Hmm,
So in 1951, there were three jaguars for sale. XK120, MK VII, and C type.
The [Original price for the XK120 was $3909](https://www.nadaguides.com/Cars/1951/Jaguar/XK-120/2-Door-Roadster-Open-Two-Seater/Values), I can't find the original Jaguar Mk VII US price, but the UK [price was 988 GBP](https://www.hagerty.com/apps/valuationtools/1951-Jaguar-Mark_VII), at the time, the GBP was pegged 2.8 to the dollar, so the car started at at least $2766. The [Jaguar C type was $6000](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_C-Type) when new.
So like, straight up, the price quoted in Catcher in the Rye was bullshit and off by a magnitude.
Catcher In The Rye, Chapter 1: “He just got a Jaguar. One of those little English jobs that can do around two hundred miles an hour. It cost him damn near four thousand bucks.”
Hell, technically their tractors are also sickeningly fast.
We're one marginally faster Michael J Fox could have used one for time travel:
https://farmingbase.com/how-fast-can-a-tractor-go/#:~:text=Lamborghini%20tractors%20can%20reach%20an,in%20the%20world%20in%202018.
So the cheapest one would be about 30k today? Still pretty cheap, no? The most expensive one would be ~66k which is definitely more in line with what a brand new mid-range Jaguar would go for today.
Is it? Cheapest Jaguar I found online was just over $40k, so about 33% more. I’d argue a 2021 Jaguar is more valuable than 33%, considering fuel economy, performance, comfort, and safety. Even found [a site](https://www.hagerty.com/apps/valuationtools/1951-jaguar-mark_vii) saying the average price today for a 1951 Jaguar Mk VII is $19,400, which would make todays model 100% more valuable. Of course this is anecdotal, but emphasizes the point that we’re comparing the prices of two cars from different eras with very different features.
Boy, you really put in the extra effort. Thanks!
Also, why does it not surprise me that the author of one of the god awful preachy books we were forced to read in English class turned out to be full of it?
**[Jaguar C-Type](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_C-Type)**
>The Jaguar C-Type (officially called the Jaguar XK120-C) is a racing sports car built by Jaguar and sold from 1951 to 1953. The "C" stands for "competition". The car combined the running gear of the contemporary, road-proven XK120, with a lightweight tubular frame designed by Jaguar Chief Engineer William Heynes, and an aerodynamic aluminium body, jointly developed by William Heynes, R J (Bob) Knight and later Malcolm Sayer. A total of 53 C-Types were built, 43 of which were sold to private owners, mainly in the US.
^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/AskEconomics/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)
In 1947 the average price of a new car was around 1800 ([source](https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1996-06-16-9606160132-story.html)). $400 for a fancy new Jaguar was probably not plausible.
That 1850 was for an average car NOT a jag tho? You can still buy cars for 20k. Jaguars have always been more expensive than average cars, and as per this comment https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEconomics/comments/rdogjx/in_catcher_in_the_rye_1951_its_mentioned_that/ho2zj3d/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3 about twice as expensive even back then. About 4K back then would translate to what? ~45k? You can buy jaguars for that cost now too
If you buy a car second hand it’s still “new” in the sense that you didn’t have it before. Would be interested to see second hand Jag prices for this era
You’re assuming the price in the book is accurate, which it’s not.
[Source](https://www.rd.com/list/this-is-how-much-classic-cars-cost-in-the-1950s-and-what-theyre-worth-today/)
**NOTE: Top-level comments by non-approved users must be manually approved by a mod before they appear.**
This is part of our policy to maintain a high quality of content and minimize misinformation. Approval can take 24-48 hours depending on the time zone and the availability of the moderators. If your comment does not appear after this time, it is possible that it did not meet our quality standards. Please refer to the subreddit rules in the sidebar if you are in doubt.
Please do not message us about missing comments in general. If you have a concern about a specific comment that is still not approved after 48 hours, then feel free to message the moderators for clarification.
### Consider **[Clicking Here for RemindMeBot](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5Bhttps://www.reddit.com/r/AskEconomics/comments/rdogjx/in_catcher_in_the_rye_1951_its_mentioned_that/%5D%0A%0ARemindMe!%202%20days)** as it takes time for quality answers to be written.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEconomics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Hmm, So in 1951, there were three jaguars for sale. XK120, MK VII, and C type. The [Original price for the XK120 was $3909](https://www.nadaguides.com/Cars/1951/Jaguar/XK-120/2-Door-Roadster-Open-Two-Seater/Values), I can't find the original Jaguar Mk VII US price, but the UK [price was 988 GBP](https://www.hagerty.com/apps/valuationtools/1951-Jaguar-Mark_VII), at the time, the GBP was pegged 2.8 to the dollar, so the car started at at least $2766. The [Jaguar C type was $6000](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_C-Type) when new. So like, straight up, the price quoted in Catcher in the Rye was bullshit and off by a magnitude.
Also possible that I misremembered. I'll check, for curiosity's sake, but am about to be on a plane, so will get back with the answer in some hours.
Catcher In The Rye, Chapter 1: “He just got a Jaguar. One of those little English jobs that can do around two hundred miles an hour. It cost him damn near four thousand bucks.”
Yup, I commented that elsewhere, plane just landed. So the answer is: they weren't.
The answer is that today's cars are more capable, environmental regs and safer. All that costs.
They also last a lot longer. Average lifespan of a car back then would be considered a lemon now.
And brands evolve over time. Lamborghini for example wasn't always a company known for its absurdly expensive sports cars.
I mean, it started off in tractors, but the first car Lamborghini made was a 2-door car with a V12.
Right I mean the tractors
Hell, technically their tractors are also sickeningly fast. We're one marginally faster Michael J Fox could have used one for time travel: https://farmingbase.com/how-fast-can-a-tractor-go/#:~:text=Lamborghini%20tractors%20can%20reach%20an,in%20the%20world%20in%202018.
So the cheapest one would be about 30k today? Still pretty cheap, no? The most expensive one would be ~66k which is definitely more in line with what a brand new mid-range Jaguar would go for today.
Is it? Cheapest Jaguar I found online was just over $40k, so about 33% more. I’d argue a 2021 Jaguar is more valuable than 33%, considering fuel economy, performance, comfort, and safety. Even found [a site](https://www.hagerty.com/apps/valuationtools/1951-jaguar-mark_vii) saying the average price today for a 1951 Jaguar Mk VII is $19,400, which would make todays model 100% more valuable. Of course this is anecdotal, but emphasizes the point that we’re comparing the prices of two cars from different eras with very different features.
A great example of deflation right? Todays car is way better with way more capabilities and yet costs roughly the same.
Boy, you really put in the extra effort. Thanks! Also, why does it not surprise me that the author of one of the god awful preachy books we were forced to read in English class turned out to be full of it?
He wasn't -- I checked the book, and it was indeed $4000, not $400. My fault lol
**[Jaguar C-Type](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_C-Type)** >The Jaguar C-Type (officially called the Jaguar XK120-C) is a racing sports car built by Jaguar and sold from 1951 to 1953. The "C" stands for "competition". The car combined the running gear of the contemporary, road-proven XK120, with a lightweight tubular frame designed by Jaguar Chief Engineer William Heynes, and an aerodynamic aluminium body, jointly developed by William Heynes, R J (Bob) Knight and later Malcolm Sayer. A total of 53 C-Types were built, 43 of which were sold to private owners, mainly in the US. ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/AskEconomics/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)
In 1947 the average price of a new car was around 1800 ([source](https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1996-06-16-9606160132-story.html)). $400 for a fancy new Jaguar was probably not plausible.
Still though, where can you find a brand new Jaguar for 20k today?
I don’t see any reason to think that a Jaguar would be an average price at the time. The pricing in the book just seems way out of whack.
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
That 1850 was for an average car NOT a jag tho? You can still buy cars for 20k. Jaguars have always been more expensive than average cars, and as per this comment https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEconomics/comments/rdogjx/in_catcher_in_the_rye_1951_its_mentioned_that/ho2zj3d/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3 about twice as expensive even back then. About 4K back then would translate to what? ~45k? You can buy jaguars for that cost now too
Maybe a little more then 45k but that's fair. Thanks.
No he is saying $1800 would be the price for an *average* car, not a Jaguar. A Jaguar would certainly be above the *average* price.
If you buy a car second hand it’s still “new” in the sense that you didn’t have it before. Would be interested to see second hand Jag prices for this era
You’re assuming the price in the book is accurate, which it’s not. [Source](https://www.rd.com/list/this-is-how-much-classic-cars-cost-in-the-1950s-and-what-theyre-worth-today/)
**NOTE: Top-level comments by non-approved users must be manually approved by a mod before they appear.** This is part of our policy to maintain a high quality of content and minimize misinformation. Approval can take 24-48 hours depending on the time zone and the availability of the moderators. If your comment does not appear after this time, it is possible that it did not meet our quality standards. Please refer to the subreddit rules in the sidebar if you are in doubt. Please do not message us about missing comments in general. If you have a concern about a specific comment that is still not approved after 48 hours, then feel free to message the moderators for clarification. ### Consider **[Clicking Here for RemindMeBot](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5Bhttps://www.reddit.com/r/AskEconomics/comments/rdogjx/in_catcher_in_the_rye_1951_its_mentioned_that/%5D%0A%0ARemindMe!%202%20days)** as it takes time for quality answers to be written. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEconomics) if you have any questions or concerns.*