Antique Cars in Use, 1957 vs. 2023

[DLynskey]

This year a 1993 car is 30 years old. There are multitudes of 1993 autos still in daily service, and a '93 model does not attract any attention. Indeed, it's often difficult to tell a 1993 model from a much newer one.

 

In 1957 the story was much different. A 30-year old car would have been a 1927 model. It was very rare to see a 1927 model on the road and, if you did it was certainly noticeable even to a non-car enthusiast (e.g. 1927 Model T vs 1957 T-bird).

 

How many 30-year old cars were in use in 1957? I can tell you how many were in my hometown, a southeastern city of 130k population. Zero!

 

As a young teenage antique car guy I tried to find every antique car in the area. I walked the streets and alleys, kept my eyes open wherever I went, asked everyone I met if there were any antique cars hidden away in their area. I even got access to the license tag directory and searched it to record every old car registered in the county. We lived on a busy thoroughfare, and I spent many hours sitting on the front porch watching the cars go by. I found lots of interesting cars stored away or owned by collectors and a few 1928-1929 Model A' s still in use. But I don't recall ever seeing a Model T or any other pre-1928 car in use for transportation.

 

What about your hometown?

 

Don

 

Edited March 4, 2023 by DLynskey
Spelling (see edit history)

[Buffalowed Bill]

I took me about 5 seconds to push back on your contention that there is nothing distinctive that was built in 1993. I also take issue with the comments indicating "multitudes of 1993 autos still in daily service." I agree with you that in their day it would have been unusual to see a 30 yo 1957 still in use in 1987. For multiple reasons cars were only expected to last 7 years. Keeping up with the Jones' did not lend itself to continuing to drive a car long after it began to say something negative about it's owner.

 

My newest car car is a 1996 model. However I have multiple cars that I use that are at least 25 yrs old. Not one of them is often seen on the road today. I drive my 25+yo cars every day, and find it noteworthy when I see a similar model, and I live in the PNW where cars last a lot longer then they do in many parts of the country. I challenge anyone to take a two hour drive in any 30yo car and count the number of similar models that they see. Here is a picture of a car exactly like the one I drove to the hardware store today.

 

[Rivguy]

I remember that as a youngster, I saw an immaculate Model T coupe for sale in a used car lot near our home. I was either in Kindergarten or first grade which would make this 1959 or 1960.  I was born in 1954. When I pointed it out to my Dad, he took me there to check it out. The salesman let me sit behind the wheel and I begged my Dad to buy it. I'm  not certain, but I think that they were asking 125.00 for it. Of course my Dad didn't buy it.

That was the only antique auto that I remember from my childhood years growing up in East Oakland. That Model T would have been 32 years old at least. I remember seeing 1949 fastback Chevy sedans, Ford shoe boxes  and some mid Fifties cars in the neighborhood. We were a blue collar auto worker family, but my Dad and his family drove new cars. The first that I can remember well was his '59 Impala, but I know that he had a '55 Chevy before that.

Currently I've got a '96 Mustang that I was driving daily. I remarked to my Wife once while at the supermarket, that we had the oldest car in the lot!

I see quite a few old Lowriders and muscle cars around town, but few daily drivers older than the 1990's.

[Bloo]

Growing up in central WA, 30 year old cars were all over the place. 20 years old was more common. I wouldn't rule out 40.

[Fordy]

In the Late 60's my high school math teacher drove a veteran Sunbeam as his everyday transport. I would love to get hold of something like that now!

Up until a few years ago, my everyday car was built in 1966 but I was offered an obscene amount for it so off it went. Missus drives a 1987 model and I sometimes use a 1948 English Ford to run around town in. Not too confident in driving my Hupps over long distances but I guy in Melbourne drives his 1926 interstate fairly regularly 6-700 miles each way!

[Littlestown Mike]

5 hours ago, Buffalowed Bill said:

I took me about 5 seconds to push back on your contention that there is nothing distinctive that was built in 1993. I also take issue with the comments indicating "multitudes of 1993 autos still in daily service." I agree with you that in their day it would have been unusual to see a 30 yo 1957 still in use in 1987. For multiple reasons cars were only expected to last 7 years. Keeping up with the Jones' did not lend itself to continuing to drive a car long after it began to say something negative about it's owner.

 

My newest car car is a 1996 model. However I have multiple cars that I use that are at least 25 yrs old. Not one of them is often seen on the road today. I drive my 25+yo cars every day, and find it noteworthy when I see a similar model, and I live in the PNW where cars last a lot longer then they do in many parts of the country. I challenge anyone to take a two hour drive in any 30yo car and count the number of similar models that they see. Here is a picture of a car exactly like the one I drove to the hardware store today.

 

I don't think he said that "nothing distinctive was built in 1983".  He said that a 30 year old car on the road today is not as rare as a 30 year old car would have been in 1975--the evolution of car design has slowed down.  30 year old cars appear quite similar to the most recent products.  I would argue that the "Jelly Bean" shape of the original Taurus forever ( at least for 30+ years)  changed car design.  With those wind-cheating flowing lines of cars that are designed in the wind tunnel, most modern cars do have a similar overall shape.  I mean there are vans, and pickup and hatch back styles, but they all conform to the wind, more or less.

 You could probably have made a similar argument in  1948/ 49--postwar cars certainly looked different from pre-war cars--gone were the running boards and fenders--the era of the slab-sided cars had arrived.  A 30 year old car in 1950 would have been a 1920 model.  The differences ( advances??) in styling over that period would make a 30 year old car really stand out from the crowd.

I hope to enter that 25-30 year old car ownership myself with some version of the FoMoCo "Panther" chassis.  They are not common, but neither do they look all that different from newer cars. The presence of excellent brakes, air bags, great comfort and mid 20s mpg makes these attractive cars for an AACA member.  They are cars that can be used for club events without giving up much modern convenience.  Of course a Model A, or a Packard, or LaSalle, or any of dozens of other pre war cars would be instantly identified ( and preferred if I had that opportunity) as "antiques" by even the most anti-car person and can be safely driven, for me, the safety of a 25-30 year old car makes them very attractive.

[R Walling]

 My neighbor used to live in Fl. most of the year and in 1946, he showed up in Ma. in the summer with his daily driver, a 26? four door touring car. It had the luggage racks on the running boards with his suit cases neatly tied down, and the side curtains installed. It really struck me as I had never seen such a car before.

 He came back with it again the next year.

 

 My father was driving a 38 Buick at that time. with the lap robe in the back of course. His next one was a 1950 new Oldsmobile. His next car was a 1955 Oldsmobile.

                                                                                              

[Buick35]

I graduated high school in 1968 and I remember(I think it was in 67) that my wood working teacher brought his model a Ford to school for us to look at.Either that one or a different model a that I saw in a guys garage gave me the old car "bug".Although I personally never owned a model a ford.

[8E45E]

In some states, they are talking about increasing the age of an "Antique Vehicle" from 25 years to 50 years because cars now last longer and don't look 'old' anymore.

 

Craig

[bryankazmer]

1 hour ago, Littlestown Mike said:

 I would argue that the "Jelly Bean" shape of the original Taurus forever ( at least for 30+ years)  changed car design. 

The Taurus owed a lot to the 1982 Audi 5000 design.  

[EmTee]

My 'new' 30 year-old car...

 

[Terry Bond]

Makes me feel old just to think about it, but when I was in still in high school (1965 graduate) there were two older ladies who drove a 1931 Model A Victoria regularly.  They lived near the high school and I often saw them in that area.  It was not uncommon to see derelict Model As and other cars just parked out behind the garages in town.  The first Model A I ever bought was more than I wanted to spend, but at $75 it wasn't bad.  I could have bought one that had been restored for $750.  Earlier than that were seldom seen bring driven regularly.  The brass age stuff was already being tucked away by collectors.  The Model Ts were around but by then were more "play-things" than regular transport.

Battle Creek Michigan was an interesting place with plenty of old fashioned gas stations, big old homes with carriage houses behind them, and a few well-known car collectors in the area.  It was a fun time.

Terry

[Jim Skelly]

I grew up in Dearborn and graduated from high school 50 years ago this year (yikes!).  On my walk to school was a '57 Star Chief 2-door hardtop.  It was Seafoam green with a white top and owned by an elderly gentleman.  I complimented him on his car once as I walked by and got the impression that it was his pride and joy.  It had been touched up in many spots and the color didn't match, but it was remarkably preserved for being in the rust belt.  I sometimes wish I had offered to buy the car later on.  One of my math teachers drove a '46 Chevy as his daily car.  I think it was a 2-door sedan.  Both were unusual situations in that most people drove cars that were less than ten years old.  This was especially true for the families that worked for GM, Ford or Chrysler.

[joe_padavano]

The thing that amazes me is that when I got my driver's license in 1974, my first car was the family 1968 Vista Cruiser hand-me-down. Six years old. Today my daily driver is a 38 year old 1985 Delta 88.

[Pfeil]

I was in H/S in the mid 60's in the L.A. beach area. There were a lot of old cars from woodies to "T" buckets. Lots of cars with missing back seats that we stripped out so we could carry surfboards. I never saw an antique (except the Boys V-P in H/S had an old Packard- we just thought it was because he was poor) on the road, they were all hot rods. Lots of early VW beetles and vans. I had friends with Nomads and one friend with a 57 Ford Del Rio- they were just transportation cars to get to the beach. I remember two "T" buckets that were owned by a father and son, they lived two blocks from school, they were street rodded, and both had Gen1 Olds engines, and even then, those two cars were considered "old school" hot rods as the SBC rage hadn't really hit yet. 

Those yet to be jems looked like these.

One of my best buddies standing on the left Passed 2 years ago at 90.

Edited March 5, 2023 by Pfeil (see edit history)

[PAV8427]

I was a late bloomer when it came to older stuff on the roads. Didntbreally notice anything till I got into models and the started driving in '81. 
But I still remember driving with dad he would always point out "That is a '49 this, or a '55 that"

I know still if there was something in that era and he saw it when we were driving he would do the same thing now. 
Fast forward to the '90's and when we are on our bi annual trip to SE Missouri and we play the old car game. 
Would have my kids spot old stuff and guess the year. At the end of the trip the one with the most closest guess's won something. 
Still now my kids (youngest is 27 yesterday)say "Hey dad look at that over there" usually a '80 something this or that. 

It is so cool that they are so into that. 
And ifin you are into that sort of thing, how something even as new as a '80's something sticks out like a sore thumb. 
Even the sound of 'Old stuff' in a parking lot can turn your head. 

[CChinn]

9 hours ago, Buffalowed Bill said:

I challenge anyone to take a two hour drive in any 30yo car and count the number of similar models that they see.

 

 

This is my 1987 daily driver. I guess I  take your challenge every day. In my neighborhood alone, there are 3 other cars of the same make/model/year driven regularly as well. We wave/honk horns when we pass each other on the road.
 

Pfeil, when I lived in SD in the ‘90s I’d put the top down and my surfboard fit nicely in the back. Thanks for the great photos of early So CA surf life

[PAV8427]

Where the heck were you able to go surfin in SD??

New style of snow board??

[CChinn]

In So CA SD = San Diego, not South Dakota. Sorry for the confusion 

[CChinn]

This car however from 1940 (80+ years) which I also drive regularly, never encounters another car from the same era

[TAKerry]

I tend to agree with the original statement. My son and I were having this same discussion just the other day. He collects guitars and there is a similar sentiment in that world. I think that the technology of the auto was on a fairly even keel from the 1980's through 2020's. Electric vehicles being the next (and current) wave of innovation. Fuel injection being standard, safety features more equal across the board, longevity of the product. The overall design did not change drastically. From the 1930 to 1960 that industry was growing by leaps and bounds. 

[dship]

When I graduated high school in 1967, fifties cars were just considered "cheap used cars".  I had a '56 Merc coupe that I paid $50 for.  A friend of mine had a '58 Impala convertible that he paid $75 for.

[PAV8427]

No biggie. Surfin happens everywhere. 
They surf the big waves in Lake Superior here in Mn. And if you look for it, they even surf the calving glaciers in Alaska. 
Either way, would be cold and a big adrenalin rush. 
Would guess someone has surfed something in South Dakota. 
Some rivers come to mind. 

[CChinn]

8 minutes ago, PAV8427 said:

No biggie. Surfin happens everywhere. 
They surf the big waves in Lake Superior here in Mn. And if you look for it, they even surf the calving glaciers in Alaska. 
Either way, would be cold and a big adrenalin rush. 
Would guess someone has surfed something in South Dakota. 
Some rivers come to mind. 

I guess one could also say snowboarding is the same as snow surfing. You can also still strap a snow board on top of a car like a surfboard (need to add something car related for the moderators 😀)

[60FlatTop]

2 hours ago, EmTee said:

My 'new' 30 year-old car...

 

 

My new 18 year old car. V8, RWD. To be used and maintained as a collector car.

 

I have 3 2005 vehicles. The average age of cars on the road today is 12 years. I attribute the longevity mostly to overdrive and fuel injection (no faulty choke).

[Gunsmoke]

There are usually 2 aspects of cars (those 30+ years or older) in general that makes them of interest to me, age and desirability. There are some very old cars (let's define as pre-WWII) that I admire because they have survived for a long time and represent the automobile as it was 75-100 years ago, like Model A 4 door sedans. But I may not desire to own one unless it appeals to me (I like 2 doors, topless, wire wheels, some rarity, etc), In other words it may be old but not desirable. Similarly, there are some relatively new cars that are not very old but are very desirable, a 1990 Nissan 300ZX, a nice MB 240/280 SL convertible, Ferraris, etc (Desirable but not old). So my take is that cars in most cases become collectible over time due to a combination of age and desirability. Other factors then also influence level of desirability, such as rarity, condition, originality, sentimental reasons (my Grandfather owned one?), brand loyalty, exclusiveness, investment potential, etc. So when I think of cars marketed since say 1970 (past 50 years), desirability is the key factor as there are 1000's available, and that usually eliminates all the "average joe" cars. But for real old cars (75-120yrs), sometimes the then "average joe cars" are highly desirable, like a 1932 Ford Model B of any body style. So will a 1980 Ford LTD ever bring a big number? Perhaps in 120 years. Will a 1980 MB convertible or Corvette ever bring a big number? Definitely. Rarity and Desirability never get old.

Edited March 4, 2023 by Gunsmoke (see edit history)

[SC38dls]

My daily driver is a 38 Studebaker I never see anything near that age. 
dave s 

[61polara]

In 1974, when I was in college, a 1938 Pontiac 8 coupe appeared on the local Pontiac dealer's used car lot.  I went to look at it and drove it.  The story was that a local elementary school teacher bought it new and it was her only car.  She traded it only because she wanted a car with air conditioning.  The story was confirmed by a friend who was one of her students.  Dad convinced me not to by it as I was graduating the next year and should by a new or near to new car.

[Harold]

The few 30 year old cars when I was growing up in Brooklyn in the early sixties were generally beaters, but there was a neighborhood grocer who had an immaculate original '31 Chevy sedan as his daily driver.  He would clean it when there were no customers for him in his store.   When I lived in Buffalo around 1975 there was a little old lady who had a Model A 2-door as her daily driver.   It literally had metal patches covering large sections of the body due to rust.  She could barely see over the steering wheel and nearly hit me once as she careened down the street.

[Pete O]

When I was a kid in 1964, our neighbor had a 1952ish Chevy, while we had a '64 Rambler, and the other neighbor a '62 Ford, and the guy across the street had a Fiat (he was European).  That Chevy stuck out like a sore thumb in the neighborhood, and it was only 12 years old!  A 12 year old car today is just getting broken in.

[28 Chrysler]

In my home town in Minnesota there were as many 30 year old pre-war cars as there were 20 year old post-war cars.

The cars of the early 50s did not last long in the rust belt. The pre-war cars were not driven much during the war and were out of  fashion so they just sat.

[Ed Luddy]

Most 30 yr old cars up here in Canada have been scrapped due to rust. Unless they have been undercoated and put away for the winter. Most older cars have been brought up here from the southern USA. My 1971 Cadillac has always been indoor stored long before I finally got it. Sold new in Canada.

My 1990 Reatta came up from Florida and is also stored for the winter. My 2016 Jeep Wrangler has some small rust issues already!

[1937hd45]

Dad bought a new Ford Galaxy in 1961 also bought the 1931 Ford, so I've always been aware of the 30 year difference in car appearance. Many commuters in the early 1960's used old cars a Model A Ford parked at the train station was a common site, that was the last daily use for the A Dad bought. I'm aways amazed to see "Antique" plates on cars I figure are 10 years old, they all look the same today. Class of 1968 the typing teacher, drove a 1923 Dodge Screen Side as a daily all year long. 

[TexRiv_63]

I basically agree with the OP about 1993 cars seen today although I'm not sure about the high numbers. Most 93 cars had fairly high tech powertrains, computer engine management, fuel injection and sophisticated emissions controls which allowed a properly maintained car to accumulate high mileage with ease. If the body or frame didn't rust out it could easily still be around and in daily use. Back in 1957 cars were all mechanical and designed obsolescence encouraged earlier problems and replacement. An ordinary 1927 car then would also have had a very fragile wood framed body and archaic drivetrain that required continued maintenance to survive. But I was 9 years old in '57 and I remember seeing older cars being used all the time like model T and A Fords and old farm trucks, we did live in a suburban area but surrounded by agricultural properties.

[dship]

My '91 Reatta and '00 Eldorado are Spring, Summer, and Fall only drivers.  My '14 Caddy ATS is my daily all year round. 

[Pfeil]

3 hours ago, CChinn said:

In So CA SD = San Diego, not South Dakota. Sorry for the confusion 

I knew what you meant.

Funny, my dad started surfing in 1927 and even when I started in the mid 50's and probably up to about 1961 we would run into guys from S/F to S/D, or we would surf Cardiff and know guys from that area, same in S/F area. Back then the surfing world was about the size of a bb. Seemed like everybody knew everybody.

[junkyardjeff]

I drive a 33 year old Lincoln town car for a daily driver and just started driving a 89 F 250.

[Pfeil]

47 minutes ago, dship said:

My '91 Reatta and '00 Eldorado are Spring, Summer, and Fall only drivers.  My '14 Caddy ATS is my daily all year round. 

I love the twelfth generation Eldo (1992-2002) especially in the color of your 2014!   Firethorn red?

Edited March 4, 2023 by Pfeil (see edit history)

[Pfeil]

On 3/4/2023 at 8:19 AM, dship said:

When I graduated high school in 1967, fifties cars were just considered "cheap used cars".  I had a '56 Merc coupe that I paid $50 for.  A friend of mine had a '58 Impala convertible that he paid $75 for.

Know what you mean. The other day I caught a re-run episode of Adam 12. They were called to a dispute between a sleazy used car salesman and some poor bloke than couldn't speak English very well. So this episode was filmed in early 70's and this poor bloke got taken on a rather not bad looking 1956 2 door Bel-Air for a whopping $650.00.  That would be a steal today. BTW officer Malloy called the car an old jalopy!

Edited March 6, 2023 by Pfeil (see edit history)

[joe_padavano]

4 hours ago, dship said:

When I graduated high school in 1967, fifties cars were just considered "cheap used cars".  I had a '56 Merc coupe that I paid $50 for.  A friend of mine had a '58 Impala convertible that he paid $75 for.

Ten year old cars are always considered "cheap used cars". That's not exactly surprising.