Back in 1978 I paid $7,000 for a 1972 Porsche 911T. This was the entry level model. It had a 2.4 liter engine rated at around 130-140 hp if I remember correctly. Even with the modest horsepower, it was a quick car due to the curbweight being something like 2400lbs or thereabouts.
I think Porsche owners today would be horrified at how basic of a sportscar it was. It came with thin floormats that covered a corrugated steel floor and had an add-on AC system hung below the dash, which was in fact the factory AC system.
Porsches have gone way upmarket from where they used to be. At one time they were just fun to drive sportscars and, while they were expensive, they were still affordable for the regular guy if they wanted to work and save up for one.
yeppers, that was before the days of lawyers, government regulations and crash test dummies.
Back in 1974 my wife and I were looking at new cars. One dealer was also a Mercedes dealer. We noticed a Mercedes sports car at $18,000. That was about $14,000 out of our price range but I got to thinking and we could actually have bought it.
It would have required our emptying our bank accounts and borrowing some too. Of course I was not seriously thinking of doing so, especially since we were expecting our first baby.
I can’t even remember the model number but maybe 20 years later I saw that same car was bringing enough that it would have been a good investment.
The going price for a late 70s to mid 80s Porsche 911 in good shape is about $15k nowadays, which I think is a great bargain for a great car. Even these relatively later models are pretty spartan, which to me is part of what makes them cool.