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By "vintage" I don't so much mean classic but rather noticeably dated/from a different era.
I find most cars made up to about 1997/98 or so tend to look pretty retro. Hell even some early 2000s cars could almost pass alongside cars from the late 1980s. The style hasn't really changed at all since ~2003 or so, aside from the revival of boxy in a few brands like the Element which as far as I know has only been going on for a few years.
For that matter - what do you consider a classic/antique car? For me I'd say anything pre-1975 or so!
vintage/antique I would say 25 years....plus that is also the age when some states allow antique tags. Won't even go into Classic....AACA has a good definition of what they consider Classics.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Classic here in WA is defined as 25 years old, for purposes of exemption from smog tests. I personally would consider anything 1950-75 Classic, 1949 or older vintage. From 76 on to about 1989 is just old.
Classic car. This classification definitely overlaps with antique cars. The definition of classic car is actually quite similar to that of antique cars. A car must be at least 20 years old, but not more than 40 years old to be considered a classic car. It should again have been repaired and maintained in a way that keeps it true to its original design and specifications. In other words it should not be modified or altered. In addition, many add a stipulation that the vehicle should have been manufactured no earlier than 1925. For these reasons all classic cars are also antique cars, but not all antique cars are classic cars.
Antique car. An antique car is a classification that is often set by state law. States often have a special type of license plate for these cars. For that reason they set rules stating what qualifies as "antique." In most cases it is a car that's over 45 years old. Generally the car should be maintained in a way that keeps it true to the original manufacturer specifications.
I had always considered a car more than 25 years old a Classic, and more than 35 an Antique. But I drive a 1977 Jeep and it just is too modern to be considered an antique. So I think the interpretation is up to an individual. Now my 85 year old Roadster is an antique.
Some great links here and one thing that stands out to me is the fact that there is a lot of overlap. As time goes on vehicles may switch from one class to another as the cars get older, so everything is a moving target. The OP asked what you consider to be a "vintage" so sticking to that I consider anything from after WWII till 1980. Anything older than 1945 I consider Antique, from 1980 to present I consider Collectibles.
The one term I consider the wild card is "Classic". Some owners consider anything more than 20 years old to be Classic but, in my opinion there are very few true classics. For instance I consider the 1957 Chevrolet to be a Classic but, a 1957 Ford I consider Vintage. The same goes for the 1959 Cadillac (Classic) but the 1959 Lincoln (Vintage) or the '641/2 Mustang (Classic) but the 1967 Mustang (Vintage). Personally I do not consider anything built since 1980 to be Classic at this point. However, there are plenty vehicles built since then that may at some point will be considered Classics. The 1996 Corvette Gran Sport, first gen, Dodge Viper, Plymouth Prowler, Shelby GT500 Mustangs, Buick Grand Nationals, Corvette ZR1, Chrysler Crossfire SRT/6, Chevrolet SSR, Ford GT and undoubtedly others that escape me at this moment have a shot. Time will tell.
One thing I wonder about is how SUV's and Crossovers will be remembered or embraced 50 years from now. Who knows maybe my 1999 Jeep Cherokee will be considered a Classic in 2064 when I'm 111 years old. It could happen.
I consider a car from the 50's and earlier vintage. I'd call anything from the 40's and before antique. For it to be classic I would say anything before the early 70's. I'm just picking those years roughly as times when cars took on major changes.
Forget value or anything but if I had a "antique" from the 20's or 30's in perfect original condition I wouldn't even attempt to drive it across the country as I feel the car wouldn't be reliable at all, if it could even get up to speed. However, a classic car from the 60's in reasonable shape I'd have no problem as they aren't too much different then recent modern cars. A vintage car from the 50's I'd make that drive if the car was in very good shape and everything checked out. Cars were just starting to get improvements in those years.
I know to get historic tags here it has to be beyond a certain year. (perhaps 25 years or so---not sure) but I personally refuse to call any car I could have bought new since I got a license "historic"
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