Every 100th car registered in Germany is a classic car. And there are more. The 30-year rule makes it possible. In 1997 it was issued to secure moving cultural assets. Meanwhile, this is exactly what is becoming an inexpensive everyday vehicle for many. And that in addition to ever stricter environmental requirements for new cars.
According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, the average age of vehicles in Germany is ten years. By then, at the latest, its owner will usually feel compelled to look at the next car. But it doesn’t have to be a new car anymore. A younger used car is just as possible in terms of prices as a real classic car.
This is how one generally imagines a classic car.
(Photo: Zusa)
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With the law passed for the EU in 1997 that all vehicles that have reached the age of 30 can be classified as oldtimers, a real boom has started for several years. In the coming year alone, almost 100 vehicle types will have reached this age. And it is no longer about the fact that a classic car is a lucrative investment. For the majority of the owners of the 595,046 oldtimers registered in Germany, they are no longer a financial investment, but a real saver.
Classic cars meanwhile fully-fledged vehicles
And in several ways: vehicles that were registered for the first time in the late 1980s and early 1990s have nothing to offer in terms of gadgets such as touchscreens, voice control or head-up displays, but they are technically on one Stand that is still valid today in many respects. Let’s take the Golf II as an example. With the 1989 model year, all vehicles from 70 hp had a standard five-speed gearbox. There was also power steering, power windows, anti-lock braking system (ABS) and central locking for an additional charge. If you wanted, you could also order a regulated or unregulated catalyst for a pure environmental conscience. If you now consider that at the end of 2021 the Golf III, which drove for the first time with airbags, will crack for 30 years, such a car will not be attractive for collectors, but perhaps for bargain hunters.
At the end of 2021, the first Golf II according to the 30-year definition will be classic cars.
(Photo: VW)
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In fact, the searcher will find a Golf III first hand in the relevant online exchanges, registered in December 1991, with 111,000 kilometers on the clock and 90 hp for a slim 2990 euros and a new TÜV. In this way, the test person would not only meet the requirements of being allowed to move around in traffic, but also those that the vehicle registration regulations define in Section 2, Number 22 for vintage cars. According to this, oldtimers are “vehicles that were put on the market for the first time at least 30 years ago, largely correspond to the original condition, are in a good state of preservation and are used to maintain the cultural property of motor vehicles”. Well, and someone should contradict that in a VW Golf.
A classic car despite modifications
Age is not the only criterion that makes a car a classic and entitles the owner to apply for an H license plate. Another prerequisite is that it is in a “well-kept original or true to original condition and thus reflects the spirit of the time”. No problem with a 90 or 75 hp Golf. Unlike the GTI or the 204 hp 2.8 VR6, these vehicles were rarely given a hand in terms of tuning. And even if: If these measures are at least 24 years old, they are considered a kind of evidence of the times and cannot prevent the award of the H mark. Replacing the engine on an Opel Kadett D, which was popular in the 80s and 90s, would also be absolutely legitimate. It then no longer drives with the lame 1.2-liter gasoline engine, but with the 1.6-liter engine. It is only necessary to ensure that the braking system now corresponds to the increased performance.
If the vehicle was tuned at least 24 years ago, the classic car can still get an H license plate.
(Photo: VW)
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And another advantage opens up: While the exhaust gas requirements for new vehicles with combustion engines are becoming more and more demanding, the oldtimer can blow a lot out of the tailpipe. Because the following applies: If old-timers with gasoline engines were registered after July 1, 1969, they, like diesel vehicles that were registered after January 1, 1977, have to undergo regular emissions testing. But the criteria laid down there are not subject to the current requirements for exhaust gas cleaning, but to those that were valid at the time of the respective first registration. A Golf III with a 90 hp petrol engine can still have CO2 emissions of 275 g / km today. Just for comparison: since 2020, the limit value for new cars has been set at an average of 95 g / km.
The old-timer motorhome
Of course, this discrepancy does not only apply to a Golf III. In accordance with the technological requirements at the time, the CO2 emissions of other vehicle types are no better. Rather worse. The balance is even worse for correspondingly large vehicles such as mobile homes. As a rule, they drive with diesel engines, even have a green environmental badge, which guarantees access to the city centers, but they are free of a catalytic converter or particle filter. From an environmental point of view, one would have to speak of a disaster in view of the discussion about the compression-ignition engine that has been going on for years. But you don’t do it, because the oldtimer law elevates these vehicles to the status of cultural property and thus releases them from the assumption of being a dirt thrower.
The Mercedes 230 E has been elevated to the status of a classic car for several years.
(Photo: Mercedes)
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But not only that you can sweeten your guilty conscience with the classic car status – you also save a lot of money. Classic car insurance is usually cheaper than regular car insurance. This is because insurers generally assume that a classic car is more of an investment than a commodity, which of course immensely reduces the risk of accidents. Some insurers limit the mileage to a maximum of 10,000 kilometers in the policy. An example: For a Mercedes 230 E built in 1984 with a current value of 3800 euros, the annual liability insurance premium is 52 euros. And this also applies if the vehicle does not have an H license plate. In addition, the regional, type and damage-free class for classic cars do not play a role in the event of an accident and the insurance premiums do not increase.
Classic cars can go anywhere
If you want to have a cheap vehicle tax at the end of the day, you have to subject your vehicle to an inspection by Tüv, GTÜ, Küs or Dekra and have a corresponding certificate issued there. As a rule, however, this is not a hurdle; Depending on the type of vehicle, the report costs between 80 and 200 euros. If you can present that, you only pay a tax of 191.73 euros per year. For oldtimers without an H license plate, however, the displacement is still decisive and it can happen that you are no longer allowed to enter the environmental zones of the cities with the regular exhaust gas classification 00. In the countryside, on the other hand, this is of no concern.
The Peugeot 106 will be a classic car with its first edition next year.
(Photo: Peugeot)
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In the end, of course, two hearts beat in your chest. With a view to everyday use and the possible savings, such a classic car is more than attractive as a daily driver. In view of the surging environmental debate, the impending driving ban for cars of much more recent date, with significantly more efficient engines and significantly lower emissions, one should actually think about changing the 30-year rule. Because what was still a rarity in 1997 with a view to 1967 is no longer a rarity from today’s perspective. For example, a Golf III sold almost 4.7 million copies between 1991 and 1997. Even a Peugeot 106, which also came on the market in 1991, was sold almost 2.8 million times. It goes without saying that these vehicles will be on the road in corresponding numbers even after 30 years.
Also in view of the fact that every 100th passenger car in Germany is now registered as a classic car, and the trend is rising, the time span should be reconsidered and the terminology perhaps redefined. Because with ever increasing new car prices, electromobility that is really not practicable for everyone and the idea of simply banning vehicles with combustion engines on the part of politics, the number of oldtimers on the streets could continue to increase. Which would not be bad per se, but would also counteract the environmental goals set by the federal government. Although what is not measured in terms of CO2 emissions from classic cars does not count!
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