Class of '02, and even then a car was a big enough deal. But at that point gas was still well under $2/gallon, and a $500 could get you an older, but non-deathtrap first car. The electronic lifestyle was limited to (mostly)offline games, chat rooms, IM'ing, and VERY few kids had cell phones.
It would seem to me that in the past 10 years we had seen the biggest cost of driving increase since the gas crisis and the proliferation of an electronic/online lifestyle.
Back in "the day" my grandfather had a 1956 Ford Fairlane. Red and white with "hollywood mufflers". He used to go "steamin" (Navy term for "cruisin") near the nurses school where my grandmother ended up attending. On the day he offered my grandmother's group of friends a ride from town back up to the school, my grandmother sat in the front/middle because (her words) "I figured, what the heck. The teachers all knew him and his group of friends so I knew he wasn't a 'creep' and his car was absolutely beautiful!"
50+ years later, they're still married. And if given even the slightest prod my grandmother will go on and on about that Fairlane (one time I was even treated to her impression of its engine rumble).
Me? I had a 3-colored, 15 year-old RX-7. Friends kind of dug it, and a couple girls did too, but I can't say it or any car I've owned gave me my grandfather's luck.
In college in the early '80's, I had a TR-4. I won't say it did what Hungary's grandfather's car did, but I did get many girls ask to go for rides! 
My roommate at the time had a Citroen DS19 (or 21, can't remember), and although I thought his car was a lot cooler, mine got all the attention from girls. Even though at the time it was only 15 years old, it clearly was from another era. We had a HS next to the college, and I remember one time I came out of class and there was a group of HS girls standing around it. These days it would most likely be invisible to all college and HS girls. Very sad....
Somewhat related - the documentary series they are plugging at the beginning of the article "The Sixties" has been great so far. Very interesting and well put together. Another new episode on tonight on cnn.
My wife and I went on our first date in a green Volvo 122S. Still got her...and the wife. :-)
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