Researching – When choosing your classic car you need to know how much it is worth. Valuable as it may seem or presented by the seller, you need to know yourself by looking at other vehicles of similar age and condition. If it has lots of its own original parts and accessories, then you must consider this in the valuation. Also you will need to factor in the cost of  cover, so do a car insurance comparison.  An old vehicle that needs a lot of rebuilding and restoration work should cost a lot less.

Restoration costs – You need to be aware of the potential high costs here, if you are going to get the professionals in to do the work, it could be expensive. Depending on how much work the car needs on restoration, will depend on the costs. Body work can be done by yourself or professionals. You should maybe contact a specialist in this field and get an estimate on how much it may cost.

Spare part costs – Again, part of the restoration costs, but you need to know what parts are needed, whether they are available, and how much they are likely to cost. With some really old or vintage cars, you might not be able to get an parts at all for the restoration.

The history of the vehicle – Most classic cars will have a history, and it should be documented, start by checking out the car’s vehicle registration number. Search for any accidents or damage that the car may have.

Making money – There are some classic car buyers who do it to make money. Be very careful if this is your aim, in most cases your not going to make a great deal of money out of it, unless you really know what you are doing, and have been working in the restoration business for some years. Most people are just enthusiasts, and just love the idea of riding around in a classic automobile.

Many classic car drivers struggle to find the right policy for them that they can afford, but with our help and tips for insurance, you should be able to get a policy that is right for your budget.

It’s true that owning a classic vehicle is only a small part of the costs, and you need to consider the insurance costs of a classic car before you purchase one, as cover is not cheap. It does depend on how much your car is worth, how much you drive it, who drives it and so on. This is all reflected in the price of the premium you are quoted for classic sports cars. However, some classic motors can be cheaper than normal modern cars, because they are well looked after, low mileage, stored in a secure garage, and the driver is more careful in a car like this.

Car insurance quote will vary from vehicle and owner but there are a few tips that may help keep the price down.

Always try to get an agreed valuation of your vehicle, so should it be stolen or written off by the insurance company, your guaranteed to get the agreed sum back, if the insurers refuse to pay otherwise.

Setting a limited mileage on your quotation under 5,000 miles of driving per year can help reduce the price of the premium.

See if you can increase the agreed valuation of your vehicle each year. If you are doing restoration work and increasing the value of the car by adding new parts and accessories you need to make sure than you an covered to get your money back if the car is stolen or written off.

Compare car insurance offers and as many policies as you can when looking for insurance, comparing all features and discounts available.

Popular classic car magazines include Practical Classics and Classics, these magazines are a great resource for popular classics like the vintage grand prix Talbots, E Type Jaguars and Hispano Suizas. What ever you decide I’m sure there will be some organizations and place where you can find a classic car for sale that meets your requirements.

Also the Internet is a great place for classic car sales. You can search around on the net and you should be able to find some websites and companies that sell classic cars in our area. Some auction sites may also have classic cars that are for sale, check a couple of these out via the internet and see what you think.

Use the information in these magazines for research purposes and when selecting your vehicle, do your research well on that type of vehicle. Try and find out what the car is really worth, compare your vehicle against others if you can. Just because it’s a vintage car does not necessarily mean it is valuable and worth loads of money. Cars that have more original features and part will obviously cost more money. So make sure you include the cost of restoring your car to it full glory again. Try and find out what parts are available to you and how much they would cost. Researching the vehicle well, could save you time and money, so do it well and take some time over it.

You need to decide what kind of classic vehicle you want, it could be a vintage car or lorry. Having good mechanical skills could also help you in the restoration part of the project, or you could buy one that is in fully working order and needs not spare parts of restoration.

So how do you go about picking a classic car?

There are loads of classic car magazines available from your local newsagent. Pick one of the magazines and flick through the pages, and have a look for what kind of vintage motor you fancy. It could be a Delahaye, an Austin 1100 or a Triumph Herald. You’ll need to arrange the car that you have chosen into some kind of order, by price and condition of the vehicle. Some may need parts, full restoration or part restoration, and the condition should be reflected in the overall price.

The internet is a good place to browse around and find a good classic car, just do a quick search in Google for ‘classic cars’ and you’ll find a whole host of sites to visit. This way you won’t have to spend any money on buying any magazines.

Tips on buying a classic car.

Don’t necessarily think that when you see a classic car that’s an old rusty heap, that you can fix it and bring it back to its former glory. You need to ask yourself what you can take on realistically, financially and time wise as a project. Do you have the spare time and the money to spend on this project. For example, you could buy a Mk2 Jaguar from the paper, and it could cost you £1,000. But, when looking at the restoration, for an engine, body work and interior, you could end up spending around £20,000.

You need to select a derelict car for a bargain price and try and do a lot of the work yourself, so if you’re a good mechanic, and good at restoring body work then you’ll save a lot of cash. Popular classic cars include the Ford and BMC and you can purchase them at around a £1,000.

Make sure you have somewhere to store your classic car, in a garage or lockup. Leaving it out side and working on it there is not ideal.