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> I think there's a confusion between the two definitions of classic. One implies simple age. In cars, anything older than 25 years old is considered a "classic". The other implies worth. We call things that are great "instant classics". So one person might consider something a classic in one sense, but not in another, or two people might disagree on the use of the label "classic" based on two different uses of the word.
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> -- Dave

In most states, a car 25 years old qualifies for an "antique" license plate. But car collectors have a scale based on model years. The years tend to change from time to time but it goes something like this:

pre-1927 cars are antiques
1928 to 1935 are classic
1936 to 1949 are vintage
1950 to present are collectable

I did that from memory, and there is always a lot of grey area, so don't hold me to that exactly. Some cars are never even on the scale, so if you are keeping grandpa's Ford Grenada, I hope it is for sentimental reasons. The same for the Chevy Chevette.

Motorcycles and motor scooters are different. Your Harley might be called an instant classic. Motor scooters are usually vintage back to World War II, and antique before that. Classic is a word that is not usually used with motor scooters, but I sometimes refer to my '53 Allstate model 811.40 (made by Cushman) as a classic, but that's just me. Any scooter not made of plastic is more or less collectable.

In the antique business, furniture and stuff, purists insist that if it isn't 100 years old, it isn't an antique.
Howard