Vintage or classic: Is Dolly the Nissan Figaro a classic or a vintage car?

Why does it matter?

This is something that I’ve read up about a lot because I like to get things right, and whilst trying to find if there is an ‘official’ line, I found lots of interesting discussions out there. I’ve read Figaros described as classic and some people have told me that she’s a classic. However, other people have used the word vintage so I decided to look into it.

Whilst writing this though, I’ve got to be honest, the song I’ve got playing on repeat in my head is this (and not because Dolly can fly):

Click here

If you don't recognise the picture, follow the link, you'll get my drift.

Yes, Dolly is pretty and I love her but she’s started making a funny noise and grumbling on first start up for the last week so she’s not classic or vintage in my head today, she’s a difficult pain in the

However, throughout my ‘stories’ I refer to Dolly as both classic and vintage as I’m not sure which to use. A bit like how my other half is sometimes the husband and sometimes the mister and sometimes something entirely different that I won’t write here. Anyway…

The Research

I was always under the impression that classic cars were over 40 years of age. I think this is because I already knew that cars become tax exempt at that age according to the DVLA.

When I started to research, I found a few articles that said a car 25 years or older is considered a classic but then I found one that said a vehicle older than 20 years of age is thought of as classic.

More reading found a classic car described as one that’s been maintained and repaired to keep to its original design. Then I found that according to the HMRC, a classic car is anything over 15 years of age and worth a minimum of £15,000!

However, some say that a classic car is not only one over a certain age but it has to have been well maintained. Well Dolly is 33 years old and counting but hasn’t always been well maintained. Although we are working on that and definitely getting there. So classic or not classic?

According to Vintage and Classic Spares, it is not only the age of the car that makes it classic. It apparently comes down to whether it is an iconic model. Hmm, but I thought ‘iconic’ comes and goes with fashion and societal opinions that can change. I’m still not sure, but Dolly is definitely iconic.

The Car Investor says that a classic car is over the age of 20 and once it gets to 45 years it becomes antique. Anything built between 1919 and 1930 is considered vintage. This seems to be the stance of many ‘experts’ in the field of old cars. They also talk about veteran cars and post-vintage cars but let’s not go there and make the muddy waters completely opaque.

Vintage does seem to be the ‘much older’ cars like the Ford Model T for example. I can 'get' that; it makes sense so maybe vintage is not the right word for Dolly. However, vintage is also a design style. So maybe Dolly is not a vintage car but has vintage styling. Phew – official classification of vintage is out of the equation.

The RAC says that there’s no definition for what is considered classic. Thanks RAC, that helps.

I have read that a car enthusiast (that’s me! But only for one car in particular), can call a car classic because of personal nostalgia but that seems a bit wishy washy and doesn’t fit with Dolly because I was only vaguely aware of Figaros before one arrived in my life a year ago.

Also, there’s the argument that the way a car looks can be considered classic but that again seems a bit subjective. Plus, Dolly looks 1950s but was made in 1991. I do like the look of her though, she’s quirky and unique and different. Hmm, a classic or not a classic? Well, I’ve decided she’s not an official vintage car so if she isn’t an official classic either, what is she?

Heeeeeere's Dolly...

(Now there's a true classic)

If you search on the internet for top ten classic cars, poor Dolly isn’t there at all but all the most expensive cars from the last few decades are, with the 1963 Porsche 911 being considered as ‘a nearly perfect classic…’ Umm, surely a matter of opinion, it’s nowhere near as pretty as Dolly and not a car I’d spend my money on. I drove a Porsche once; it scared the life out of me. How fast that thing zoomed out of junctions was truly phenomenal.

The RAC list Lamborghini, Jaguar, Bentley, McLaren and Ferrari in its list of top ten classic cars. Surely that’s just a list of expensive cars or luxurious cars. I think the list can be more interesting than that and ‘classier’. Plus let’s not forget that the RAC also say there’s no official definition for a classic car. So, I’m not sure their opinion counts at all.

Autocar call cars between the age of 10 and 30 years a modern classic, which is another new term. And that would definitely make Dolly a classic classic as she’s 3 years passed the modern classic.

So, should I go with that?

She’s a classy lady, she looks vintage, she’s quirky, she’s getting older, she’s sought after, she’s rare. But I just used the word vintage. Damn, confused again. It’s ok, vintage style, not vintage, vintage.

I’m very aware I over think and confuse myself as much as everyone around me so well done for getting this far in reading my ‘Vintage vs Classic Research’.

The Figaro shop uses the term ‘neo-classic’ when describing the Figaro back when it was first built. So, when it’s stops being a new classic, it becomes a modern classic (which is backed up by Autocar above) and at what point does it become a classic classic according to The Figaro Shop? They don’t say but if you carry on reading their description, they also use the term vintage to describe the design of the Figaro, especially the inside. They then use ‘iconic’ to describe the Figaro as a whole.

The more I read, the more mind boggling it gets and the more I just don’t know if Dolly is classic or not but I think I’ve decided she’s definitely not vintage, just styled that way. There doesn’t seem to be a clear definition at all with enthusiasts, collectors, insurers and official Government sites saying different things.

I’ve just noticed someone on the internet call the Figaro a ‘retro car with charm and character’… And that’s another description to add to the list. I started off trying to decide between classic and vintage and now I’ve added retro and iconic.