Compare minimum wage in the late 60s when an SS 396 Chevelle cost $3,600 with the minimum wage today and the price of a top of the line vehicle. Wages have not kept up.
One of my favorite cars was a 1964 Malibu SS, 283 with a Power Pack. I bought it in late 1963 when Chevelles first came out. It was midnight blue and I got pulled over in North Carolina for doing nothing. The deputy just wanted to look at the car. I paid sticker price for it ... $3290.