Practical Classics Advice - How to Buy a Classic Car

[Music] it really doesn't matter whether you're buying your first classic or your 50th it should be an enjoyable and an exhilarating experience but if you don't follow some basic rules you risk getting it really badly wrong so this video is here to help you on your buying adventure it's just as applicable for the aficionado as it is for the classic car buying virgin what the guard will do it will help you narrow down your choice avoid some of the common pitfalls and make sure you get every step of your buying journey right [Music] hello my name is danny hopkins and i'm editor of practical classics magazine when it comes to buying a classic car yes you've got to choose with your heart as well as your head you want a sports car do you want something more practical of course you're going to choose with your heart but when it comes to love you'll stick with that partner through thick and thin and we all know that with classic cars there might be an awful lot of thin but to start with make sure your classic fits in your world and that's why i've got this in my hand i've got to measure the garage because that might have to go in there it fits right let's get started if you know the car that you want you know the mark that you want i think the best place to start is by joining the club when you join the club you get access to all the best knowledge and all the best expertise you also get the club mac which you'll have its classified section in you'll be able to go online they'll have a facebook page probably on a website have a look in there for cars to buy what you'll find here is possibly you'll have cars for sale which is slightly above the market value but you'll be able to rest assured that you'll probably be buying a car that's been really really well loved now if you're feeling a bit braver and you're confident in what you're buying and how to and you're also a bit more flexible with time and what you're looking for then go for the wider media have a look in the classic press have a look in classic car weekly practical classics particularly good you'll find bargains in there there's all sorts of things for sale and there are also stuff that you won't find on the internet as well of course the internet big beast these days get your searches saved on ebay and on the other classic car websites as well they'll contact you when a car that you want comes up make sure that you look carefully through the internet have a look at facebook sites and forums really really good place to find some excellent bargains search deep spend time doing it you have to invest a lot of time in it but have a look at facebook groups and particularly for cars that need to be sold quickly and this is one of the crucial things about looking online you've got to be really really patient but you've also got to be ready and willing to act quickly particularly for cars that need to be sold quickly finally why not try going to a live auction now classic car auctions are great fun they're brilliant go for the theater i would but if you're going to go to a classic car auction to buy something it's really important to observe a few really simple rules firstly if there's a car that you like make sure that you inspect it really carefully before you bid secondly always always go with a ceiling price the most that you're willing to spend and stick to it thirdly take a really grumpy friend with you somebody who's sane knows their stuff and knows you as well so they can keep you in your box if it all gets out of hand here's a message for anyone reading a classic car advertisement beware of the following seven deadly phrases good condition for its year it's 50 years old what do you expect it needs some tlc tender loving care with an acid dip an angle grinder a welder some paint some tyres an engine rebuild and a transmission rebuild 90 complete i didn't label all the parts 10 years ago when i ripped it apart but the constellation is you might find a lawnmower in there somewhere no time wasters i have delusions of grandeur and i think that the car is worth more than everybody who's come to look at it so far i also have a barky dog and a baseball bat totally original the stuff that you'd hoped was new like tires and oil and spark plugs that's all original and the stuff that you'd hoped was original is currently hanging off the car so yeah it's 100 original just one owner from new who is 90 years old and has spent the last 25 years driving his car one mile a week to the shops so the engine is silted up and there's no synchro right so if you plumb through an ad that you really like the look of important to give them a ring don't don't go by email give them a ring it's a really good way of finding out whether you're talking the same kind of language now when you do phone them up make sure you ask about the car don't ask about the specific vehicle don't ask about the triumph 1300 ask about the car because if they answer you which one then you know that you're talking to somebody's got a lot of cars for sale probably a dealer if they don't then you know that you're talking to a private seller and they're talking about specific car you're looking for now it's important to talk on the phone build up a report because that way you can find out if you're speaking the same kind of language you can find out for instance if your definition of immaculate is the same as their definition of immaculate don't email always call and finally it's really important if you say you're going to go and see someone at a certain time make sure you do so you've identified the car that you want you've given them a call you like the sound of it you've decided to go and see the car [Music] there are no hard and fast rules but i would say don't buy the first car that you see the law of sod dictates that the next car you see will be the one you should have bought however if the first car you see is superb then of course buy it but make it a judgement call be wary of your own enthusiasm always look at the car in the cold light of day get it parked up somewhere nice and flat so you can stand back and have a look at how the stance is how it sits on its wheels is it lean over to one side all sorts of stuff you can notice by stepping back then crouch down next to the car and have a look along the flanks of the car have a look along the swage lines check that everything is consistent that nothing's wavy that could be a really good indicator really good negotiating points next check the panels are they all the same color that might indicate that it's had a brief spray you've got to ask yourself why after that go around the car looking at all the panel gaps are they consistent are they up to factory spec they don't necessarily need to be perfect but you've got to check it next all the doors check all the doors hang on their hinges properly shut nicely they don't sag as soon as you pull them off the latch it's really important to do that finally the big one you've got to check whether the car is rotten as a pair and that's what i'm about to do when you're checking for rot always use a magnet now why would you do that obvious isn't it the car's made of steel magnets magnetized to steel so if there's anything going on behind the paintwork like filler or just plastic of any sort the magnet won't stick that means there's some negotiating to be done if you're going to use a magnet on a car like this always always slip it in a sock so you don't scratch the paintwork and of course if the car is aluminium or made of grp then this doesn't apply however let's have a look at this rear valance see if it's made of steel run it along yep that's all steel i once bought a vauxhall victor from the side of the road it's silver almost entirely made of papia mache and chicken wine but it was really well done so they looked really straight if i hadn't used a magnet i'd have bought a car with no structural integrity bad news the other thing to say at this point is if you've got a buyer's guide bring it with you because if you're going to be looking into the panels and where the car traditionally rots the buyer's guide's going to tell you in a really easy way so always bring it with you right if you're going to do this properly then you're going to need some kit and what we've got here is the kind of basic kit that we recommend you use overalls because you're going to get dirtier i'm just wearing clothes i don't really care about a tarpaulin upon which to grovel really important particularly if it's raining we recommend don't go and look at a car if it's raining if you can possibly avoid it because not only does the paintwork look better than it actually is going under a car really not pleasant magnet in a sock again really powerful torch really important to have a real good look into the deep dark crevices a camera phone okay because you can actually use this to get into those crevices and have a really good close look take pictures axle stand to put a car on if the owner is in agreement and a trolley jack so that you can jack the car up in the first place arrange to view the car at the vendor's house or premises not at a lay by or service station you've got your rough clothes on so bring something to lie on so that when you're digging for rot you're not worrying about getting dirty and dig for that rot and the grot and the buggery jack the car up get it on axle stands grovel underneath jam yourself or your camera phone under the wings and footwells and use anything crunchy flaky or bird pooy as a bargaining point if you find a really nasty area that you don't want to dig into don't until you've asked the seller if it's okay seek permission to reveal the filth and if they say no personally that's the point which i'd walk away if they say yes then you've got that permission and you can go for it with this in mind it's important to arrange the view of the car again at the vendor's house or premises because if stuff starts falling off you don't have to drive it anywhere don't look at cars in lay-bys or service stations it's golden rule right now my advice is always bring someone with you to give you a second opinion preferably somebody who's prone not to such rash decisions as you are maybe somebody is a bit of an expert as well what do you think pete that's what you need when you've satisfied yourself that the car is completely sounding you've checked through the bodywork have a conversation with the seller talk to them about the paperwork in particular and ask to see it if there's no paperwork ask them why that's another conversation to have if there is check through it in real detail interrogate it check the v5 check the mot's check the service history check the bills and receipts and make sure that all the numbers match the car that you're buying because i've seen cars for sale before with massive history files and the history file itself has been for another car if the seller starts trying to hurry you along a little bit then just say to them that you need to take the time they say things like i've got a cube of other buyers you've got to ask yourself why then ask if you can do an hpi check i recommend doing this on most classic cars particularly ones where you're spending a lot of money at least do an mot history check because i can flag up all sorts of issues all of these things really need doing and with the mots if a car has become mot exempt from may 2018 you are well within your right to say to the seller please may i take it for an mt or please would you take it for an mot at a classic friendly mot station because it's safety crucial and if they're going to check it they need to take the brakes suspension and steering you're well within your rights to ask them to do that okay next time we're going to be taking this car out on the road and having a look under the bonnet having checked your reasons for buying a classic car and done all the bodywork checks in previous videos now it's time to have a look at the engine so let's open the bonnet there's a triumph straight six underneath here the first check should be cold engine checks make sure the engine is cold make sure the seller hasn't been cranking over for half an hour the kind of easy start so yes the engine is cold let's go right for the big one to start with look inside the oil filler cap this one's got one straight on top of the engine here if there's any mayonnaise in there that could be a sign of head gasket failure now mayonnaise is a kind of white frothy substance and you're looking for quite a lot of it a little bit around the cap might just mean condensation on the inside of the rocker cover but that is something to negotiate on if it's there equally go down to the radiator have a look inside the radiator cap some cars might have an expansion tank most older cars have got a radiator cap like this you won't be checking for mayonnaise here what you'll be checking is for oil in the water so maybe tip your finger in there have a little look oil in the water again might mean that the head gasket has come has been compromised do lots of general checks around the engine bay check strut turrets here we've got these uh strut turrets here check them for corrosion check the wings check the inner wings where they meet the front panels particularly not just for corrosion but for evidence of repairs that might mean the car's been in an accident so really have a look at that carefully have a look at the leads make sure they're in good condition not brittle have a look for any signs of oil or incontinence of any sort check inside the clutch reservoir and the brake reservoir make sure that the fluid is really really clean check the oil dipstick check the color of the oil check that it's at the right level have a little smell as well because you can often tell a lot from that if it smells really burnt or unpleasant that might mean the engine's overheated in an automatic gearbox do exactly the same thing pull the dipstick out and have a smell if it smells burnt there could be an issue there make sure it's the right color to you're looking for a nice red color with atf all of those things really important things to check and you can have other indicators of the condition of the car check inside the dash parts to make sure that they've got the oil level correct as well if you want to go even deeper with your engine checks and the sellers happy for you to do so why not try a compression test and that means you'll need to take the plugs out taking the plugs out itself is really useful because you can look at the tip of the plug and it gives you an idea of how the engine is running what you want is a nice biscuit color which says that it's not running too lean or too rich there is another skill shack video that tells you how to perform a compression test so you can go and refer to that one but a compression test will really really give you a clear indication as to the condition of the engine particularly the bores and the head gasket if you've done that and you're happy with all the checks then it's time to start the car and do some warm checks okay start it up with the bonnet still open a little bit check okay started first time does it need churning this one didn't are there any rattles on startup this is all about using your ears if there are rattles and they disappear straight away that's potentially good news if they carry on that's a question to ask flip the throttle does it return to idle okay don't rub its nuts off you won't learn anything most important of all when you start it up like this listen for deep knocking noises and if they don't go away that's a potential problem right now let's go and have a look at the back okay now it's time to use your eyes and your sense of smell the engine running if there's any blue smoke coming out that means the oil is being burnt could be an issue with piston rings maybe valve stem oil seals if it's puffing black smoke smoke and there's a very strong smell from the exhaust that means it's running rich and if that's been going on for a long time that might have an effect on the engine the best way to tell whether an engine's in good condition though is to get the car out on the road and that's what we're going to do now okay on the road first thing you need to get is an impression of how it pulls it pulled consistently and smoothly has got lots of urge does the engine feel healthy and perky not holding back or waffling take it through all the gears flip the top switch if it's on overdrive we've got an overdrive car here we're in an overdrive car i've just flicked into overdrive and house again all the gears changed correctly when you're in top just try slowing down a bit and then really putting your foot down to see if there's any clutch slip quite an important thing to do again take it up to national speed limit if you can because you'll want to find out whether the car's got any vibrations whether it pulls to one side or not it's really important to give it all the different road conditions that the car will find in daily use another very important thing to do is a brake test but before you do that make sure you find a very quiet straight bit of road where you can see a long way in front of you and a long way behind because you don't want to do a brake test when there's any other cars around or on a road that you don't know what you're looking for on a brake test is really whether the car pulls to one side or not that's the most important thing quite important to try a bit of road that doesn't have much camber on it because the camber will affect how the car pulls up you've got a flat road surface straight road and then you can really test whether the brakes are good or not so important to do this if you're testing a car for its braking capability you find something that's a that's a problem it could cost you an awful lot of money and of course it's safety critical which is so important okay so we're now on a straight bit of road and uh nothing behind me nothing in front of me no camber i'm going to hit the brakes hands off the wheel doesn't pull to one side so this car's absolutely fine it pulled up really well didn't have to use all of my braking capability there also you're testing the servo as well pull that really really well so i'm quite happy with that and again the other thing you'll be doing here by using the brakes carefully seeing whether the brakes bind on afterwards as well okay general on your test drive listen really carefully you drive with your ears as well as your eyes listen really carefully for knocks and bangs and rattles work out whether there are any rattles in the car what they might be listen for rattles outside the car take it over lots of different road surfaces and make sure that every aspect of the vehicle is really tested at fast and slow speeds so the other thing that's on the test drive as well and this is really really important what look good in the advert might be not quite what you want to drive and that might not be to do with the condition of the vehicle that might just be that you perhaps have chosen a car that you don't get on with on the road and you've got to be honest about that there is absolutely nothing wrong with taking a car out for a test drive and it being an okay car but then when you get back saying actually i'm really sorry it's not for me you're not a time waster if you do that you're just being realistic okay another thing to check for when you're out the road is uh a blue smoke on the overrun i'll tell you exactly what that is firstly you check for it like this you get up to say 40 miles an hour on top it's really useful trying to do this on a downhill stretch and then for 5 10 15 seconds just take your foot off the gas and slow down slow down slow down and then reapply the gas and look in the rear view mirror if you've got a puff of blue smoke at that point that means potentially your valve stem oil seals are on the way out and that could be a negotiating point i wouldn't call it a walk away so check for that another thing to check as well is if you've got blue smoke all the time that might be a more significant problem possibly piston rings maybe head gasket again negotiating points all of these things are really crucial take your classic your prospective classic for a long test drive at all road speeds okay and this includes up to high speeds on motorways dual carriageways if you can keep your own the temperature gauge temperature gauge is a great indicator and engine condition if you're driving at high speed on the motorway for instance and the temperature gauge starts creeping up that might be an indication that this car has not been used correctly or as in many different ways as it should have been if a car has just been driven a couple of miles at slow speeds all its life the engine potentially and the and the radiator as well could be silted up that's a big issue you might to flush the whole engine out you might have to replace the radiator might not necessarily be a walk away issue but it will be a negotiating point all of these things are negotiating the points equally sit in a traffic jam sit in a traffic jam and see what happens to the temperature gauge if it goes up again negotiate negotiate negotiate cars are meant to be used you're gonna have to live with this thing for the next 10 15 20 years who knows so the longer your test drive the better as well as the temperature gauge if it's fitted with an oil pressure gauge check that make sure that the oil pressure is good or at least it's uh in in the region that is recommended by the buyers guide you might have looked at or even the owner's manual or pressure gauge very good indicator and all the instruments make sure all the instruments work all the controls work check the heater controls make sure that the heater comes on gives you a lot of heat even on a summer's day it's really important if it doesn't work you've got to find out why make sure that the demis function works if you turn it to demist and suddenly you start seeing misting on on the windscreen that might mean that the heater matrix has got a leak uh also check for the smell in the car if you could smell a spicy smell or something a little bit curry-ish that could be glycol antifreeze leaking into the cockpit and that's a problem you gotta replace the heater matrix probably a big expense again a good negotiating point right when you get back from your test run leave the engine running check for overheating have a look at the temperature gauge if the car's got electric fans wait for them to kick in make sure they do leave it running as well and check for anything else like smoke from the rear exhaust all sorts of stuff you'll be able to find out from letting the car sit and tick over because remember you're going to be doing that in a traffic jam one day if everything so far in the three videos we've covered makes you happy and you're still interested in buying a car and you've got to start thinking about how to do the deal [Music] okay i'm going to assume that you've watched the other three videos you've worked out what car you want you've worked out whether that car is in decent condition by checking the bodywork and the engine you've taken it for a test drive and now with all that in mind you're ready to do a deal now this is a very touchy point you've got to make sure you don't pay over the odds for this car of course but equally you mustn't go in and take the mickey so i would say don't offer the asking price but make sure that any price that you do offer reflects a number of things firstly the market value of the car the potential growth in value of that car also what you might need to do to make that car the car that you want it to be it's got to all be evidence-based though you can't just go in and say you're going to pay anything just because you feel like it so make sure that when you negotiate everything you negotiate with is actually real and you can prove it be firm but also be polite there's no point in making this something which isn't pleasant but going with your bottom line figure in mind as well let's see how it works out remember that as soon as the paperwork's been completed there's no tax on the car so it's up to you to get it sorted make sure the car's got an mot as well and line up insurance before the visit so it only takes a quick call once you're there make sure your recovery membership is up to date if you're driving a long way and if in doubt trailer the car home or get it recovered enjoy the process but also make sure that at the end of it you get a receipt the receipt is essential and if you're buying from a private seller and there is a problem afterwards go to citizens advice if you're buying from a trader it's trading standards you need to consult quick note about payments cash used to be king unless you had a cleared check but these days are lots of different ways to get your money across you can of course still use cash but there's paypal there are balance transfers if it's a professional trader you can use a debit or a credit card each of these payment methods have different legal ramifications so it's worth doing a little bit of research before you buy the car but make sure you get a receipt every single time you

Channel: PC Classic Car & Restoration Show

Views: 21,170

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Id: n-I0kQgb8Ew

Length: 25min 58sec (1558 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 27 2021