer weighing $600 means a car should cost about $6000  (600 x 10).     boom, that's where it should be.  In that arena. 

There's certainly nothing special about a fossil fuel powered vehicle.  There are MILLIONS of them out there, now more than ever.  The prices certainly can't be justified by rarity or importance.  AFterall, if all auto manufacturers stopped making them for two years, nobody would care or notice the difference.  There are

huge parking lots of new vehicles stacking up at various ports around the world where all the over capacity is quietly scuttled away in order to keep the new car price bubble afloat.   It seems we're always dealing with bubbles. housing bubble, currency bubbles, Iphone bubble, etc.

You know the auto manufacturers don't give a crap when they make most of the vehicles in only a few colors with few options.  Back in 1970s, which was the top for being able to order cars in numerous colors both inside and out, it wasn't unusual to be able to choose from 20 different interior colors.  Unimaginable by today.

The market is saturated, not just in the U.S. but in other countries like China as well.  Auto volume sales have been falling since 2015, but the price volume has continued to climb.  That means the auto dealers are selling fewer cars for more money than ever.   

So WHO are the fools buying these vehicles?   It's not the millenials thats for sure.  I'm certainly not buying any petroleum based vehicles new.  

Now with electric cars arriving, and the market wising up to the stupidity of these over priced fossil fuel vehicles, there's going to continue to be a backing up of unsold vehicles.  That's probably why ford has stopped making cars and gm has been idling or closing factories.  

And far higher build quality and far more durable Than major appliances are.

There is also a lot of competition on both cars and appliances on the popular fast selling models, so the consumer pricing is really about spot on.

Back in the 60s it took about 10 times as many man hours to build and assemble an appliance so real costs were much higher.

Cars today are far more complex than a 1965 Mustang, today you have an automobile that is at least 10 times better than what you got in 1965, and it will last at least three times as long in spite of greater complexity, and you will not die if you get into an accident while texting, LOL.

John L.

From the GE price sheet posted by spacepig, it is easy to see why many were still buying wringer washers.  The difference between it and a fully automatic washer was pretty substantial. 

I think we can all agree that appliances, including automobiles, are made better than they were in the 1960s.  

With improved technologies and laws requiring efficiency and safety, we're generally better off.

A lot of products, at the core, are still the same basic unit as they were 50 years ago.   This includes petroleum based automobiles which still have 4 tires, 4 seats, doors, a motor, head lamps, etc.

refrigerators are still a metal box with shelves and a compressor to make cold.  Water pumps still pump water, toasters still use an element to make toast, dryers still tumble clothes and add heat.  

They may look different but most appliances are still the same inside but with more safety features.

And industry won't put prices on things they think they can't get people to pay.  They certainly can't force people to buy ANYTHING. 

So why have a certain group of people bowed to auto manufacturers and voluntarily paid ridiculous sums?  They certainly aren't in the majority.

Or even chosen to shell out $5000 for an ugly unpainted refrigerator?   LOL

As somebody pointed out, not all vehicles are ridiculously priced.  I recently looked at a new Honda Fit and was amazed the price was in the $16,000 range.

Whatever, the petroleum auto industry is collapsing and that's a good thing.

Hadn't been on the Sears website for several years.  Was amazed they didn't have washers under $400.  I remember when you could buy a Galaxy washer for $189. lol

This guy's been in the auto repair business for over 50 years and is fun to listen to.

He'll save you money and hassle, I've found.