How to Determine If Your Car Is a Classic
To some, there is no greater pleasure than tooling around the neighborhood in a classic car. Classic cars are older model cars that are held in esteem. While classic cars can vary in age, the Classic Car Club of America holds that classics are automobiles manufactured in 1948 or earlier. But one thing's for sure: onlookers point as classic cars speed by and neighbors feel a sharp pain of envy when they see a piece of their childhood parked next door.
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Instructions
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Check the history of the automobile. Each car has a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) unique to it. This allows police to identify recovered cars, but it also allows you to see where your car has been in the past. Sites such as Carfax allow you to get a full report on your auto based on its VIN. While many replica classic cars are built, you can determine the true age of your car through a Carfax report.
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Find out how insurance companies view the car. Insurance companies have different classifications of cars and some insurance companies classify classic cars as such. A run through of your car information with an insurance agent can help you determine if your car is a classic.
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Look for the name Cobra on your car. Many cars are designed as classic cars but are not the real deal. Cobra is a company that manufactures classic replica cars. If your car is made by Cobra, it may still hold a soft spot in your heart but is a replica classic and not a true classic car.
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Scrutinize the car under the hood for parts that have been replaced. If your car is indeed a classic, then time will have worked its indignities on the engine. See if fan belts or spark plugs have been replaced. If everything is brand new, this could mean that your car is not a classic and hasn’t been driven in its current form since the car was apparently built.
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Examine the undercarriage. Classic cars may have rust or other weathering caused by the assault of the elements. Even if there is no rust, a classic car probably won’t look brand-new because of how long the steel has been exposed to air and water.
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Compare the car’s story to the one the seller told you. If the story of the repairs made to the vehicle don’t match the repairs the seller claimed, your car may not be a classic. In such cases, it’s tempting to overlook bits of information we don’t want to hear, but this only pulls us further away from the truth.
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