How old is a car when ...

[ply33]

There are no standard definitions. The AACA recognizes cars 25 years old or older for showing/judging. Other car clubs may have other rules.<P>Various states have age rules about when a car can have special collector plates. Again it varies from state to state. And in some states the required age is based on the type of collector tag being issued.<P>The Classic Car Club has a short, very specific, unchanging, list of cars they consider "full classics". A Chevrolet or Ford will never be on that list no matter how old it is. There is no other "authority" for assigning the designation of "classic".<P>The "milestone" designation was, like the "action era" designation, created by people who had cars that were not, at the time, eligible for showing at AACA and other "antique" car shows at the time the designations were create.<P>So your car is pretty much what every you want to call it. The most accurate designations I have see are:<ul>[*]<span style="font-weight: bold">Antique car</span> - Any car built before you were born.</li>[*]<span style="font-weight: bold">Classic car</span> - The car you wanted when you were in high school but could not afford</li>[*]<span style="font-weight: bold">New car</span> - Any car built after your first child was born.</li>

In case you are wondering, I have a "old car". Not antique, not classic, not milestone. Just old.

[Guest]

Traci ~ Unfortunately there is no exact answer to your question. <P>Every club has its own rules on the age of vehicles meeting your criteria. Likewise every state sets its own rules as to what it considers antique, classic and milestone. <P>The AACA has more different categories for its eligable vehicles than you can shake a stick at. Other clubs are probably the same and the term milestone seems to belong to a Milestone Car Society.<P>Then there is the matter of what every individual thinks his car is. The Classic Car Club of America has specific and rigid specifications as to what constitutes a "Classic". Others seems to think that whatever they want to sell is a classic, as in "My '90 Buick LeSabre is a classic and is really valuable." ~ hvs<P>ply33's response came on while I was composing mine and I never saw it until mine was posted. Kinda on the same track aren't we? hvs<p>[ 10-29-2001: Message edited by: hvs ]

[Guest]

Thanks so much for the answers. I was leaning towards the same but needed help in how to explain. I have a teacher that put this on a test as a bonus question. I have grown up around "old" and "classic" cars. My first car was a restored '65 mustang. I think ol' teach needs to stick to accounting.

[ronbarn]

Traci, from my study of the history of car collecting it seems that early on it was very important to pigeonhole cars into groups with some specific criteria. Over the years, as the hobby grew and more cars were made the terminology started getting hazy, much like the computer industry has sucked up some terms that meant something entirely different many years ago.<P>We do need some terminology to assure classifications that provide for fair competition in judging (see the AACA classification guide in the judging section of the home page for this site). However, as the two other replies indicate, most of us agree that life is too short to continuously argue about antique vs. classic vs. vintage etc.etc.<P>Personally, I prefer just to give a proper name to each of my cars like Harry, Betsy, Big Red, and so forth. I no longer waste my time or blood pressure on the other arguments.<P>Happy to have you on the DF!

[Guest]

Some teachers just seem to fall into the classification I heard the other day.<P>Acadamia Nuts.

[Guest]

At what age is a car when it becomes a milestone, classic, and antique?

[Guest]

The Brewster was a Ford chassis, and is a classic. Also there were some LeBarron Fords made in around 1934 that I believe are classics. So much for never a Ford.