It should be noted that a significant reason that the average selling price (in constant dollars) is so much higher now ($50000 according to the article) than it was many years ago is that people are buying a higher percentage of large cars and/or luxury cars.

If today you are buying something equivalent to what you would have bought in the past there is a good chance you will be paying a similar amount in constant dollars.

The article links to a site that gives a list of the cheapest new cars right now. Here they are. These all include the destination charge.

  1. 2026 Hyundai Venue SE: $22,150
  2. 2026 Chevrolet Trax LS: $23,495
  3. 2026 Kia K4 LX: $23,535
  4. 2026 Nissan Sentra S: $23,845
  5. 2026 Hyundai Elantra SE: $23,870
  6. 2026 Toyota Corolla LE: $24,120
  7. 2026 Volkswagen Jetta S: $25,270
  8. 2026 Mazda3 2.5 S: $25,785
  9. 2026 Honda Civic LX: $25,890
  10. 2026 Buick Envista Preferred: $26,495

I bought a Honda Civic in 1989. According to the bls.gov inflation calculator the $25890 for a 2026 Civic LX would have been $9600 in 1989. The MSRP for an 89 Civic LX was ~$10200.

Guess what the average selling price of a new car was in 1989? $12000, which using the bls.gov calculator would be around $32000 today. In 1989 a car like the Civic was a lot closer to what the average car buyer bought than it is today.

Note: the bls.gov inflation calculator is based on the consumer price index. It might be better to compare using the Social Security index factors, which is what the Social Security Administration uses to normalize earnings from different years when calculation benefits. Using SS index factors $25890 today would be $7450 in 1989.

I've done similar calculations for my 2006 Honda CR-V with similar results. Same for the Sentra I had before the Civic.

Considering how much more safety and driver assist features are in these cars compared to the same models from even only 10 years ago, the price being nearly the same in constant dollars is actually great remarkable.

For those of us who prefer cars that are just big enough for our actual passenger/cargo carrying needs or big enough to not feel cramped (whichever is larger) the last 40+ years have been great. We pay about the same in constant dollars or a little less each time we get a new car, and it has better fuel efficiency, better safety, and better driver assist.