Sticker shock: How much do you want for that car?

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen here and in the Cruisin’ News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace."

Sacramento, California -- People who know such things tell me that a sure sign of aging is when your conversations are dominated by your current health ... and constant complaining about the ever-rising price of seemingly everything.

I've been fighting these trends with old codger fury, but some things are hard to avoid.

Like the average price of a new car in the United States hovering right around $50,000. And if you're willing to settle for a used car, the average fare is $25,000 and change.

I've dated myself already, but I distinctly remember that you could get a 1965 Mustang (still craved today) wearing a sticker of less than $2,500.

Yeah, sure, I know .... those times are long gone, along with Mister Ed and The Beverly Hillbillies on the tube.

But I must admit, I don't know how today's wage earners (even decent wage earners) can afford to buy a car ... given the high price of everything else in their American lives.  OK, financing over 72 months might get you there, but that's assuming that you're eating chicken noodle soup six days a week.

I guess I am skewing the game by applying my 1960s-1980s memories/values in the modern age, where you can walk into a dealership and find a blizzard of pickups and sport-utility vehicles priced at $60,000, $70,000 and up.

And sure, the averages are dragged up by super cars.

Pulitzer Prize-winning auto reviewer Dan Neil recently evaluated the 2025 Cadillac Celestiq, a mind-blowing piece of style, performance and engineering.  Price as tested: $395,790.  Yeah, that number will swell your batting average.

So, as we swim through a period of ever-more-exotic exotics, tariffs and electronic vehicles, I expect we will see the average price of a new auto balloon somewhere near the cost of a two-bedroom bungalow on the waterfront in Santa Barbara.

The very thought makes my nerves tingle.  Think I'll grab a $20 latte and sit for a bit.