Oh my. I can't tell the difference between old MT and new either. Not even the underframe, unless it has something to do with the truck mounts that I have never heard about. The details seem to be the same to me.
$3.00 is a very early price for a typical basic MT boxcar (one body color, one paint color). Taking 1973 as the date, the CPI makes that $16.08 today. That's pretty much the cheaper end of the street price today for the same car; there are even cheaper MT cars today. You're right that CPI doesn't tell the whole story because it doesn't concern itself with luxuries like big boys' toys, i.e., model trains. And it doesn't have anything to do with what everybody's earning to try to buy those goods. Close enough for me to see what's happened in the last 42 years, though. Better that everyone in 1973 saved their disposable income as gold bullion ($139/oz. avg) that would be worth nearly $1100/oz today? Then there would be no MT or much of anyone else in N around today to criticize.
What it all boils down to is it's up to you, yes you...to justify what's appropriate and what's not. You will have to justify in your own head or reasoning process what's worth buying and at what price. You and you alone will have to decide what your budget limitations are or are not. So... what? Is there a point to all this? I reached my tipping point along time ago as my budget restraints appear to have me on a permanent hold. I can't even afford the pair of SP Black Widow, E7's someone was going to give me. Custom paint job and all. And a steam engine with DCC and sound. Oh well, it is what it is. And where you are....is....where you are. Now go have some fun with what you have. You never know when the last time... is the last time. Grin!
