Is my car classed as a retro car

[dvaltd]

2003 zafira gsi

[Ritchie]

I would say no, sorry pal, only my opinion.

[daklone]

IMHO needs to be 20 years old or more.

[duggers]

Not sure who determines Retro but generally most on here seem to consider 20th century as the current cut off point.

[OGDB]

Although age is a very important thing I think owners attitude contributes a lot to being part of things on here.I do really like the Zafira GSI and have actually considered one myself. I think they will 100% be considered a classic and desirable car in years to come. They're quick, different from the normal Zafira and serve a practical purpose which ticks all of my boxes!

I know a lot of people say anything with plastic bumpers aren't classic and I've read that on here a few times, however as time goes on and more things fall into classic status these references change.

By all means hang about and contribute though!

[bmcnut]

Its not but it will be, just needs a bit more time.If I say much more than that i'll end up opening a can of worms.

[rickygolf83]

Although mk4 golfs are now over 20 years old, not retro yet 

Used to threaten my mrs with the if we have 4 kids we will get a Zafira GSI; she would reply with 2 kids is enough, and now i totally 100% agree! 

[astranaut]

When my Mondeo goes I'll be all over a Zafira Gsi/VXR, for all the ribbing I do of my Mrs 1.6 Zaf A, it's a cracking all rounder. I think when numbers start to dwindle, it will be seen more retro. Still a fair few knocking about.

[slater]

I'd say its post retro,'retro' ends at about 1995 (car first avalible) imo.

You need to make up a new classification and start a forum and maybe a couple of shows and stuff. Cars of this era are going to have thier day 🙂

[ontheedge]

If it is, so is my Xsara, can't see a problem with 2003 cars

[lesgrandepotato]

Sept 30, 2019 14:02:16 GMT dvaltd said:

2003 zafira gsi

Yep. It’s being modified as a ‘not new’ car. It’s a fifteen year old people carrier. It’s retro.

Is the defining criteria that it’s being owned for what it is instead of what it does?

[gryphon]

Personally I think retro is in the eye of the beholder. My first car (about 10 years ago) was a '97 Pug 306 that I now think of as retro and would love another one. My dad still sees it as modern and designed in CAD, bland and safe.

If the definition of retro doesn't move with the times to some extent the forum will lessen its appeal to a younger audience who remember post 2000 cars from when they were kids - which would be a real shame as it's the diversity that makes this forum for me! It's also a rare place where experience is handed down from older to younger generations (or from younger to older!) - I have learnt so much from people here.

If you just want to know if it's retro, looks like opinion is split, erring towards not yet. If you're doing interesting things and want to put up a build thread, I think go for it. There are a few '03 ish build threads around and they've had good responses.

[dvaltd]

It’s definitely becoming rarer,I used to see zafira gsi’s all the time,now I know of about 5 in the whole of Bedfordshire!I'm going to do a build thread as the spec is quite big,only thing left to do is fordging and bigger turbo

[ChasR]

The thing is, most 2000s stuff is modern to me until I realise:
-They're 15+ years old now
-Working on them, you now encounter the stuff you did on MGBs etc. from the bodges to seized bolts etc.

That said, a Zafira doesn't stand out to me as retro, yet a Mk1 Focus does now! Both were very clever for their time, and were game changers in their sectors. But then, that's what never helps. After all, no one thought an Espace would become retro , yet BMW E36s are now in the retro field, as were the E30s prior to that, again, well before the Espace was.

[fr€$h&m1nt¥]

Oct 2, 2019 22:16:26 GMT ChasR said:

After all, no one thought an Espace would become retro

I distinctly remember gazing in awe when I used to regularly see a mk1 espace outside my junior school back when I was aged 10 maximum.

Not to mention the affect cute rascal vans had on me.

Yes I’m weird and my tastes are odd - my favourite Porsche is the 928 - but does admiration for vehicles when they’re new / were new mean that they’ll be retro one day?

Also I’ve mentioned in the past how “what is retro?” depends on each person - I think if it triggers a personal memory or flashback then it counts.

A 2003 zafari to me isn’t but then a 2003 smart roadster is - because I loved and cherished mine for 5.5 years - so when I see the odd one it reminds me of my mid 20s.

There aren’t any rules in terms of limited age of cars on build threads so post one up and people who are interested will comment / like posts accordingly.

[62herald]

On that basis both of mine fail the test, as 2003 and 2005, but to me they feel kinda retro.... Probably as they are tail end of production and look like they belong to another decade. For me, age is just one factor.

[slater]

The truth is the term 'retro' applies as both a style (kind of) of car and an era of car.

For example vintage, classic, retro etc are eras of car. The exact boundrys are arguable but they undoubtedly are.

The term retro can also be used to describe a style of car tho. In the same way people might say 'its a classic' about a mk1 fiesta which is clearly not a classic era car, its retro era car. Somone could say 2000s era cars are 'becoming a bit retro now' in the same vein...

What people actually need to decide is if they want this forum/community to move on from retro era cars or if they want it to stay put. Personally I'm of the latter persuasion. If one thing has put me off the forum over the years it's the endless posts about peoples "slightly less than moderns' cluttering it up, I'm just not interested most of the time.

[Phil H]

At the risk of being slated I’m going to cautiously put my hat in the same ring as slater - pre-2000 for me.

I know there are some crossovers - Rover 75 and MGF (I know it’s a TF..) being such examples shown above as being made pre- and post-2000 and I guess a Zafira too for that matter but a line needs to drawn somewhere?

The fact the For Sale section stops at 1999 says it all?

[ferny]

For me...

Historic is pre-war
Classic is 1945 until 70's
Retro is 1980's shoebox car shaped like stacked rectangles
Scrappage cars are 1990 until 2000
2000 until 2010 are 'bleh'
2010 onwards are modern

And none of that is correct or precise!

It's interesting to see attitudes change and witness different generations have vastly differing opinions.

If you like and care for your car, ignore what anyone else thinks about it. Use and enjoy it.

[ChasR]

Oct 3, 2019 16:20:41 GMT Phil H said:

At the risk of being slated I’m going to cautiously put my hat in the same ring as slater - pre-2000 for me.

I know there are some crossovers - Rover 75 and MGF (I know it’s a TF..) being such examples shown above as being made pre- and post-2000 and I guess a Zafira too for that matter but a line needs to drawn somewhere?

The fact the For Sale section stops at 1999 says it all?

It's also been like that for almost 10 years . I know places I've been to have changed in that time; I've changed alot in that time as have faces on the forum .

Oct 3, 2019 16:27:54 GMT ferny said:

For me...

Historic is pre-war
Classic is 1945 until 70's
Retro is 1980's shoebox car shaped like stacked rectangles
Scrappage cars are 1990 until 2000
2000 until 2010 are 'bleh'
2010 onwards are modern

And none of that is correct or precise!

It's interesting to see attitudes change and witness different generations have vastly differing opinions.

If you like and care for your car, ignore what anyone else thinks about it. Use and enjoy it.

Indeed! I was just thinking if you could put cars into classes as art. I know Clarkson tried with the 80s cars often being called 'The New Romantics' by him, signalling the departure of what we all liked and then didn't in a way.

2000-2010 cars being bleh is a little harsh I think . In many ways, I think that generation got it right. The 80s was about trying technologies in the mainstream but not getting it right. Turbo technology for example was still very primitive and not massively understood, as chassis design to some extent. The 90s for me was more of an evolution era (Think 968 to the 944; Same car pretty much, but different), mainly for cost reasons, as the MkV Escort showed. 00s to me is where the balance was right. They had the technology and knew exactly how to get the best out of it while keeping enough old stuff to stir the soul (throttle bodies being a little more refined for example, unit-injector diesels and common-rail, as well as Variable cam timing coming into the mix to really get the most of cars, a technology previously only seen in some top-end Mercs (W124/W140 6 pots), and of course, Hondas. I think the values of some of those cars are reflecting in their firmer sale prices now.

The 2010-on cars I'm unsure about. I used to always like a new car, and never quite like something about 10 years old. It seemed by then too old and too dated, and not modern or old enough. The no-man's land. But cars have changed alot lately IME, and not necessarily for the better, but that's my perceptions, demands and tastes I admit .