Young People Actually Do Love Driving

Photo: Mazda

Maybe the future of collector cars and enthusiast drivers isn’t the doom and gloom affair that we’d been led to believe. According to a survey by Hagerty Insurance, young adult generations (Gen Z and Millennials) are significantly more likely to be interested in owning a classic car than Baby Boomers are. Tastes in the car community are certainly changing, and you might not find a thirty-year-old who wants to buy your T-Bucket or a twenty-something who can afford your six-figure Superbird, but enthusiasm remains high in younger generations.

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The survey shows some pretty interesting findings. Gen Z respondents were much more likely (77 percent) to say they loved or liked driving. Millennials reported the highest rate of do-it-yourself repairs at 34 percent. Interestingly 32 percent of Gen Z and 30 percent of Millennial drivers responded that they already own or have owned a classic enthusiast vehicle.

“The next generation of car enthusiasts is here, creating a vibrant market for us to help enthusiasts protect, buy, sell and enjoy their special vehicles,” said McKeel Hagerty, CEO and Chairman of 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.”

There is a big disconnect between the perception of younger generations being shut-ins who hate driving and the reality of their enthusiasm. We (I am an elder millennial) experience car culture in a different manner than our elders. Gen Z, according to the Hagerty survey, interact with cars largely digitally, with 39 percent of respondents saying YouTube was their primary source of classic cars, while Instagram came in just a little lower at 38 percent.

If you could think of a single classic enthusiast car that might be of high interest to Gen Z car enthusiasts, what would you pick? Hagerty says “the most common car that Gen Z enthusiasts inquire about for insurance coverage are Mazda Miatas from 1990–1998.” That’s right, the answer is always Miata.