# The Six Million Dollar Man, adjusted for inflation **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 14, 2000, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man-adjusted-for-inflation/22399 "2000-06-14T21:46:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Milossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Milossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Milossarian)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2000, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man-adjusted-for-inflation/22399/1 "2000-06-14T21:46:11Z")
What would he be worth in today’s dollars? There are two ways I can figure to approach this: A simple adjustment of Steve Austin’s $6 million price tag for inflation; or, some stab at what two robotic legs, a robotic arm and a robotic eye might cost today. What do those ones some amputees now receive that work in slow-motion go for? From that, we should be able to figure out what a souped-up, bionic limb would run. ---
**Author:** ![Mojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Mojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2000, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man-adjusted-for-inflation/22399/2 "2000-06-14T21:56:59Z")
You can simply multiply it by 1,000 cus you think it’ll make a good movie title. [http://www.corona.bc.ca/~corona/films/details/sixmilman.html](http://www.corona.bc.ca/~corona/films/details/sixmilman.html) ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2000, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man-adjusted-for-inflation/22399/3 "2000-06-14T22:04:28Z")
Isn’t there a rule that technology doubles in power and halves in price every 18 months? By now, the guy should cost a grand or so and be able to juggle battleships. ---
**Author:** ![Gatsby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@Gatsby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatsby)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2000, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man-adjusted-for-inflation/22399/4 "2000-06-14T22:21:39Z")
Milossarian, Funny fuckin’ thread! So I had to put in a bit of effort (not too much). The Six Million Dollar Man made his debut in a 1973 movie. Assuming the money was spent in that year, and assuming [this](http://www.cjr.org/database/converter_response.asp?cent=19&dec=7&year=3&amount=6000000&year_to=1998) site is accurate he was worth $22,140,221 in 1998 dollars. (Sorry, it only does to 1998) We will have to call in Oscar to find out what the parts are going for these days. I would guess it would be tremendously cheaper to rebuild Steve Austin in the year 2000 than the inflated 1973 dollars. My best guess (based on no empirical evidence at all) is that he would be the Eight Hundred Thousand Dollar Man today. ---
**Author:** ![Milossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Milossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Milossarian)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man-adjusted-for-inflation/22399/5 "2000-06-15T14:14:54Z")
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**Author:** ![SuaSponte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man-adjusted-for-inflation/22399/6 "2000-06-15T14:35:33Z")
Question: Are we duplicating Mr. Austin’s accoutrements, or are we substituting newer technologies? One concern I have is that Steve originally had (I believe) nuclear power cells, and I don’t think current technology is going that way. V. ---
**Author:** ![Milossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Milossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Milossarian)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man-adjusted-for-inflation/22399/7 "2000-06-15T15:08:28Z")
Steve was nuclear? I didn’t recall that from my childhood watching. Whatever would work and (conceivably) produce the same results in our bionic friend. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man-adjusted-for-inflation/22399/8 "2000-06-15T16:35:58Z")
\ ***Milossarian:** Steve was nuclear? I didn’t recall that from my childhood watching. Whatever would work and (conceivably) produce the same results in our bionic friend.\* Yeah, Stevieboy was nuclear. There were at least two episodes where his power packs got damaged and threatened his organic parts with radiation poisoning. (One I recall is when some solid metal gate came crashing down on his thighs.) The story when he went back into space involved his power packs too. Seems they didn’t work well in weightlessness (shrug), so he started losing his mobility and sight. I think $6,000,000 for what his bionics could do was a bargain. What always bugged me about the series, though, was that many of his feats would only be possible if his back was enhanced too. And his legs were bionic only up to near the top of his thighs. To run fast, his hips would’ve had to have been bionic too. ---
**Author:** ![Guy\_Propski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5e9695/32.png) [@Guy\_Propski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guy_Propski)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man-adjusted-for-inflation/22399/9 "2000-06-15T16:36:41Z")
This isn’t a scientific or economic answer, but I’ll throw it out anyway. Kevin Smith, he of “Clerks” and “Mallrats” fame, was working a script for a feature film based on the series. It was to be titled “The Six BILLION Dollar Man” (as Doctor Evil might say). ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2000, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man-adjusted-for-inflation/22399/10 "2000-06-15T21:54:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > Isn’t there a rule that technology doubles in power and halves in price every 18 months? By now, the guy should cost a grand or so and be able to juggle battleships. > \*\* Moore’s law states that processor speed doubles every 18 months, it says nothing about technology in general or price. ---
**Author:** ![mrblue92](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@mrblue92](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrblue92)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2000, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man-adjusted-for-inflation/22399/11 "2000-06-16T20:40:15Z")
> [@](#): > > What would he be worth in today’s dollars? I don’t know… He’s sitting on his duff for, what, 20 years now? I have to wonder if he’s been receiving proper maintenance or if he’s just been rusting away. How many miles did you say he had on him? Wow, he got around, didn’t he? Ah, see there? Rust right through the frame. That’s too bad. Can you get him to start? Ooh, that doesn’t sound good. Hear that tick? Sounds like the lifters are worn pretty bad. Burning oil heavily too, I see. I don’t know, he seems like he’s more trouble than he’s worth… Maybe if I restore him to mint condition, he might make a nice museum piece. Lotta work to do that though… Tough to find parts for this model. Tell ya what, I’ll save ya the trouble of hauling him down to the scrap yard and give ya $500 for the sentimental value. Whaddya say? ---
**Author:** ![SuaSponte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2000, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man-adjusted-for-inflation/22399/12 "2000-06-16T20:47:08Z")
20 years?! Are you telling me that you didn’t watch the SMDM/BW reunion show of mere few years ago?! Such disrespect for the defenders of the free world! V. ---
**Author:** ![mrblue92](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@mrblue92](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrblue92)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2000, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man-adjusted-for-inflation/22399/13 "2000-06-16T21:07:50Z")
Hey, no offense there Sparky, but just because ya pull him out the garage and take him for a spin around the block once or twice in 20 years doesn’t mean he’s in great shape. Sure, sure, he might come through in a pinch and save the world, but if he breaks down and leaves ya the ghetto at 2:00 in the morning, whaddya gonna do then? But I can see how much ya like the little guy, so I’ll make ya deal. If you buy this brand new 12.8 Billion dollar man, I’ll take your old buddy there as a trade-in. I won’t make any money on the deal, but I think I can get the manager to go as high as $1,500. And I can throw in this cool, nuclear-powered Superheroes R’ Us keychain absolutely free. I guarantee you won’t get a better deal down at that **other** superhero outlet. Heck, they’re still trying pass off that Aquaman model as Superman! Who are they kidding?! ---
**Author:** ![BigJoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9bd4f/32.png) [@BigJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigJoe)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2000, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man-adjusted-for-inflation/22399/14 "2000-06-16T21:15:47Z")
mrblue92, What kind of trade in can you get me if I go for the 6 week lease of a 2001 Chrome Planted, Nuclear Powered Turbo Slut (with leather seats, of course)? ---
**Author:** ![BigJoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9bd4f/32.png) [@BigJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigJoe)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2000, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man-adjusted-for-inflation/22399/15 "2000-06-16T21:17:11Z")
Plated, NOT Planted. Grrrrrrr, keyboards are the work of the Devil! 😉