by Michael Wetmore

Created on: February 01, 2007   Last Updated: April 02, 2007

Those who are competent in seeking out and purchasing antique cars possess a highly useful skill. It is a skill that cannot be attained over night. It takes many years, and many cars to master. I've met many such folk and have tried to learn as much from them as possible. After all, buying any sort of vehicle can be a daunting and complicated process,but purchasing antiques only adds more complexity to the mix.

First of all there is always the fear that what appears to be a solid car is actually a lemon. This concern is normal, but when you're shelling out the big bucks for a classic, the apprehension is elevated, as is the risk. How can these legitimate concerns be assuaged? The trick is doing your homework.

Making your search for an antique car both enjoyable and successful can be be summed up in a number of key points. The most important however is where your search begins.

I recommend starting out by perusing a variety of sources. Whether you have a specific car in mind, or just looking for something with that certain appeal, never rush. Start with a wide variety of material. Newspaper classifieds are good place to look, so are the classified magazines found in most convenience stores. However, nowadays the world wide web is any car hunter's ultimate resource. While sites like ebay can prove useful for research and price checking, I wouldn't recommend that as a place to buy. The website I would be most willing to endorse is autotrader.com.

What I like best about autotrader is the ability to narrow your search according to specific criteria. For example, make, model, year, price range, etc. You can also search according to distance from your local ZIP code. This is very helpful.

Looking at cars closer to your home is a good idea at first. Driving for a few hours just to kick the tires is no fun and you may feel pressured to buy a car you otherwise wouldn't just because you invested a day of driving to check it out.

Most of all have fun but don't forget to be critical. Ask questions. Ask about previous owners. Ask where the car is from originally. Ask if it has been winter driven or stored. All these factors should affect the price, as well as the over-all quality of the automobile. Test drive the car, city and highway. And don't just look to see that it's well working, consider whether it's right for you. When you finally find the car you want, you'll know it.

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