If your current life situation was transferred to your birth year e(.g. if you are a farmer in France and were born in 1974, you are now a farmer in France in 1974, with all the economic changes in France and its farming included), what car would you drive? Well, in 2001 Poland I'd likely drive (already, as the driving age has been raised since then) a BMW 3-Series E21 or Mercedes W123 with one of the smaller 4-bangers. And what would be your living-in-birth-year car?
Probably a Honda Civic, like I do now but older obviously. Honda engines last if you take decent care of them, even the old ones.
In 2002, probably Peugeot 307, if talking about new cars. Regarding second hand ones, probably Alfa Romeo 33 or Lancia Delta from late 80s and early 90s.
Used. I don't think you'd be on the level of getting a new Western car as a first car in 2002 Serbia.
You said in the title "at your current social standing." So, it's possible for me to own a brand new car. But, currently I'm still going to school, so I said that it's possible to own a new car based on current economic standing of my family.
Current social standing, translated into birth year. So if we ignore your family for a bit. You're currently a high schooler in Serbia in 2019. Question is what could a 2002 high schooler obtain in Serbia in 2002, not what a 2019 person could have obtained in 2002. Probably not a lot. --- Post updated --- Now for myself. Honestly, I'm a software engineer in 2019. I have no idea what id be earning in 1994, all I know is that even adjusting for inflation, houses were a lot lot lot cheaper and that my company was pretty newly started, which today would result in me being the longest serving engineer. Honestly no idea. Though for comparisons sake, very early 2017 me with less than 6 months employment under his belt managed to get a personal loan for £2500 plus pay £1000 of his own money and buy a 2001 WRX. 2019 me has now discovered I can comfortably pay the finance for a brand new fiesta ST2+performance pack, or a 2 year old focus ST. A little more money gets a 3 year old WRX STI, and while I would have the funds but I'd be bleeding myself dry, a 3 year old Focus RS is possible. Translating to 1994s lower cost of living plus probably still getting a decent salary. Probably a fair bit of choice available.
I don't know what used car prices were at the turn of the centuries, but I know that new cars cost a shit ton - in the mid-nineties, a Corolla bought at an official dealership cost as much as an apartment in the centre of Tallinn (capital city). I imagine the situation had improved a bit by the time I would be purchasing my car. So, what would I choose? Naturally, I'd want the same thing as I want now - a roomy full-time AWD wagon with acceptable dynamics. So, my choice would be virtually the same as now - VW Passat B2 Syncro or Subaru Leone (instead of B5.5 4Motion or Mk4 Legacy), imported used from Western Europe. If I got some sponsorship from my parents, I could even shoot for a B3 or a first gen Legacy.
the bronco and the Firebird, both where much cheaper in 2002 (my dad got my Firebird in 2000 for 400, now the rolling shell is worth 3500), the Bronco was just a 13-year-old SUV. If I could get one I'd also love an AWD turbo DSM
