cost of oil and filter in 1978

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Yesterday while listening to an internet radio station playing a show from 1977 or 1978 I heard a commercial from the same year for some...lube place...I don't think it was one of the big 3 car dealerships and an oil and filter and lube was advertised for $8.
 
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$20-25 for an oil change is cheap; One of the few shops I will take my car's too charges $30-35 minimum.

I had the Windstar's oil changed during a trip to Michigan over Christmas, and it cost me $33. It was at one of the "drive-through" oil change places.

I swear when they were done they had tried selling me a whole new van with all the parts they wanted to replace.
 
I worked as a mech at an ARCO ststion in the late 70's. We did OC's at cost(Advertised $9.99-)to keep customers coming back. They knew the path to our store, so here they came for heavy maintenance.
 
I can tell you that in 1958 an Ac PF1 oil filter cost a dollar,
HD 10/30 Amaile (Witco chemical) oil in a 24 qt case (6 gallons) cost me $6.66 + .06 cents fed tax per gallon. Of course if you made $150.00 a week you had a pretty good job. You also had a bit to put away for a rainy day. kotzy
 
I think then I was paying $5 for a PF 9 at the professional autoparts place. It was the only thing I could buy for my truck then. Later I could get them at K-Mart for $2 on sale.
 
What?? I can still change my oil for $10 using Valvoline and Baldwin filter in my suburban...You just have to buy it on sale...never pay full retail....never....
 
Used to love the feel and sound of sliding an oil spout into the old tin top cardboard oil cans. When did we go plastic, early eighties?
 
those cardboard quarts bring back some memories!Remember the scene from"The Jerk".(Steve Martin).Those bullets going thru the old style oil cans!!!!!!!!Great movie.
 
Navin R. Johnson: "He hates these cans. Stay away from the cans".
the_jerk-steve_martin-00.jpg
 
Just purchased 5qt.Penzoil and filter for 10 bucks (5 dollar rebate by mail) for my 1978 Chevy Van . I substituted 1 container of oil with a Rislone Compression additive . Still , 10 bucks saved and then spent on a 10 dollar additive ? I'll learn someday .
 
My dad told me that during the 70s, M1 oil was $5/quart, so he bought 1 quart and used it in his Honda motorcycle, since the experiment wouldn't be too expensive.

Interesting that even the fanciest M1 oil is not more than $8/quart despite all the inflation.
 
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