Buying A Restored Car

This is a high risk activity. You will obviously be risking a far larger sum of money for a start. So you need to be very sure of what you are buying before taking the plunge. It is essential to have as much history with the car as possible. You should be very cynical and start with the attitude "guilty until proven innocent". In other words, believe the worst and only change your view when you have been totally convinced.

What will help to convince you? A photographic record helps, though this will only show what has been done and not how well it has been done. Long-term ownership by the previous custodian may inspire confidence, certainly more than a car which has changed hands frequently. A large number of invoices adding to some astronomical sum can be very misleading and as good as useless if the work has been done by a bunch of cowboys, even if those cowboys are masquerading behind large adverts, large premises and plenty of hype that gives them a very upmarket image. They are still con men. So it is important that ALL the work has been done by a reputable firm or firms.

A car that has been used frequently is likely to be a very much better car than one which has been standing around for a long time. It is amazing how much and how quickly a car deteriorates with a lack of regular use.

Try not to get too emotionally involved at this stage. Always be realistic. You may love the car now, but what if you change your mind or your circumstances change? Will this car be easy to sell again, or have they seen you coming.

Buying An Unrestored Car

Buying an original, unrestored car is not easy. The chances are that, though it may look quite nice, under the skin it will need a lot of work. Many of the comments about buying a restored car apply to this category as well.

Additionally, you should consider the following questions. How has the car been well cared for? Where has it lived? Has it been garaged (depending on which part of the world the car has lived in, this may or may not be vitally important)? Has it been regularly maintained? Are there invoices with the car? Can you build up a picture of how the car has been treated? Has it been owned by an enthusiast? Has he, or she, been involved in club events, such as tours? This will give a good indication of reliability and the faith the present owner (or previous owner if it's a dealer selling the car) has in the car.

Buying A Semi-Restored Car

This category can be split into two. There are semi-restored cars that are on the road and semi-restored cars that are unfinished restoration projects.

Taking, firstly, the cars on the road, you should again be very cynical. Has the work done been carried out properly? That is an insultingly obvious question but it is important nevertheless. If reasons of cost have restricted the amount of work done, has that work been done with an eye on cost more than quality? What remains to be done? How urgently will the unrestored aspects need attention or can you be truly convinced that they will be satisfactory in the long-term?

We cover elsewhere the areas of the bodyshell to examine, but do remember that a few bubbles in the paintwork, the odd blister here and there, will probably indicate the whole shell is rotten.

As to an uncompleted restoration project, this is another minefield. For a start the car will probably not be complete, so you need to assess what is missing which, as mentioned elsewhere, is almost impossible. What is the quality of the work done? Has it been done by reputable professionals or a capable amateur, or the opposite?

Much of the work done can only be assessed when the remaining work is completed. For example, do the bumpers and sidelights fit the contours of the body? It could be very expensive, and upsetting, to find out later when the shell is painted that they do not.

Why has the project stopped? There could be a very genuine reason, such as illness or divorce. More often it will be lack of funds. Whatever the reason, it will be sad for the owner will never realise his dream and will be very unlikely to get his total expenditure back. For this last reason, IF all the work is satisfactory, this can be a cheaper way of acquiring a car, especially if you can do the work yourself.

If you are going to take the car to a professional restorer you should bear in mind that everyone works differently and one restorer will, almost always, criticise the work of another, and often with justification. But it doesn't make pleasant listening. If the professional completing the work for you is not so reputable, he will use this as an excuse to up the bill very considerably and you will find yourself in a dreadful dilemma.

There are very rarely any cheap answers and it pays to go to the best, because in the long run they really will be the cheapest. But do not think that just because a firm is expensive they are going to be good.