#ThrowBackThursday: The price of famous cars from the 80s to now

35 years later, how has the car market changed? We take a look at how car prices have gone up over the past 35 years.

June 15, 2017

Tersia Gopi 1 minute read

In the age before the Internet, people in the 80s actually arranged their leisure time around TV programme schedules – children woke up early to catch their Sunday morning cartoons, while adults planned their day around what time Dallas aired on TV.

On the automotive front, Nissan was known as Datsun and was the king of the sales charts.

35 years later, how has the car market changed? We take a look at how car prices have gone up over the past 35 years.

Keywords: RM = Malaysian ringgit. Where 1RM is equivalent to R2.99 today.

1. Nissan and Datsun

In 1980, the most popular car on the road was the Datsun 120Y, priced at RM13 579 or (R 40 552). Its present day successor, the Nissan Almera, starts from RM64 960. or (R 193 999).

2. Honda and Toyota

Enthusiasts from the 80s would have loved the RM27 395 or (R81 813) Honda Prelude, and the RM26 261 or (R78 426) Toyota Celica. Both are 1.6-litre but the Celica was rear wheel driven while the Prelude was front.

3. Mini

Back then, the Mini 1275 GT sold for just RM13 817 or (R41 263), which explains their popularity in those days. A 2015 MINI now sells for RM176,888 that’s R 528 265 today!

4. BMW

BMW, which 35 years ago was playing second fiddle to Volvo and Alfa Romeo, is now the best-selling premium brand in the world.

Today, the 2015 BMW 320i sells for RM240,800 or R719 135. 35. Years ago, it sold for just RM47 460/ R141 736. The flagship BMW 728i sold for RM86 546/ R258 464, versus the present day 730Li’s at RM648,888, a whooping R 1 937 866-million.

5. Mercedes-Benz

Arch-rival Mercedes-Benz’s flagship 280SE sold for around RM100 000 or (R298 644), while the entry-level Mercedes-Benz 200 sold for RM54 310/ R162 193.

Today the equivalent Mercedes-Benz E200 sells for RM364 888 that’s R1 089 716m.