Best place to buy antique cars

[mrcvs]

So, what is the best place to buy an antique car and get a good price, maybe even a bargain?

 

My Model A I found locally, and thought I got a good price, plus didn't have to pay shipping on it.  Thought it was in halfway decent price, but, 3 years later, 25 miles on it by me, and still cannot get it running.  I don't think the previous owner knew of the problems, but maybe.  Plus, he talked like he kept it up mechanically over the years, but he did cut lots of corners, come to find out, or an owner previous to him did.

 

Hemmings?  Seems like that everything in there is top dollar...

 

Internet?  Too many scams out there, unless used to locate a local car.  Then you are competing against any idiot out there with a bank account and computer.

 

Locally, just at end of driveway with a For Sale sign.

 

Auction?  NOT Barratt-Jackson, too much money for me, but one locally.  Again, few auctions are not advertised on the internet, but, maybe, if local bidding only, you might be the only one interested, OR, maybe you might be competing with lots of theres who want it equally badly or even more than you do/more than it is worth?

 

For sale ads in this forum?  Yes, some very nice cars, but seems to be top dollar.

 

Thoughts?

[D Yaros]

I am sure you will 4,999 different views on this subject.  That is because there is good and bad in all options.

 

The key is to know what you are buying.  If you do not have the necessary knowledge to thoroughly inspect yourself, pay someone to do it for you.  It is money well spent!

 

A good choice is to decide the make of car you are interested in and then check out the offerings in the local/national newsletter/mag for that marque.

 

I have to say that I have been more than impressed with the integrity and straight shooting of Matt Harwood; a poster here in the Buy/Sell section.  He can give you insight into the buying process.  Here is his site -

[mrcvs]

Just looked at Matt Harwood's site.  All very nice stuff, but out of my price range.  A thousand dollars is still A LOT of money in my book, and I haven't more than about $10,000 to spend, actually much less, and that is much in the future.  If I can up that a bit, might get a Brass Era car of some sort, hopefully.

[28 Chrysler]

Car clubs are normally a good connections on cars for sale.

Members often know a lot about each others cars in their group and who has what for sale.

I hate to say it, but, on this form you can ask 10 people and get at least 15 different answers on were to buy or sell cars. 

[auburnseeker]

Any car you buy can have surprises.   I bought a 48 Plymouth convertible because it ran really well.  Very smooth,  didn't overheat etc. Perfect after I just rebuilt the engine in the last car I did and didn't want to do it again right away.   After I got it on the road and started using it,  It broke some valve springs so I had to go into the motor and do a bunch of work anyways. 

  These cars are all used cars,  many are used up and were put in the barn for a reason.  Unless it has had a complete extensive mechanical restoration figure on possibly having problems.  Even then I worked at a Marina that put a completely rebuilt engine (the one that was in it originally which we sent to a machine shop and had completely rebuilt)  in a nearly new boat and it spun a bearing within the first 10 hours of use.  Anything can happen.  

  My Dad bought a 47 ford truck with a completely rebuilt engine with a ll receipts from the machine shop.  He had it shipped from the west coast drove it less than 100 miles and the bearings went out of the rods.   It was incorrectly rebuilt.  I can go on and on about cars my friend's with a shop up the road from me have worked on.

  Antique or not they are used cars treat any one as you would any used car you plan on buying. 

[60FlatTop]

Buying a car is like hiring an employee. It's always better to take your new one from the previous owner by surprise.

 

Go to events and target the type you want that is consistently in attendance that starts and runs smooth and quiet.. My best cars are that type. The major projects aren't. I just like the work and day dreaming. I keep them 4 or 5 years, learn all the intricacies, and move on, selling them unfinished to another guy like me with rose colored glasses. Of course, for the sake of the car, I charge enough so he has a large commitment to keep things going.

 

The questions to ask to get the best car are:

Is the car licensed and insured now?

Can we take it for a drive?

How long have you owned the car?

Have you done any major work on the car?

If you kept it what would you like to do if you had some extra money?

 

I could write a book on those five questions. One with adult language would be the most entertaining. Maybe a movie with Alan Funt and Robert De Nero in his Taxi Driver character.

 

Ponder those questions and a lot of insight will materialize.

Bernie

[39BuickEight]

If you can't find that person who really needs to sell their car, an auction is you best bet.

[MCHinson]

I have bought cars on eBay. I have bought cars from friends. I have bought cars from local club members. I have bought cars on craigslist. I have bought cars on this forum. I have bought and sold cars simply through word of mouth advertising.

 

In general, local clubs are usually the best source of information on cars. Sometimes, cars change hands between club members without ever being advertised. Some folks are willing to give someone they know and trust a better deal than they would give to a stranger to sort of keep a car "in the family".  Club members are often helping fellow members buy or sell cars.

 

Figure out what you want, let folks in the hobby know you are searching for it, and eventually (with patience) someone will probably offer you what you are looking for at a reasonable price.

 

In 2006, I decided I wanted to buy a late 1931 Model A Ford Phaeton. I announced that I was looking for that at our local AACA Chapter meeting. A few minutes later, a new visitor (who joined our chapter that night) told me he thought he knew where I could find a local guy with one for sale. He had just purchased a 1930 Ford Coupe from a guy who also had a Phaeton. It turned out that the car was a 1929 Model A Ford Phaeton. It was not exactly what I was looking for but as soon as I saw it, I realized that it was the right car at the right location at the right price and I ended up buying it.   

[Matt Harwood]

What's the best place to buy a car on the cheap where you are guaranteed to get a great car, don't get scammed, and don't have to pay shipping? If you find this mythical place, please let us all know!

 

Seriously, though, as a dealer, here are my thoughts:

 

My advice is to pay more for the right car.

 

My advice is that if you don't trust the seller, then pay for a plane ticket to go look at the right car in person.

 

My advice is to pay for [enclosed] shipping to get the right car home.

 

My experience is that everything you're looking for (inexpensive and local) is the ideal way to get a crappy car, but at least you'll get it cheap. If you want a good car, you should be prepared to spend more time and money hunting it and possibly more money to get it home. If you shop price and price alone, and/or if you limit your geography, you'll end up with a car that you settle for simply because of price or porpinquity. In the long run, a few extra dollars (even a few thousand extra) will be insignificant compared to the price of fixing a bad car and/or the lousy feelings you'll have about your new/old car that's not what you expected (feelings you're having right now about your Model A, yes?).

 

This is the hardest thing for people to understand and every day I deal with price shoppers who make the same mistake, but this is a hobby. Why invite headaches by making a discount price your primary criteria? Quality should matter above all else, but given the number of truly crappy cars out there, most folks don't seem to care about anything but price. Don't be that guy.

 

That's my advice.

Edited May 31, 2015 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[mrcvs]

Matt,

 

I agree, EXCEPT for the following:

 

Wages in this country are flat.  You are lucky to have a job, let alone get bonuses and pay increases.  My pay has been FLAT for 6 years now.  I have no prospect of significant pay increases, no bonuses, must save for my own retirement, as does everyone else, have mortgage and student loan payments.  There just isn't all that much left at the end of the month.  I do the best I can.  The thought of having a bank account with several hundred thousand in it, or more, and just writing a check for $50,000 off of it, is a foreign one, and probably will always be so.

 

It is AMAZING that anyone can have expensive hobbies anymore.  How can you?  Employers don't even want to pay you enough to meet basic expenses, let alone enough to get significant pay increases and pursue your passions.

 

If I don't have the money to do it the way your customers do, I can simply not do it that way, nor can I ever be your customer.  If things in life had gone as planned (I planned on getting into a major corporation and working my way to the top), I would pursue expensive hobbies, and that is exactly why I attended college--in order to do this.  BUT, when I graduated, I could not even get interviews, let alone job offers.  Everyone else wanted to do this too, so it is extremely competitive out there!

 

Believe me, if I had money to burn, I would probably be a customer of yours, perhaps a repeat customer.

 

Yes, right now I have a heap of junk.  It is also the best I can afford.  At the time I got it, it 'seemed' well-maintained, was in running condition, was supposedly reliable...I regret this purchase, but I just don't have the means, plus, if I did, I would have to hear it from the wife about how much I spent, on the purchase, on plane tickets, pay to get it home.  Doing that way sounds really cool, but it will likely forever remain a pipe dream.

[mrcvs]

Hold my last thought...

 

QUESTION:  I have wondered time and time again, WHY is it so that folks in this country are not rewarded handsomely, even overpaid considerably (I surely am not) so that they have money to burn, spend frivolously, without a care in the world?  It would stimulate the economy, increase revenue in state and federal coffers, enable folks like Mr Harwood to have MORE customers who spend MORE money.  I am obviously not a student of economics, but it seems that holding wages low and flat in this country benefits few.  With LESS wages, I pay LESS in taxes, have LESS to spend on hobbies, etc., therefore causing those who make their living in the hobby I am interested in, such as Mr Harwood to earn even less.

 

Even the burden of saving for one's own retirement...well, there is money that is not being spent, stimulating the economy and the old car hobby, etc.

[Curti]

I think your hard earned money is best spent getting your Model A running.  It is my opinion the Model A is the easiest car to work on and one the easiest cars to get parts for. 

The big task for you is to find some locally to fix your car for you. 

[mrcvs]

I think your hard earned money is best spent getting your Model A running.  It is my opinion the Model A is the easiest car to work on and one the easiest cars to get parts for. 

The big task for you is to find some locally to fix your car for you. 

Absolutely!  I bought it because it was the EASIEST car to work on, and because it was in running condition.  I figured, worst case scenario, I might have to fool around with the carburetor a bit, change the oil annually, maybe replace the spark plugs.  If you drive it only 500 miles a year or so, that should get you a long way.  No such luck.

 

I am AMAZED that there are long runs with several Model A's, and they go off without a hitch.  My car does not seem to be in the same category.

[TerryB]

I think if you get your A sorted out, this entire discussion will go away and you will be happy.

[Ivan Saxton]

Early Fords were built so anyone could own one, service one, and repair one. Steel quality was the equal or better that almost any other manufacturer used. And they were the equal of any in performance for price. If you joint a club for A Fords, you are likely to find owners near you who would be pleased to have a new friend and share advice. You need to get basic tools you need, and you need a book or other print matter to guide you. A model is probably one of the best cars to give you social satisfaction from the hobby. Now Joe Kauffmann was for decades one of the most highly regarded

Duesenberg specialists. Yet for a tour car he preferred his two different T Fords, about a 1912, and a very low mileage 1917 that he found within a bull's roar of where he lived. When I started my ownership of old cars I despised Fords.

But when I started to read about the man himself, and why he did what he did, I gathered enough to start building a lowered T model speedster. A good speedster will thrash a 30/98 Vauxhall or no doubt a 3 litre Bentley over a standing

start quarter mile. It is the interesting characters that were associated with early motoring and motor industry that make this hobby so fascinating. Look up Francis Birtles on the internet. On one trip to northern Australia in an

A model, he suffered an engine mishap that was not possible to fix. He salvaged the engine from a long abandoned early T model he found nearby, and drove all the way south across Australia to Melbourne. I hope you value what you have, and I hope you enjoy fixing it and driving it.

[alsancle]

 

My advice is to pay more for the right car.

 

My advice is that if you don't trust the seller, then pay for a plane ticket to go look at the right car in person.

 

My advice is to pay for [enclosed] shipping to get the right car home.

 

Agreed on all points.   I think an important component to this conversation is the distinction between searching out a particular car to purchase vs the one that falls in to your lap.   You can spend years and lots of money getting just the right car if you want something very specific.   On the other hand,  being ready with the money when something interesting just becomes available will always get you the better "deal".

[mrcvs]

I think if you get your A sorted out, this entire discussion will go away and you will be happy.

Yes and no.  When it all is said and done (e.g., when the car will run), all I have is just a driver, nothing special, just a car, with lots of headaches along the way to get there.  The paint on it is old and peeling, the interior is an older restoration, much of the mechanical components have been 'make do' fixes along the way.

 

I regret my purchase.  Had I it to do over again, I would have held out for something better.  But...what does that mean?  Having an extra $2500 to spend on a car five years from now?  Not exactly a significant amount.  Ideally, I would have that car that looks good, mechanically is sound, not a bottom-basement price.  I thought I was getting something mechanically reliable, that, maybe in time, I could get repainted.  I didn't know what I was doing.  Bought the car pushed to the end of the driveway 25 miles from home.

 

I will be happy, yes, when this car is running.  But, in the end there is so much better stuff out there, maybe not at the same price...

[mrcvs]

Agreed on all points.   I think an important component to this conversation is the distinction between searching out a particular car to purchase vs the one that falls in to your lap.   You can spend years and lots of money getting just the right car if you want something very specific.   On the other hand,  being ready with the money when something interesting just becomes available will always get you the better "deal".

Yes, I had the money at the time and spent well under $10,000 for this car.  Thought having the money available would get me the better 'deal', but...not really!

[60FlatTop]

I read the "maybe get a bargain" part of the original question as some obligatory phrase to make the sentence longer.

 

There ain't no bargain and collecting cars is a hobby for the rich. Someone recently commented on needing $3300 for tires on five old cars. Duh. Start that conversation with the majority of families trying to recover from last winters heat bill.

 

In observing things in an adult manner for decades I have found the most entertainment in watching the antics and gyrations of the bargain hunters. W ether they they are individuals with social or genetic stigmas; or the corporate and government misguided whom suffer the fate of competitive bid, they all end up giving themselves the shaft. And in ways that are most entertaining to the observer.

 

Of all the buying "traps" set by sellers and swindling tricks practiced by the dishonest, I know, for a fact, that they can't outsmart me nearly as well as I can outsmart myself.

 

And now I'm going out to the garage and hang around the six old cars. None were a bargain and the ones I paid the most for are the best. And they are all impulse buys.

Bernie

Edited May 31, 2015 by 60FlatTop (see edit history)

[Matt Harwood]

A few other points. One, I didn't mean to imply that having money is the only way to have fun in this hobby, but what Berine said makes the point better than I could: bargain hunters usually screw themselves.

 

Two, I don't care how much money you have and I don't limit my business to high-dollar cars (I just sold a really nice MGB for $10,000). There's room for everyone at every level. However, if you make a low price your main criteria and aren't equipped to make a reach for the right car or to spend a little extra when the car you do have needs help, then you're going to end up like the original poster who got a bargain that turned out to be the most expensive car he's ever owned in terms of emotional captial. I know exactly how he feels and it stinks.

 

My advice applies no matter how much you have to spend. If you're pinched for cash, then save up for another year or two and get yourself more of a cushion. Times are hard for a lot of people, but this is not a hobby for people without at least a little disposable income. And even though it seems hard to understand from your perspective, buying a quality car for more money up front is ALWAYS cheaper than buying a car that needs work that you have to keep paying to fix. A cheap car is The Death of 1000 Cuts.

 

This isn't a game that can be done on the cheap. It can be done relatively inexpensively, but money is the lubricant for the machine that is this hobby, there's no way around it. Save up a bit more, start shopping in about the same price range you're looking in now, and you'll be equipped to reach up to a really good car when it comes along without stressing yourself or your finances. Otherwise you're just spinning your tires.

[capngrog]

I could be wrong, but I think that there are two basic classes of enthusiasts who ENJOY this hobby: those who enjoy working on their cars and those who don't enjoy the maintenance, but can afford to pay others to repair and maintain their cars. 

 

I'm retired and of modest means; however, I was fortunate to retire debt free and can afford to occasionally "splurge" on a car/truck.  By "splurge" I mean spending $5,000.00 or less.  For example, I just bought (ran across it at an estate sale) an '81 Chevrolet El Camino for $2,500.00.  It would start, but would not run let alone drive.  I spent another $5-600.00 (new brakes all around, new fuel tank etc.) getting it running and driving.  This Elco needs paint and other cosmetics, but is now a nice driver ( it needs a bit more tweaking of course).  Over the years, I've bought several cars that wouldn't even run, much less drive (although priced accordingly), but I fortunately enjoy messing with old cars and other machinery.

 

None of my cars is of "show" quality, but I have fun driving them and occasionally showing them.  I jokingly rate a couple of my cars as "OSACs"  (One Step Ahead of the Crusher), but I still have fun with them.  I think that's the key to any hobby, it must be fun.

 

I agree with almost all of the previous posters on how to buy a car and want to emphasize the point that if one is new to a hobby, it is wise to seek out a club or group of knowledgeable individuals for advice before making any significant investments in that hobby.  When new to the old car "hobby" I made a couple of unwise purchases, but that's just part of the life experience.

 

I could go on and on about this, but I won't.

 

Cheers,

Grog

[TerryB]

I bought a low end antique, a 37 Dodge pick up as my first hobby vehicle. It had its share of issues but I enjoyed working and learning on it and had satisfaction in making it better than it was when I first bought it. It never became a beautiful show car but it gave me pride and satisfaction in what I was able to do with it. I also realized I did not have the funds to ever get it to the level I hoped for so I sold it. The replacement for me were older motorcycles, which were always my first passion. I was able to take them farther in resto than I could with the truck plus they took up a lot less room in the garage.

I hope you too can find satisfaction in what you have and what you are able to do with it and learn from the experience.

Terry

[62BillT]

QUESTION:  I have wondered time and time again, WHY is it so that folks in this country are not rewarded handsomely, even overpaid considerably (I surely am not) so that they have money to burn, spend frivolously, without a care in the world?  It would stimulate the economy, increase revenue in state and federal coffers, enable folks like Mr Harwood to have MORE customers who spend MORE money.  I am obviously not a student of economics, but it seems that holding wages low and flat in this country benefits few.  With LESS wages, I pay LESS in taxes, have LESS to spend on hobbies, etc., therefore causing those who make their living in the hobby I am interested in, such as Mr Harwood to earn even less.

 

 

I could answer that, but we are not supposed to talk about politics here, lol.

Edited May 31, 2015 by 62BillT (see edit history)

[62BillT]

By the way, in my opinion, the best place to buy an Antique car is "anywhere".

 

Just pick out the car that you desire and keep researching and researching, everywhere.

 

That said, I've seen some pretty good deals at some Antique and Classic car dealers. 

 

Bill

[1912Staver]

I agree completely with the advice of Matt Harwood and others, there is however a potential pitfall for some of us with the "be patient , save up , and wait for the right car " approach.

 If the wait period becomes more than a few years then quite a few of us are hit by the double result of eroding buying power ;the effect many middle class incomes feel from stagnant wages coupled with steadily rising cost of living, and generally rising prices on many of the better prospects in the vintage car hobby.

  Many of the cars I am personally interested in have risen substantially in average market value over the last decade, and most while at one time manageable are now priced beyond my reach.  This leaves me with a market full of cars that while affordable are cars that are of little interest to me. And a feeling that I am really being left behind compared to where I potentially once was in the hobby.

  I still have some cars that I bought a number of years ago, but they are for the most part interesting cars needing a great deal of work and money spent. They were acquired in light of them being good placeholders for eventual ambitious restoration, or good parts cars once a better example was acquired. And they were usually attractively priced for what was there. They scratched the old car itch during the " mortgage and school debt " phase of my life.

 Todays reality is that the better examples are now way out of reach ; and while my cars are great projects, I am a long away from having something I can use for club events and general old car uses.

 It's a frustrating situation but one that is difficult to solve in at least the short term.

  For others it may mean that they can spend more dollars, but due to the diminished buying power that a delayed purchase involves may be increasingly  dissatisfied in what those dollars can buy

 

 

Greg in Canada

Edited May 31, 2015 by 1912Staver (see edit history)

[ScarredKnightfan]

My experience is that everything you're looking for (inexpensive and local) is the ideal way to get a crappy car, but at least you'll get it cheap. If you want a good car, you should be prepared to spend more time and money hunting it and possibly more money to get it home. If you shop price and price alone, and/or if you limit your geography, you'll end up with a car that you settle for simply because of price or porpinquity. In the long run, a few extra dollars (even a few thousand extra) will be insignificant compared to the price of fixing a bad car and/or the lousy feelings you'll have about your new/old car that's not what you expected (feelings you're having right now about your Model A, yes?).

 

This is the hardest thing for people to understand and every day I deal with price shoppers who make the same mistake, but this is a hobby.

 

Quoted for truth.  I learned the hard way ... buy buying a car that was within my budget, but ... had a lot more problems than I anticipated.  Learning experience, to be sure.  Not happy about it, but good for the long run.

 

 

 

My pay has been FLAT for 6 years now.

 

 

Mine has been flat at zero for over a year now.  I lost my last job February 2012 & have had no income since September 2013 (when unemployment ran out).  I've sold 4 cars already ... & will most likely have to sell at least 1 of my 2 remaining Caprice Classics.  But, before all that happened, I budgeted ... almost neurotically.  But, it worked.  I was able to drive & maintain a nice family of cars, even though I'm not mechanically inclined.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I could be wrong, but I think that there are two basic classes of enthusiasts who ENJOY this hobby: those who enjoy working on their cars and those who don't enjoy the maintenance, but can afford to pay others to repair and maintain their cars. 

 

None of my cars is of "show" quality, but I have fun driving them and occasionally showing them.

 

I agree about the 2 basic classes & think we may have several different classes of those who enjoy this hobby.  Like you, none of my cars have ever been show quality ... but that's the way I like 'em.  I love seeing the "perfect" show cars, but ... I'd be too nervous with one of those ... plus, I wouldn't drive it much.  The cars I own ... I drive.

 

 

Cort www.oldcarsstronghearts.com

1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics | pigValve, paceMaker, cowValve

"Out in no-man's land on an old 2-lane" __ Bucky Covington __ 'It's Good To Be Us'

[mrcvs]

I ask this, about where to get a car, because I want to do better the next time, which might be sooner rather than later...well, sooner, because I am seriously thinking of unloading this car once I get it running, or it could be later, because I cannot afford to by anything much better right now! 

 

I don't mind fixing something, or getting all that dirty, but there is a lot of emotional capital in this, as someone pointed out.  I have learned a LOT about cars, trying to get this running, but also, it really stinks that I have done ALL this to it, and still the same thing--a car that turns over and won't fire.  If there was a productive result at the end of all this, much earlier on, things would be a lot better.  It puts me in a foul mood all the time.  The weather was beautiful this weekend, and I still have a very expensive paperweight!

 

1912Staver is right, too.  The stuff I like keeps on getting ever more expensive, and increases faster than my ability to save for it.  There IS light at the end of the tunnel, though.  Someday...I will be mortgage-free and will have more cash to spend.

[auburnseeker]

"1912Staver is right, too.  The stuff I like keeps on getting ever more expensive, and increases faster than my ability to save for it.  There IS light at the end of the tunnel, though.  Someday...I will be mortgage-free and will have more cash to spend."

 

Don't worry they will impose and raise taxes to take care of that excessive income that they think you are incapable of properly managing. 

Sorry I just had to add that after thinking about my school tax coming due in a few months.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Lots of good advice above, MRCVS. Been following your Model A work on the other thread in the Model A section and hope your not too far away from resolving the issues.

I would only note that you could spend three times as much for a car - do all your homework, get all the documentation for work done already, etc. and have a breakdown or elusive problem just the same. This is especially true for the prewar cars many of us here love due to a lot of things including the fact that the youngest prewar car is 73 years old now.

I would take this approach - as long as you do not confuse this with an investment plan, you can have a fun hobby - how many guys on your block can actually start and drive a Model A, for example, let along work on one? You will have gone a long ways towards a more reliable car, that you can likely diagnose problems on independently when your back on the road - I will tell you from experience that is a huge confidence builder if you want to actually use the car. I know your frustrated but you might think about what impact the improvements you are making will have on it. The valvejob will give you more power and should be pretty noticeable. Good luck with it - plenty of season left!!

[padgett]

What I have found is that t is always best to buy locally (have been quite successfuly with CraigsList) but then my cars generally start out new, become old, then collectible. Did once buy a Corvair in Maryland. Drove to the Autotrain in Lorton (40 miles) then from Sanford to home (40 miles).

 

Of course I only consider cars with air conditioning so limits a bit.

 

After that buy something you know. Or take someone along who does.

 

Review all of the literature. I consider an enthusiasic (rabid ?) forum and online service manuals/parts books a big plus.

 

Have found that for me the best deals are cars that are 10-20 years old. Not rich enough for interesting pre-war cars.

 

Have found that all old cars cost the same. May get a bargain but  then will spend as much as a nice one making it right and you miss the opportunity to enjoy immediately. Buy a nice one.

 

When I was a yout, I really wanted a TR3. Could not find one I could afford but did find a XK-140MC Jag I could. Then I found out why. Still have whitworth wrenches and a Uni-Syn.

[West Peterson]

No matter what you buy and how good it is, assume that you're going to have to spend money to overhaul the engine and budget your purchase accordingly. That way, you're ready if it happens, and happy if it doesn't. Research how much an engine rebuild costs for such a vehicle before buying. You may still have to pay retail for the car, but at least you're prepared for the worst. It's good to have interest in a lot of different types of cars so that you can afford to walk away from cars that seem to be priced too high. If you're dead set on one car, be prepared for a LONG search if you can't afford to pay retail for the right car.

 

As for the OP's uncooperative Model A, I'm not familiar with what's been done or who's been called. If a Model A expert hasn't yet been called in to physically help, perhaps it's time. Plus, I suggest that after you get it running, wait and use the car for a little while and allow yourself to recover from your disappointment. You may fall in love with it once you can drive it.

[1912Staver]

I have finished with my mortgage and a few other of life's money challenges . The problem is that retirement is much closer than I thought it would be after the previous money pressures were overcome. I had to pass on a very attractive offering last year, and the Marmon 32 4 Pas. sport touring offered on AACA last month was another one that I would have dearly loved to have purchased.  I am afraid my future is one of downsizing , and concentrating on what is best from my currently owned project cars. I will probably re-visit my state of affairs in 10 years or so and perhaps liquidate all but 1 or 2 with the thought of buying something that isn't a frame up restoration .  I have most of the necessary parts {in unrestored state} for a circa 1914 Model t speedster. It would be a pretty straight forward project to provide me with a event useable vintage car.  Time will tell.

 

Greg in Canada