Classic Cars: How to Choose Your Dream Car

Section One

What Constitutes A Classic?

You know you want one. After months or perhaps years of consideration and mulling over too many options, you finally know which one it is that you want to buy. Or maybe you’re one of those lucky sorts who don’t have to think about it at all because you’re finally fulfilling a long-held or even childhood dream - but have you stopped to consider precisely what it is that constitutes a classic car these days?

It’s an easy enough question to ask, and an obvious one. But as a quick flick through the pages of any of the established old-car mags will demon­strate, it is far from easy to define exactly what counts as a classic beyond the somewhat lame assertion that, like beauty, classic status is very much in the eye of the car’s beholder.

How else to explain the regular features in the more popular magazines extolling the alleged virtues of any number of rather conventional old Vauxhalls and family Fords? Ditto the highly detailed buyer’s guides to workaday Renaults, Fiats, even those unlovely old Leyland landcrabs. And then, of course, there are the pages and pages full of classified ads for cars which, only a few years ago, were parked on a secondhand car lot, for a fraction of the price that is being asked for them now.

That said, of course, there are and have long been certain categories of car which qualify as classics and do so effortlessly and automatically. Sometimes this is just a function of the magic of the brand, so that even the worst Ferrari, Bugatti or Rolls-Royce pretty soon comes to be regarded as something special - and you can be sure that as a group this particular trio has been responsible for some surprisingly duff designs. At other times the brand will be a function almost of romance, so that names such as Isotta Fraschini, Frazer Nash and Hispano-Suiza exude an irresistible and exotic aura long before one has even seen an actual car, and still less driven one. And of course age has a lot to do with it too - which is perhaps only right and proper, although this means that even the absolute dross will qualify eventually if sufficient examples manage not to rust into the floor.

Here at least, speaking of age, the designations ‘veteran’ and ‘vintage’ are in automotive terms at least entirely clear-cut and well understood - although this doesn’t stop plenty of people confusing them, or assuming that vintage is simply an easy way of describing any grand old bus regardless of when she was actually built.

Veteran, for example, actually describes any car built before New Year’s Eve 1904, a definite if somewhat arbitary date which was selected as the agreed cut-off point for eligibility in the first RAC-organised Veteran Car Run or ‘London to Brighton’. That said, some authorities even now argue that the end of 1905 might have made more sense, although modern owners would almost certainly riot if anyone attempted to change this particular definition this late in the day. Vintage similarly refers to any machine built between New Year’s Day 1919 and New Year’s Eve 1930, with those falling in between these two well-defined categories being often described as ‘Edwardian’, which is convenient even though, strictly speaking, ‘Georgian’ would be more accurate.

Thereafter, grander marques built after the 1930s but before World War Two are bracketed under the PVT label, meaning post-vintage thorough­breds, although here again one might have problems defining exactly what constitutes a thoroughbred. But at least most enthusiasts agree that anything this old should be considered a classic, even, frankly, the bad ones, and to be honest it’s hard to argue with this; if only because their mere survival thus far probably makes them deserving of continued preservation.

Why Classic Doesn’t Just Mean Old

Motor forward a few years to the post-war marques and models, however, and - much as it does in the ‘flog it’ world of household antiques on daytime television - the situation becomes rather more confused.

Keen to avoid including the automotive equivalent of bric-a-brac, many purists and the majority of the grander, more established old-car dealers insist that to be a true classic, a car must be not just old but special too. They mean it should be a fine or authentically distinctive machine, one which, in its day, was already recognised as something distinguished or out of the ordinary.

Most obviously this might mean one which is a worthy inheritor of a splendid competition heritage, perhaps - such as that characterised by older Lancia, Aston Martin and Maserati models - or a vehicle-type which technically moved the needle (as they say) by introducing, for example, four wheel drive: dramatically improved aerodynamics or turbocharging, to the performance car market. Alternatively the car in question might, in its day, have heralded a genuinely innovative new design language, one which effectively recalibrated the benchmarks for a particular class of car.

Almost by definition then, a classic car of this sort will have been built in quite small numbers, and have had a painfully high price tag when new. But hang on a minute. Herr Hitler’s dream car, the Volkswagen or ‘people’s car’, was always cheap and never rare - far from it: for decades it was a global best-seller - yet no one these days seriously denies the classic status of something like a late-1950s split-screen convertible. Similarly, and even closer to home, the original, classless little Mini was an authentic mould-breaker - and never mind that you can still pick one up for a few hundred pounds - whilst on the Continent several similarly iconic designs, such as Dante Giacosa’s brilliant Fiat 500 and the peasant-friendly little Renault Four, were responsible for introducing a host of technical and design innovations quite at odds with their budget-priced, economy-car status and mass market appeal.

In fact, the truth is that almost anything can qualify as a classic, depending on who is thinking of buying it and (of course) who has one to sell. For obvious reasons the bigger classic car magazines will always be interested in stretching the definition as far as possible because embracing an ever wider array of different makes and models will enable them to broaden their own appeal and boost their circulations.

Maybe there’s nothing wrong with that because, when all is said and done, it’s just horses for courses after all. Equally, if one is sufficiently interested in cars generally, one can usually find something special or unusual (or maybe even foolhardy or bizarre) in just about everything with an engine and four wheels - or, for that matter, only three, in the case of the orange, unlovely but now undeniably iconic Bond Bug of 1970. That’s ok too, although personally I have no desire whatever to sink money into the restoration of something which looks like a giant plastic wedge of Red Leicester - and even less of a yearning to actually drive one again.

But it’s good that others do. It’s just a hobby after all - albeit a jolly good one - and whilst it can be as frustrating and as expensive as it is thrilling and pleasurable, if you like the car you’ve bought - or are planning to buy, or merely hoping to buy if your numbers come up next Saturday evening - that’s probably all the justification you’ll ever want, and, by the same token, the closest you’ll ever get to a workable definition of what constitutes a classic car.

The Car’s The Star

Many old classics come with cultural baggage - good, bad or ugly - and this can obviously affect the way people feel about them and thus the price they command. Typical are those which have made their name on TV or in the movies - since that’s where many buyers get their ideas and aspirations from in the first place. 007’s Aston Martin DB5 is obviously the most famous, and these days by far the most valuable - incredibly Aston Martin boss David Brown was initially quite reluctant to lend the film company anything, let alone a car. Although, as the following list of ten cult classics shows, there are a few more entry-level options for anyone with a bit less in the way of disposable.

Ford Anglia - Harry Potter

Ford Capri - The Professionals

Ford Mustang - Bullit

Jaguar MkII - Morse

Lotus Elan - The Avengers

Mini - The Italian Job

Mini Moke - The Prisoner

Morris Minor - Lovejoy

Volkswagen Beetle - Herbie

Volvo P1800 - The Saint

The X-Factor

Most enthusiasts agree that to be a pukka classic, a car really needs to be a bit more than just secondhand. Some argue that a minimum of 25 years should have passed before a car can even begin to be considered. Others point out that as owners of pre-1973 models no longer have to pay for the Road Fund Licence (in the UK at least) the requirement (or not) for a tax disc could also serve as a useful dividing line between the properly classic and the merely secondhand.

But unfortunately, speaking to owners, it is easy to find exceptions even to this simple rule. It’s not uncommon, for example, to find someone driving a 15 year-old Porsche simply because he wants a Carrera but can’t afford a new one - yet no one would deny that the 911, literally any 911, is a genuine, copper-bottomed, blue chip, bona fide, 24-carat ocean-going classic. Much the same argument, indeed, can be made for lesser machines, such as the Lotus Elise or Renault Sport Spider, even the little Suzuki Cappuccino.

Similarly it is hard to question the judgment of someone who falls in love with Alfa Romeo because of its sensational pre-war racing cars - examples of which can command prices well into seven figures - and then spends his or her weekends fettling an old Alfasud worth a couple of grand at most. It’s hardly in the same class as that original, well-patinated 8C-2300, and of course he knows it, but it’s still very much an Alfa Romeo, as well as being an authentically spirited driver’s car - and actually a trail-blazer too, in the sense that it’s one of the better forerunners of the later hot-hatch brigade.

Like the 911, cars such as the little Alfasud also have the all-important X-factor - character - which, together with ability and a dose of nostalgia, provides a very strong driver when it comes to deciding what it is you want to buy, own and run.

Of course both character and nostalgia come at a price, and not just a financial one either because old cars are, in many significant ways, hugely inferior to new ones, which means you’re making considerable compro­mises in choosing to drive one of them. Most obviously they are inferior in terms of their overall build quality and the sophistication of their engi­neering. Inevitably old cars also lack so many comfort and safety systems which we now take for granted, features such as power steering, traction control and anti-lock brakes, as well as air conditioning, electric windows and of course a decent stereo. Old cars, whatever make they are, are much more challenging to drive too - more involving but potentially more dangerous as well - and by definition require a good deal more regular maintenance if one is to stop them rusting away or simply falling to bits during the off-season.

To be fair though, for most owners all of this is part of the appeal; that and the chance to meet other enthusiasts with whom to share the ecstasy and the agonies. This is because the old-car crowd is a friendly one and generally extremely sociable; the UK, indeed, being arguably the best of all in this regard with a relatively long history of classic car collecting, and scores of one-marque clubs running their own events up and down the country. It also boasts some truly stellar events such as the annual Goodwood Revival where period fancy dress is the order of the day, making the whole affair a uniquely special occasion. As a result British enthusiasts are rarely at a loss for company, or for expert advice and often quite unexpectedly generous help from like-minded souls.

That, actually, is probably the best thing of all about having a classic car, any classic car, from Fiat to Ferrari and from an Abarth to the Zundapp Janus. So if you’ve been bitten by the bug, count your pennies, pick your marque - and then go for it. Don’t waste time worrying whether or not the car in question is a classic, because ultimately if you want one and can find one then truly that’s all that matters.

Before You Start: Ground Rules

Name Your Price

Inevitably, regrettably the first question most of us have to ask ourselves is: how big is my budget? Get that wrong and it can only end in tears. Bear in mind too that, as with a new one, buying any car is only the start: you shouldn’t go for broke by mortgaging yourself up to the hilt just to buy the car of your dreams. And definitely not if this means you won’t then have the wherewithall to look after it once you’ve got it home, or the cash you’ll need to enjoy using it.

Most obviously with an old car this means paying for the regular running costs, oil, petrol, and insurance. Here a specialist, capped-mileage classics policy will nearly always be the best option - but there are also consumables such as filters and tyres which, for a rare model, won’t necessarily be on a half-price offer at your local Halfords. It’s also vital that you have a contingency budget to cover any likely restoration costs, and of course for the occasional ‘big-ticket’ items when the exigen­cies of time begin to make themselves felt in terms of wear and tear, bodily corrosion and eventual catastrophic component collapse.

Generally, you’ll find that family saloons make more sense than sports cars. It’s not just that the former are less likely to have been driven hard at some time or another - although this is almost certainly the case - but also because sports cars are mechanically more complex than family cars, and more fragile if only because they are lighter, all of which makes them much harder to fix yourself and/or considerably more expensive to fettle if you choose to call in a professional to get the job done properly.

You need to be aware too that if you get it wrong you can’t just sell the problem on because, like any investment, the price of classic cars can go down as well as up. In a rising market it’s all too easy to think that if you overcook it or get bored with it you can sell the car and pocket the profit. But actually, like houseprices and stocks and shares, classic car values tend to tumble fast in bad times. Sales can quickly slow almost to zero, and nobody wants to be left garaging the equivalent of negative equity with a bank interest ticking away.

Of course none of this is enough to stop some people using classic cars as an investment vehicle (pun intended) and there are certainly many privateers out there who buy and sell old cars simply to make new money. To be fair, all you need to do if you want to join them is get the make, model, condition and of course timing absolutely right and you too could do very well out of it.

Before you try this, there are four points you should think about. Firstly, if you’re buying a classic as an investment,