(FORTUNE Magazine) – What, you didn't buy that Porsche in the everything-to-excess Eighties? Too bad -- you really missed a bargain. A Porsche 911 Carrera coupe used to cost less than the average U.S. household's annual income. But nowadays the price is about 25% more, driven up by the strength of the deutsche mark and topped off by the luxury tax. The car pictured above -- now available with sophisticated four-wheel drive -- will cost you $78,450. Result: After having sold a record 30,000 automobiles in the U.S. in 1986, Porsche will move only 4,000 or so this year. U.S. carmakers have increased prices too, with no exchange rate to blame. But the price of a Lincoln Town Car has tracked average household income; the model remains popular. Figure in the effect of low interest rates on monthly payments, and the Lincoln is more affordable than it was a decade ago.

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