Another victim of grumpy old man syndrome. If it's new, it must suck.
And lets talk about cars a bit. For the hell of it, I decided to do some research.
1971 basic Ford Mustang coupe, starting MSRP - $2,911
1971 basic Ford Mustang coupe, MSRP adjusted to 2014 - $17,108
2015 basic Ford Mustang coupe, starting MSRP - $23,600
Hmmm...my math shows the Mustang is only beating inflation by maybe 40 percent. Hardly 3 or 4 times the price.
1971 Chevy Impala hardtop sedan MSRP - $3400
1971 Chevy Impala hardtop sedan, MSRP adjusted for 2014 - $19982
2015 Chevy Impala sedan MSRP - $27700
Huh...grocery getter sedan is also about 40 percent higher than inflation.
1971 Honda Civic (600) MSRP - $1395
1971 Honda Civic MSRP adjusted to 2014 - $8198
2015 Honda Civic MSRP - $18190
Okay, now we're talkin! Over double the price!
But wait, there's more...lets talk specs!
1971 Civic
4 Speed 4 cyl - 36 Horsepower
MPG - 31.6
Length, in. 125.0
Width, in. 52.5
Height, in. 52.4
Wheelbase, in. 78.7
Weight, lbs. 1355
Trunk capacity, cu ft 3.0
Fuel tank, U.S gal. 6.9
Power anything? No
A/C? No
Airbags? No
Anti-Lock Brakes? No
Crumple Zones? No
2015 Civic LX
5 Speed 4 cyl - 143 Horsepower
MPG - 31
Length, in. 179.4
Width, in. 69.0
Height, in. 56.5
Wheelbase, in. 105.1
Weight, lbs. 2754
Trunk capacity, cu ft 12.5
Fuel tank, U.S gal. 13.2
Power anything? Yes, everything including remote keyless entry
A/C? Standard
Airbags? Standard, including rollover
Anti-Lock Brakes? Standard with traction control
Crumple Zones? Standard
So....new car costs twice as much, and gets the same gas mileage. But has 4 times the power, double the acceleration performance, almost double the range, 4 times the cargo capacity, can realistically seat 4 North Americans (is rated for 5), comes with a buttload of standard safety and comfort features that didn't even exist in 1971.
This is most evident in economy cars. I did a few more of these, and noticed as the car's price went up, the difference between then and now continued to decrease in terms of inflation adjusted cost. This doesn't even address the fact that cars today are on average, much more reliable and better built then cars back then.
FC
This was good info, particularly citing the differences in the base-level standard equipment.. It would be interesting if one could compare the "1971" model comparably equipped to the current model, and I think we would see near-equal price as adjusted for inflation. Plus of course the other benefits listed.