The 1972 Chevrolet Vega was only the third cheapest American car available in 1972. The hatchback model shown here listed for $100 more than the 2-door “sedan” shown below.
A buddy of mine and I used to play a game called “Full Retail Fun.” The game was simple enough, we grabbed a recent copy of Consumer Guide® and tried to build to most expensive cars possible by tallying the prices of every available option.
All prices presented below are as reported in Consumer Guide Auto Test ’72
Given that we were young and given to being amused by things sensational, it never crossed our minds to build the cheapest car possible. I am making amends for that now.
Here please find the seven cheapest American cars you could buy in 1972. To keep things Spartan, the only options we looked at were an AM radio and automatic transmission.
All prices come from the 1972 Consumer Guide® Auto Test ’72, which includes an awesome note before the pricing section regarding Richard Nixon relaxing his price controls.
Why 1972? Most because car prices were about to start rising at a pretty fast pace, leaving ’72 as a sort of “good old days” price reference point. Note: All of the images below depict the vehicles with optional equipment. Your sub-$2500 special would not have looked so spiffy.
Ford Pinto
Base engine: 122-inch 4-cylinder (86 horsepower)
1972 Ford Pinto
| 2-door “sedan” | $1931 |
| Automatic transmission | 170 |
| AM radio | 60 |
| $2161 |
AMC Gremlin
Base engine: 232-inch 6-cylinder (100 horsepower)
1972 AMC Gremlin
| 2-door “sedan” | $1999 |
| Automatic transmission | 200 |
| AM radio | 66 |
| $2265 |
The Cheapest American Cars of 1989
Chevrolet Vega
Base engine: 140-inch 4-cylinder (90 horsepower)
1972 Chevrolet Vega
| 2-door “sedan” | $2031 |
| Automatic transmission | 193 |
| AM radio | 59 |
| $2283 |
Ford Maverick
Base engine: 170-inch 6-cylinder (82 horsepower)
1972 Ford Maverick
| 2-door “sedan” | $2158 |
| Automatic transmission | 178 |
| AM radio | 60 |
| $2396 |
The Most-Expensive American Cars of 1977
Mercury Comet
Base engine: 170-inch 6-cylinder (82 horsepower)
1972 Mercury Comet
| 2-door “sedan” | $2194 |
| Automatic transmission | 178 |
| AM radio | 60 |
| $2432 |
AMC Hornet SST
Base engine: 232-inch 6-cylinder (100 horsepower)
1972 AMC Hornet SST
| 2-door “sedan” | $2177 |
| Automatic transmission | 200 |
| AM radio | 66 |
| $2443 |
Plymouth Valiant Duster “Six”
Base engine: 225-inch 6-cylinder (110 horsepower)
1972 Plymouth Duster
| 2-door coupe | $2260 |
| Automatic transmission | 178 |
| AM radio | 60 |
| $2498 |
The Most-Expensive American Cars of 1972
