Originally Posted by
squirtdad
totally rough non scientific comparison
IIRC in 1982 I bought a Nishiki mid range bike for $280 or so and a toyota tercel 4WD wagon for $7995
Roughly similar today would be Specialized allez sport at $1400 and a subaru impreza Sport (starting at Msrp of $25k)
One of the problems with measuring inflation is that some items are static over time -- a gallon of milk, or a bushel of apples. But other goods change over time, often (perhaps usually) for the better. So, while your newer newer car and newer bike do cost more dollars in nominal terms, they are also vastly better -- more features, better performance, better reliability, etc. It's almost like comparing two different products.