Antique Cars in Use, 1957 vs. 2023

[1935Packard]

The numbers today:

 

 

 

 

https://hedgescompany.com/blog/2022/02/how-old-are-cars

[Buffalowed Bill]

I understood what the thread's author was saying. I just found fault with the statement that a "93 model does not attract any attention." Every era will have cars that attract attention. I agree that once American, Japanese and Korean designs began to came out of a wind tunnel, they all began to look alike. SUV's traded utility for styling. The lack of color didn't help either. The trend didn't preclude unique styling. It just made them stand out all the more.

[GARY F]

My daily drivers are a 89 F-150 and 89 mercury grand marquis.

[dship]

2 hours ago, Pfeil said:

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

Actually, it's called Red Obsession WA132X/G7E for the '14 Caddy ATS.

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

[John348]

9 hours ago, 8E45E said:

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

Craig, I think that is a false assumption, It is hard for me to believe that someone riding around from DMV or a state legislature  noticing a car and saying "that car looks too new to be considered antique." I am sure that there is a disrupted revenue stream at the state DMV's  when these vehicles turn 25 years old and the owners apply for historical/antique registrations which is at a discounted price.  I would tend to think the insurance companies notice there is a rise in claims as well, and I am sure that they are not to thrilled with that either. People are buying 25+ year old cars and trucks, registering them as antiques and then using them for every day use and ABUSING the privilege of collector/ pleasure use insurance and taking advantage of not having emission testing in certain states. 

 

 

Edited March 4, 2023 by John348 (see edit history)

[charlespetty]

A 88 year old woman in my home town passed away in 1986 and her estate sold her 1930 Ford Model A standard coupe that she bought new and had been driving up until two years before her death.  I remember seeing her around town in the early 80s driving this car.  I followed her once and she never went over 25mph.  Her husband's mint condition 1940 Oldsmobile was still around town in the 1970s.  He drove it through 1964 and kept it spotless.  

[8E45E]

32 minutes ago, John348 said:

Craig, I think that is a false assumption, It is hard for me to believe that someone riding around from DMV or a state legislature  noticing a car and saying "that car looks too new to be considered antique."

Wyoming 'antique' vehicles could see definition change and new annual fees - Casper, WY Oil City News

 

Nevada’s classic vehicle plate registration rules changing Jan. 1 | Las Vegas Review-Journal (reviewjournal.com)

 

SGI caps antique vehicle registration over rising payouts | 650 CKOM

 

Craig

[joe_padavano]

[John348]

21 minutes ago, 8E45E said:

Wyoming 'antique' vehicles could see definition change and new annual fees - Casper, WY Oil City News

 

Nevada’s classic vehicle plate registration rules changing Jan. 1 | Las Vegas Review-Journal (reviewjournal.com)

 

SGI caps antique vehicle registration over rising payouts | 650 CKOM

 

Craig

Craig, thanks for posting those links, unfortunately you cut my quote short. What I mentioned is everything those articles mentioned, but nothing had to do with the car looking old or not.  

[1912Staver]

British Columbia has a very hobby car friendly system. You can get conventional " Antique  " plates. Same plate stays on the car once issued and only a small cost. But restricted to very limited use, Club events , etc. 

 Then there is a " Collector  " plate. You have to have a regular plate issued to another car as well . But a big discount vs the normal yearly insurance cost. 

 No driving to and from work, and the car must be in quite decent condition. Photo submission required to get approval . 

 And most recently a " Modified Collector " plate . Similar to the  " Collector " plate , but the requirement of factory stock condition is dropped. Takes in everything from a set of aftermarket wheels to Street Rods and beyond.

 

British Columbia has a Gov. insurance system, Plate and insurance are all in one. Optional coverage  , theft , special value etc can be sold by a conventional insurance carrier, but the basic liability coverage has to be from the Gov. program.

Edited March 5, 2023 by 1912Staver (see edit history)

[Bryan G]

Going back to another era, before I was thought of: in one of my mother's high school yearbooks (mid-60s) they had a good photo showing the interior to what I believe was a 36 Ford. It looked too conservative inside to have belonged to a student. My father's first car, shared with is brothers, was a late 30s Ford, and that would have been around 56 or so. I also have photos of a late 20s Chrysler that he briefly owned towards the end of the 60s, a rough looking piece.

 

As far as the class of 1993...I can tell at a glance if that car driving by is a 1998 Accord or a 2018, but I couldn't tell you if it was a 1993 vs 1998. Cars just don't change as much as they used to. Gradually, some once common models are fading away, and things like a Cutlass Ciera, Dodge Spirt/Plymouth Acclaim, even a 90s LH car, will turn my head. Trucks? A much different story.

Edited March 5, 2023 by Bryan G (see edit history)

[60FlatTop]

18 hours ago, Pfeil said:

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

When Buick announced the return of the Riviera I envisioned that Cadillac platform with a waterfall grille.

[ted sweet]

in upstate ny there are very few daily drivers over 15 years old

[DFeeney]

In 1956, I was 11 and had a paper route with 30 customers.    Only one had a pre war car.  It was a older lady with a 1938 Chevy 2 dr.  I always looked forward to seeing it each day.  Now when I drive through the "Old Neighborhood" I sometimes vision it parked in front of the same house.

[timecapsule]

I think it's very difficult to compare.  I agree that in the early 60's it was not common to see a car in it's 40's.  I think the economics of the  cost of living had a lot to do with it.  Consumables were affordable back then.   Where I lived the rule of thumb was the first pay check of the month went to pay the rent or mortgage .  The second pay check of the month went to pay the essential bills like heat, hydro, up keep on the home, etc.  The third pay check of the week was usually spent on things like car insurance, gas, movies, vacation, furniture, etc.  The last pay check was put in the bank and was kept there for savings.  It was a time of keeping up with the Jones.  It was considered normal to upgrade your car every 2 or 3 years.  So the newer cars were here, there, and everywhere.  The used cars were sold off quite reasonably.  When I got my licence in '67 most guys were buying cars for $25, including myself.  Those cars were in the same condition that you see the same cars out there now with asking prices of $12,000 to 18,000.  The difference is a guy back then could check his paper route money jar and buy one of those $25 cars back then.  How many guys at the age of 16 just getting their licence today can say the same and fork over $12,000 -$18,000. for their first car.  In '68 I bought a 63 Merc. for $500.  That car in todays world would be a real head turner.  Flawless body, flawless interior.  But back then I just though of it as a nice car at a fair price.  Could a 17 year old afford a car that was only 5 years old today?

As for the appeal of cars through the years.  I'm curious if you had a parking lot full of cars and all the badging was removed from them.  How many people could come close to telling what the make and model of the cars were.  Since about the late 90's right up until today they all look like a brick of melted butter.  I think the curb appeal whet out of the American car industry around the mid 60's. That's when the square look started with the interiors first and then the bodies.  Plastic started to invade the interiors.   I can appreciate the condition of a car past the 60's and credit the caretaker of such a car.  But I'd never give them a second look.

[John348]

9 hours ago, ted sweet said:

in upstate ny there are very few daily drivers over 15 years old

In downstate NY (lower 9 counties) there are very few daily drivers that are under 10 years old 

Edited March 6, 2023 by John348 (see edit history)

[1935Packard]

On 3/4/2023 at 3:24 PM, charlespetty said:

A 88 year old woman in my home town passed away in 1986 and her estate sold her 1930 Ford Model A standard coupe that she bought new and had been driving up until two years before her death.  I remember seeing her around town in the early 80s driving this car.  I followed her once and she never went over 25mph.  Her husband's mint condition 1940 Oldsmobile was still around town in the 1970s.  He drove it through 1964 and kept it spotless.  

Reminds me a bit of this: 

 

 

[60FlatTop]

11 hours ago, John348 said:

In downstate NY (lower 9 counties) there are very few daily drivers that are under 10 years old 

I get a kick out the defining of upstate and downstate New York. I heard Poughkeepsie was upstate. Some say Albany.

 

A few years back I did an energy presentation for the New York State Tourism Association at a meeting in Batavia. We had a Q & A TV connection with the board of directors in NYC. A question was raised by a woman who started with "I have a dude ranch in Mexico and would like to ask". Very quizzical looks were exchanged on the big screen. Finally one ventured to ask. "If you run a dude ranch in Mexico what would that have to do with New York?" It brought the house down. Mexico is a town up near Oswego, about a hundred miles east of me.

 

Legislation is usually reactionary and heavily:

[timecapsule]

9 hours ago, 1935Packard said:

Reminds me a bit of this: 

 

 

We're on the same page, I change the oil in my vintage cars every 1000 miles too.  Every couple weeks it comes on sale at Canadian Tire at 45% off regular price.  So why not.

[PONTIAC1953]

in 1975, in Santa Monica, Calif. a owner was still driving his 1904 Cadillac.

[plymouthcranbrook]

In my high school years(1965-1969) and for at least a few years afterwards one of the boys PE teachers drove a early 50’s Studebaker bullet nose two door sedan. Year round as I remember.  And in beautiful Waukegan,Il.  especially then winter was, well, winter. I was driving south on I94 one summer day a in about 1971 or so and saw a Studebaker headed north in the opposite lanes. Sure enough, it was my former teacher cruising down the road. That was the last time I ever remember seeing it so I don’t know where it ended up but he sure drove the heck out if it.

[John348]

1 hour ago, 60FlatTop said:

I get a kick out the defining of upstate and downstate New York. I heard Poughkeepsie was upstate. Some say Albany.

To me it was Yonkers. I grew up in the Bronx, when my Grandfather went to shopping at the A&P in Yonkers he used to say he was going upstate, it was maybe 5 traffic lights to Yonkers and the Westchester county line, but it was always known as upstate to us, and I am sure we were known to be "down in in the city" to the people of Yonkers. 

[carbking]

I bought my first car in 1959, so 2 years after the 1957 mentioned by the OP.

 

Small town, north central Missouri.

 

Wanted a Ford Model A, that Dad said was too dangerous, and wouldn't allow me to buy it.

 

But to the 30 year old thingy, in 1959 there were several Ford A's around that fit the OP's 30 years. Probably 2 dozen more that fit 25 years. Again, mostly Ford products. Were not a lot of luxury auto dealerships in north central Missouri in those days. Do remember a mid-thirties Plymouth, and a mid-thirties Dodge.

 

If possible, it might be interesting to know the flip side of the above question; in 1957, what was the percentage of cars less than say 6 years old. In north central Missouri, it wasn't very high!

 

Jon

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

[Littlestown Mike]

One factor we should not forget is the WW2 really removed a lot of older cars from circulation to turn them into war materiel. 

 

[Buffalowed Bill]

One of my favorite pastimes used to be car watching as I was dining at one of our favorite restaurants in the Seattle area. It is on a busy arterial between a low income area and a slightly higher, low income area.

 

To understand why car watching was so good at that particular spot it's important to note how transport in our area can be different. Our cars just don't deteriorate as fast as they do most places. When I occasionally mention this, I'm not just bragging, I'm just trying to explain why there were so many 30-50yo cars on the road here. What today's generation consider junk, low income folks see as affordable transportation. 

 

Several years ago I began to see a change. Where did the car show go? The area hadn't changed that much so what had happened. After giving it some thought, I realized that nothing had changed, but the cars that the low income people were driving. The 25-40yo cars were still being driven by some of the same people, but I just didn't recognize the cars. The 1950-90's cars had slowly been supplanted by a whole new generation of cars most of which I find boring. 

Edited March 8, 2023 by Buffalowed Bill (see edit history)

[timecapsule]

Car watching was my favorite thing to do as a kid in the early to mid 60's.  Every Sunday afternoon me and my friend would sit on a bench on the side of the main street of the town we lived in.  It was a main thoroughfare to cottage country ( Yonge St.  The longest street in Canada)  We played a game to see who could recognize the make and model first as it was approaching from about a block away.  We both got good at the subtle difference between the models and years.