[1965gp]

Today I drove the Firebird to pick up my daughter and take her to tumbling.

I heard some of the coaches talking while they were unloading cases of water and heard the usual 'oh man an old trans am... don't see that often' and 'back in the day that was the car to have' finally 'my buddy had one like that once'....

We've all heard these before when driving our old cars..... today I was in my 2002 Firehawk! I guess it is 15 years old and the body style is 25 years old but I just don't consider it an old car or something you wouldn't normally see.

[77 Canamman]

I consider anything from like 1991 and older to be "old". Most 90's cars look contemporary enough not to be considered old, even though they are..

[dhcarguy]

I think from 1987 and back

[linden_gto]

if it doesn't look like a generic shape developed in a wind tunnel, it's old.

[Bills Auto Works]

Originally Posted by linden_gto

if it doesn't look like a generic shape developed in a wind tunnel, it's old.

Around here we call those "jelly bean" cars! All look the same just different colors.

To me old cars have always been before 1955, not sure if it is because I can identify pretty much everything after that or if it because of the drastic style change.

Interesting question!

Bill

[sd7369]

When the repair bills become more than the car is worth. Or perhaps when the car is older than the driver?

[31 B'ville]

When I bought our 1959 Bonneville, it was an old car at 17 years. Now my son-in -laws 2000 Trans Am WS6 is 17 years old and I have a hard time thinking of it as anything other than a late model car.

[Bill Holm]

I look at it differently.

Prewar / Postwar

Simple, really.

[Greg Reid]

Originally Posted by Bill Holm

I look at it differently.

Prewar / Postwar

Simple, really.

Yeah, I'd say that's different. Hard for me to think of a '46 Ford at 71 years of age as 'not an old car'.
Anyway, in the last two days I've seen two 1979-ish Toyota Corollas on the street. Both were very clean and functional. Got my attention because you just don't see that kind of stuff every day any more. One was a sedan and the other a wagon which i really would love to have.

[U47]

In the past ( 70's and earlier) a car was considered old when it was ten years old , or when it had turned 100,000 miles.

[GT182]

Originally Posted by U47

In the past ( 70's and earlier) a car was considered old when it was ten years old , or when it had turned 100,000 miles.

That carried on into the 80s too. Now it's old when the odometer reads over 300,000 miles or more.

My take on "old car" is when you can't fix it enough to run it on the highway, or the body is so bad it's time for the "Junk Yard" to be recycled.

A friend has, or had, a 2003 Jeep GC Limited Edition with 289,000 miles on it, and it still looked like it just came off the showroom floor when I last saw it this past Fall. I say had as he was looking to sell it. I wanted it but couldn't get back to him to find out what he wanted for it. My 2000 Jeep GC Larado V8 4x4 has a bit over 112,000 on it but the underbody is rotting out. Getting to where's it's only good for parts, or the work truck as I'm using it for now. But it's still tough as nails and keeps on ticking.

[geeteeohguy]

Anything with a carburetor is old.....so about 1987 and back. When I commute every day in my 1983 Toyota 4x4 pickup, I am usually the oldest thing out there by far. When I'm driving my 1915 Ford, I'm always the oldest car on the road!

[Stuart]

Depends on who you talk to. Some people consider a 3 year old car an 'old car'. In my case, my newest car is a 1988 and I know it's the oldest car in the parking lot at work by far.

[RocktimusPryme]

When the company is dead maybe?

[Half-Inch Stud]

Itsa old if you can't find the parts in the junkyad.

[151007]

When I was in high school the 68-72 GTO's, 442's and Chevelles were new cars and 55-57 Chevy's were considered old cars, so from the coaches perspective maybe they were right!

[lemansboy70]

I always get tickled when a customer asks if we have parts for "old cars" then proceeds to ask for something for a 2005 Chevy. I tell them we have parts back to the 30's and that I think we can still get a part for your "fossil".

[Scarebird]

Originally Posted by Half-Inch Stud

Itsa old if you can't find the parts in the junkyad.

That is an eloquent way to put it.

Even in our Pull-a-Parts the 80's stuff is rapidly vanishing.

[MUSLCAH]

If your car has wing vents and ash trays in the rear.....it's old enuff

[linden_gto]

Originally Posted by MUSLCAH

If your car has wing vents and ash trays in the rear.....it's old enuff

this!