The old days

48Sed

Look at the price of gas,is that a 46 or 47 waiting to pump?

53jetman

Yep ! A '46 Super Sedan

lostmind

The lowest I remember is $.28 a gallon. Usually $.33 unless a price war was going on.
Made it easy to figure , $1.00 for 3 gallon.
A dollar was my normal purchase when I started driving.

Geoff

Yeah, but you were probably only getting $50 a week wages back than!

lostmind

$60 , I worked 1/2 day on Saturday!

[Deleted User]

In 1936 when I started to drive, we could buy gas for 10 gals for a dollar. After the war, I opened a gas and repair shop, 1945, and gas was sold for 19.9 per gallon. My 31 Hudson gave me 22 MPG. Now those were the days. Walt.

RL Chilton

I'd be willing to bet that there is not too many folks on this forum that could start out a post with, "In 1936 when I started to drive . . ."

That's amazing and wonderful, Walt. I can only hope and pray that I am as fortunate.

Geoff

So assuming you filled your car with 12 gallons of gas, it cost you $3.48, which was around 6% of your wages. With fuel prices at say $4 per gallon today, 12 gallons cost you $48, which if you are getting say $1,000 per week, this is less than 5%. Fuel is still cheaper in real terms today than it was back then.

[Deleted User]

Walt, you have me beat lol. Geoff, you are somewhat right except The money was 90 percent silver and the gas would last a lot longer in a stored car without going bad. The cheapest I remember buying gas for was 19.9 cents during a gas war.

Glowplug

In my old daze, the gas was 28 cents a gallon for regular, and you had the choice of regular, hi test or white gas. This thread actually immediately called to mind the time I was shocked to see a $1.00 a gallon price tag on regular gas at of all places a HUDSON service station in Kansas City Mo. The other prophetic piece of this memory was putting that gas into my 1954 Hudson Hornet Sedan's gas tank. That gas took us to OK City to one of the early Big Country Meetings. Memories... yes the gas is indeed the same percentage of the working mans wages today. Don-cha-no the oil companies know that sweet spot where most will shrug the cost of gasoline off as just part of getting along. Let it get to 10 percent and we are all up in arms. Thanks for the memories.

48Sed

Walt
22 MPG back then with a 1931,we sure have not come far in 83 model years in the MPG aspect.
I was told by an older gentlemen at the ACD museum that he got better mileage in the 1930's than he did with his current car in the 2000's.
He told me there was a special carb out there at the time but the mileage was too good so it disappeared?

Browniepetersen

My driving days started in the late 50's. Dad had a Beeline Gas Station (Flying J today) and we would often have a "Gas War" in our small town. .25 per gallon was the most common but every now and then Dad had a sign out front that advertised 5 gallons for a dollar. A recapped tire was $6.oo and had a full road hazard coverage. Winter tires back then had "Corn cob" in them. They made great tires to use at the Bonneville Raceway Park........

Uncle Josh

Walt, age and cold weather ain't as bad as advertised when ya get there.

36 was when I started to breathe. Good on ya and keep going, you're an inspiration to the rest of us.

In high school I was driving my 35 Olds 8 for a buck a week. Making 75 cents an hour in a grocery store.

Larry, in the frozen Adirondacks

J Spencer

Between 1956 and 1960 gas prices in my home town ( Oneonta NY) were between $ .27.9 and$ .29.9 a gallon
If memory serves me correctly Golden (hi test, compare to todays 92 octane) Esso at my Dad's Esso station was thirty one or thity two cents a gallon.

Jim Spencer
Western New York Chapter

MikeWA

Gas was FREE when I was a teenager- I was the only kid I knew that could run a tab at the local gas station, and dad came in and paid it once a month. No, I wasn't a "silver spoon special"- I did a lot of work around our farm, and needed gas to go to my other job at a neighboring farm. That was kind of my "allowance".

I hired 3 kids last summer to help put in hay. Paid 'em 10 bucks an hour, they worked 4 hours, got $40 apiece. One asked me if I bucked bales when I was a kid, and how much I got paid. Indeed I did, and got $1.25 an hour (minimum wage in early '60's). So, I told him, I would have gotten 5 bucks for the 4 hours. He smiled and said "Times sure have changed." I replied, "They sure have- back then, I could fill my gas tank with the 5 bucks, and still have enough left over to take my girlfriend out for a burger. Good luck doing that with your 40."

His smile kind of faded.

RonS

I was on You Tube yesterday watching a replay of the Cubs vs the Reds on Aug 19th 1965. That was the game that Jim Maloney pitched a no hitter. On one the commercials on WGN for Philips 66 ..."Just stop in and place your card in the box at any Philips 66 and each month we will draw the lucky winner of a brand new boat with trailer and Evinrude engine. Nothing to buy, ...so come in and enter the sweepstakes" Boy... today you must pump your own gas. But Geoff is right, gas is not any cost difference... but the service sure is. Must remember to ask the clerk at the counter to check the air in my tires... or at least get change for the coin operated air pump.

hudsontech

Lowest I can recall was .15 cents a gallon back around 1956 on the Berlin Turnpike south of Hartford, CT. Them was the good old days when a gas war meant prices went down. Not like to day when a gas war means everybody goes up. I've also noticed that in many cases one brand on a corner is selling at a certain price - another across the street is selling at the same.
Here in Memphs Kroger, which as about the cheapest around, ranges from (at the moment) $2.99/9 to $3.05/9 (if you have a Kroger shopping card you can cut 3 cents off the price) depending what part of town you're in. Fraser, where I live is where the po' folks live so prices (in Frazer) are at least a nickle cheaper than out east in Germantown which is the lair of the dreaded yuppie puppies.
I shop at Kroger and Walmart in Cordova, which is the next town south of Germantown, and prices there aren't all that bad considering the up-scale neighborhood.

Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN

hoggyrubber

Geoff, I just wish I got to take home $1000 a week!

SuperDave

A thousand a week???? Not in my life time!
I recall sitting on the front steps with my father. The year was 1955, Raleigh N.C. Our neighbor drove in with a brand new 1955 Pontiac Catalina two door hardtop, turquoise and cream. We had a 52 Buick..with dyynnaaasllooow. You older guys know about those..( he traded a nice 51 Hudson for the Buick!) I remarked that maybe we could get a more "cool" car. My Dad said.."Son, He makes $10,000 dollars a year!". Reality set in when It took ME another 20 years to make that much!
I bought a 31 Model A Ford in 56. ($150.00) gas was about 26 cent per gallon. I worked part time at an Amoco Station and the guy never had money to pay me, so I got credit at the gas pump. Ran "White gas". The old Model A never had it so good! My employer was a boot legger. That is another story.. A shine seller.
Ahh the good old days. When I take that same old Model A out for a ride..(yes I still have it). the old memories come back.. Most good Some.. not so good.

RL Chilton

Like to hear more about those days in the Model A, Dave!

lostmind

I remember my Dad dreaming about making $10K a year. When I finally hit that mark,
I thought I had it made.
I was wrong, learned about inflation.

hoggyrubber

not to get off track or anything. it's funny the difference in what I make(gross) vs what I bring home (net). it does seem like there are a lot more ways to get squeezed (money wise anyway) than when I was a kid. I am pretty lucky i live close to my job and it's pretty good and stable. so gas isn't a problem for me. my family that lives out of town- it's another story for them. my uncles wages haven't really kept up with the gas and other costs. I am pretty lucky in that mine has and to be debt free at 41.

cpr3333

Good point.

For example, in 1937 when Social Security started, it was a 1% deduction from your check and the annual maximum was $30.

Now, it's 6.2% and the max is $7050.

hudsontech

When I worked at the Portsmouth (NH) navy yard (around 1991 or '92) a bunch of us were sitting around taking a coffee break and somehow the subject of finances came up. By the time everyone had made their comments it seemed that everyone agreed that their best times, financially, when wages (income) pretty much equaled outgo was in the early to mid-60's. We all seemed to agree that we were making a living (I was in the Coast Guard at that time) and were relatively comfortable.

Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN

[Deleted User]

Tomorrow I have a 1950 Hudson 8 sedan to tune up and adjust the valves. My leg is much better and can sit on the stool and do the valves. I adjust valves cold, so 8 cylinder will be set .011 and .013. Like my 53, valves are set .020 and .20. 92 and still doing Hudsons. Walt.

54SuperWasp

Regulat gas is $5.13 a gallon now in the Québec province, Canada. And talking about paychecks, in earlier days, there were less taxes taken on it. Now, for those who have a $1000.00 paycheck ( gross), it comes to around $600.00 net. And when you go spend it, everything you buy, you have to pay two taxes, provincial and federal...Around 15% total. Imagine how much taxes you pay when you buy a new car...You pay the air to inflate your tires...One day, they will find a way to make you pay the air you breathe...Michel

hudsontech

Michael - wait until the figure out how to tax sex in the bedroom.

Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN

ESSX28-1

Alex
That's the biggest change from "the old days"!!

oldhudsons

"old days" for me: 1st job in '53 working at Wayne Love Motors (Hudson dealership) for 75 cents an hr. - he & my dad conned me into buying a "gutless wonder" '48 Stude. Champ. conv. off his used car lot for the munificent sum of $800 (dad co-signed for the loan at the bank, a debt I was never paid off, it became dad's "daily driver", LOL) - 2nd car my 1st Hudson, '49 S6 cp. which I lowered, painted, & drove off to college "out West" in '55 (pic below) - as I recall gas was 25 cents a gal. then in no. Indiana

Aaron D. IL

@Hoggyrubber yeah for most people I know they're lucky if they take home a net of $500 USD a week. Gas here is $3.45ish a gallon and fluctuates in a big range daily depending on the oil company excuse of the week. They say 40% of the price is taxes state, county, and federal. Most cars people choose to drive do not seem to get much better mpg than the 21 mpg the Hudson's got but here we are over 60 years later. In my short lifetime the lowest I remember gas for a brief moment in the 1990's was 1.29 and the gas station had a sign that said "gas is cheaper than water." Sometimes I fear that the cost of driving north to the next state in your Hudson for a regular weekend meet will slowly price out most of us from attending if the trip costs $100 for the day in gas plus meals. This used to be a hobby working guys did on the side for fun. It's getting to be a lot less of that.

oldhudsons

often drove Hornets across country from L.A. to Nationals almost always east of the Miss. R., usually got in the 16-18 mpg range depending on body style & engine - have Acura station wagon, will consistently get 30+ mpg in high speed interstate driving.
Gas comparatively cheap here in so. Az., just a tad over $3 & there isn't a refinery in the state, all our gas comes from refineries in Tex. or Calif. Gas in Calif. runs 10-20 cents a gal. more than here due to tax differential + due to supply & demand, can just "stick it to" Californians