Buying A Classic Car

Buying A Classic Car
By:Derek Both
One thing is for sure which is that there is no shortage of classic cars for sale. You can find adverts in local newsagents, specialist magazines, the internet and online auction sites. You should be able to find everything you need from these sources from cars and car parts to cheap classic car insurance.

Firstly, you will need to think about what storage facilities you have. An old car is not going to take kindly to being kept outside or even under a covered area. Even worse would be to have it sat on grass or with a plastic sheet on it. As damp rises it has nowhere else to go other than to settle on your corroding underside if you have something covering your car. If you have to keep your car parked outside then also consider where you can park it as your neighbours might not be too happy with extra cars clogging up the street. 

The next advisable step is to decide what condition of car you wish to buy. If you're more than capable of welding, then your options are greatly increased as you can do a lot of restoration work yourself. However, if you haven't got a clue what you are doing then it's best to go for a car that needs little or no work unless you know someone who can do it for you.
When buying an old, classic car be aware that body parts can be tricky to find.

One of the most important aspects of buying a classic car is to make sure that you trust the person you are buying from. This is especially important if you are going through a private seller as it is extremely unlikely you will ever see them again if you break down on your way home. The best time to arrange a viewing is during the day so you can see the car properly. It will be easier to spot any scratches and dents in natural light than it would be in a dark garage. If possible take someone with you who knows a lot about classic cars as they will know what to ask and what to look out for from rust to whether you will be able to find cheap classic car insurance for the vehicle.

A few quick and subtle tips you can try are walking around the car to see how it sits, is there any sagging and do the panel gaps line up nicely? Check the body all over for rot, popular places for this are the headlamps and arches. Many people make the mistake of relying on the MOT certificate which is a good indication don't rely on this alone. 

Try to see the engine start up from cold - if it is already warm the vendor may be trying to hide cold - starting problems by getting it started before your arrive. When the car is started listen for any knocks when the engine starts up or clouds of smoke from the exhaust. It sounds obvious but don't forget to take the car for a test drive to see how it runs. 
However, do take into consideration that the car you are looking at may be over 30 years old so the chances of it still being in its original state are very slim. Service items such as brake shoes, batteries, tyres and clutches are likely to have been replaced over replacement over the years. 

Finding cheap classic car insurance can be a bit tricky and will go through the roof for modified cars so try to avoid this. If your car is modified you are likely to have trouble selling it on later anyway.

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Pontiac GTO The Greatest Muscle Car of All Time

Pontiac GTO The Greatest Muscle Car of All Time
By:Jerry Johnson
Factory Hot Rods became real. In October of 1963, the GTO was born. Pontiac offered the GTO option for only $295. They quietly added to the option list of the 1964 Pontiac Tempest/LeMans. The GTO option package included a 325-horsepower 389-cubic-inch V8 with dual exhausts, a Carter AFB four-barrel carburetor, a mild hydraulic camshaft, and the kind of whip lashing neck pain street-grabbing torque that left a smile on your face. Other standard features included a manual three-speed transmission with a Hurst shifter (in those days the Hurst shifter was not only very good but also very cool), a heavy-duty clutch (very much needed), heavy-duty suspension, US Royal red-line tires, a 3.23:1 rear axle ratio, twin hood scoops, and an assortment of GTO emblems. The GTO emblem itself was just as famous as the car itself.

Body Styles were important. Pontiac provided the GTO option on three LeMans bodies, the two-door coupe, hardtop, and convertible. More hardtops were produced and shown to be the most popular than the combined total of the coupes and convertibles. Engines with the single four-barrel carburetor outsold the Tri-Power models by a margin of three to one. I still remember the sound of my three deuces sucking air when the gas pedal was on the floor. Needless to say, you could also see the gas gauge move down toward empty. Fortunately, gas was only $0.20 a gallon. Can you imagine owning one today and driving it like a teenage of the 1960's?

What Made The GTO So Coveted? Some things you never forget such as my 1967 GTO with 3 deuces. It was a good thing it had a windshield because I would have had bugs stuck to my teeth from grinning so much. The thrill of standing still, shifting into first gear, revving up that sweet engine and letting out the clutch and being plastered to the back of the seat was pure adrenaline pumping. That was my first experience of "pulling G's". Last time I felt that type of adrenaline rush was during chopper auto-rotations in Nam. That was 40 years ago and I still love my GTO. Maybe it is the legend. Maybe we have gotten the legend mixed up with reality. All I know is I can't help but smile when I remember my little GTO.

It is hard to explain to my children why it was so special. I owned a 1955 Ford though it was pretty it just didn't have the appeal of the GTO. The royal blue was my favorite. I have a friend whose color was plum. Can you remember vinyl seats? I can! They were cool looking and very hot functionally. I remember leaving my skin on the seat many times getting out that car. Getting in the summer meant either cooking your legs or trying to keep a towel in the car to sit on. Once you started up that 389, you were transported to another world. The purr of that engine, the feel of the Hurst shifter and watching the gas needle drop was worth all the pain of sitting on a hot seat. What hot seat?

How Do You Get A Piece of History Today? There are many GTO's still available that are being offered by GTO lovers who have been taken care of by their lovers. You can find them on the web. 

Pontiac also has brought back the name of the GTO. They are still pretty fast. In the long run against the 1964 GTO, they can outrun them for the distance but put the two together on a quarter mile strip and the early muscle car is still king. There is just something about the Goat. Once you drive one, old or new, you just have to own one.

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Qatar Classic Cars

Qatar classic cars, a topic that never have I thought would be researching, or writing about. When I left Qatar seven years ago, there were no signs that there ever would be high demand in the market for classic cars, Qatar specifically and the region in general. 

A couple of months ago I received an international call at three in the morning. Don’t be very deceived by the timing; the conversation could have waited a couple more hours, however due to miss calculations on the caller’s behalf. By all means, I do not regret waking up to take the call. The subject was of great importance and forced me not to go back to sleep, rather jump right to research. The first thing I heard when I picked up the phone is an old friend saying “how much have you dealt with classic cars?�? “there is a very high demand for classic cars in the region, and the supply is very low�? On the ending note of the call, I promised I will have a preliminary research completed within a week. 

As always, I started by certifying the facts I was told in regards to supply and demand, and the overall economic situation of the country. I found many articles and press releases discussing the fact that car manufacturers are taking advantage of the increasing demand for personalized, classic and antique cars in the region. The underlying reasons for the change in demand of the past seven years was explained by Bufori (a modern brand of rare automobiles resembling 1930s coupes), the high demand is a reflection of the booming population, and economics of the region in general, and more specifically Dubai and Qatar. Hence, that Crude Oil was discovered in Qatar back in the 1940s; however the wealth of the nation gradually increased over the next sixty years, till Natural Gas was discovered. Its people now have one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. 

The research journey has not stopped, rather the more research I make, the more I am interested to learn about the differences in tastes and markets. I will dedicate an article for the amazing finding in the market differences. To get up-to-date research results, visit the section I dedicated to Qatar classic cars

Classic sports cars

Classic sports cars

Those three words come up together to form an image of grandeur, speed and extravagance. For who can afford classic sports cars? Only the affluent of course! But for the average “Joe” who dreams of having his own classic sports car and hopes to know more about it, this article is meant to provide information on this amazing “king of the road”.

First know the foremost brands of classic sports cars.


Lotus

Lotus is famous for coming up with the Lotus Elise 11S, Lotus Elise Motorsport, Lotus Elan, Lotus Europa Twin Cam, Lotus Super Seven S4, Lotus Elan SE Turbo and Lotus Super Seven Replica by Birkin.


Austin Healey Sprite

Only Austin Healey Sprite can come up with the Bugeye Sprite Race Car with an outstanding 250 horsepower! The 1960 Speedwell Sprite Vintage Race Car is another force to reckon with, as well as the 1962 Austin Healey Sprite MK.


Austin Mini

Austin Mini boasts of the Mini Cooper that comes in excellent colors and for $13,000, it is quite a steal!



TVR

The TVR has this elite collection of classic sports cars like the TVR Tuscan Challenge Race Car, TVR S2 Roadster, TVR Taimar Coupe and TVR 2500M.

Birkin

Classic sports car is almost synonymous to the brand Birkin, as it is made famous with Louts Super Seven replicas and offers Birkin S3, Birkin C-S3 Street, among other roadsters that come with the Ford ZETEC engine, four-wheeled disc brakes and a heavy-duty aluminum body.

Jaguar

Jaguar is the ‘mighty’ classic sports car that men cannot get enough of. With the Jaguar E-type Coupe, Jaguar X-Type Track Car and Jaguar C-Type replica, this is the brand that really pushes classic sports cars several ‘to the limit’.

Triumph

Jaguar-engined Triumph roars just as a classic sports car is expected to do. Classic models like the 1969 Triumph Spitfire MK III and 1960 Triumph TR3A stand for what Triumph is all about - sophistication and power.

Here are some books that inform the reader on how to keep the classic sports cars in tiptop shape: “Classic Car Restorer’s Handbook,” “Fun and Profit Buying, Showing and Selling Vintage and Classic Cars,” “Restoration of Antique and Classic Cars,” “Budget Auto Restoration: Low Cost, Step-By-Step Tricks” and “How to Rebuild and Modify Your Muscle Car.”

The classic sports car exudes action and nobility. No wonder, it never goes out of style.

Author: ana
Author's web site: http://myarticleblog.com

Why the 1965 Buick Riviera is one of the Coolest Classic Cars Ever Made

The Buick Riviera that was released and sold in the year I was born, 1965, was quite a vehicle. It was the last year for the "first generation" Riviera model - and by far the best. A unique, recognizable body style that encompassed a spacious cabin and housed a powerful V8 engine has now become a sought-after gem of classic car collectors. I was fortunate enough to have one for a few months in my youth. Here are some of its power stats: 

*0-60 in 8 seconds 
*Quarter mile in 16 seconds 
*Top speed observed 115 MPH 
*Mileage 13.2 MPG 

With a 401 Wildcat under the hood, I had no trouble getting where I wanted to go. And while the body was large, it was quite maneuverable thanks to the standard equipment power steering and stiff heavy-duty suspension. And who says getting there fast can't be in style? Check out some of the features it came with: 

*Front bucket seats 
*Bucket-style rear seats 
*Cruise control 
*Tilt steering wheel 
*Center console floor-shifter & storage comp. 
*Power windows, including wing-window! 
*Driver side 4-way power seat 
*Air conditioning 
*AM/FM radio with power antenna 

This 1965 car had more stuff than my 1985 Toyota did! I can remember cranking up the radio with the cruise control on doing 75 while adjusting my power seat, the tilt wheel, and the power wing windows. Ah to be young again - those were the days. 

But the real feature that made the 1965 Buick Riviera stand out from all the other years were the hidden headlights. Tucked out of sight by the clam-shell covers that opened and closed automatically on the outer edges of the vehicle, they were moved back into the grille for all future body styles (where they had been the previous 2 years. 

Back in the mid-80's these cars were a lot easier to find, but there are some original vehicles still sitting in driveways out there is suburban and rural America. You might be able to pick one up for $1,000 if you do your homework. Less populated areas away from big metro cities are your best bet for discovering one of these hidden gems. 

Find one, invest some time and/or money into restoring it, and you will have something special. It's a good investment too; you just can't lose restoring classic American cars. 

There is another unique Riviera worth mentioning here, and that is the 1972 model, otherwise known as the "torpedo back." A neighbor-mechanic of mine told me they love those things in Las Vegas (this was in 1985). I have never owned one of those - not yet anyway! 

Article Source: http://www.ArticlesAlley.com/

What To Look For In A Classic Car Auction

What To Look For In A Classic Car Auction 
By Marc 
You will find a wide range of car of all ages and all conditions. They are also a great place to find rare cars of all types. You will find that some classic cars will be sold for very high prices and often not sell at all. Most cars won't sell on their first attempt because of the high prices and the classic car market is not all that large. This just makes thing easier for people that want a particular car and are prepared to spend the right amount of money.

To find good classic car auctions you will need to look around, as they are not that many around. A good place to find where the best classic car auctions are is to look in the most popular classic car magazines and try attending any classic car functions that you can find. The classic car world is fairly tight knit and you will need to be in the know to get on too the good deals. That doesn't mean that you will need to be an expert but you will need to know what you are looking for and be prepared for the high prices and lack of selection.

If you are prepared to do a lot of hunting around and a lot of leg work you can find some very rare cars in very good conditions for a very good price. Not all classic cars are expensive you can find car that are old but not all that rare so the price won't be so high. Just because the car is not are that does not mean it not worth buying. If you are looking for a classic car then most likely you will know exactly what you want but trying to find it will be the hard part. It's also a good idea to attend a few too get a feel for what you be up against and find out how it all works.

When you do find the perfect car at the perfect price be prepared for a bidding war. The fact that you like and want the car means that there will be most likely a lot of other people that are thinking the same time. Always remember to watch what you are buying, as there are a lot of replicas out there and all may not be what it seems. I wish you the best of luck in you classic car buy adventures and hope you find what you are looking for. 

Article Source: http://www.article-outlet.com/

How To Safely Haul Your Classic Car

How To Safely Haul Your Classic Car
By: Phoenix Delray
Begin by looking at your trailer. Is there sufficient length for the Classic Car plus enough space to operate the ratchet assemblies at the fore and aft of the bodywork? Do you have ‘D’ rings located towards the corners of the trailer? Is the ‘D’ ring rated for a total of 3 times the weight of the car? Once these items have been addressed, It is time to load the car and tie it down.

Once you have loaded it onto the trailer, the next step is to connect the straps. You can buy a complete tie down kit from Mac’s custom tie downs. Start by connecting the twisted snap hook on the fixed end (the short end) to each of the ‘D’ rings. Choose a set of locations to tie down to. 

Typically, on a Classic Car those locations would be through the wheel, over an axle or substantial suspension member, or possibly around a frame horn. 

Some general guidelines to keep in mind are: choose a location with enough strength to hold the Classic Car in the event of an accident, one that is free of cutting hazards, and with enough space around it to lace the axle strap. 

DO NOT run a strap where it might migrate and crush a brake line. Also consider the effect of the movement of the Classic Car while it is traveling down the road, since what may seem like a clear space now, could become tie down strap guillotine later, if the trailer hits a hard bump.

After choosing a location, you should now run your axle strap around it. Check the length if the standard 24” isn’t enough, don’t worry Mac’s can make the strap in any length needed in a short timeframe. 
After determining that the length is correct, align the two delta rings at the end of the axle strap together and click in the running end (long end) of the ratchet strap. Before ratcheting the strap tight, pull the tail end of the strap through until the strap looks straight. Now you can ratchet the strap, making sure to have two full wraps around the mandrel to ensure a positive mechanical lock. Repeat this process at all four corners of the Classic Car.

Should you cross the straps? Possibly. Understand that the strap will have its maximum strength in the line it is pulling. It is always a good idea to have the straps at the rear of the Classic Car pulling mostly straight back. Most vehicles will out corner a trailer, so the Classic Car is more likely to come loose when an accident occurs than wander around when properly tied down. Be sure to take a look at the setup in your trailer and make sure that it is sensible this is the best test for tie downs.

Article Source: http://www.articlemap.com

What To Look For In A Classic Car Auction

What To Look For In A Classic Car Auction 
By Marc 
You will find a wide range of car of all ages and all conditions. They are also a great place to find rare cars of all types. You will find that some classic cars will be sold for very high prices and often not sell at all. Most cars won't sell on their first attempt because of the high prices and the classic car market is not all that large. This just makes thing easier for people that want a particular car and are prepared to spend the right amount of money.

To find good classic car auctions you will need to look around, as they are not that many around. A good place to find where the best classic car auctions are is to look in the most popular classic car magazines and try attending any classic car functions that you can find. The classic car world is fairly tight knit and you will need to be in the know to get on too the good deals. That doesn't mean that you will need to be an expert but you will need to know what you are looking for and be prepared for the high prices and lack of selection.

If you are prepared to do a lot of hunting around and a lot of leg work you can find some very rare cars in very good conditions for a very good price. Not all classic cars are expensive you can find car that are old but not all that rare so the price won't be so high. Just because the car is not are that does not mean it not worth buying. If you are looking for a classic car then most likely you will know exactly what you want but trying to find it will be the hard part. It's also a good idea to attend a few too get a feel for what you be up against and find out how it all works.

When you do find the perfect car at the perfect price be prepared for a bidding war. The fact that you like and want the car means that there will be most likely a lot of other people that are thinking the same time. Always remember to watch what you are buying, as there are a lot of replicas out there and all may not be what it seems. I wish you the best of luck in you classic car buy adventures and hope you find what you are looking for. 

Article Source: http://www.article-outlet.com/