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csziggy

(34,189 posts)

130. We had lots of cars with fins - loved those big GM sedans

Tue Jan 13, 2015, 11:43 PM

Jan 2015

The '58 Buick was a particular favorite since it was in the family for years. Grandmother bought it new. When she got the replacement, and unforgettable '64 Buick, she sold the '58 to Dad. My oldest sister got to drive it for a few years then it was passed down to me when I turned 16. I drove it until I went off to college in 1970 and Dad sold it to a local mechanic. Since the body and interior were in great shape, he cleaned it up and drove it around as a family car for a while, then sold it to a collector.

Here is a 1958 Buick Special, though not the emerald green we had:

Meanwhile, Mom got a '61 Caddy. While it didn't have the spectacular fins of the older GMs it had cool pointy fins:

That wasn't ours, but the same model. Mom's was black - had previously belonged to a funeral home. She got grandmother's 64 Buick after grandmother passed away, then got her 77 Caddy that she still has.

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Who remembers buying gasoline for under a dollar a gallon? [View all] another_liberal Jan 2015 OP

I remember paying 19.9 cents per gallon. B Calm Jan 2015 #1

Ah yes . . . those good old gas wars! another_liberal Jan 2015 #2

Exactly! I think the average price was around 25 cents, but then a gas war would happen B Calm Jan 2015 #3

Not to mention free dishware or glassware with fill-up pinboy3niner Jan 2015 #4

I do remember the stamps, lol. Damn are we old or what? B Calm Jan 2015 #5

At least we still remember, lol pinboy3niner Jan 2015 #6

greenstamps! omg! yes! unblock Jan 2015 #8

I may have grown old, but damned if I'll grow up. riqster Jan 2015 #10

I entirely avoided my midlife crisis Jackpine Radical Jan 2015 #152

I had a glorious and extended misspent youth. riqster Jan 2015 #156

Lawn chairs and TV trays, lol pinboy3niner Jan 2015 #12

OMG, you just brought back long suppressed memories. GGJohn Jan 2015 #48

Therapy? Are you crazy? pinboy3niner Jan 2015 #50

Indeed!! 2naSalit Jan 2015 #89

You can get a pot holder for that many S&H Green Stamps Jim Beard Jan 2015 #145

When you said pot holder, I thought you meant� Jackpine Radical Jan 2015 #158

Ha ha, I couldn't remember the name. Yep it was Green Stamps. B Calm Jan 2015 #13

Don't forget Blue Chip Stamps KansDem Jan 2015 #51

Yes, I remember S&H green stamps. RebelOne Jan 2015 #83

Mom got some unbreakable melamine dinner ware amandabeech Jan 2015 #118

And odd even plate days. pangaia Jan 2015 #153

I still have some of those glasses! femmocrat Jan 2015 #37

My family's good china was the dinnerware from boxes of DUZ detergent pinboy3niner Jan 2015 #42

Wheat designs were very popular in the '50s. amandabeech Jan 2015 #119

OMG! I remember that! Thanks for the post. AlinPA Jan 2015 #161

Fun fact: those wheat dishes were made by the Homer Laughlin china company in West Virginia Tanuki Jan 2015 #171

And S&H Green Stamps! Are we dating ourselves or what? n/t eridani Jan 2015 #136

What gets to me is that big oil companies must still be making money at under two dollars . . . another_liberal Jan 2015 #7

Amazing how low it goes with the speculators out of the market. House of Roberts Jan 2015 #22

I remember way back in the early '50s when I was a teenager, RebelOne Jan 2015 #81

where'dya live? I paid 10 cents a gal. in the early 60's. (North Carolina) 2banon Jan 2015 #105

Price wars were crazy in the 50's OLDMADAM Jan 2015 #164

I'd almost swear remembering .08 a gallon.. 2banon Jan 2015 #173

I lived in Miami, FL where everything is much higher. n/t RebelOne Jan 2015 #166

I remember that too. JDPriestly Jan 2015 #139

That's when I 2naSalit Jan 2015 #88

So do I... MrMickeysMom Jan 2015 #125

Less Than 10 Cents Per Gallon - Houston TX - Early 60s cantbeserious Jan 2015 #128

OMG.. Green Stamps, free towels and face clothes in soap, I remember it well.. OLDMADAM Jan 2015 #163

Yep! I remember watching those prices and thinking"Yea, I can afford to put gas in a car when I buy napi21 Jan 2015 #138

Not That Low ProfessorGAC Jan 2015 #146

97 cents in Northern NJ in late 90s HockeyMom Jan 2015 #9

Ditto in Prince William VA nitpicker Jan 2015 #17

Yup. I paid 95 cents a gallon somewhere in Montana when I was driving across country in 1998 alcibiades_mystery Jan 2015 #46

Thanks Bill Clinton! Raine1967 Jan 2015 #131

Cruising for beer and girls -- rogerashton Jan 2015 #11

We'd all chip in our small change to buy a gallon or two pinboy3niner Jan 2015 #18

This should be making all other products cheaper to produce and transport, Xipe Totec Jan 2015 #14

"Nothing to see here folks, just move alone . . ." another_liberal Jan 2015 #31

Why not? treestar Jan 2015 #38

I'm not talking about gas, I'm talking about goods Xipe Totec Jan 2015 #41

It could take a while, but these prices would drop treestar Jan 2015 #44

That's the theory. The reality is that company profits rise instead. Xipe Totec Jan 2015 #86

5 gal. of gas for 1 hour min. wage labor. Downwinder Jan 2015 #15

I remember 22 cents a gallon and they gave you free dishes, check your oil, cleaned your windshield. Scuba Jan 2015 #16

In 1969 there was a gas station in Mayport, Florida that had girls in bikini's B Calm Jan 2015 #19

As a kid I remember the things they'd give you treestar Jan 2015 #36

I remember the "Oil Crisis" of October 1973 when the price rose to 50 cents per gallon. John1956PA Jan 2015 #20

By December, it was $0.75 in southeast Michigan if you could find it. amandabeech Jan 2015 #120

39.9 cents in 1975, full service (only), wipe windows and check oil GreatGazoo Jan 2015 #21

I remember gas at 39.9 also because the 9/10th always annoyed me. By the time I started FSogol Jan 2015 #30

Seen it sell for 9 cents a gallon madokie Jan 2015 #23

Now hose tellin' war stories? pinboy3niner Jan 2015 #27

You have a couple of years on me. Mugu Jan 2015 #110

Gas was .49 when I was in high school, LWolf Jan 2015 #24

I do. cwydro Jan 2015 #25

cheapest I recall is $.68/gal ProdigalJunkMail Jan 2015 #26

28.9 in the mid and late 60s. n/t GP6971 Jan 2015 #28

28.9 for "Good Gulf" gasoling in the mid 1960's Jim Beard Jan 2015 #92

in 1973 gas was a round 40 cents a gallon notadmblnd Jan 2015 #29

I paid .69 c a gallon in Texas in 1999. Then we elected a Texas oilman. n/t n2doc Jan 2015 #32

Dec. 1963.....25 cents a gallon dixiegrrrrl Jan 2015 #33

I think it was 19 cents a gallon in 1950. RoverSuswade Jan 2015 #34

I bought my comic books at a little country store . . . another_liberal Jan 2015 #94

I remember mom trying to find the cheapest gas treestar Jan 2015 #35

I saw $1.79 gas this morning Man from Pickens Jan 2015 #39

I remember gas prices compared to minimum wages olddots Jan 2015 #40

I remember .99! Let the good times roll... Agschmid Jan 2015 #43

I remember it always being a buck and change oberliner Jan 2015 #45

Right as it approached $1 ... LannyDeVaney Jan 2015 #47

Yeah, they did! another_liberal Jan 2015 #95

good old days johnsolaris Jan 2015 #49

$0.4 Cents pg fredamae Jan 2015 #52

I think the lowest I saw was 27 cents a gallon... KansDem Jan 2015 #53

I remember low prices clearly. Beach Rat Jan 2015 #54

Ah the old days.... Historic NY Jan 2015 #55

I remember my dad telling us that we could not afford to go on vacation LiberalArkie Jan 2015 #56

We never went on vacation no matter how low gas was Art_from_Ark Jan 2015 #160

It was about the same, vacation = weekend at Heber Springs or such LiberalArkie Jan 2015 #167

Ah, the Arkansas Oil Patch Art_from_Ark Jan 2015 #168

Raises hand CountAllVotes Jan 2015 #57

I remember gas at 22.9 cents in Brooklyn, but... meaculpa2011 Jan 2015 #58

I remember the first time I saw gasoline for $1.00 - that was at a remote place - Lucia, Calirornia Douglas Carpenter Jan 2015 #59

Out of the way places and stations right off Interstate highway were first to break a dollar . . . another_liberal Jan 2015 #96

0.89/gal in 2007. Fearless Jan 2015 #60

16 cents a gallon. Loved those gas wars Autumn Jan 2015 #61

29 cents at Arco was the cheapest when I had my first car. Kablooie Jan 2015 #62

I remember 25 cents..... gblady Jan 2015 #63

Back in the late '80s, Bu$h Sr. Art_from_Ark Jan 2015 #170

it was around 95 cents when i got my license in 97 fizzgig Jan 2015 #64

18.9 cents a gallon outside Ft Benning GA in 1961 or 62 tularetom Jan 2015 #65

It was 2 cents a gallon at gas stations in Iraq in 2003-4. former9thward Jan 2015 #66

The "real price" was having to be in Iraq to buy it . . . another_liberal Jan 2015 #93

When I first learned how to drive it was 49 cents a gallon. kimbutgar Jan 2015 #67

22 - 24 cents a gal when I bought my first car around 1960. lpbk2713 Jan 2015 #68

Sure. It was about 25 cents a gallon when I was in high school, MineralMan Jan 2015 #69

Remember when the pumps weren't designed to handle any price over $.99? Scruffy Rumbler Jan 2015 #70

It was in the 50-60 cents range when I was growing up n/t PasadenaTrudy Jan 2015 #71

What is going on with the price of gas? dilby Jan 2015 #72

Back in the mid 60's, I remember gas being 15.9 cents per gallon. Arkansas Granny Jan 2015 #73

Here's the deal: I was making $8 to $10 an hour and gas was sixty cents a gallon. hunter Jan 2015 #74

Ten bucks an hour was a small fortune in the Seventies . . . another_liberal Jan 2015 #77

Wages varied wildly across the nation, if I recall. hunter Jan 2015 #80

I remember this also Gothmog Jan 2015 #75

Keep inflation in mind. 40 cents in 1965 is $3 in 2014 just by inflation. jeff47 Jan 2015 #76

The sad thing is that many Americans only make a little more than $5/hour now . . . another_liberal Jan 2015 #98

Exactly. jeff47 Jan 2015 #111

Old TV shows are great for this kind of thing Newsjock Jan 2015 #78

In the early 70's I bought gas for $.25 a gallon. upaloopa Jan 2015 #79

25 cents 1976 benld74 Jan 2015 #82

Waited in a block long line to fill up my brand new 1969 MG Midget for $2.50...went 400 miles plus libdem4life Jan 2015 #84

My brother-in-law had an MG then. It was fun to drive . . . another_liberal Jan 2015 #103

Absolutely...especially with the top down... libdem4life Jan 2015 #147

Wow! another_liberal Jan 2015 #148

Yeah, what can a 19 year old afford? Now it's Toyotas all the way. Two others...not my libdem4life Jan 2015 #149

Adjusted for inflation Kelvin Mace Jan 2015 #85

The cheapest I remember paying is 79 cents. NaturalHigh Jan 2015 #87

In the 60's I remember seeing Politicalboi Jan 2015 #90

I remember paying .73 in 88. ileus Jan 2015 #91

Me... TeeYiYi Jan 2015 #97

25 cents a gallon, and a free glass tumbler LiberalEsto Jan 2015 #99

Sinclair stations used to give all the kids in the car green plastic Brontosaurus toys . . . another_liberal Jan 2015 #100

I vaguely remember those. Remember the Esso tiger tails? LiberalEsto Jan 2015 #116

I remember when bread was 49 cents a loaf ailsagirl Jan 2015 #101

Its been below a buck a gallon Go Vols Jan 2015 #102

Where in motorist heaven have you lived? another_liberal Jan 2015 #109

10 cents a gallon back in early sixties in the south. 2banon Jan 2015 #104

Mid 1970's. SamKnause Jan 2015 #106

I remember when we were saying Jim Beard Jan 2015 #107

When my parents cleared out their old house, they found gas receipts csziggy Jan 2015 #108

Would a Buick be a land yacht instead of a barge? amandabeech Jan 2015 #121

Yeah, maybe land yacht would have fit that behemoth better csziggy Jan 2015 #123

FINS!!!!!!!!! amandabeech Jan 2015 #126

We had lots of cars with fins - loved those big GM sedans csziggy Jan 2015 #130

That Buick has intense amounts of Chrome. amandabeech Jan 2015 #142

Even the paint jobs on cars today are boring csziggy Jan 2015 #144

Yesterday I got gas for $1.57/gallon. Wow! SheilaT Jan 2015 #112

Well, of course. And my after school job paid $1.34 an hour so I was making bank! Shrike47 Jan 2015 #113

I did some field work one Summer vacation for a dollar an hour . . . another_liberal Jan 2015 #122

Cheapest I ever paid was 16.9 during a "gas war" in 1970... Contrary1 Jan 2015 #114

28.9 cents in PA in the early -mid 60's nt PCIntern Jan 2015 #115

In 1999, it was under 90 cents/gallon. muntrv Jan 2015 #117

Once...about 20 years ago krispos42 Jan 2015 #124

23 cents easychoice Jan 2015 #127

45 cents Skittles Jan 2015 #129

I do. In the 90's when Clinton was President. Raine1967 Jan 2015 #132

I paid .17 a gallon when I started driving, early 60s. immoderate Jan 2015 #133

in the late sixties lapfog_1 Jan 2015 #134

as a kid in the 70's I remember have to give my sister 50 cents to take me places. rufus dog Jan 2015 #135

I remember getting gas for 35 cents q gallon back sometime Cleita Jan 2015 #137

When you mentioned the car was a shell on four wheels I remembered a car Jim Beard Jan 2015 #140

This was mine. Cleita Jan 2015 #143

I remember 5 gallons for a buck. Lugnut Jan 2015 #141

When I was first learning to drive, it was 25 cents, Blue_In_AK Jan 2015 #150

Got my DL in 1966 and gas was $0.24/gal Lebam in LA Jan 2015 #151

The Cheapest I remember is 1.25 Drale Jan 2015 #154

I do. . . BigDemVoter Jan 2015 #155

Last time I saw that was 1992. Xithras Jan 2015 #157

I think it was around 25 cents when I was a kid and around 75 cents when I started driving gollygee Jan 2015 #159

I didn't start driving until 1972. bikebloke Jan 2015 #162

When I started driving my own car in high school in about 1967, it was about a quarter for a gallon aint_no_life_nowhere Jan 2015 #165

The Roanoke, VA WalMart in 1999, IIRC: $0.89 Recursion Jan 2015 #169

I do. ladyVet Jan 2015 #172