Posted on 11/04/2025 2:32:18 PM PST by 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.
looks liek a tank- kinda reminds me of the old power wagons- built tough i mean
Never knew that.
The Cybertruck is the ugliest vehicle on the road today.
Right ... no class, they all look basically the same.
I feel creepy in a Chinese Harbor Fakes. I can’t do it.
Yes, the Beamers are another one, so I’ve heard. Very nice.
The Cybertruck is the ugliest vehicle on the road today.
I like it. It is not for everyone.
I find its form follows function to be lovely.
“I drive a 21-year-old BMW 325i, a compact, performance-minded...”
I sold my 91 BMW 318is before a hurricane could damage it.
Nine years later, I’ve started to look for nice ones again...
:)
KIA & HYUNDAI===
IF HEADLIGHT BULB GOES OUT—— ARE MUST GO TO DEALERSHIP & FENDER HAS TO REMOVED & REPLACED TO CHANGE THE HEADLIGHT BULB. BULB CAN COST AS MUCH AS $75.
NOT VERY GOOD ENGINEERING...IMO.
I CAN CHANGE A HEADLIGHT BULB ON EITHER ONE OF MY VEHICLES IN UNDER 20 MINUTES....BULBS COST ABOUT $8
rode one for awhile- illegally- no license- how i never got stopped i dunno- but yeah, dangerous- slid under a vehicle once that was in front of me, they were traveling along, and just braked to a stop- i hit the brakes, had to lay the bike down, and slid under it without hitting it- they turned left- and never looked back- never realized it happened i guess- skinned up knee and hand, but bike was a junker- and didn’t suffer any real damage-
my bro rode one- legally- and had someone pull across in front of him as he was going along 50 mph- came inches from hitting them- they were waiting to come out onto a main road he was traveling on-
Watched a fella fly past me on the right side in my van on a bike once- i saw a car turning right up ahead- and sure enough- right in front of the fella- he flew 20 feet or better- popped right back up thankfully- but what a mess the bike was
See it everyday. Same mini suvs in either white of black and sometimes boring ass grey.
I had a 53 Ford convertible with a continental kit, a 1969 mustang fastback and an 89 Mercedes V8 roadster.
The first two are long long and I turned in the 89 Mercedes on an Acura RDX. I really loved the Mercedes but the cost of repair was astronomical. My Gen Z grandson adored that car too and it was really fast but alas the repairs, sometimes 4 grand a pop.
I still have a 78 Fiat Spyder but it is a four-cylinder and no way a muscle car. Really cute, though.
And long ago I had a 59 Karmann Ghia, another cute four-cylinder.
Just bought a 1957 mercury monterey today that was a longtime restoration that was not finished.I figure a couple of years on it and it will be slick.white over red two tone. Man the cars were beautiful.
both of my millenials kids know how to drive a stick
No argument there.
It is not for everyone.
Thank goodness.
I find its form follows function to be lovely.
What exactly IS its function? The majority of Cybertrucks I see in my area have garish advertising wraps on them. That certainly attracts attention, but how long will that last?
I don’t blame them one bit. In the days when the classics were new you could tell the year, make and specific model a block away just by the design. Today an SUV is an SUV all abut the same shape.
I think that’s why Ford’s Mustang and Bronco come-backs are popular, the same can be said for some Dodge products.
What really sucks is some clown with loud exhaust sporting a 4 cylinder under powered engine trying to act like a muscle car. You can hear that poor little engine work itself to death trying to gain speed, and then a 400 HP F150 just walks all over it.
I had a ride in a 66 GTO with the 326 3 deuce set up and four on the floor. It would burn rubber in all four gears.
Nice appearing vehicle.
I’ll match it with my ‘75 FJ-40 LandCruiser. Dropped a Chevy small-block into it because the Toyota straight-six sucked thermodynamically. Ate valves and 13 mpg.
PTO winch, my own snorkel kit and waterproof ignition. Z-barted(?) interior. Bought it with hazardous duty/combat pay after I left the army to go to grad school.
Pissed of when I cracked the transfer case and found out Toyota had omitted the gear for the PTO. A 1 hr upgrade turned into days for parts and 6 hrs.
I recall the 442 did not equate to engine size, but a 4 bbl carb, 4 speed trans and posi-traction.
In that era my brother had a vehicle with 4 on the floor and a fifth under the seat.
My Mom bought a first year Miata new, and only sold it when she turned 85 four years ago. I got a Honda S2000 in 2013, and loved it. Mom asked why I didn’t get a Miata… I told her it was an “old lady car”. We both laughed.
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