Everyone loves a classic car; whether is watching a high speed chase in Bullet or at a classic car rally vintage cars are a masterpiece all of their own. Owning one on the other hand is a whole other ball game. Owning and operating a vintage car is a lot different than a regular car.
Old vs vintage
What separates old cars from vintage cars is a thin line. What might be considered normal, everyday, or basic at the time might be a collector’s item down the road. Typically most cars do not end up with this distinction. Either because they are mass produced, are simply designed, or just don’t have that “it” factor. Whatever the reason only a handful of cars ever get the honor of being classified as vintage. This is becoming increasingly so with the mass produced, mass marketed approach most car manufacturers have regarding modern vehicles. While most cars nowadays will never be labeled as vintage those that are set the standard for all vintage cars everywhere.
Owning a vintage car
As mentioned above, owning a vintage car requires a whole different approach than with a standard car. There is a reason most of these vehicles are classified as “hobby cars.” They require far more dedication and firsthand knowledge of the vehicle. Additionally as these cars more often tend to be for showing instead of transportation there are a number of different factors to keep in mind with regular maintenance that you normally wouldn’t have to think about. For example, tire rot. When a vehicle sits for an extended period of time the rubber in the tires begins to break down. This is especially true for cars that are stored outside and exposed to the elements. The same is true for the paint finish on these types of vehicles. As cars age their paint starts to dull, fade, and crack. This can be especially troublesome as some colors of paint might be hard if not impossible to find to fix any paint issues.
Conclusion
Owning a vintage car can be a great way to share your passion with the world. However, it requires a lot more than keeping it in a garage and bringing it out once in a while to show off. Making sure that it is in decent shape both mechanically as well as aesthetically is a big part of it. Additionally, owning a vintage car necessitates a different kind of regular maintenance, unlike a standard car. Once it’s all said and done owning a vintage car can be very rewarding, as long as you keep these things in mind.