🚗 New Car Price History: 1984–Today
Complete price timeline for New Car (per unit) from 1984 to 2024.
The Bottom Line
In 1984, new car cost $10,669.00. Today it costs $48,397.00. That's a 4.5x increase — but wages only grew 3.7x.
1984 Price
$10,669.00
Today's Price
$48,397.00
Price Growth
4.5x
Wage Growth
3.7x
📊 Year-by-Year Data
| Year | Nominal Price | Inflation-Adjusted | Actual Today | Labor Hours | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | $10,669.00 | $32,201.82 | $48,397.00 | 989.8h | 1.21x |
| 1985 | $11,450.00 | $33,381.41 | $48,397.00 | 1008.3h | 1.19x |
| 1986 | $12,319.00 | $35,230.06 | $48,397.00 | 1029.1h | 1.17x |
| 1987 | $12,922.00 | $35,677.89 | $48,397.00 | 1031.4h | 1.17x |
| 1988 | $13,932.00 | $36,951.50 | $48,397.00 | 1064.2h | 1.13x |
| 1989 | $14,371.00 | $36,373.17 | $48,397.00 | 1034.0h | 1.16x |
| 1990 | $15,472.00 | $37,146.75 | $48,397.00 | 1074.9h | 1.12x |
| 1991 | $16,362.00 | $37,694.42 | $48,397.00 | 1129.5h | 1.06x |
| 1992 | $17,109.00 | $38,251.87 | $48,397.00 | 1161.4h | 1.04x |
| 1993 | $17,677.00 | $38,381.98 | $48,397.00 | 1177.0h | 1.02x |
| 1994 | $18,657.00 | $39,484.98 | $48,397.00 | 1202.9h | 1.00x |
| 1995 | $18,916.00 | $38,940.66 | $48,397.00 | 1154.5h | 1.04x |
| 1996 | $19,828.00 | $39,653.62 | $48,397.00 | 1162.1h | 1.03x |
| 1997 | $20,276.00 | $39,623.34 | $48,397.00 | 1139.5h | 1.06x |
| 1998 | $20,686.00 | $39,808.72 | $48,397.00 | 1106.4h | 1.09x |
| 1999 | $21,092.00 | $39,718.95 | $48,397.00 | 1077.9h | 1.12x |
| 2000 | $21,850.00 | $39,806.21 | $48,397.00 | 1082.4h | 1.11x |
| 2001 | $22,457.00 | $39,791.27 | $48,397.00 | 1106.1h | 1.09x |
| 2002 | $22,871.00 | $39,888.34 | $48,397.00 | 1121.7h | 1.07x |
| 2003 | $23,282.00 | $39,693.01 | $48,397.00 | 1117.9h | 1.08x |
| 2004 | $23,686.00 | $39,332.55 | $48,397.00 | 1111.4h | 1.08x |
| 2005 | $25,164.00 | $40,426.22 | $48,397.00 | 1129.7h | 1.06x |
| 2006 | $25,950.00 | $40,387.61 | $48,397.00 | 1119.8h | 1.07x |
| 2007 | $27,026.00 | $40,888.53 | $48,397.00 | 1119.1h | 1.07x |
| 2008 | $27,291.00 | $39,772.17 | $48,397.00 | 1128.5h | 1.07x |
| 2009 | $28,400.00 | $41,521.37 | $48,397.00 | 1186.7h | 1.01x |
| 2010 | $29,217.00 | $42,028.02 | $48,397.00 | 1233.2h | 0.97x |
| 2011 | $30,659.00 | $42,759.80 | $48,397.00 | 1274.1h | 0.94x |
| 2012 | $31,252.00 | $42,701.56 | $48,397.00 | 1274.1h | 0.94x |
| 2013 | $32,086.00 | $43,207.70 | $48,397.00 | 1245.4h | 0.97x |
| 2014 | $33,560.00 | $44,474.15 | $48,397.00 | 1300.9h | 0.92x |
| 2015 | $34,428.00 | $45,569.24 | $48,397.00 | 1267.0h | 0.95x |
| 2016 | $35,309.00 | $46,150.45 | $48,397.00 | 1243.9h | 0.97x |
| 2017 | $36,113.00 | $46,216.24 | $48,397.00 | 1228.6h | 0.98x |
| 2018 | $37,577.00 | $46,944.83 | $48,397.00 | 1237.1h | 0.97x |
| 2019 | $38,723.00 | $47,514.96 | $48,397.00 | 1172.4h | 1.03x |
| 2020 | $40,107.00 | $48,604.21 | $48,397.00 | 1226.6h | 0.98x |
| 2021 | $42,258.00 | $48,921.82 | $48,397.00 | 1241.8h | 0.97x |
| 2022 | $48,008.00 | $51,465.13 | $48,397.00 | 1338.9h | 0.90x |
| 2023 | $47,936.00 | $49,350.88 | $48,397.00 | 1236.9h | 0.97x |
📈 Labor Multiplier Trend
How many times harder (or easier) it is to earn new car compared to each year. >1x = harder, <1x = easier.
1984
1.21x
1985
1.19x
1986
1.17x
1987
1.17x
1988
1.13x
1989
1.16x
1990
1.12x
1991
1.06x
1992
1.04x
1993
1.02x
1994
1.00x
1995
1.04x
1996
1.03x
1997
1.06x
1998
1.09x
1999
1.12x
2000
1.11x
2001
1.09x
2002
1.07x
2003
1.08x
2004
1.08x
2005
1.06x
2006
1.07x
2007
1.07x
2008
1.07x
2009
1.01x
2010
0.97x
2011
0.94x
2012
0.94x
2013
0.97x
2014
0.92x
2015
0.95x
2016
0.97x
2017
0.98x
2018
0.97x
2019
1.03x
2020
0.98x
2021
0.97x
2022
0.90x
2023
0.97x
🔗 Explore New Car by Year
Category
🚗 Transportation