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Autoblog
autoblog.com › features › heres-24k-1995
Here's $24,000. Buy something new in 1995 - Autoblog
November 30, 2023 - We’re running back that concept today, this time to 1995 when $48,000 works out to $24,000. Once again, your money is not going as far as you might think. Luxury brands are out of the question, apart from the most basic Volvos and Saabs, which ...
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NYTimes
nytimes.com › 1996 › 06 › 18 › business › average-car-price-20000-not-quite-it-seems.html
Average Car Price $20,000? Not Quite, It Seems. - The New York Times
June 18, 1996 - When sales to fleets are included, ... to $18,055 in the first quarter of this year, according to the new calculations. Headlines about car prices hitting an average of $20,000 began appearing at the start of 1995 and were based on sales that ...
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Official Data
officialdata.org › Used-cars-and-trucks › price-inflation › 1995-to-2022
Used cars and trucks price inflation, 1995→2022
Between 1995 and 2022:Used cars and trucks experienced an average inflation rate of 1.02% per year. In other words, used cars and trucks costing $20 in the year 1995 would cost $26.32 in 2022 for an equivalent purchase.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/cars › cars really weren't as inexpensive as we remember
r/cars on Reddit: Cars really weren't as inexpensive as we remember
November 30, 2023 -

According to CPI Inflation Calculator, $24k in 1995 has the buying power of $49,129.10 today. Plug in some numbers from years where you remember cars being inexpensive, and see how much they're equivalent to today.

That $.30 gallon of gas in 1960 is equivalent to $3.15 today.

The 1996 Geo Prizm I bought for $15k (my first brand new car), doesn't look like such a good value anymore!

Here's $24,000. Buy something new in 1995

For reference:

The average annual pay level for jobs in the nation's 311 metropolitan areas was $29,105 in 1995 ($59,579.27 today).

EDIT - many have pointed out that inflation is up across the board, and cost of living in relation to income, wage growth (or lack thereof), cost of labor, supplies, etc., is up, but this is just on a smaller scale. One would need to do a more thorough comparison in order to get a really accurate idea.

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/mildlyinteresting › car dealership newspaper ad from 1995 with prices
r/mildlyinteresting on Reddit: Car dealership newspaper ad from 1995 with prices
July 18, 2021 - My nephew (who is younger than the car) offered to buy it, and my wife couldn't part with it. More replies ... The average income in 95 was roughly 30k. An f150 was like 3k for bare bones.
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Yahoo! Finance
finance.yahoo.com › news › average-car-cost-were-born-130001087.html
What an Average Car Cost in the Year You Were Born
August 11, 2024 - What you'll find here are the prices of one popular new car and one used for each year from 1950 to 2016, and then only new cars from 2017 to 2024. To find out what cars cost the year you were born, GOBankingRates analyzed car price averages by year from 1950 to 2024, sourcing the historical prices of used and new automobiles from 1950 to 2016 as sourced from Morris County Library.
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Orlando Sentinel
orlandosentinel.com › 1994 › 12 › 29 › gm-announces-increases-for-1995
GM ANNOUNCES INCREASES FOR 1995 – Orlando Sentinel
August 2, 2021 - The Oldsmobile Aurora, GM’s newest entry in the near-luxury market, will see the biggest increase, with base prices increasing 5.4 percent to $33,605. The Aurora’s sister car, the Buick Riviera, will cost $28,195, up $563.
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Official Data
officialdata.org › Used-cars-and-trucks › price-inflation › 1995-to-2017
Used cars and trucks price inflation, 1995→2017
Between 1995 and 2017:Used cars and trucks experienced an average inflation rate of -0.56% per year. In other words, used cars and trucks costing $400,000 in the year 1995 would cost $353,490.57 in 2017 for an equivalent purchase.
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In 2013 Dollars
in2013dollars.com › New-cars › price-inflation
Cars price inflation, 1947→2026
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for new cars are 413.02% higher in 2026 versus 1947 (a $61,952.82 difference in value). Between 1947 and 2026:Cars experienced an average inflation rate of 2.09% per year.
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Los Angeles Times
latimes.com › archives › la-xpm-1994-09-03-fi-34207-story.html
Toyota, Nissan, Honda Raise 1995 Car Prices - Los Angeles Times
March 6, 2019 - “These increases reflect the ... raise the suggested retail prices of 1995 Maxima and 240SX models an average of 2.5%, or $568 a car....
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Car and Driver
caranddriver.com › home › essential reads: stories and features › 1995 10best cars
1995 10Best Cars
January 1, 1995 - Prices start at under $14,000 for the four-cylinder cars, which are quite good in their own right. Expect to pay about $18,000 for a nicely equipped Contour SE—the sports-sedan value of 1995.
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Cheapism
cheapism.com › home › cars & rvs › the average car price the year you were born
Average Car Price by Year: What It Cost When You Were Born
December 9, 2025 - See the average car price by year and what it equals in today’s dollars. Explore how car costs have changed from the 1940s to now.
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In 2013 Dollars
in2013dollars.com › New-and-used-motor-vehicles › price-inflation
New and used vehicles price inflation, 1993→2026
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for new and used motor vehicles are 35.01% higher in 2026 versus 1993 (a $7,002.92 difference in value). Between 1993 and 2026:New and used vehicles experienced an average inflation rate ...
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WGN-TV
wgntv.com › news › the-average-car-now-costs-25449-how-much-was-a-car-the-year-you-were-born
The average car now costs $25,449 — how much was a car the year you were born? | WGN-TV
April 25, 2016 - We also compared the difference in price each year to see how much it went up or down. Turns out, though we enjoy a lot more bells and whistles today, the price of your average new car has remained fairly consistent.
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Kelley Blue Book
kbb.com › home › geo › geo metro › 1995 geo metro
1995 Geo Metro Price, Value, Depreciation & Reviews | Kelley Blue Book
... A 1995 Geo Metro has depreciated $60 or 4% in the last 3 years and has a current resale value of $1,146 and trade-in value of $358. Login or create a new account to see your vehicle depreciation forecast data.
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Inthe90s
inthe90s.com › prices.shtml
Prices in the 90s
Item 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Postage Stamp 0.25 0.29 0.29 0.29 0.29 0.32 0.32 0.32 0.32 0.32 Bread 1.29 1.47 1.50 1.57 1.59 1.40 1.62 Milk 2.15 2.18 2.14 2.27 2.29 2.59 2.41 Gas 1.08 1.18 1.20 1.16 1.09 1.35 1.11 Car $9,437.00 $9,989.00 $11,580.00 $12,750.00 $12,371.00 ...
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FRED
fred.stlouisfed.org › series › CUSR0000SETA01
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: New Vehicles in U.S. City Average (CUSR0000SETA01) | FRED | St. Louis Fed
4 weeks ago - Graph and download economic data for Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: New Vehicles in U.S. City Average (CUSR0000SETA01) from Jan 1953 to May 2026 about vehicles, urban, new, consumer, CPI, inflation, price index, indexes, price, and USA.
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Deseret News
deseret.com › 2016 › 4 › 26 › 20587786 › how-much-did-people-spend-on-cars-the-year-you-were-born
How much did people spend on cars the year you were born? – Deseret News
December 25, 2023 - We also wanted to see how much car those same dollars might buy you in 2016 given the new features and technology available to today's car buyer. Using data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, we calculated the average expenditure per car (considering sales of both domestic and foreign models) for each year since 1967. Then, using the national consumer price index, we adjusted for inflation and calculated the price of each car to determine its value in 2016 dollars.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/economics › the average cost of a new car tops $50,000 for the first time ever
r/Economics on Reddit: The average cost of a new car tops $50,000 for the first time ever
October 14, 2025 - ... I'd wager that many of those entry-level models are also more affordable now than in the past. For example, the MSRP for the lowest-trim Honda Accord sedan was $15,390 in 1995 and $29,445 in 2025.