New definition needed

[JohnD]

There is a "Classic Car Club" near me that meets to drink coffee and discuss the weather.  But many of their vehicles are not "Classics" to my view - a member recently offered a '98 Fiesta for sale as a "Classic".      I just don't see any 23 years old car, however loved and well preserved as a "Classic"!   AS Tme passes we just sytrecth the definition further and further.   2030 may offer a cut off point as the ICE ceases to be sold.

But what to call them?     "Veteran" is before 1905.  "Vintage" before 1930, so 90 years old.      Have we an adjective that would describe cars designed after 1970, keeping Classic for 50+ years old?     The thesaurus offers many, but few that could be suitable:  

A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, bonny (also bonnie) [chiefly British], boss [slang], brag, brave, bully, bumper, capital, choice, cool [slang], corking, crackerjack, cracking, dandy, divine, dope [slang], down [slang], dynamite, excellent, fab, fabulous, famous, fantabulous [slang], fantastic, fine, first-class, first-rate, first-string, five-star, four-star, frontline, gangbusters (also gangbuster), gilt-edged (or gilt-edge), gone [slang], grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-class, hot, hype [slang], immense, jim-dandy, keen, lovely, marvelous (or marvellous), mean, neat, nifty, noble, number one (also No. 1), numero uno, out-of-sight [slang], par excellence, peachy, peachy keen, phat [slang], prime, primo [slang], prize, prizewinning, quality, radical [slang], righteous [slang], sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, top-of-the-line, top-shelf, topflight, topping [chiefly British], unsurpassed, wizard [chiefly British], wonderful      

  "Capital Cars"    "Five star cars"  "Marvellous Motors"  ???

Your thoughts?

[Martin]

For the young lads any car without bluetooth, connectivity, usb-hub,  voice control ie Alexa or Siri, radio control key, air condition, stability/brake/ anti-???? is an old car.

Legally a car older than 30 years qualifies as an historic car. You can insure them quite cheap. The Number Plate then ends with an „H“. In Slang we call such Cars Oldtimer. 
But are Cars from the 80ies and 90ies Oldtimer? With Air condition, ABS, stability support Systems, …?

We call the Cars younger than appr 40 years but  older than appr. 17 … 20 years Youngtimer ( ie BMW E 36, …..) . But there is no Legal Definition.

There is a fast growing scene for these  cars. Even a magazine called „Youngtimer“ is now on the shelfs. I like it 

Martin

[Nick Jones]

The representative of the company who insured by my old-timers was pleased to inform me that the Sootmonster is not and never will be a classic, eligible for classic insurance terms. Even though it meets all their written criteria.  I aim to prove him wrong at some point (preferably with a competing company), but it’s moot at the moment as I don’t have an alternative “modern” to carry my full policy.

A cynical definition might be “unremarkable old banger, possibly with a vaguely sporting edge that has retained enough charm/admirers and got close enough to extinction that prices (even for cars so knackered they should be laid to rest) are spiralling upwards against all reason.” Fords seem especially badly afflicted with VW close behind.

[John I]

Have you seen the Telegraph top banner on today’s edition. 

 

“Cult of the Triumph Herald.”

 

always knew new there was something going on 

[PeterC]

Obscene --by greens

Obsolete -- by new owners of ecars

Obugger I should have bought a 1990 Fiesta -- by stranded ecar driver

 

[JohnD]

Believe the Telegraph? You'll believe anything!

[John I]

8 minutes ago, JohnD said:

Believe the Telegraph? You'll believe anything!

For once John.........”a design classic”  got to agree!

[JohnD]

This is strange.      I posted, betraying my Guardian-reading, sandal-wearing, muesli-eating, beard-pulling prejudices, that if you believed the Telegraph you would believe anything.     John I quoted me, which proves that I even in my usual haze of weed smoke or misled by my evangelical wokeness, I didn't imagine I posted it.

And my post isn't there any more!     If it has been deleted by the Ministry of Truth, then Winston Smith would be ashamed by such a sloppy job of rewriting history, and it's not even thirteen o'clock!   If it's a game you're playing, you can't win.

 

[Nick Jones]

Eh? It is still there…..

Less weed maybe? 

[JohnD]

Well!!!     Could be right, Nick, if someone is slipping Columbia Gold into my morning muesli, but I looked rather carefully for it, moving the screen up and down to look for it.  It wasn't there, honest!   Not one to bother Craig with, I think.

[Nick Jones]

On 1/6/2022 at 8:20 PM, JohnD said:

Believe the Telegraph? You'll believe anything!

It’s still there…..

I agree with the sentiment. Trouble is, a lot of people do still believe what they read in it….