Mel's Cyber Garage
Classic Car Parts For Less
Melmar Global Products

Author: Brenda Williams

Buying                                  is a lot like paying for a story. You must listen to what has gone on with the car to truly appreciate its value. You might not buy the car for its mechanical ability; you might pay for the car purely because its story touched your heart. After all, most car collectors do not collect their vehicles for the fun of it, they collect them because they are personally attached to them and they believe it is the right thing to do.

When you buy a used car it is more imperative than ever to talk to the previous owner. Luckily, most collector cars are being sold from the previous owner. You need to grill them about every detail of the car, as there is a lot more at stake with collector's cars than there is with regular cars. Also, do not be afraid to ask them for paperwork for certain things like previous servicing and stuff along that line as you really should look at it.

Mileage fraud is a BIG concern when it comes to dealing with collector cars. A lot of people try to scam buyers by turning back the odometers on old cars. This is quiet a bit easier on old cars than it is with today's cars. Make sure the odometer looks alright and it matches the mileage on the record or question them! Once you have verified the mileage is correct, the next step you will want to do is to take the car to a mechanic for an

Once you have had the independent inspection completed, try to convince the owner into letting you take it for a test drive. The more you get to see with the car, the more you will know it is what the owner said it is. These steps are very important as most collector cars were made before the year 1980. 1980 was the first year that many companies started keeping data about cars involved in accidents. Therefore, you cannot look up to see what has happened with the vehicle if it was made before the year 1980 and it has had only one owner. Just think about it though, because if you buy a collectors car that turns out to be a dud, you are going to be more than out of money, you are going to be pissed off and angry that someone would try to sell you a car that they knew was a dud. You are going to be pissed off that you got taken advantage of by a horrible person. When collecting collector cars it is important to also consider the transport of them. If you are buying a car from a place that is far enough from your house, you probably are not going to want to drive it home. You should always look into getting a transportation service to bring the car to your home. Many have considerable rates but they can be well worth it. FedEx Auto Passport is one of the best and moves thousands of cars a day. Best of all, they are kept covered in a tractor trailer and you can track the truck by GPS.


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mel@melscybergarage.net
To begin with, I want you all to know that I'm not an expert when it comes to
Classic Cars, just an ordinary guy that's been around a lot of years and have
had some classics that I wish I still owned, but lets get on with the subject
at hand, "Preparing your Classic/Antique car for Storage".
The tips I have are just good common sense things that I've learned over the
years, and have implemented with my own classics as I get them ready for the
cold weather months.
Lets start with the gas tank, for some reason in this day and age, gas will go
bad after a few months of being left in the tank. I remember as a kid of 15,
working in a gas station, we never had to worry about gas going bad, but things
change. If there's a chance of the gas going bad, there must be a way of
preserving it. A product called "Sta-bil"can be picked up at your local gas
station or hardware store. Most of you know your cars well enough, that you can
estimate the amount of fuel in your tank, and when "Sta-bil" indicates so
much per 10 gallons of gas you'll be able to figure it out. It doesn't have to be
real precise, just close. Then start the engine, let it run for a few minutes
so that the mixture is in the fuel lines and carburetor. Doing this can save a lot of problems in the spring when you take your Classic out of storage.
Now lets go to the other end of the car, 'the Radiator'. This is very important
because if your coolant isn't good to -30 or -35 degrees Fahrenheit your coolant
could freeze, and that  coulld be a very expensive repair bill if it cracked the engine block. So have the coolant checked to make sure it is at the proper mixture.
Next lets take a look at the engine. Its a good idea to have a fresh oil change
and a new oil filter, just in case you want to start your Classic during the months it
is in storage. Be sure you use the correct weight oil, and also have everything greased properly.
If your Classic has power brakes, make sure the reservoir is full, and the
same with the power steering.
Now for the actual storage. If you store your Classic in your garage, as I do,
then you may want to take a few precautions. First of all, if your garage has a
concrete floor, you should know that metal will rust on a concrete floor because
moisture will come right through the concrete, therefore, I suggest that you cover
the floor with some cardboard first, then what I did was get some 3/8" thick
plywood on top of the cardboard, and then as a complete moisture barrier, I placed
a layer of plastic on top of the plywood. This way there is no moisture being drawn
up to the metal under my car, such as the frame, motor, fuel lines, brake lines,
etc.
Then last, but not least, the finish on your Classic/Antique. Before putting your
"Baby" away, you should give her a good coat of wax. Then, a good dust cover is
nice. This should keep your Classic/Antique in good shape until you are ready to
revive her from her winter sleep for more fun in the late spring and through the summer months.
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