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    "original_url": "https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/09\/21\/business\/car-collectors-gen-x-millennials.html?ae=oa&emc=edit_nn_20260922&nl=the-morning&segment_id=226865",
    "parsed_content": "AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTSupported bySKIP ADVERTISEMENTWheelsWhat\u2019s a Classic Car? Younger Collectors Prize Less Heralded Models.Baby boomers embraced brawny cars from the 1950s and \u201960s, but as new collectors take up the hobby, Mazdas and Nissans from the 1980s and \u201990s are hot, and still don\u2019t break the bank.Listen \u00b7 8:19 min Share full articleHallie Krala with her boyfriend, Preston Rose, working on an AMC Eagle. \u201cSomething from the \u201950s is not as relatable to the younger crowd,\u201d she said. \u201cI do like the aesthetics of the \u201980s cars, and they\u2019re functional.\u201dCredit...Hallie KralaBy Greg MiglioreSept. 21, 2026See more of our coverage in your search results.Encuentra m\u00e1s de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de b\u00fasqueda. Add The New York Times on GoogleAgrega The New York Times en Google For decades, car collecting has been a hobby largely by and for baby boomers, whose tastes have favored chrome, fins and strapping muscle cars from the 1950s and \u201960s. But later generations are entering their peak earning years, and with cash to spend on a hobby, they have their own ideas about what defines a classic car.Hallie Krala, a 39-year-old car buff from Allentown, Pa., has a collection that includes a 1984 AMC Eagle Wagon, a 1992 Mercury Topaz and multiple Ford Escorts from the 1980s. She has never spent more than $1,000 on a car, and is attracted to the look and feel of cars from that era.\u201cPrice is definitely a big part of it,\u201d Ms. Krala said. \u201cSomething from the \u201950s is not as relatable to the younger crowd. I do like the aesthetics of the \u201980s cars, and they\u2019re functional.\u201dThey\u2019re also becoming big business. Hagerty Inc., an insurer in Michigan that specializes in classics, said values for cars from the 1980s and \u201990s had risen 48 percent in the last five years. AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT\u201cThis is a serious segment,\u201d said McKeel Hagerty, the company\u2019s chief executive.So much so that in 2022 his company bought RADwood, which puts on a series of 1980s and \u201990s themed-car events, as an investment in the future. \u201cI think the RADwood cars are the hot ticket to get now,\u201d Mr. Hagerty said.ImageMs. Krala with a 1988.5 Ford Escort. She has never spent more than $1,000 on a car, and is drawn to cars from that era.Credit...Hallie KralaWhile values are climbing, 1980s and \u201990s models are still relatively affordable. Head-turning cars like the 1995 Mazda RX-7, 1992 Nissan 300ZX, 1984 Porsche 944 and 1987 Ford Mustang can all be had for $25,000 or less, according to Hagerty data.Drivability is another factor for these younger enthusiasts. While cars from the RADwood era are generally less powerful, they are also smaller and lighter and have better steering and brakes. Driving one can still be an event, but it\u2019s less of a nail-biter.\u201cThe boomers bought muscle cars. Muscle cars can be a handful,\u201d said Michael Prichinello, co-founder of the Classic Car Club Manhattan. \u201cA real sports car that behaves like a sports car. A Corvette from the \u201950s is not a sports car.\u201dAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTOr as Mr. Hagerty described a 1967 Ford Mustang GT500: \u201cIt is a fast car. It is not a fast-stopping car.\u201dFighting words, perhaps, for some. But Mr. Prichinello called the newer enthusiast cars \u201ca beautiful sweet spot\u201d that bridges the power and design of earlier periods and the tech-laden modern era. For some, the lack of screens in a 30- to 40-year-old car is a selling point.ImageA Mercedes-Benz Gullwing.Credit...Carlos Jaramillo for The New York TimesThere\u2019s also a quirkiness to the time period, and a tongue-in-cheek awareness that many of these cars won\u2019t be remembered among the all-time greats in automotive history. At the Crazy \u201980s Car Museum in Dwight, Ill., cars like the Buick Skyhawk, Plymouth Horizon and Subaru XT are memorialized.Housed in an old furniture store off Route 66, the museum is open a few days a week and accepts donations. Its owner, Rick Roggenburg, said his mission was to preserve cars from this often-overlooked period.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT\u201cOur goal here is these disposable cars,\u201d he said. \u201cThe cars that nobody saved.\u201dClearly some people kept them. Events like the Concours d\u2019Lemons started as a foil to the high-profile Pebble Beach Concours d\u2019Elegance and are now legitimate car shows in their own right. While expensive 1930s Mercedes specimens are a common sight at Pebble Beach, the 2025 Lemons honorees included a 1983 Oldsmobile Cutlass and 1999 Dodge Caravan.\u201cIt\u2019s not just the cars you would expect,\u201d said Doug DeMuro, a YouTube car reviewer who founded the auction site Cars & Bids. He recalled having sold the same low-mileage 1989 Nissan Pathfinder on his site twice in three years.ImageA 1984 Porsche 944 in Germany last year. Models from the \u201980s remain affordable.Credit...Imago\/Karina Hessland, via Reuters Connect\u201cThat\u2019s someone who probably grew up in one of those and remembered those,\u201d he said.The oldest Gen X-ers were born in 1965 \u2014 and are now nearing retirement age \u2014 and much of Gen Y is well into its 40s, meaning many have the means to afford hobby cars.\u201cPeople are aging in,\u201d Mr. DeMuro said.Mr. Prichinello estimated that the average age of the 1,000 Classic Car Club Manhattan members was roughly 40, with about half of those \u201csolidly Gen X.\u201d The club has embraced events like cars and coffee gatherings, watch parties for Formula 1 races and off-roading expeditions to cultivate membership. It recently opened a new clubhouse in Midtown Manhattan.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT\u201cAn automobile these days is a social lubricant,\u201d he said.Similarly, at the M1 Concourse in Pontiac, Mich., a car club with a 1.5-mile racetrack and storage facilities just north of Detroit, outreach to potential new members is critical. Located on Woodward Avenue, a destination for cruising and car culture, the club has Halloween parties with trick-or-treating, cars and coffee shows and track days, which help introduce the hobby to younger audiences.ImageThe 24 Hours of Lemons, a race related to the Concours d\u2019Lemons show, for cars that won\u2019t make their way to Pebble Beach.Credit...24 Hours of Lemons\u201cThis is on our radar constantly,\u201d said John R. Warner, manager of automotive partnerships at M1 Concourse. \u201cWith any other business, you\u2019ve got to evolve with demographics. You have to embrace a younger crowd.\u201dAnd it\u2019s not monolithic. The \u201crad\u201d era is often painted with a broad brush to include almost anything from the 1980s or \u201990s, but an oddball Ford Escort from the early \u201980s is considerably different in both price and performance from a V8-powered 1990s Corvette. As more enthusiasts begin to focus on this era, it is likely to become more segmented.\u201cThe millennials are kind of the \u2018Fast and Furious\u2019 generation,\u201d Mr. Hagerty said, referring to the action movie series that has highlighted import tuners and featured cars from many eras.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTNaturally, carmakers are taking note of all of these changes in collecting, and what it might mean for today\u2019s cars and their appeal to buyers. At Stellantis, the parent of Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Chrysler and several international brands, the automaker makes a point of hiring younger people, especially for its design studios.\u201cIt is that time. They are earning. They actually love cars,\u201d said Ralph Gilles, Stellantis\u2019s chief design officer.ImageSometimes the old classics still resonate, too: Preston Rose owns this 1951 Chevrolet.Credit...Preston RoseThen there\u2019s the elephant in the room: the older generation, who are believed to be the largest group of car collectors. Hagerty tracks insurance policy quotes by age, and 34 percent of its quotes written in 2026 were to boomers, a hair ahead of the 33 percent written for Gen X. For most of the 2020s, Gen X and boomers have been neck and neck in terms of insurance quotes, and many boomers are expanding their collections in their golden years.On the other side, Gen Z is also getting into cars, though it\u2019s too early to tell where its preferences will ultimately lie, and it makes up just 1.1 percent of Hagerty\u2019s client base.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTPreston Rose, a 29-year-old enthusiast, is on the cusp of that next generation. Like his girlfriend, Ms. Krala, he likes cars from the 1980s and \u201990s, but growing up in a car-loving family, he also owns a 1951 Chevy.\u201cIt\u2019s a constant cycle,\u201d Mr. Rose said. \u201cThere will be Gen Z kids who see cars from the 2010s.\u201dAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT",
    "published_at": "2026-09-21T09:00:13+00:00",
    "author_name": "Greg Migliore",
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    "ai_headline": "What\u2019s a Classic Car? Younger Collectors Prize Less Heralded Models.",
    "ai_simplified_title": "Younger Car Collectors Redefine Classic Cars with 80s and 90s Models",
    "ai_excerpt": "Younger car collectors, including Gen X and Millennials, are redefining what constitutes a classic car, favoring affordable and functional models from the 1980s and '90s over traditional muscle cars. This shift is driving a new segment in the classic car market, with values for these 'rad' era vehicles rising significantly.",
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