MTFCA Forum

Just got to wondering. I see sales of both parts and cars are dwindling. Its been said it's due to the age of hobbyists and a lack of interest of younger people. So just how old are we?. I'd like to take a poll. I'll start.

Richard Gould 80 yo

Me: 61 years

New to the T hobby, but have been an auto/moto guy since my teens. I am 59 and pretty sure one of the younger members in the Central New Hampshire Model T Club.

Almost 71. I think most active members in the club are older than me, but
we do have a few younger members.

83, and I'm still doing it. I bought my 1913 Touring when I was 18.

I'll turn 70 in May.

I'm 42 and I have noticed a bit more younger people at the shows in recent years.

Mike Francis
Classtique Upholstery

I started going to old car swap meets with my dad when I was in my early teens. I joined the Long Beach Model T Club when I was 34, in 1995.

I turned 65 last January.

8 years younger than ol’ Original Larry

Started out w/ Model Ts when I was 16 in ‘66
Now I’ll be selling 4 of my 5 Model Ts pretty soon

66. I have 4 T's, so I'm out of the market.
However, I expect I will come across a pre 13 T soon for real cheap as the market continues to saturate with estate T's with dwindling demand.

I started with Model Ts when I was 14.
78 come June

I am 83. I bought my first Model T in 1962, when I was 19 years old. I have a 1916 coupelet now.

64 in June. Just started in 2025.

I’m here to skew the numbers. I’m 17 years old currently but got into T’s and got my first one at 13 years old. I’m always on the lookout to take in another antique car.

I'm 76, was around the hobby a bit my whole life...got personally interested in Model T happenings in July, 1976 and got my first T not too long after. Would have given up in the first year were it not for a local club that was committed to keeping my car as a runner even though the members were into higher end T's. Then...they started to grow in number...as I never sold anything onward. Still own that original 1925 Fordor, have added a '15 Runabout that would give the Rip Van Winkle a run for the money, and then decided to get a Depot Hack on the spot because John Seiger from Missouri builds a Hack design a little more design friendly than the real deal repro's that tend to look top heavy and awkward to me. This had proportions that were love at first sight.

In 2017 I had an unfortunate life altering event. Fell from a second story, was knocked out with a TBI when my head hit the ledge at the top, dropped to the concrete below landing only on my left knee which had the kneecap shatter into over 50 pieces by count. Over 3 days they put Humpty Dumpty together again while he hung in a trauma frame for most of that time, and eventually I could walk again, even bend my rebuilt kneecap using original pieces found using visual and X-ray and super-glued back together by the Ortho guy in an overnight session-all night. A small brain aneurysm was so low on the triage list that it was just blood thinners and move on, and eventually self cleared but then just as I was seeing daylight again a few months later got a text from Bill at Bills Auto Works...'my turn' was two days later', had previously arranged many months earlier before injury to ship the Hack to the Florida house and here it was...time...and a cripple, no less! "Sure Bill, let's get it done!"

Long way around to say that the best laid 'oldster plans' (to finally get that stash out of the attic over the laundry room and build a speedster a little each day) did not happen and could not happen...but...I set a goal, get in and get out of the Hack at its new home. Turned out not as easy as it sounds as while I have full motion front to back in that leg, I have zero rotational ability. Youngest son offered that I should just do grab bars around the garage, and do a pull up to vertical. Good thought, determined I'd do it myself re-learn like a toddler how to get back up since getting down was easy. My goal was eventually achieved and I tried taking the Hack to a nearby get together. It went 1 mile and coughed! That was it for the day and for the first time in my life I couldn't get out and under...all of the local car club members at the venue said they were were too busy with other things and I wound up calling a roll-back! Time with the T is now limited....severly limited even though but a decade ago I intended it to be my daily runner in Florida...sigh...

Good news though.....

My oldest son decided he would adopt the 1925 and take it to his place to keep company with his '26 Coupe so he mentioned it to me, and the next day sent pictures of his mount out at my northern home. A brief thought 'did I agree?' and then followed with 'good idea'. The the youngest chimed in, the '15 Roadster had always been unofficially his to inherit and he was thinking, why wait until 'the day', why not now since I may never drive it up North again, stem winder and all that. I thought I said, "I'll think about it". A few weeks later I look out in front of my house and see a '15 Roadster on one of those Australian kneel down trailers and decide to go look, whoever it was. Turns out the youngest had called the oldest, and...roadtrip! Roadtrip to the youngest place where a place in his garage had been prepared! I was sort of OK with it, and will add...if you get older and less able, don't let them gather dust waiting for the inevitable!! My youngest has been a better steward to the '15 then I ever was and he is quite active with it (and with his Willys MB from WW2)

I still putter with the Hack, hasn't been on the street for a few years, just long enough to teach then teenage grandson how it works...but it is in much better shape now than before...lol...'tinkering' works as a bit of therapy for me, and I can tinker to my hearts content. I am able to climb in now and climb out so original goal achieved...and the best part? That '15 now lives at the other end of the county...it goes to numerous events, mostly trailered. Always in tip-top shape so now...I just show up at arrival time at the venue in modern iron, the car is there at the venue, I get to sit and chat with folks as I have for decades and when its time to put it back in the trailer I say to the son, you go turn the crank,,,I'll get it to the trailer! All the joy, none of the work! And the real bonus...while I sit and chat, I usually do so with my 2 youngest grandsons who are still earlier single digits in age...Model T, maintained by son, his littles are becoming car-pokes...priceless at any age.

Thanks for the chance to ramble...age is not a noun...perhaps a relative adjective? lol. As a side note...I am now also a docent at a 'village' here in Pinellas County FL and of course I do the general store, and...the cr garage that is chock a block full of old used parts, has display cases with museum quality products, filled tire racks, etc...plus a 25 Coupe and a 25 TT in the garage which is interpreted and curated as a late 20's era garage complete with one of the first neon signs used in America...eye candy all day long...lol

Just turned 84- working on another speedster!

Jacob Mangold wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 10, 2026 1:21 pm

I’m here to skew the numbers. I’m 17 years old currently but got into T’s and got my first one at 13 years old. I’m always on the lookout to take in another antique car.

Me too, one of only a few I know who are younger than 30.
I'm 21, I got interested in the T's because of my late grandpa's 3 T's when I was 16 or so. Joined the local T club the day of my high school graduation party when I was supposed to be home helping set up for family... I joke thats the day the trouble started!

76 - Birthday August 31. Joined the hobby at age 69. There are a number of younger guys in our club.

58 - My mentor / teacher father has 5 years on Larry.
He drove his Model T to Hershey in the late 50's when things were a bit different.
I was not a help in the garage (in spite of my desire and attempts to help) until I grew up enough.
Eventually I got better and more useful of a "helper".

I still remember the 1975 MTFCI tour in Williamsburg Va. and getting the '25 Fordor ready for it.

To counter the aging of the hobby we have to remain positive and welcoming while teaching (helping, guiding) others.
This includes showing folks these cars still have a useful purpose beyond museum doors by getting them out there and driving them.

Mike Silbert

72 this past February. We got our first T from Teresa's uncle in 1989 who got it from her grandfather. I grew up on a farm where you fixed what you broke, followed by motorcycle racing, welding, Honda MC mechanic prior to college and med school

I'll be 59 in June and my daughter just turned 21. She an I have bee building Rattles for a number of years now.

Im 71, Richard I remember when we were young.I have liquidated a number of estates for old friends who have passed on and it has changed my thinking about my own collection. Ive sold a lot of parts and a few cars in the last few years. I use to buy out collections but sales of early T stuff is not what it was. It still moves but slower. Im encouraged by the early Ford group (1903-09) they are pretty active and there is a fair amount of interest in those cars. Ive also noticed a rise in younger guys in T's.

I'm 56 and purchased my first in 2001. A late start compared to most but I had an interest in T's from an early age. Sadly, the interest in pre-war automobiles is not as strong as it used to be.

61 this May
I’ve been in the car business since I painted my first car at 14.
I still own 2 of my first 3 cars
I bought my 1970 Mach 1 January of 1984 and my 1968 Mustang GT convertible October of 1985
The T craze hit me 2021, when I bought my Roadster
My daughter (33) bought her 1924 Touring in September 2023

Scott Francis

77 the day before yesterday. When I got into the hobby in the mid-1960's, Model A and Model T people loathed each other and refused to associate with the "others" at antique car meets, around here anyway. 'Nice to see that the gap has bridged to the point that many Model A people now also own Model T's and visa-versa. 'Never could understand the mutual animosity between the two groups. The common interest in pre-1931 Fords SHOULD HAVE made them kissing cousins!
Marshall

I’m 56 and a a 2nd generation Model T guy. My son is 24 and is a 3rd generation Model T guy. I have been active at the bod of the other club on and off for the last 25 years and we did a big data dig and we have found that we are very much a generational club which is great but getting new members is getting more and more difficult each year.

My heart was set on owning a Brass T when I got a T Matchbox toy on my 7th birthday. Antiques however were always in my blood given my dad & uncle were original 40/50's era SoCal Hotrodders chopping & channeling 32-36 Fords and racing on the salt flats.
My first T was a late '25 TT Closed Cab, purchased in '81 when I was 24. I sold it 8 years ago. 60 years after getting that Matchbox, I finally realized my dream purchasing a '14 Touring.
I also own a '29 A Roadster, among too many other car projects.
I'll be 69 this July.

None of my 4 kids have expressed any desire to own the T or A, while one son has already taken over my Mustang and my other son keeps hinting at my '88 Wagoneer.
However, my 11 yr old grandson has taken a shine to helping me in my shop working on the cars. I'm hoping he will eventually express a desire to own "PopPop's old motorcars"

I think that at least part of the "old car" hobby is driven by nostalgia.People want the family cars that their dads had when they were children. In my case, although the Model T was my main "old car" for years, I did own a '41 Dodge for a while because both my dad and my grandmother had '41 Dodges. Guys nostalgic for their parents' cars from their childhoods aren't nostalgic for Model Ts any more.

I’m John Kuehn, going on 78 and it was my Grandfathers 24 Coupe and the 24 Fordor parts car that I inherited from him in 1958 that got me interested in T’s. My Father and uncle pulled the Coupe to our farm about 12 miles. We got it started a few days later and it ran but smoked a little.
Model T parts were pretty plentiful in the countryside in those days in the 50’s - early 70’s. Swap meets in Texas were fairly plentiful but over the years it got down to around 4 that were worth going to. Now it’s the classic car era and newer that’s more popular as far as having shows and being in parades. Yes there are antique cars such as T’s still in parades and they seem to be moving into the unusual for more of our younger people. There will always be a place for T’s and they are the reason they are primarily the known icon in American auto history.
I’ve since restored a 1919 Roadster and 21 Touring that I built up with the correct parts as much as possible to keep them authentic. As stated a few times and different ways is the cars that you grew up with are the ones you’ll want when your grown and have the time and money to buy or restore one. That’s why the cars in the 60’s through the early 80’s are now old cars. Think about it. Those cars are at least 40 years old and older.

Paul Griesse in Granville, Ohio-----83 in 10 days---Still truckin---- 2 Ts and 2 As

84, got my first T in 59 and learned to drive it in the cow pasture

Turned 72 on my last birthday in November, 2025. Born in 1953. Became interested in the Model T in July of 1963 at the tender age of 9 upon receiving my copy of Popular Science which contained two articles on the Model T. Jim Patrick

I’m 54 , my sons are kind of interested as long as I do the work , lol ( and pay for parts ) my daughter is 9 and loves T time with me , so she’ll probably end up with one …

I’ll be 81 in July. Got my first car in ‘62.

I’m 71 and I’m still having nightmares over Sam Cipriano’s auction. Where were the kids and other relatives that would carry on his mission?

I look at my grandkids. Although they love the car shows, lately I can’t get them inside my shop to learn about the cars. And the prices: last week I took my wheels to my sandblaster and powdercoater and swallowed my tongue at his latest quote. I’m guessing the next owner of my car won’t reimburse my estate for the extra expense when it goes up for sale. On the other hand, I won’t care because I will have made my exit.

All the model T's I own were bought used.

Tim Moore

I am 63. I got into Model T's late compared to most; we got a 1921 older restoration touring eight years ago. Since then I've restored a 15 runabout and a late 11 touring car, and am currently working on an early 14 touring car. Two years ago we sold the runabout and replaced it with a 29 Tudor Model A.

One of the best things we can do to pass on these cars to the next generation is to introduce younger people to them. My 8 month old grandson really enjoyed his first T ride last December.

As far as my own grown kids, my middle son lives locally, very good mechanically and likes Ts. I am hoping that he will be the next caretaker of our 11 touring car at the right time.

Ditto Timothy. There is an information board on Henrietta informing onlookers she is a 1925 model. I still get asked if I bought it new! I am tempted to answer in the affirmative sometimes, but at 80, I would be presenting well as a 115 year old with a car I bought new at 15 YO.

Allan from down under.

I will be 75 this April 13. Seen and played on a 22 roadster that was my Mom's cousin when I was 7 or 8. My 26 Touring turned 100 last October 22.

Im 64 The T has been in the family 65

Just hit the big 70 - same day as Neal W. !

45 yrs old. Farming since 10 yrs old
First old tractor at 13 first old car at 15.
Always wanted a tractor and car mixed together so that’s how I ended up in the Model T world.
Purchased in 2020
Not doing it for money or fame. If the value drops great I can afford more.

Bryant

68 in July

I was 56 when I started bugging my aunt to sell to me her Model T.

77 and still messing with Model T’s, right now in Ocala FL on the FL Coast to Coast T tour, splashed in the gulf. Filed empty bottle with gulf sea and poured on the T’s front tire.

Thursday we will be in St Augustine to splash in the Atlantic, wetting the front tire on each coast




Got my first T age 16………

My father aged-out of the hobby in early February when he passed away at age 94.

He started in the antique automobile hobby in 1948 at age 16 when he acquired a 1927 Ford Tudor sedan.

That's over 77 years of tears, joy and tears of joy.....

During the course of his late teens and early twenties he acquired seven Model Ts but kept only one.

He joined the AACA in 1949 and was a member of the old Midwest Region. He was also a charter member of the Minnesota Region when it was founded in 1952 (Darel Leipold is the last remaining charter member of the Minnesota Region of the AACA.)

He acquired his 1917 Ford touring in 1949 and his 1910 IHC Model F Roadster in 1951. His 1900 Waverley Electric was one of the first automobiles in Minneapolis and, currently, the oldest automobile in Minneapolis. When I was growing up, he also had a pristine, low mileage, unrestored 1927 Hupmobile sedan (that was the "modern driver" that could carry all of our family members on tours).

Although I've been around antique cars my entire life, I didn't acquire my '17 roadster until I was 29. I'm in my early 60s and, frankly, a very casual hobbyist.

Below is a photo of my then twenty-year-old father taken in July 1952 outside of Cannon Falls, MN with a 1920 Ford touring that he had just purchased from the original owner. A month later, he flipped that car (and the cutter) for a tidy profit because he already owned the 1917 Ford touring mentioned above.

Second photo is the 1920 on a rented trailer pulled by my father's 1949 Pontiac.

Third photo is the 1920 parked in my grandparents' driveway next to a 1924 coupe that my father owned from September 1951 to August 1952.

Got a frame,2 axles and a frozen engine on a snowing Mothers day for $9 when I was 16 in 1962. In 1966 I had enough odd parts to get a roadster pickup together to get it licensed. Have not driven it since about 1963 or 64.
Bought a 23 coupe last fall.
I will be 80 at the end of April and not giving up yet.

Let not your heart be troubled...only the REAL car guys will prevail!!

I'm retired, turned 66 in February and am just getting into this hobby after years of saying "someday I'd like to own an antique auto".

I got the T bug from dad 40 years ago. Dad has had the disease for 70+ years. I'm 60 and he just turned 90! My brother is a IT guy and doesn't like to get his hands greasy. Restoring something to it's original glory brings a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. Knowing it will survive long after you're gone bring even more satisfaction. Not to mention the memories.

My 1st introduction to model t's was when I was 14 years old. My father brought my brother and I into the model t world and we have never left it. I'm 82 and finishing a 1913 speedster this is the 20th+ plus restoration. My brother is 87 and I don't remember how many t's he's owned, his present is a 1915 center door running and driving. I have 2, my 13 speedster under restoration and my 1915 roadster with a twin overhead Gallivan engine very loud and damn fast..

frontyboy

p/s: I will drive my t's until I can't get up and in them. My younger nephew then will drive and I will be strapped into the passengers seat

Age 82 on the ides of march. Got first Model T in 2017 at age 73 after My Son took Me to visit Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum. One more in 2018 and the last one which was supposed to be the first and only one a 1920 Depot hack in 2020. I learned to drive a model T around my country home. But have not got to the point where I feel comfortable and confident driving it and everything is automatic muscle memory which You need in a emergency situation. Now my country home is no longer in the country with subdivisions popping up everywhere around me and I can't even get the Ts out of my drive without the risk of getting hit by folks that think stop signs are for other people.

Close to ticking over to 57! Still one of the youngest members of our Model T club and have been the whole time. I hope that when I am retired that there will still be enough keen folk around to drive with?

43. Bought my '27 Tudor in September last year.

Just turned 71 last month.
I've been in ol'cars hobby since late teens and got a 1937 Ford Junior Cabrio-Limousine (European/German Ford).

In particular when my dada was still here I would have loved to purchase a 1959 Ford Taunus 17M which was his first car, but did not have the money.

Model T is a couple of generations before me, but I was "infected" by a buddy that at his peak had 12 Model T's. I own 2 of them now.

2 of my kids can drive Model T, but I doubt they will keep them after me.

Just turned 80, one year less young, not older. First car was a 1924 Ford Model T Fordor, came home in pieces on a trailer on my 16th birthday. Last car purchased this year, 1924 Ford Model T Fordor, not on a trailer but a wonderful survivor, still has original upholstery in nearly new condition, drives well, purchased legitimately from the local Ford dealer who was selling up. So, how many of you bought your Model T from a Ford dealership?

87 years old. Car guy all my life. First car was a 34 Ford Tudor that my Dad bought for $100 and gave to me on my 17th birthday. Burned more oil than gas and I "fixed" the door sills with masking tape berfore Dad painted the car in our front yard with a little Webster air compressor on wheels. Bought a 31 Ford Roadster a couple of years later for $60. Drove it for one summer and then put it away because the sills were so rotted, the body was falling down over the frame and front spring center bolt was broke so it had a severe list to the left. Have bought and sold countless old cars over the years from Model A's to flathead Fords, 40 Chev convt., a Mark V Jag, an XK120, Crosley, Lloyd, 32 Essex etc, etc. Still have my 31 Roadster and drive it regularly since I "finished" restoration a few years ago. Also have a 27 Model T Touring, a 51 Standard Vanguard and a 50's something John Deere 40 crawler. My son, daughter and grandson can all drive the old cars too. My granson has been to Hershey a few times when he can get time off from work and doesn't get drawn for a Moose licence and is hooked on the old car hobby. I am hoping for a good future for the hobby and will enjoy it as long as I can.

I just turned 75 last February. I bought my first old car, a 1947 Lincoln Zephyr with the V-12 in 1971. Worked on it for several years, lost it in the first divorce. Since then, I've owned a 1948 Hudson Commodore, a 1947 Mercury, a 1953 Chevy 5 window pick up, 4 BMW isetta's. Lot's of BMW motorcycles, and then in 1991 I built a 1939 Ford pick up (which I still have). A buddy of mine has a 1927 Model T, which he "forced" me to drive
After that I had to buy a 1915 touring car. Then my wife found a 1922 doctor's coupe that a charity was raffling off. She bought tickets. She won the car! Then I found and bought a 1929 Model A.
All of these have kept me busy through the years restoring and driving them..

I'm done buying anything else. getting old and maintaining a fleet takes all my time...
Added to the the fact I've run out of room inside to park it all!

“So, how many of you bought your Model T from a Ford dealership?“
How about one that never left the dealer that got it in 1913?
One I got never was sold from dealer in South Ga that received it from Ford. I was the original owner? By way it was WT. Got my first T in late 1960’s. Dan

Just turned 83. Bought my first T in 1967.

Well I started out loving old cars as a kid in the 60's. Used to sit and draw them out in hopes one day to own something like that. Had a '38 ford Tudor in the seventies and a '65 Galaxy. But 25 years ago The wife and I bought a 1926 Touring, it all escalated from there. We have three T's now and we find pleasure driving them on The All Ohio or just the neighborhood. Actually it seems we're the local color, as folks smile and wave. One even chased us down and said " hey do you work on these". Turns out he has '19 touring with a California top he needed help with, so naturally I pitched in, lives just around the corner and I never knew. OOP, gotta go 70 years old is knocking on the door, Y'all have fun in whatever you do, Wingnut

Been on Medicare for about a decade now.

I will be 82 on April 4. Born on Tuesday 4-4-44. I am planning to analyze the age data. However, some posters wrote an interesting story but failed to reveal their age.

Art Mirtes

I pride myself at being the "infernal optimist", but I've said it before and I'll say it again, things aren't getting better. Old cars have all these old owners dying off right and left. Middle age people can barely afford rent, food, utilities. They don't have money, time, and along with it then, goes the interest. I may scale back my daily trips now that gas is approaching $4 a gallon. Then we got the impatient, distracted idiots that DAILY put me and them in dangerous situations, i.e. passing in dangerous zones where there's the double solid yellow line, which the last time I knew, meant "stay the HELL in your own lane, no passing"! They keep on doing it. Just yesterday it happened again. I'm approaching 72, I've said time I'm 75 if the asphalt war doesn't slow down, I may very well get out. Then buy me a nice '65 Mustang!!

I'm 56 and jumped headfirst into the Model T hobby in 2023, becoming the next caretaker for Don Shanabrooks' 17 T Touring. It's been a fantastic experience being a weekend wrencher and has become my much needed "happy place" while juggling home, kids and work. I plan to become more active as I begin winding down my work life in the next few years. I've learned that owning only one T is not enough and am secretly plotting for the next one when the timing is right. I am inspired by all the rest of you guys to keep at it. And deeply appreciative of those who have had their T's for a really, really long time and even know the provenance. That's amazing.

Twenty Six

41 out of Dayton, OH

DHort wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 10, 2026 12:09 pm

Almost 71….

1955 was a good year! I bought my two T’s not quite five years ago at age 65. Wish I’d started earlier! I’m hoping to be around long enough to pass them on to this little guy, who is now 6.

"Not doing it for money or fame. If the value drops great I can afford more."
Indeed!

As for people not being able to afford a hobby, there seem to be thousands of people around here that can afford to drive $70,000+ dollar vehicles down the roads at 80 MPH all day long, often dragging a huge trailer full of cows or horses or whatever. Motor home people are a common sight on the roads, as are boat people. Wal Mart is always busy, and everyone but me is yapping on a phone 24/7. Gravel haulers, pole line contractors, general contractors, and more are much in evidence. New car dealers appear to be flourishing. When I drive my T, which I do often, it attracts considerable attention from young and old. I make it a point to mention that Model Ts can be bought and run without spending a large amount of money. They are available for sale every day of the year all over the country in a variety of types and condition. Cheaper than a boat, let alone a motor home!

I used to be 26... about 49 years ago.

Turn 80 in August. I was looking for a 38 Chevy and found a 25 T Touring car in my late '30s. Finally sold it about 10 years ago. Built a speedster that hit the road in '94 and has been the most fun. A 26 coupe stayed with me for a while and got replaced by a '30 A that is more comfortable and traffic friendly. My Dad never cared about cars as long as they hauled his tools to the job site, he never understood my interest in the cars. No clue who will get mine when I leave the hobby, no kids and nobody in the extended family is the least bit interested.

18 year old boy here, trapped in a 75 year old body. Acquired my first T 35 years ago, a ‘27 coupe, and have steadily added others. About 25 years ago I got a tip that there was a ‘14 touring for sale in the showroom of Northland Ford in Zelienople, Pa. A customer of theirs had traded it in for a new Explorer and they put it in the showroom. It was very original and I thought the price was fair so it followed me home. They declined to give me a warranty but, so far, no recalls!

I will be 90 on my next birthday. I have been into model T's from 1969. I was a hot rod person earlier. I have two speedsters and have been in the Northwest Vintage Speedsters from the beginning. I got my son into the model t Speedsters also.
Tom Elliott

54 years old

Turned 65 a couple of days ago. Started with T’s only 3 years ago.

Bryant wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 10, 2026 7:00 pm

45 yrs old. Farming since 10 yrs old
First old tractor at 13 first old car at 15.
Always wanted a tractor and car mixed together so that’s how I ended up in the Model T world.
Purchased in 2020
Not doing it for money or fame. If the value drops great I can afford more.

Bryant

Great answer Bryant. I am 65 and have the same thoughts about model T’s and land; the lower the price, the more I can own!

67 years old, I have four model T’S. Been around model T and Model A my entire life. My dad started collecting Model T and Model A cars and parts about the time I was born. I remember my first time going to Hershey with him was in 1966.

60 years old. Two T's, one TT, and two A's.

Will be 78 in 2026. Started working on my first T when I was 16. Owned 8 T's over the years. Been collecting parts for 59 years.

65. was pretty much born into the hobby in a family that has been in the auto repair business for more that 110 years, 3 generations. have been touring in one of the family's 8 antique cars as long as i can remember and was very excited to get my own first T seven years ago. Plan to do a lot of touring when i retire!

89, my 1927 coupe is 10 years older than me, but I am closing the gap.

Guys…., really? Do not post personal information like a birthday on an open forum. You have a name and location in your profile.

Protect yourselves….., AI will hold this information and all of a sudden, someone else may own your house.

Be careful

I agree Henry and honestly that’s why my info is a bit “off”. Not much mind you but enough.

I grew up in the garage with my Dad working on Model T’s. Built The 22 speedster when I was 10. I went on to be a machinist and owned 63 Falcon convertible as my first car. Now almost 65 and working to get Dads 25 truck running again. Working on this truck has helped me understand Dads deep love for Model T. It’s a great group of people and have been really helpful to me. Henry’s T is a truly fascinating machine, a very straight forward design with many unique details to be understood. Dad retired at 51 and spent his retirement building high quality T ,A and Flathead V8 engines until his passing in 2023 at 91years old. The days spent in his garage in south Ms helped me aspire to a successful career in the petroleum machinery world.

Thanks for everyone’s help in this journey!

Interesting to see the number of long-time dedicated T folks fighting the good game as well as some young participants in this hobby. Good luck to you all.

Average age of all posters to date is 67.

I am 78 and working on a 1916 Touring. Probably another year of devotion. Love this old car even with bullet holes from when the sheriff owned it!
Campbell Tellman
Beaufort, NC

70 for me. Down to 6 running driving T's. Way to many parts.

62 in June, got my first at 19. it was a 25 coupe.

Being as the Model T hobby is a labor of love and not a good investment, don’t look to the next generation to carry on. It cost too much, takes too much time and is way too much work than today’s generation is willing to invest. This is not a criticism. If I were in their shoes, struggling to make the rent and make ends meet, I doubt if I would get into it either. I am doing well, financially and I’d never restore another Model T due to the immense expense of the endeavor.

Ages I could identify, may have missed a few
80,61,59,71,83,70,42,65,74,66,78,83,64,17,76,84,21,76,58,72,59,71,56,61,77,56,69,78,83,84,72,54,81,71,63,80,64,70,45,68,56,77,80,66,60,82,82,57,43,71,80,87,75,83,70,82,72,56,26,41,70,75,80,75,90,54,65,65,60,78,65,89,65,78,70,62

the average (mean) is still mathematically accurate, but in this dataset, a small number of very low values pull it down noticeably compared to what most of the numbers look like.
Here are the key stats with the current list of 76 numbers:

Mean (average): 67.75
Median (middle value when sorted): 70.0
Most common value (mode): 65 (appears 5 times)
Range: 17 to 90
Typical spread:
25th percentile ≈ 60.8 (25% of values are below this)
75th percentile = 78 (75% are below this)

Very low outliers (≤ 30): Only 3 values (17, 21, 26)
Low values (< 50): 7 values total (about 9% of the data): 17, 21, 26, 41, 42, 43, 45
High values (≥ 80): 18 values (about 24% of the data)

The bulk of the numbers cluster between roughly 55–85, with a lot in the 65–80 range.
The mean of 67.75 is pulled down by those 7 low values (especially the extreme ones: 17, 21, 26).
Without those 7 lowest values, the average of the remaining 69 numbers would be around 70.4–71 (much closer to the median).
So, a very small percentage (here ~9%, but the real drag comes from just 3–4 extreme lows) that are a lot lower makes the average lower than what most of the data suggests is typical.

Quick visual sense of the distribution
Most values sit comfortably in the 60s–80s, but a handful of very low scores drag the mean below the median.

If describing "typical" performance/results → median (70) or even "most values are 65–80" is more representative.
If you report the official average → 67.75 is correct, but the low outliers could make it seem misleading.

In short:
The average is accurate as a calculation, but it's noticeably skewed lower here because of a small fraction of much lower numbers — classic case where the median tells a "truer" story about the majority.

even after all this it's only a drop in the bucket for the Worlds model T owners. Markets go up and down all the time.
"If you build them the youth will come"

Bryant

Being a visual learner, this chart may help others understand the serious problem we have in the 30 to 40 age group

Looks like a lot of retirement age people.... and not many in the child-rearing, career-building years. Figures... People never grow chronologically younger, but all people age. Children grow up, mortgages get paid off, and people tend to acquire more free time and garage space. Some are wealthy enough to pursue number of things, such as travel, second career, higher education, collecting art, classic cars, or whatever. Others are of more modest means, but persons of modest means can still obtain and enjoy Model Ts. We need more Opportunity in the USA, like we used to have, so that more people can prosper and enjoy life in whatever way they choose. I hope many people continue to choose the automobile hobbies, as they have been doing for most of a century now, and I hope that we will preserve the Liberty necessary for ordinary people to do so.

58 here. My only limitation is $$$. If I had it my way, I would have three assembled from the parts I have.

The data analysis that Bryant Shafer and Mike Kossar presented is much appreciated by me. A short study tells the story.

Art Mirtes

Thanks for averaging the age for T hobbyists. I have a feeling that the classic car and truck era guys aren’t very far behind us. The ones that I know are close to the 65 or the early 70’s. After all those cars/trucks are usually around 40-50+ years old.

I had my '29 A Roadster at the bi-annual Emerald Coast Cruisin today.
I met a young man, and spent about an hour talking with him. He's 18, working on a Mechanical Engineering degree at FSU, and recently decided to restore his grandfather's Model A. He admitted few if any in his generation give two hoots about antique cars, but, he definitely does. As is a common tale, family exposure was the catalyst for his desire. But, it's also a testament that there are those like him still out there!
My 11 yr old grandson loves working on the cars with me, so I'm hoping he ultimately will want to carry the torch.

Me and my A, Annie Elizabeth. Interesting thing about her, the engine # build date just so happens to be the birth date/yr of my wife Tami's daddy!
Parked next to my neighbor's (very pristine) '65:

If that Fastback was painted dark green, it’d look just like the Mustang Steve McQueen drove in the movie “Bullitt”. Nice!

jiminbartow wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 13, 2026 10:35 pm

If that Fastback was painted dark green, it’d look just like the Mustang Steve McQueen drove in the movie “Bullitt”. Nice!

Close!!! But the car was a '68 390 Fastback.

As it happens I also own a 2001 Mustang Bullitt, though in the entirely wrong color True Blue (although only 723 were built). I created a non-profit organizing Bullitt events, where we established close ties with Ford. Our team was invited by Ford as guests at the 2019 third Bullitt edition reveal, which was also when the original movie Bullitt came out of hiding and was revealed at the same event. We sat 2nd row behind Bill Ford (in front of the guy on the right). Molly McQueen on stage with the '19. Me in the red Bullitt shirt, which, holds relevance for another story..and lastly the long lost movie car.
Given our close ties with Ford, we were able to negotiate securing the prototype vehicle (for one dollar!) for the 2008/9 2nd Bulliitt edition...which, happened to be red, hence, the red Bullitt shirt. We subsequently were also able to secure the 2012 Mustang Boss prototype vehicle, also for $1

Be 75 in July.

84. One of the oldest who have posted so far. At the urging of family I no longer drive, but can still put one foot in front of the other and hike to the store for pills and groceries. Looking back over the last 80+ years, one of the highlights was Model T travel. I recommend it highly.

Going to Dearborn.