What age do you consider a vehicle to be a classic?

[hdwrench]

In my mind, mid 70's is about the beginning of what I would call a classic, personally. Even that is a little "too new" IMO.

generally i agree 75-76 is near the end but there are a couple thereafter which have classic lines or possible hot rods . not many thou ….

 

[hdwrench]

auto styling hasn't really changed for over 30 years now...... like all the cool ideas were used up; even Mopar had to reach back to 1970 for the modern Challenger

and Chevy with the modern Camaro

even Ford to an extent, with the Mustang

styling has gone ka-put ! if they don’t copy old stuff it all looks fast n furious to me . not to my liking…

 

[68BabyBlue]

PA has a distinction between Classic and Antique. At least it used to be that antique was anything over 25 years, but classic had to be a limited production car that was deemed to be desirable. Typically they were at least 15 years old. Either way, they had to be in a certain book to be considered Classic. So it was actually harder to get classic plates than antique. A K car could never get classic plates, but can now get antique plates.

I put PA “classic” plates on Baby Blue in 1985. The process was pretty rigorous. Had to prove other transportation for daily driving, plus car had to be on approved list.

 

[440 PHIXX]

My cutoff line is ‘72 for styling. The 5MPH bumpers ruined everything. For Performance, ‘71. All the good engines died after that. GM sucked in ‘71.

 

[Kern Dog]

25 years; Camry a CLASSIC??? OOOHHH HELL NO!!!!

Because I can be quite opinionated, I don't always agree with what the government lays down as the rule or the law.
To me, a "classic" may have a floating definition from state to state but I like to think of a classic as a car that is old and has appeal and/or value.
A 1993 car is 30 years old now but to me, they are not necessarily desirable. Ma Mopar wasn't making anything from 1980 until 2004 that I liked. Chevrolet did make the Camaro and Monte Carlo in the 80s though, I liked them.
The 1993 Camaro and Firebirds were decent performers but they were all too aerodynamic to appeal to me. I like a car that looks a bit more blocky. The 68-70 Charger does have some wind tunnel type aero but still looks the part of a hot rod cinder block!

 

[YY1]

That 93 firebird, and the 94 Ram were the return of styling.

It's been making a slow but steady comeback ever since, not allowing aerodynamics to dictate everything.

 

[eldubb440]

I remember how "different and radical" the new Dodge truck line was in 94 (I think?)..... that design also flowed into the Dakota's and Durango's for years....... a very cool look, but still not "classic"

and again, things haven't changed much in 30 years

 

[Runcharger]

Some classics have that status when they are brand new. Others can be 50 years old and not achieve it IMO. It doesn't have anything to do with age. Duesenbergs were classics right from the start, that Rivian(?) SUV thingy never will be. 55 Chevy is a classic, 58 Chevy is an old car.

 

[wahya]

Sometimes they just knew it when they built em.

 

[polywideblock]

I've got a 1960 Dodge Phoenix, so I went with 50 +

 

[Duckmanreno]

I’m sure I’m using the wrong definition but here goes. To me it’s not so much the age but the car.
Just because a car is old doesn’t mean it’s a classic, IMO.
A 65 Mustang is a classic. So is a 57 Chevy, a 68 Charger.
When I was a kid we had a Ford Falcon station wagon. It was a good work horse but I don’t think of it as a classic.
Here in Nevada we have a few different categories of license plates for older cars. My buddy has a Suzuki Samurai that I think is from the mid 80’s. He has classic license lates for it but I don’t think it’s a classic lol

 

[Budnicks]

For me the term "classic" is not just years, but also the car itself. A 98 Toyota Camry as a classic? No way. Although when it is 50 years old it may be a bit cooler to see it at a show.

An example of what I mean by the car making a difference.
An 87 K-Car. Classic? No way. Like the Camry, maybe when it's 50 years old I'd be more interested to see it at a show.
An 87 IROC Z? Sure. These are increasing in desirability and they were performance cars so those I'm OK with.

So I guess I'll put 35+ years old

well said

it's Old & a classic design
my 99 Dakota SLT 4x4 5.2ltr, is a classic going to be 25 y/o in Nov 2024
almost anything can be considered classic if it's older (albeit has an OBD2 port)

lots of FI stuff in the 50's too foreign & domestic,
but Carbureted is a pretty good generic std.
but that includes a smog laden/bunch of junk, fwd in the mid-later 70's
or into the mid 80's
before EFI was readily used

I consider Trucks/Jeeps/4x4s a bit different category

pretty much anything with an OBD2 port computer controled or newer,
doesn't really quantify as a 'traditional classic' in my book
with a few exceptions (like my old truck & stuff mentioned above)

Personally, I think 1972-73 & earlier is a classic, (That's 50 years)
muscle cars PU & 4x4s, prior to Catalytic converters
To me prior to 1949, it's considered vintage
I'd still consider a 78/79 z28 sort of in the grey area too
TransAms prior to 77 too, after that not a chance...
78/79 Lil' Red Express or a Warlock same thing,
a few special PowerWagons, prior to 81
specialty/maybe collectors car/trucks, not true classics...

hard to pigeonhole every make & style or even years
needs to be 20+ years, to be in consideration

 

[Cranky]

That's on my all-original 79 Cordoba. Which I can proudly say I buried.

Same thing on bikes.....pretty stooopid that it was so easy to bury the needle in 3rd gear on a 81 Honda 750 CB Custom I bought new for pretty cheap.

 

[Cranky]

I really like the ODB I on my 95 Dakota. Dad bought it new and I got it in the summer of 98. The ODB II (first year for it) on my 96 kinda sucks but the system on my 2000 Durango was pretty nice. Ya don't see many around after that 'cash for clunkers' BS but this thing still looked like new when that was going on.

 

[dadsbee]

76 back for me = classic. And I'm not real fond of anything post 70 other than maybe a 71/72 Duster or Demon.

 

[Cranky]

76 back for me = classic. And I'm not real fond of anything post 70 other than maybe a 71/72 Duster or Demon.

74 E body 360 would be considered by me at least.....

 

[Dave6T4]

I think the term "Classic" is over used, as it applies to cars. In my opinion the true Classic car era ended with WW II . Even then, not every car built in that time could be considered a classic. Classic cars were usually low production high priced pieces that few could afford to buy. I am thinking of V-12 Packards, Auburns, and Pierce-Arrow, V-12 & V-16 Cadillac, Duesenberg, Lincoln. But not Ford Model A, Plymouth or Chevrolet. I think "Special Interest"could be used generally for anything 25 years old or more.

 

[Detective D]

In WI, it's 20 years and you get a blue plate if you want. That means a 2003, soon to be 2004.
I am younger than most, but even my kids disagree that a 2003 anything is a classic.
On the other hand, to me, a lot of cars and trucks from the 90's are classics, in the sense they are the last of an era. V8 engines, updated, but ultimately with roots from 30 years prior.
My 98 Dakota for instance. 318, 5 speed. No nanny computer. Crank up windows and manual door locks. CD player stereo, AC, cruise, tilt wheel, intermittent wipers.... remember when all that stuff was options(not the cd player, but the radio) and not 100% stock standard on the smallest crapbox econo-car available like now? It wasn't that long ago. The Dakota has torsion bar front suspension like an old B body. Maybe that is why I like how it rides so much.

Vehicles like the second gen Dakota were basically the end of the line of that whole era. I have a 2002 2500HD Chevy, but it has more in common with a 2017 than a 1997 truck. Electronic transmission controls and ignition coil on plug whoza-whatsits and an extravagent wire harness you need diagrams to decipher.

To me, a vehicle you can work on and tune and modify without a computer or laptop plugged in is a classic. Because their roots go back to the 60's.

20 years has always worked in WI. Because by then, if you had a vehicle on the road yet, it probably was in small company because of the salt. People walk across the gas station parking lot to talk to me about my 1990 Ramcharger, it's not even that nice. But they haven't seen one in 15-20 years. They always have a story about the one they had or their buddy had, smiles ear to ear thinking about all the mischief they had with the truck, that type of thing. Sounds like a classic to me.

 

[Detective D]

I remember how "different and radical" the new Dodge truck line was in 94 (I think?)..... that design also flowed into the Dakota's and Durango's for years....... a very cool look, but still not "classic"

and again, things haven't changed much in 30 years

View attachment 1539368

I disagree. The only reason prices haven't started going up on these big time is Dodge built them so damn well they are all over the place yet. Even in the salt belt.
Pop the hood on this and look, there is either a 318 or a 360 in there with an auto trans that is basically a 904 with an OD on it. There is still a cap and rotor, with a coil. They are super easy to work on, the style is original, super clean examples make people's heads turn.

 

[PlymCrazy]

When I was a kid being influenced by old cars, the words “antique” and “classic” were seemingly synonymous when heard in conversation by many.
Somewhere along the way it was impressed on me that 50’s, 60’s and early 70’s cars were “classics”.
And “antiques” were cars that had that “model A” look and feel about them.