According to a new survey, nearly half of Americans have dreamed of owning a classic car. In a result sure to rock the assumptions of many, the biggest fans of classic cars are the youngest drivers.
Sixty percent of drivers from Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) expressed an interest in owning a classic car, nearly doubling the 31% of Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) with a similar interest.
Related: Who Will Save The Manuals? Young People.
The survey comes from Hagerty, an insurance agency and catch-all car enthusiast company specializing in classic cars. Hagerty engaged pollster OnePoll to “survey more than 2,000 Americans about the role that cars play in their life, their behaviors tied to cars and driving, and more.”
The survey found that Gen Z is often slow to learn to drive and embraces many ways of getting around, but they embrace car culture. “Seventy-seven percent of Gen Z respondents said they either loved or liked driving, indicating a promising future not only for the auto industry, but also for the collector car community,” Hagerty says.
Thirty-two percent of Gen Z and 30% of Millenials (born between 1981 and 1996) say they “have either owned, or currently own a classic enthusiast vehicle.” Hagerty doesn’t explain what cars it considered classics for the survey.
Some states allow owners to register a vehicle as historic after as little as 20 years.
“The next generation of car enthusiasts is here,” said Hagerty CEO McKeel Hagerty. “The data is clear that Gen Z isn’t just playing car video games, watching YouTube, or creating social media content; they’re also finding ways to participate in the collector car community.”
Forty-three percent of respondents agreed that “cars are an integral part of American history and should be systematically preserved like historic buildings and architecture.”
