Just to put things in persective, with your 400 buck listeroid.

[GuyFawkes]

I've been writing a little bit about Listers and trying to find examples people can relate to.

Listeroid is 4-500 bucks US at the factory gate.

Lister CS 6/1 Start-o-matic was 297 Pounds 0 Shillings 0 Pence in 1950.

Hard to draw a picture from that innit.

OK, bear in mind when you got your lister you'd spend a few more quid installing and setting everything up just so.

That's useful, because it makes the number work, and means that, minus number plates etc, you could buy TWO brand new Vincent Rapide HRD motorcycles, or ONE 2.5 Kw Start-o-matic.

NONE OF US are the type of people who were buying these things new.

What's a couple of nice HRD's worth in the states? 100,000 bucks? So my S-o-m is undervalued I think... lolol

[Doug]

Well said!

Doug

[t19]

SOM in UK dBay   $600 CAN
ship to Canada from Scotland by land and boat     $600 CAN
Look on everyones face the first time I start it up - Priceless

[cujet]

OK, so use the consumer price index for 1950 and the exchange rate for today.

297 pounds times 1.837 equals 545 dollars

545 dollars times the consumer price index calculator (1950 to 2006) is $4588.

So the start o matic would cost about 4,600 bucks today. Kind of interesting, as there are no water cooled diesel gensets for that price available in the states. Yamaha made one that sold for $5000 with a (I think) Kubota engine. It was rated about 5000watts and as a general rule lasts about 2,000 to 5,000 hours. I have seen some that did not make 2000 hours. And by 5K they were rough.

You got a lot for your money with a SOM. even back in the 50's!

Chris

[GuyFawkes]

OK, so use the consumer price index for 1950 and the exchange rate for today.

297 pounds times 1.837 equals 545 dollars

545 dollars times the consumer price index calculator (1950 to 2006) is $4588.

So the start o matic would cost about 4,600 bucks today. Kind of interesting, as there are no water cooled diesel gensets for that price available in the states. Yamaha made one that sold for $5000 with a (I think) Kubota engine. It was rated about 5000watts and as a general rule lasts about 2,000 to 5,000 hours. I have seen some that did not make 2000 hours. And by 5K they were rough.

You got a lot for your money with a SOM. even back in the 50's!

Chris

Clue

Consumer Price Index is utter bollox whose sole purpose is to persuade you your money still goes a long way....

When vincent rapide's were new my folks bought a cottage with ruined chapel and 3 acres of orchards for LESS than bob williams paid for his vinnie....

Now if you think US$ 4,588.00 is going to buy you a world class exclusive motorcycle today...... ah no, that will STILL cost you about 100 thousand bucks, so no change there then.

[cujet]

Guy,

You are correct about the CPI, of course! But I am just using the CPI as an example. Certainly, the CPI is a government figure that is based on the very items that don't increase in price as much everything else. Like washing machines for example. I dont know about you but washing machines are purchased every 20 or so years. Hardly worthy of being on the CPI list.

By the way, my money does go far. I work as an aircraft mechanic, my wife does not work. I build things myself, I have a nice and big house in Florida with a small machine shop in the garage, 3 cars, 4 motorcycles and 11 acres in TN. I suppose I could wish for more, but I have more than I can handle already. I could use an airplane! Maybe another boat. Guy, your example of Vincent motorcycles is lacking at best. Reduxio ad absurdum at worst.

Chris

[mobile_bob]

"Consumer Price Index is utter bollox whose sole purpose is to persuade you your money still goes a long way...."

i am with you on this one, they are telling have truths at best, spinnning the shit out of the rest, that is where we need to put things to the test....( hahaha a rhyme)


for instance in 1971:

gas sold for 24.9 cents everyday, what is it now?  3 bucks!  a 1200% increase

a typical house here sold for 30K, same house today 500K!  approx 1600% increase

medical i would bet is at least in the neighborhood of increase  1000%

education, has increased every bit of 1000% and in some case much more

food has increased not as much but still in the neighborhood of 500%

i could buy a good serviceable used car, for a few hundred bucks, same criteria today think a few thousand, hmmm 500% increase conservatively

on the other hand sure washers and dryers, tv's and refrigerators have remained pretty stable, oweing to china mainly.
clothing, shoes and other consumable stuff has been stable, and in some cases lower in price.
air travel has certainly come down in price, due largely to competition
finance charges are less today, due to competition.

so if you want to spin things in the direction of "aren't things lovely" which would you report on?

things we want have remained stable, things we need have gone crazy.

bob g

[hotater]

All you have to do is trace the tax increases....it's the government that's getting the extra dough and spreading it to those that don't actually DO anything.

Thanks France, England, Neatherlands, etc....your socializm is spreading and taking away the incentive to do good.

[rpg52]

Add in peak oil, global warming, etc.  My personal prediction is that all current prices will be irrelevant inside of 10 years (or less).  I will not predict what they will be, only that they will be different. 

When shipping costs increase, maybe the factories will move closer to the consumers, or maybe the consumers can no longer consume like they have, or maybe wages will collapse and repair shops will come back into vogue, or maybe . . . someone will drop the big one(s) and it will truely all be irrelevant. 

Cheerful, I know - that's probably why I'm not running for office.  That's my perspective, and I'm sticking to it.
Ray