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In this Discussion
- dave kastelic April 2010
- jboy11 March 2010
- Jon B March 2010
- Oldcar_Mechanic April 2010
I'm looking to buy a classic car...
-
I'm looking to buy a classic car (possibly a 66 T-Bird). And I'm curious how hard is to maintain a classic car. I'm a newbie and a youngin (22) at this and I've been looking to grab a classic car to work on / drive in the summer for the past few years. I'm looking to buy something running and in decent shape, (not necessarily great cosmetically.) I'm just worried about costly repairs and whether or not its hard to find parts. And what things I may need to know when owning one or looking for one. All information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!
-Justin -
Generally, the older the car the simpler it is to maintain, but the harder it will be to find parts, unless it's a popular car. A '66 T Bird shouldn't be that hard to find parts for, and it will be a darned sight easier to repair (if you're a newbie to mechanics) than some of these complicated cars today. Won't be as safe (not antilock brakes, no airbags) but you're young and you can still bounce when dropped.
Cars needed more maintenance in the old days, so you will probably find yourself under the car much more often than if it was a ten year old Toyota. Changing oil, lubing, changing points, adjusting valves, etc. And of course in something that old, components may already be on their way to wearing out, so just plan to be replacing alternators, starters, master cylinders, etc. on a fairly regular basis.
One problem is insurance. While "antique car" insurance is cheaper than regular insurance, it only covers the car if it's used for antique car events. If you get regular insurance it won't necessarily be any more expensive than for a late model car, but if the car is damaged the insurance company won't want to pay antique car prices to replace parts (and new fenders, when available, may be quite expensive). If you do $1200 worth of damage, the insurance company may say, "that's a 1966 model, it's essentially worthless and not worth the repair, so we're 'totalling' the car. Here's $1,000, which is the value of the whole car." Of course that's false. But you'd better talk to your insurance company if you want to make this car a daily driver.
Aside of that I'd suggest that you join a car club devoted to whatever make of antique car that you buy. You'll find that it's a clearinghouse for parts and technical information. There are clubs for practically any make or type of car, no matter how obscure.
Good luck! -
Welcome to the group Justin and best of luck on your hunt for the right car.
1) Buy a car that you love
2) Join a club that is affiliated with that Marque. or
3) Be involved with people that are even if it's just on line.
Do you plan on doing any of the work yourself? That will help with any cost of repairs.
Buy the best car that you can afford. That will help save you repair bills.
A 66 should have parts available (depending on what ones) at a place like NAPA or RockAuto.
Just make sure that all the essentials are checked regularly, like hoses, rubber fuel lines and electrical.
Glad to see young people in the hobby and keep the faith. You'll have a blast once you get involved in the experience.
Ron -
Thank you Ron and John for all the information and support! About the insurance, I'm looking to just drive the car on the weekend type of thing. Is there a type of insurance that I can buy that would be cheaper due to me just driving it a few days a week? Probably something I should check with my insurance company (Geico) right? Also, about the mechanically inclined part... I'm not so mechanically inclined. I have my cousin who is partially inclined who does most of my matinence work on my current late model car. Are there things I must continually do matinence wise to keep the car in tip top shape? (Other than oil change, etc, etc.). When buying a classic car are there things I need to keep an eye out for so I don't have later mechanical problems with the car?
(Even though I'm sure I'll have my cousin with me looking it over.) I have a couple T-Birds I have my eyes on at about the 3k-4k range pricewise.
Thanks again,
Justin -
Ron said it right, "buy a car that you love". If you're committing yourself to fixing up and maintaining a vehicle, make sure that -- three months after you've bought it -- you don't see another car that you'd wish you'd bought. The T-Bird may be exactly what you want, but for your own sake, make sure you've looked through old car picture books and have wandered around local car shows, to make sure that there isn't another type of car that you love even more.
If the T-Bird seems "the one", you might seek out a T-Bird-specific chatroom or bulletin board online, and post your questions there. (This is a great board for general questions but once you've zeroed in to something specific, you need to address your questions to a large number of people who are acquainted with that make and year.) You could ask, for example, if there are any particular "Achilles heels" you need to watch out for, when seeking your '66 T-Bird. Were there any particular weaknesses that year, like rust in certain spots, or a particular engine issue, which you should check out when looking at cars?
I doubt there is any insurance policy that recognizes "weekend drivers" but ask Geico anyway.
Ron also hit the nail on the head when he said, "buy the best car that you can afford". Some newbies make the mistake of buying a "bargain" car really cheap, only to find that they pour tons of money into body or rust repair, or drive train work, just to get the thing on the highway. You might see a car for "only" $1,000 and jump at it, only to find that it's still sitting in your garage ten years later, immobile, because you're still collecting parts and the money to pay for all the repairs that are needed. Another car might be selling for, let's say, $6,000 -- over your limit, but it's in really good shape and ready to go. In the end, you would have been better paying the $6 grand for something you can hop into and enjoy, while gradually bringing it up to show condition (as you have the time and money). By looking at a number of similar cars you can gradually build up your knowledge of what a deal is, and what it isn't. Don't jump at the first thing you see. -
AMEN Jon
To many people "jump at the first thing they see" and it comes back to bite them.
Justin, you never know when something is going to break so all you can do is check as many things as you can, or have the car taken to a professional mechanic that understands these cars or at least classics and have them put it up in the air and check it over. It can save you a lot of heartache. If the owner doesn't want to let you do that, walk away.
When I worked for a a Classic car organization we had people al the time wanting to have it checked out before they bought it.
It's your hard earned money, don't waste it.
Ron -
I have a '40 Ford Sedan Delivery for sale. You wil have a hard time finding one of these. This is a cherry. Give me a call: 828-461-8393
