If you are considering the purchase of a classic car and don't know where to begin, perhaps these suggestions may serve as a guide.
- Determine what you are looking for.
- Do some basic research.
- Ask the initial questions.
- Test drive the car.
- Get a professional inspection.
- Do the paperwork.
Determine what you are looking for.
When shopping for a used/abused/adored/restored classic car you have choices
ranging from cars that have to be hauled in a trailer because it's basically
just a bunch of loosely connected parts to cars that you want to haul in a trailer
to protect it's museum quality restoration. Your first level of
decision making is to determine where in this spectrum you want start.
Questions to consider include:
- Do you want to do a major restoration?
- Are you interested in and capable of doing some mechanical work yourself?
- Do you want a car you can drive every day?
- Would you enjoy entering your car in competitions?
- Do you just want a great looking car to drive on weekends in good weather?
- Are you buying as an investment?
The answer to these questions determine how you measure the flaws you are certainly going to find.
Do some basic research.
If this is your first venture into this fantasy land, you obviously have more
research to do than an experienced owner. A good investment of your time, even if you are not
a first-timer, is to do some pricing research. The "beginner" should
spend at least a little time reading about some of the characteristics and
unusual maintenance requirements of the different models.
Pricing research can begin here looking at the
Classic Car Classifieds can give you a very good idea of what is available and the general
prices of the different makes and models. Another excellent source of information
is "Miller's Collectors Cars Price Guide 2003/4".
There are many classic car clubs located throughout the world. Joining or
visiting one of these clubs would give you the opportunity to talk with some car owners
who will gladly share their experiences with you about the practical side of owning
their Austin Healey. Ask questions such as how easy or difficult is it to find a
good mechanic for repairs, do you need to use leaded gasoline, what would they be sure
to look for if they were buying another Austin Healey. In a single evening at one
of their meetings, you could learn things that would help prevent much grief later. A very good list of car clubs can be found at www.Classic-British-Cars.com.
Ask the initial questions.
When you locate a car you want to pursue, be prepared with a list of questions you
want answered. Having an actual printed, in-your-hand list will help you remember the
important issues and help prevent the conversation from wandering. Let me
re-state a point to keep in mind when doing this initial investigation - you will
find problems. Any car you look at will be 30 to 50 years old (or older). If
it was in absolutely perfect condition, the price would be prohibitive unless you are
prepared to pay for a museum quality car.
Keep in mind there are two basic types of questions: questions with factual answers and
questions with opinion answers. Questions like "How long have you owned the
car?" and "Have you had problems getting repair parts?" have easy, factual answers. Asking "How does it run?" or "How does it look?" is asking for their opinion. It is my opinion that asking the factual questions first are easier for the seller to answer and help lay the foundation for the opinion question. The answer to "Who does your drive-train
and engine repairs?" not only gets you the name of a source of repairs, but also lets you
know that repairs have been needed.
We have prepared a list of question on a "printer-friendly" page. Some buyers have found it helpful to cut and paste the list to a text editor or word processor so they can make changes and editions. To see our list Click Here.
If you think we have left out a valuable question, email
Classic British Cars. We appreciate your help.
Test drive the car.
Now for the fun part! You have located a candidate, scheduled a
test drive, and now you are ready to actually see and drive what is, quite possibly,
going to be the fulfillment of your dream. A reality is that letting you
(or me!) judge one of these classic cars is as dangerous as letting a nineteen-year-old
with raging hormones select a mate for life. Before laying eyes on this
beauty, we need to determine, as rationally as possible, what are going to be the
minimum requirements for appearance and performance. Our next goal is make a clear
assessment of the car. To aid in this process, we
suggest that you go prepared with the proper tools and a checklist to insure that
things are not over-looked in the passion of the moment. One extra benefit of
being prepared is that the seller will realize you are a serious buyer who is
likely to discover the car's weaknesses and perhaps will be more complete
in describing the car's condition.
The first things you want to evaluate are the condition of the bodywork and appearance
issues. In general, bodywork is more expensive than mechanical work. The biggest
enemy of a classic car is rust. You need to look for rust with the same zeal as
a detective covering a crime scene. We discuss this more on our checklist.
Next you need to confirm the mechanical condition. Keep in mind you are not looking
for a car with absolutely no problems. You just want to know what needs to done immediately,
what will need to done soon, and is this car capable of being maintained and
available for your driving pleasure.
We have prepared a checklist on a “printer-friendly” page. Some
buyers have found it helpful to cut and paste the list to a text editor or word processor so
they can make changes and editions. To see our list
Click Here.
If you think we have left out a valuable question, email
Classic British Cars. We appreciate your help.
Navigation Menu: