it's parker's big 5-0 this month and to mark the occasion we're looking back at the motoring
landscape of 1972 to reveal how much things have changed in half a century is the cost of motoring
lower today or were we enjoying a golden era for drivers in the 70s and we just didn't know it
when parkers was launched in march 1972 it was a genuine game changer back then it was called the
parker's new used and trade car price guide and it cost just 20 pence it was full of page after page
evaluations as well as hand-crafted line drawings of britain's most popular cars of the time
and how time has changed parker's is now entirely digital and delivered in glorious technicolor
parker's code uk has around 2.5 million users a month generating about 250 000 valuations
helping the great british public buy sell and run their cars is at the heart of our dna
with spiraling running costs post pandemic it's no wonder that the cost of motoring is the prime
issue facing motorists right now chances are that will still be the case in 50 years time
for example say you want to fill your car up with fuel back in 1972 it would cost eight pence per
liter now it's 147 pence pint of milk used to be 6p now it's 46p even the good old mars bar has
rocketed in price back in the 70s you'd be looking at 2p for one whereas now if you want a slice of
that chewy goodness you're looking at more like 74p but does that tell the whole story let's not
forget in 1972 the average salary was only about 1500 pounds whereas today it's ballooned to about
30 000 pounds plus cars are way more reliable and fuel efficient now than they were back then
a casing point is this ford cortina back in 1972 this was britain's best-selling new car
on account of its competitive pricing good looks low running costs and a massive range of models
many positives that also could be leveled at this the skodrenyak it's our 2022 carp
year and it's fair to say the average family motor has come a long way in the last 50 years
okay so you do get less standard equipment in 1972 in this top gxl model there's a push button radio
additional dials including a rev counter and this glorious wood trim however you're still using one
of these funny windy things to put the windows up and down if you want electric windows or
air conditioning well they really weren't popular until the 80s and 90s at least in terms
of everyday cars like this navigation well you'll be reaching over for one of these if you want to
phone someone well you'll need to pull over and use a phone box in comparison the skoda enyak
driver lives in the life of luxury when i get into the car the infotainment system syncs up
with my phone so i listen to music and podcasts on the go and of course electric steering wheel
electric seats climate control it's all a given in this super high-tech car whereas
back in the cortina era the only screen else is 22 inch black and white in their living room
to drive the cortina feels every bit as old as its 50 years would suggest
it is however undoubtedly rather cool and good fun the handling is shall we say quite
boaty with soft suspension meaning lots of body lean and narrow tyres meaning modest grip levels
performance is even if you put your foot down a little bit
leisurely but flat out this will do not to 60 in around about 10 seconds
so there's enough pace to keep up with modern day traffic without too much difficulty
and seeing at 50 miles an hour quite comfortably you get the feeling that this would happily cruise
up and down the motorway all day long without fuss certainly that i suspect is its natural habitat
certainly judging by showing in the corners there other things to consider well this one
has been upgraded somewhat with a more modern automatic gearbox and nice light power steering
however the original three-speed gearbox that would have come with this would be well very very
sluggish in its operation and uh not particularly good for performance while the manually operated
steering with no power assistant would take an awful lot of muscle work when you're parking all
in all then even a upgraded car like this one does very much feel its age but you've got to love it
but overall to drive it's easy enough i can imagine
rolling down the outside lane of the motorway at 65 70 miles an hour without a care in the
world and well that is what this court even was designed for and what it is perfect for
in comparison with the cortina the enyak drives itself and i mean that quite literally because
it has adaptive cruise control that means it can stop steer and accelerate for you
a lot faster than the cortina too zero to 60 is dealt with in about eight seconds
i will concede that because the quartering is so much smaller and lighter it's a bit more
comfortable but then by comparison the enyak's brakes and steering just feel absolutely pinched
up i think what i like most about the enyak though is just how easy it is snick it into d
and worse you're away with quiet electric power there's no noisy petrol engine to contend with
back in 1972 the cortina range started at just 963 pounds now while you're picking yourselves
back up off the floor bear in mind that's more like 13 510 pounds in today's money
now to fill the tank would cost you around about a fiver in 1972 and that money will get you around
about 300 miles which makes the 25 mpg average this gets more than bearable turks for the cortina
back in the day would have been 25 pounds a year and insurance just 40 pounds now before
you get too misty-eyed over the good old days do bear in mind this the average salary back then
was only about 20 to 30 pounds a week and the base rate of inflation was seven point three
percent all that means that it's actually cheaper to buy and own a car now than it was back then
today you're looking at spending about thirty five thousand pounds for a skoda rania or about
four 400 pounds per month on a typical pcp deal it's going to cost you about 10 to 15 pounds to
charge it from home or about double that from public rapid charger and you're going to get 250
to 300 miles out of it it's fair to say today's ev driver is paying way less of fuel than 1972 petrol
car driver insurance is typically about 400 pounds a year and there's no tax to pay assuming your
private car buyer and then there's interest rates while they're forthcoming rises interest rates
are still much lower now than they were in 1972 plus car finance is a lot easier to get hold of
as you can see cars have changed immensely in the last five decades the end of the
petrol engine is now in sight and more electric cars are being rolled out to take their place
they're faster safer easier to drive and packed with all the comfort and safety features you
could ever need and the enyak iv really is a brilliant car for today it really is and
it all adds up too and just goes to show how good family cars are in 2022 the anyak is comfortable
reliable pretty good to drive and i'll even do 300 miles on the charge even 10 years ago that
just seemed impossible in every single conceivable way the enyak has a cortina well and truly beaten
are the cortina the nation's favorite car of the 70s and well into the 80s
everyone's dad had one and at its peak the car had well over 10 of the market share in the uk
now this lovely mark iii coke bottle example is a desirable classic these days but let's face
it it's a little bit slow handles a little bit boatly and doesn't have the anyak's equipment
either but it is a reminder that the 70s brought us some fabulous cars so whether you prefer
classic cars or new cars there is no denying that things have certainly moved on in the past
five decades but one thing that remains consistent is parker's commitment to offering the best advice
and the most trusted valuations for all new and used car happy buyers
you