Where Service To Motorist Rules

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• The car wash on Langlois is still called "Spee-Dee Auto Wash".
  A quick search on Google shows that it was founded in 1988? I don't know if it's the same building or not. I'm curious to see if it's the same building, and what the story is on this...

• That sounds like a lot for some reasonn. In 1929, I could buy a Ford Model A open cab pickup for $445. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1920-1929-ford-trucks5.htm Today, a compact Ford Ranger pickup is about $20,000. That's about a 45X increase, so the same car wash today would be about $56 without a waxing. I think I'd just wash it myself, or if I had money, I'd have the gardener give it a rinse. But, then again, that is a very elegant building to have a car washed in.

• At measuringworth.com you can see a multitude of values for that 1929 $1.25 -- here is the data for that same dollar in 2007.

  $15.13 using the Consumer Price Index
  $12.49 using the GDP deflator
  $30.79 using the value of consumer bundle *
  $47.42 using the unskilled wage *
  $67.39 using the nominal GDP per capita
  $167.00 using the relative share of GDP

  Per that website, the nominal GDP (or the approximate financial impact to the buyer in 2007 dollars) is the best comparison. That said, the carwash was worth $67.39 in 2007 dollars! HOLY COW! That wasn't even including the tip!

• I was living in the area in 1988, when the building mysteriously burst into flames in the wee small hours of the morning. The Meretzsky's building, in the same block, also burned in the middle of the night that same year.

• According to the Bank of Canada inflation calculator, $1.25 in 1929 = $15.30 in 2008. That's not a bad deal depending on the level of service. It's not hard to spend $25 on a full service 'deluxe' car wash these days, with interior vacuum and all the trimmings. And back then one can only assume all those employees you see in the pic attended to every square inch. As to the 1988 date, lots of legacy businesses were purchased and/or incorporated over the years, and I'm guessing that's what the 1988 date refers to.

• So it would appear the building was around untill 1988, and rebuilt following a fire.

  Regardless, this is a local business that is ready to celebrate 80 years in business. I'm willing to bet that this is one of the oldest businesses in the city that is related to the automotive business. There aren't any dealerships this old, certainly no other car washes...

• I disagree that it is the same building. Look where the building in the photo is situated. It is right up close to the street in front of the sidewalk. Today the 7-11would sit on that site with the car wash behind it. Nonetheless, $15.00 for a hand wash is a good deal today.

• The car was due to be cleaned anyway, so I dropped by Spee-Dee this a.m. Talked with the owner, Greg, who confirmed that the original 1929 building suffered a fire when the Meretzky's (which was where 7-11 is today) was arsoned. Spee-Dee was re-built in 1980 on the same footprint as the original building. The current owner has been there since 1988. On the by and by, they do a great job there. Deluxe in-and-out service - with tax - came to $17.00

• Also, the mural of hood ornaments on the wall facing Wyandotte was a BIA project, tying in the car wash business with Wyandotte BIA's multicultural theme. Hood ornaments from makers around the world - including Russia - are featured.

• It's not $15 John. I'm reminded of Bernard Shaw who once said, "There's lies, damn lies, and statistics."

  If we use those figures, the cheapest Ford pickup would be $5,446.00 The average Canadian salary was about $1,400 back then. Using those figures, the average Canadian salary would be $17,136 today. The Ottawa business journal says it's $38,010 http://www.ottawabusinessjournal.com/287874995129568.php People spend relative to their wage. $15 is ridiculous!