£25,500 - wow.. how times have changed

[Deleted member 6183]

On looking up the prices from 1976 ,

a 450SEL was around £11,000 in the UK ; the 450SEL 6.9 was £22,000 and the Silver Shadow II was £22,800

By early 1979 , the 6.9 had risen to £28,600 and the Shadow £32,000 ; the following year the 6.9 was £30,500 and the Royce was £36,650

These must have been times of rampant inflation .

They were.

 

[Mozzer]

Spooky, I saw this post yesterday and then today noticed the Bentley calendar at work has the 1800TU number plate on a new model !!!

 

[MOCAŠ]

These must have been times of rampant inflation .

See post #10 (but ignore my errant spelling of Camargue ).

 

[sinewave]

I live less than 7 miles from the Bentley factory in Crewe and they have had 1800TU & 1900TU on their books for donkey's years, seen em loads of times out on testing round the local villages, duno what the significance is of the number plates?

 

[MOCAŠ]

I live less than 7 miles from the Bentley factory in Crewe and they have had 1800TU & 1900TU on their books for donkey's years, seen em loads of times out on testing round the local villages, duno what the significance is of the number plates?

TU was the local mark for Cheshire CC, but the factory would have sought to secure distinctive 'round' numbers for their press cars. Similarly, factory-registered Standard-Triumph cars often used to have Coventry-issued VC plates.

Rolls-Royce/Bentley also used to have 20 TU, 1200 TU and 3500 TU. I recently read somewhere that they once inadvertently sold one of their TU-registered cars with the plate still on it, but I can't recall which one it was.

 

[The Boss]

I am in no way taking credit for this , but this is such an interesting thread.. and developing in a way i never realised..

how each one us has a different perspective to the post is really interesting for me..

ah.. the power of heritage grills eh!!

 

[Scott_F]

TU was the local mark for Cheshire CC, but the factory would have sought to secure distinctive 'round' numbers for their press cars. Similarly, factory-registered Standard-Triumph cars often used to have Coventry-issued VC plates.

Jaguar factory cars of the 1950's and 1960's would often have Coventry-issued HP number plates. These included 9600HP, the original 1961 E-Type road test and press car and PHP42G, Sir William Lyons' personal 1968 Jaguar XJ6.

 

[MOCAŠ]

Jensen were also quite consistent in their use of West Bromwich EA plates.

 

[johnfromstaffs]

FMC 1 plate seen on the press photos of a small firm in Dagenham!

 

[MOCAŠ]

FMC 1 plate seen on the press photos of a small firm in Dagenham!

Particularly interesting one, that: as well as standing for Ford Motor Company, MC was latterly an Ilford issue, so local to Dagenham. They also have 1 FMC.

 

[redbaron]

TU was the local mark for Cheshire CC, but the factory would have sought to secure distinctive 'round' numbers for their press cars. Similarly, factory-registered Standard-Triumph cars often used to have Coventry-issued VC plates.

Rolls-Royce/Bentley also used to have 20 TU, 1200 TU and 3500 TU. I recently read somewhere that they once inadvertently sold one of their TU-registered cars with the plate still on it, but I can't recall which one it was.

1900tu used to visit us frequently - director of purchasing in crewe was our next door neighbour...

 

[biturbo]

Looking at that chart just shows you that in 40 years how much we have declined as a nation. I am 30 and i look at the standard of living the numbers show and we are sooooo much worst off now. Plus it doesnt show you the tax take, i know its at least double what it was in 1960s. Council tax, VAT etc these were all added later.
No wonder the shops are empty, pubs are shutting and no one has an disposable income to spend but the older generation and the rich.
I find it quiet amusing the constant decline overseen by politicians when dispite major technological advances the base bottom line we are worst off.
I just hope when my generation become the polititians and more important the voting majority then we dont make the same mistakes.

Interesting to see a 1996 SL price adjusted was 81k so adjusted my 100k sl60 amg would of been around £150k adjusted, that is sls amg.

 

[johnfromstaffs]

I'm sorry to take issue with biturbo, but what he has said in the above post does not stack up. When I was thirty I had a one year old daughter, and a firm's car, and no money at the end of each month. Our house was furnished mainly with items either begged from our respective folks, or bought secondhand. I had a push lawnmower, we had a black and white 17" TV, and my 3 watt stereo from my bedroom at the folk's house. Madam's wind-up HMV portable was in the loft, together with the shellac 78s. We were never hard up enough that we couldn't afford the occasional holiday or meal out, but we certainly were not better off then than biturbo appears now to be, believe me.

 

[biturbo]

I have my own business. Last tax year paid over 450k in taxes.
What i actually earn is a smaller percentage of this.
I live in a smaller house than my parents who bought it in 70s when my dad was on a sales rep wages. He is not much more than that now. Their house is est value of around 500k.
i pay around 2.5k a month in morgages to have alot lower grade house than that.
I earn far more than my mum and dad ever did comparitive but i have far less.
I do far less things. Every car ive bought has been old ie over 10 years old. My dad bought a newish car every 2-3 years, go on holiday about every 3 years.
My parents say the that it alot harder now and standard of living is worst, yes all the things you mentioned sound bad, thats because technology has improved. No offense but i remeber in 1994 my dad walking into curries and buying for £2,300 pounds a crt 28 inch colour tv and a video/dvd player lol. You could get the same thing now for about £250 new. My dad also told me in in 1980s he bougt a video recorder for £850.
I dont mean to say everthing was easy for you. All im saying is risk/reward what you put in what you get out equation is not the same now as it was. I also think its alot worst for someone who is 18 now than it ever was for me, i can see that. Even though i had a crappy pc with 2mb of ram in 1995 it still cost £600 which today would buy you adjusted a very good computer indeed, i paid £30 per week student rent, paid no tuition fees, went out and had a good time compare it to an 18 year old now.

I am assuming you were on an average wage when you first bought your house and did what you did. All i am saying is the person today doing your job, could he do what you did today what you did back then? Buy your house? Go on as many holidays and eat out as much as you did i dont know the number or the facts but only you could answer that.

 

[johnfromstaffs]

I'm not entirely out of sympathy with biturbo's case, but I do see my daughter and her partner bringing up our two grandchildren and buying their house on average sort of wages. In respect of buying items like TVs and computers there is no doubt that you can get far more for your money than you used to do, however, I grew up in a back street in the early 1950s, and as a child I clearly recall the number of cars owned by the people who lived there, which was two, our Citroen Light 15 and an Austin Seven Ruby belonging to a couple down at the far end. I regularly drive along that same street now, same houses, but it has had to be made one way as there are cars parked bumper to bumper along it.

I certainly would not like to return to those days and but do also have worries about what the increase in the world's population will do for the living standards of my grandkids.

In respect of biturbo's concern about the decline of Britain as a nation - don't start me off on that one or I'll be offering to buy him a pint!

 

[Scott_F]

I have my own business. Last tax year paid over 450k in taxes.
What i actually earn is a smaller percentage of this.
I live in a smaller house than my parents who bought it in 70s when my dad was on a sales rep wages. He is not much more than that now. Their house is est value of around 500k.
i pay around 2.5k a month in morgages to have alot lower grade house than that.
I earn far more than my mum and dad ever did comparitive but i have far less.
I do far less things. Every car ive bought has been old ie over 10 years old. My dad bought a newish car every 2-3 years, go on holiday about every 3 years.
My parents say the that it alot harder now and standard of living is worst, yes all the things you mentioned sound bad, thats because technology has improved. No offense but i remeber in 1994 my dad walking into curries and buying for £2,300 pounds a crt 28 inch colour tv and a video/dvd player lol. You could get the same thing now for about £250 new. My dad also told me in in 1980s he bougt a video recorder for £850.
I dont mean to say everthing was easy for you. All im saying is risk/reward what you put in what you get out equation is not the same now as it was. I also think its alot worst for someone who is 18 now than it ever was for me, i can see that. Even though i had a crappy pc with 2mb of ram in 1995 it still cost £600 which today would buy you adjusted a very good computer indeed, i paid £30 per week student rent, paid no tuition fees, went out and had a good time compare it to an 18 year old now.

I am assuming you were on an average wage when you first bought your house and did what you did. All i am saying is the person today doing your job, could he do what you did today what you did back then? Buy your house? Go on as many holidays and eat out as much as you did i dont know the number or the facts but only you could answer that.

Your comparisons to your parent's house merely reflect the rampant house price inflation of the last 20 years. There are a great many people of their generation who have benefited from this and who find themselves living in mortgage-free properties bought for what now seem like ludicrously small sums and which they could never afford to buy at current prices.

If you're paying £2.5k a month in mortgage payments and drive a 10+ year-old car then you are someone with a far higher disposal income than average who has wisely chosen to spend more on their home than on cars.

 

[artyman]

My current car cost four time what I paid for the house in 1970, and as regards technology, I remember spending £338 on a massive 200MB hard drive, I suspect my present £100 phone is more powerful than my first PC. Values change, but some important values like honesty and integrity seem to be in rapid decline, certainly amongst the governing classes.

 

[Scott_F]

.... but some important values like honesty and integrity seem to be in rapid decline, certainly amongst the governing classes.

It was always thus but intense media scrutiny means they get found out more often.

 

[biturbo]

Yes, a car tends to depreciate.
However with the r129 sl60 i have it is the car i wanted as a kid and ive spent unsensible amounts of money on it but its what brings me enjoyment and i want to keep it until i cant drive, either dead or unable to and then give it to my kids to share.

I will not ever say for sure iam 100% correct, i can only say what i have noticed from say 1990 to 2013 when i was able to understand the world abit better.
I was able to have a great time, and i feel the younger you get the more is seems to decline. I remember 6th form most people had a car, its was terrible but they had a car. i believe now 17-19 year olds insurance is like 3k, mine was £250 3rd party fire and theft on a 1977 triumph spitfire convertible in 1995.

 

[Scott_F]

I am 30.....

.......mine was £250 3rd party fire and theft on a 1977 triumph spitfire convertible in 1995.

Under age driver ??