60% of Gen Z Wants a Classic Car Because New Ones Are Too Boring

Motorbiscuit ^ | October 29, 2025 | Sarah Kennedy

[nickcarraway]

We don’t blame them: Pull into any parking lot and it’s a sea of grayscale SUVs with the same sweeping LED eyebrows and bloated body lines.

By any measure, modern cars are starting to look a little too much alike. A Honda CR-V looks like a Hyundai Tucson. A BMW X5 looks like an Alfa Romeo SUV. Maybe that’s why the next wave of car enthusiasts, Gen Z, is quietly falling for the classics instead.

According to Hagerty’s 2024 “Future of Driving” survey, 60% of Gen Z respondents said they’re interested in owning a classic car.

That’s nearly double the rate of Baby Boomers Hagerty, based in Traverse City, Michigan, commissioned the study through OnePoll, surveying over 2,000 Americans about their relationship with cars and driving.

The data hints at a cultural shift: young drivers are drawn to older cars because they feel more alive.

77% percent of Gen Zers said they love or like driving, and many already own “enthusiast” cars

They’re not just scrolling car content on YouTube or Instagram. They’re showing up at real-world car shows, wrenching, and learning to drive stick.

And honestly, who can blame them? My husband and I drive a 21-year-old BMW 325i, a compact, performance-minded manual that still feels connected in ways modern cars don’t.

Sure, we’ve recently replaced a fuel level sender and an AC compressor…two parts I’ve seen fail just as often on newer Hondas and F-150s. But otherwise, it’s been remarkably easy to live with.

It’s also sharper, better balanced, and infinitely more expressive than most of today’s small cars.

Hagerty’s data backs up this craving for personality The most popular classics Gen Z is insuring are 1990 to 1998 Mazda Miatas.

It’s the lightweight roadster that practically defined “pure” driving.

Millennials lean toward old-school Chevy GMT400 pickups (It’s me, Hi!) another era of honest, straightforward engineering. But hey, I’d hop into a 90s Miata or Honda Civic Del Sol any day.

This isn’t just nostalgia in reverse. It’s a quiet rebellion

Gen Z drivers are seeing through the sameness of new-car design and finding inspiration in vehicles that had character, color, and mechanical soul.

Half the survey’s respondents said driving makes them feel free. It’s a reminder that cars once symbolized individuality, not just commute duty.

In fact, 43% said classic cars are part of American heritage worth preserving. Despite some trends in some areas, maybe young people aren’t actually giving up on driving. Some are reclaiming it, one analog machine at a time.

[wjcsux]

“ I live in Texas and I can tell you during the summer months, you don’t want to be in a black car, inside or out.”
I live in the Southwest and I own two black cars, what was I thinking!?! However, one of them is a 67 Pontiac GTO.

[posterchild]

I agree. When I was young driving was fun - cross country road trips especially. Now it is just a boring chore that consumes time I’d rather use for something else. I’d be happy to have it automated like many other tasks such as washing clothes, washing dishes, etc.

[Tunehead54]

"As close as you’re going to get today to an old school sports car."

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Well, you could look around for one of these ...

In 2014 I asked the little gal what she wanted for her 60th?

She said "A convertible to go to the beach!"

On a budget, we were looking at Miatas. Backyard mechanic, brake jobs, tuneups, valve adjusts, water pump, etc. not a problem.

All the Miatas we looked at were blowing blue smoke, oil everywhere around the engine. then we found this beauty being sold by an ex-cop, serious fellow, for a local politician. $6000. 1998 BMW Z3 Roadster 2.8L with 107K in 2014.

Tires? Dry rot. Need 4. Engine mounts? Like sponges. Control arms? Replace. Fixed? Add $4K.

Weird sale. Test drive? Uh, we'll take it. Here's $1000 - gotta go to the bank for more cash. Sweetheart - I'll be right back. ;-)

[hinckley buzzard]

Funny, my grandmother had a Henry J.

[Locomotive Breath]

Confirming what others are saying. All the cars are egg shaped so as to have minimum wind drag and that’s all driven by gov’t fuel efficiency standards. Dial those back and make cars great again.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Even more fun: 1967-1970 muscle car of basically any manufacturer. My fave is the ‘69 Olds 442.

[marktwain]

The only modern car with any personality is the Ineos Grenadier and it is remarkably retro.

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My personal opinion is the Cyber Truck has a lot of personality.

[P8riot]

Mine has the granny gear 1st, Thing will stand on it’s rear bumper pulling stumps. Pulled a new jeep out of the ditch in front of my house.

[shaggy eel]

,,, I had a 1985 Morgan 4/4 for six years - best fun I could have with my clothes on. Now I get around in a Benz CLA180 shooting brake. It goes like a rocket and it’s cheap to run on a trip. Either way, good vehicles for different stages of life; no complaints.

[doorgunner69]

They would have to learn to shift and use a clutch.

Too hard......They are not into hard things.

[Retain Mike]

I remember seeing a guy driving a 1963 Ford Galaxy coverable with a four speed and 427 engine. It was white with a red interior. He had grey hair, and I knew he had wanted it all his life.

For years I had a 1972 Ford F-250 truck and always had admiring comments from those who wished they had not sold theirs. I sold mine because we now rent and I don't have to find three cords of wood to burn each year.

[wally_bert]

If we lived in the country somewhere, I’d have an older set of wheels.

[Captain Peter Blood]

There is website that sells and restores classic cars, rolling museums.com

The cars they restore are actual affordable, and many times less money than the new ones. I was in a meeting the other day and heard the average vehicle price today is $50,000, this is unreal. How would you like a car payment of between $500 to $1800 a month?

I have a 2024 Mazda CX 30 that I lease and I pay $147 a month.

[Tunehead54]

Sort of screwed that up. Our cop had copies of our insurance and driver's licenses, I'd looked at the engine and underneath (not easy) and revved it up.

I did leave the gal and told her to stay with the car. Great day - I'm her driver for grocery and beach trips. ;-)

[doorgunner69]

Yeah, Toyota for me, with a Subaru mixed in.

Have two older 4Runners at the moment, one on the mainland and one on Hawaii. Really like the utility and presence.

Plus they piss of the greenies. I miss my hotrodded WRX, but age mareches on. A zoomie car is wasted in the lathargic traffic of today.

[dforest]

You sound like you need some Star Trek teleporting or something.

I will settle on a flying car. LOL

[daler]

I’ll take a 66 GTO and die happy.

Although a 64 1/2 Mustang will do.

[marktwain]

You sound like you need some Star Trek teleporting or something.

I will settle on a flying car. LOL

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A vehicle that drives as well or better than I do is nearly as good.

[military cop]

I drove a 68 Merc Cougar in high school and foolishly traded it in outside Ft Bragg NC in 1986 - a trade I have regretted for the last 42 years.

Over the years, I’ve driven Porsches, Mazda RX 7s, Datsun 240Zs and Fox Body Mustangs - always with a manual transmissions.

Cars today are as generic as they can be.

I’ve decided to keep my Land Rover LR4 until the wheels fall off.

[Bob434]

i waTCH some high end auctions, and many times something like a blazer, or chevelle or something will come up and sell for around $10,000, sometimes less, sometimes a bit more- but a nice one even at $10-15,000 would be a good bargain too for a decent vehicle, if they aren’t too roached or too many miles