BootCamp, what you're saying is exactly correct: Many things indeed ARE about 10 times the cost of 1971 (although Wrigley's chewing gum is only 7 times what it was then). However, the price you're quoting for the 1971 Challenger was ALMOST the TOP OF THE LINE (the 440 Magnum being the true top) model. You've got to remember that back in the day, consumers had a CHOICE of options -- everything from a slant 6 to the 440 was available -- that was the prime consideration in the development of the E body. And the slant 6 model was about $2,900 -- or $29K now. What really irritates me about the way Challenger situation is shaping up is that it's likely to be priced WAY out of range of the average person by only being available in the R/T and SRT versions. Look, for example, how many people on this board are either in college or just out of college. I'd sure hate to be them being saddled with a car payment that rivals that of a small house along with having to pay off thousands of dollars in student loans. For myself, $30K represents half a year's gross income. As much as I loved my 1970 model (which, for the record, was a 318 and cost $1,600 in 1974), I have to draw the line somewhere. Half a year's salary is it.

By the way, BootCamp, where were you buying gas in '71? There used to be two stations right across the street from where I went to high school (1970-1973) and the price was always 28.9 or 29.9 cents per gallon at both of them. It wasn't till early summer '73 when I started working at one of them that it topped 30 cents per gallon. And, yes, people b****ed like hell about that.