M38a1 cost

1952 - 1968, M38A1, M170, questions, discussions, regarding anything related to the M38a1 series.
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Enrico
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M38a1 cost

Post by Enrico » Fri Aug 22, 2014 4:52 am

Dear All,

Does anybody know how much the US Governement paid for a M38A1 and a M151 early contract?

Thank you,

Enrico


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Re: M38a1 cost

Post by Joe Gopan » Fri Aug 22, 2014 5:19 am

Here's what I used to observe back in the 50's-early 60's on M-38A1 Jeeps at some military posts.
There would be a stenciled on the inside drivers corner of the windshield, This vehicle cost $2011.XX. The stencil was in 1" print in white so that it could be read from the outside. I also observed similar stenciling in yellow on the M-38 Jeeps at Dow Field, Maine during the same period..
Others on G-503 have witnessed similar markings
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Dave M38A1
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Re: M38a1 cost

Post by Dave M38A1 » Fri Aug 22, 2014 7:47 am

I re did a hood for my M38A1 which had a hood cost stencil on it.
As close as I could figure it said "This Vehicle Costs $1987.00?"

http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/50 ... Hk-3Zz.jpg

The funny thing is a friend had a vehicle cost on a hood for an M38 and the cost was higher. The price may have depended on how many were ordered on that contract.

Seems that i may have heard of some that had stenciled on them. "THIS VEHICLE COSTS $XXXX.00 SO TAKE CARE OF IT", but I'm not sure about that.

Dave
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Enrico
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Re: M38a1 cost

Post by Enrico » Sat Aug 23, 2014 9:44 am

Dear All,

Thank you for your help!

Enrico

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Re: M38a1 cost

Post by willystexas » Wed Aug 27, 2014 4:11 am

From the Federal Reserve website:

Example:
Let's say that in 1950 a movie cost 25 cents. How could you tell if movies have increased in price faster or slower than most goods and services? To convert that price into today's dollars, use the CPI.

The CPI for 1950 = 24.1
The CPI for 2014 = 236.2*
A movie in 1950 = $0.25
Use the following formula to compute the calculation:
2014 Price = 1950 Price x (2014 CPI* / 1950 CPI)
$2.45 = $0.25 x (236.2 / 24.1)

By my calculation, if a M38 cost $2011 in 1950, it would cost $19,709.47 in 2014 Dollars.
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Dave M38A1
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Re: M38a1 cost

Post by Dave M38A1 » Wed Aug 27, 2014 7:47 am

Interesting observation. That could be a handy formula.
I think the one on my hood in the picture has a cost of $1987.00? (Hard to read)
If that's so 1987 x (236.2 / 26.7) = $15,578.00.
I suppose the more they ordered on a contract the better the price for each individual Jeep.

Thanks for sharing this.

Dave
Dave M38A1
1953 M38A1
1964 USMC M38A1
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Re: M38a1 cost

Post by Joe Gopan » Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:42 am

I had a Yellow 1952 M-38 Windshield assy. with the cost in the glass in yellow stencil. The 506th Strategic Fighter Wing at Dow AFB across the road put winter enclosures on 3 of their new M-38's, we bought the windshields removed from them a short time later.
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Re: M38a1 cost

Post by dpcd67 » Tue Oct 10, 2017 9:39 am

For your M38 to cost more than a later A1 is reasonable; the M38A1 is a simpler vehicle and should have cost less; it was a derivative of the CJ5 which was in mass production. And true, the more you buy the cheaper they are.
Now, some background; the Willys contract price you might see on a contract is not the cost the the field Army "pays" or sees. The Ordnance Department, now TACOM-LCMC, charges a surcharge on everything they buy and sell to the Army or any other customer. The AMDF (Army Master Data File) price that the User pays has the surcharge built in; TACOM pays it's employees involved with managing end items and spare and repair parts from this fund.
Everyone thinks that the "Army" just operates on one big appropriation of money; definitely not true.
And those prices stenciled on vehicles are meaningless; their only purpose is to try to get the drivers to take care of them. They were locally and randomly applied; I have never seen any type of directive to do so.
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Re: M38a1 cost

Post by Joe Gopan » Tue Oct 10, 2017 12:34 pm

Gotta disagree on the history of the M-38A1/CJ-5, I believe a little research will find that M-38A1 went into production mid 1952, the first CJ-5 Models were introduced in the 1955 year and some lucky dealers had them in Dec 1954.
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Re: M38a1 cost

Post by dpcd67 » Wed Oct 11, 2017 1:42 pm

Really? What are you disagreeing with? Ok, I shouldn't have used the term derivative. Should have said concurrent.
My point is that the M38A1 and CJ5 were both in mass production together.much higher production, and many years longer than the M38/CJ3A, and the military model benefited from that relationship.
You were there, you know what happened.
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Re: M38a1 cost

Post by Joe Gopan » Wed Oct 11, 2017 4:09 pm

However we may differ, the M38A1 is priceless compared to the M-38.
2011 MVPA PIONEER AWARD - MVPA #1064
HONOR GRAD-WHEELED VEHICLE MECHANIC SCHOOL 1960 - US ARMY ORDNANCE SCHOOL(MACHINIST) ABERDEEN PG 1962 - O-1 BIRD DOG CREWCHIEF - 300,000+TROUBLE FREE M-38A1 MILES
LIFE MEMBER AM LEGION-40/8-DAV
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