Things To Consider Before Buying A Classic Car
There are many considerations to take into account when you are thinking about buying a British or American classic car. Your first thought should perhaps be to settle on the condition of the classic car you are planning to buy. Are you looking to buy a vehicle that you have to restore or are you looking for something that is perhaps already partially or even fully restored by its previous owner?
Next you should take some time out to consider why you want the car. Are you looking for a show winning concourse car or a nostalgic weekend runabout? Only after you have answers to the questions above will the third and possible most important question be ready for you to tackle.
What make and model do you want? A 1956 GMC Firebird II, 1960′s VW Beetle, 1962 Corvette or a Vintage European Pre War Classic Alvis Speed 25 Special Tourer from 1935; or perhaps a modern classic like an Audi Quattro mk1, 1980′s Jaguar XJS V12 or even a fuel injected Ford Cosworth?
DIY Skills, Welding and Mechanical Skills
When making this important decision be realistic and know your limits as far as what type of repairs you are capable of making. Just how mechanically inclined you really are is something you already know the true answer to. You also have to give due consideration to your budget. If you are going to choose a car, van, minibus or even an old bus like the London Routemaster – an iconic symbol in Britain and around the world for motoring – the fact is that there may well be a huge amount of fabrication required to complete the restoration project you are taking on. You have to know your limits. Are you a qualified welder? Do you have the correct welder for the job? There are three types of welding units, arc, tig and mig. Every DIY fanatic would love to do their own welding, but we all have our limits and once again you need to be honest about yours!
If you are not honest with yourself at this point, you risk spending vast sums of money in expensive labour. Mechanics charge hefty hourly rates on older cars. Again, be realistic and know where your mechanical limitations are. Do you have friends that can help with the mechanics, electrical, body and paint work? You will have to plan your restoration build carefully; as it is common for even the most experienced restoration enthusiasts to spend excessive amounts of money on unplanned complications which arise during the build. Worse yet, you could quickly run out of project funds before your vehicle is completed. This approach could leave you – as it has done with many millions of restoration projects – with a semi completed vehicle left sitting on axle stands in your shed, rusting and gathering dust, with parts strewn on shelves all over your workshop. Not the desired result.
Body Panels, Trim and Engine Parts
Another important consideration is parts availability for the car you choose to restore. There are some vehicles that you can easily find parts for and the parts are often quite cheap to buy. The MGB GT is a good example of a classic car that you can find all types of parts and accessories for at affordable prices. On the other hand, if you have your heart set on a particular car you should first phone around and find out how expensive or difficult it is going to be for you to find the parts required to complete your new project.
That way you will know if your expectations are realistic and if your dream car truly fits into your allocated budget. Restoring an Austin Martin or Jaguar, for example, is very costly and many replacement parts are difficult to find due in part to the cost of new patented parts. Used spares are often bought up by experienced restorers before they have a chance of making it to parts dealers.
Cheaper copy parts may be easy to locate when restoring a classic Porsche 911 Targa, or Scimitar, and the exhaust systems, radiators, ignition, hubs and body panels are today manufactured under license making them easy to come by both in new and used conditions. Porsche are still manufacturing parts but replacement parts are hard to find. Reproduction parts are not manufactured en masse for the British classic 1961 Healey 3000 Mk2 which could fetch as much as thirty to fifty thousand pounds sterling. Novice restorers will take heart to find out that MG, Reliant Scimitar and Triumph parts abound and it’s relatively cheap to restore one of these cars, making them a great place to start.
Workshop Space, Socket sets and Panel Beating Tools
Have you decided where you are going to dismantle and work on your project car? It is not possible to emphasize enough just how important this consideration is for you. Restoration projects require more space than you would initially think. A small garage may not give you the required room to move, and if you don’t have a garage at all, you need to consider where you are going to be keeping your project car. It is not feasible to just park it up outside and throw a plastic sheet over it. The worst thing you can do is set your restoration project on the lawn outside your house. Not only will you eventually incur the wrath of your neighbors, but the moisture will rise and cause corrosion to the underside of your vehicle. Plastic coverings keep moisture in and if that moisture cannot escape everything under it i.e.your car, will rust!
Time Constraints
Time restraints are as we mentioned above a critical factor to be considered. Depending on what the condition of the classic car that you buy is how much time you will need to spend restoring it. Here you are encouraged to be reasonable in your expectations. Many novice restorers find this to be one of the hardest things to do. If you only have a few hours a week to spend on your car it will take you forever to completely restore a classical car from scratch. This means that you will have miscellaneous car parts and a half finished vehicle taking up space at your home, for what could be a number of years. Almost all novice car restorers start out with good intentions and are understandably excited about restoring their cars. Many have dreamed about owning a very specific make or model since boyhood. However, as the weeks and months pass the enthusiasm begins to wan and you end up with a half finished car, little or no motivation, a severely diminished savings account and no space in your workshop for other projects that you may need to complete around the house.
If you really are quite serious about taking on any restoration project at all, you really do need to do some research before going out and buying that first vehicle. Dependent on your experience and expertise, it is far more about researching the car’s history, overall body condition, mechanical integrity and parts availability than its price. You will want to find out about the model’s history as far as mechanical strengths and weaknesses and reliability are concerned. You should talk to other owners of that marque; check out any owner’s clubs in your local area, research online and call as many mechanics as you know for information. The Internet is a great source of information on almost any type and model of custom, classic, hotrod and even vintage car, so give yourself a good amount of time to do the reading you need to make sure your decision is a great one.
If you are short on time and patience you might want to consider buying a fully restored car. The one disadvantage to buying a fully restored vehicle is being at a risk of having a custom car that wasn’t restored properly and sometimes donor parts are of a later model which may compromise the vehicle’s authenticity. You will have to examine the vehicle you are interested in inside and out when buying a fully restored car. Check that the correct specifications of parts are used. Sometimes new parts are not available so compromises do have to be made. However, you do have to make sure the safety of the vehicle was not compromised during the restoration.
If you take everything into consideration you will be able to find the perfect classic or vintage car for your needs and lifestyle. Just make sure you do your research and learn all about the history of the model of car you are considering. With a little effort and patience you could be driving around in style in your very own classic car. Good luck!
This article was supplied by the UK’s leading Gap insurance and Car WarrantyCompany. Although the Click4Group do not provide gap and warranty products for classic cars most newer cars are covered by our gap policies up to 7 years or 80 0000 miles and our warranties cover is for cars up to 12 years or 150 000 miles. Please see our website for more complete details
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