£30,000 in 1984. What could you do with that amount in those days?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Poptop2, Feb 19, 2015.

  1. Poptop2

    Poptop2 Administrator

    I have found out recently ( from the chap who made and sold them ) that my VW LT50 cost £30,000 new in 1984. I guessed from comparable vans that it would be £20k +, but £30k is almost unimaginable to me thinking back to those days and my own circumstances.

    Lou and I had got married in 1982. Our church wedding cost £400 total including the cars, dress, suits, reception and ring. The house we were moving in to was a two up, two down kitchen and bathroom built on end terrace and cost £10,500 in sept 1981. I was employed by a curtain wall window manufacturer as a site coordinator and ran transport for them as a fill in job. my salary was less than £4000 a year plus company car. Lou worked as a bakery manageress and earned less than £2500 a year. my van, a 7 year old 71 danbury that I began paying for in 1978 cost me £900 secondhand. and Lou's daily a Saab 96 I bought for £120 with a clutch issue which cost me £30 to fix. we lived to our means and never had much to spare.House prices never moved much in the 5 years we owned that house and we eventually sold her in 1986 for £17,500 ( a fortune to us) The guy who bought my van new had spent £30,000 on a van 2 years previous. My god how the other half live?

    What would that sort of money meant to you back in 1984. Was it serious money, run of the mill money or could you have actually have gone out and bought a 30k van? I know I couldn't have!
     
  2. rickyrooo1

    rickyrooo1 Hanging round like a bad smell

    i'd just left school and was on a yts at £27.50 a week, the council offered us our house for 10k and we thought that was an amazing amount of cash only dreamt of.......
     
  3. Just bought my first house in Knebworth for 34.5k with a 30k mortgage.

    I couldn't even dream of spending a tenth of that on a vehicle
     
  4. Bought five council houses !!!!
     
  5. No wonder he only sold one.
     
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  6. Poptop2

    Poptop2 Administrator

    Really. What did they cost?
     
  7. matty

    matty Supporter

    I was still at school with a £5 a week paper round
     
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  8. Poptop2

    Poptop2 Administrator

    Fair point. I think he was cheaper than some of his bigger competitors though. A Niesmann +Bischoff lhd LT50 was nearly £40k inc taxes.
     
  9. 6K is a fair estimate when you've taken off your 60% discount
    I remember going for a look at a used 308, but at £25,000 it was as much as my house.
     
  10. Moons

    Moons Supporter

    That'll be £4300 for one of these bad boys in 1984

    [​IMG]

    I think even a Delorean was $25,000 - maybe around £14,000




    I would work out whatever family saloon Vauxhall make these days and conclude what your van might cost in equivalence.......but then I fell asleep with looking at the bore fest that is Vauxhall range....who knew they stopped making the Vectra!!?
     
  11. Yeah I was an Alty boys ,had a Candis magazine round ,use to embezzlel a load of the takings.
     
  12. matty

    matty Supporter

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  13. In 1984 under the right to buy scheme , you can guess the rest !!!!
     
  14. man you would buy a house with 30k and it would be worth 200k now ,buy a woodlander instead and you will be looking at a 28k loss...:D

    my delher was 18k in 1984....
     
  15. Poptop2

    Poptop2 Administrator

    If I did have £30k back then I would have bought houses, not a van!
     
  16. Poptop2

    Poptop2 Administrator

    Guessing £7k. Our friends bought theirs about then and that was what theirs cost in 1984.
     
  17. Poptop2

    Poptop2 Administrator

    £18k for a Delher profi for £18k, who says there isn't money in poo? ;)

    As a serious note, the £18k tag puts the price of mine into perspective.
     
  18. Poptop2

    Poptop2 Administrator

    So true!
     
  19. Moons

    Moons Supporter

    My dad sold my van in 1983 for around £3.5 k......he sold the family home (5 beds) for £36k.....I think my mums house cost £32k in 1984.
     
  20. Poptop2

    Poptop2 Administrator

    I think you would have to compare it to the modern equivalent van. which I guess would be the 2015 Autotrail Apache in this link

    http://www.auto-trail.co.uk/model/apache/634

    Can't see any prices though.
     

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