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Need attention? Drive a muscle car!Dec 28 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Do LOTS of research on the car you want and be ready to learn how to fix it. Classic cars are fun to drive, but should really be a hobby.
Lets face it. New cars are convenient, but they've become boring. They have the same style every year, they're designed to be fuel efficient, safe, and loaded with up to date options. If you want to draw the attention of other drivers, you'll need a car that roars to life when you turn the key, eats gasoline for breakfast, and makes pedestrians jump into bushes when you nail the accelerator and leave a stench of thick black smoke behind you as your tires spin. I'm not just talking about classic cars, but I'm talking about muscle cars. The bodies of muscle cars grab attention all their own. The shape of the car is different than any other new car on the road. The body is also usually made of steel and real metal rather than our modern fiber glass. Let a new Lexus rear end you in your 1969 Camaro, and while they're pricing a new bumper, hood, and front end body work, you'll be scraping their paint off your rear bumper. So how do you know which car to buy? Ask yourself a few questions first. * Do you want to get a car, ready to drive with no work needed? * Do you want a mint condition show car? * Do you want to make modifications to your car? * Do you want to modernize your car with all of the new electronic options? * Do you want speed or style? If fuel efficiency and low maintenance are what you're looking for, then you are in the wrong place. Classic cars are old and often require a lot of maintenance and work. You should be familiar or willing to learn at least basic auto mechanics, or you will be paying a professional quite a bit of money. If you are looking for a mint condition show car, be ready to pay a pretty penny, and do plenty of research so you can by something rare. If you are some Joe Schmo with a fully restored 1970 Ford Mustang with the standard package, no one will care. If you do, however, own a beautiful 1968 GT-500, your car will turn heads. Whatever you do, don't drive cars like these, even on the weekends. Original parts are hard to find, and extremely expensive. Anything that is at least semi rare and fully restored is a "look, don't touch" car. If you're looking for something you can modify, try to find a more common classic that needs a little work. You won't pay as much to begin with, but depending on the modifications, you may spend much more than the car is worth. If you're looking for speed and performance, price performance engines, transmissions, rear end gears, super chargers, turbo chargers, or nitrous kits for the car you are looking at buying. If you want to modernize your car, see how much work you will be investing in the installation of your new gadgets. Power door locks, automatic windows, nice stereo systems, and all of the modern goodies are fairly cheap to buy, but are not always easy to install on all cars. Your classic may require some moderate or sever modifications to the interior and the electric wiring. Also remember, modifications can hold a car's bluebook value down since they are not original parts. You can take any muscle car and build it up to be as convenient as new cars, but you may be sinking a lot of money into the car and decreasing its value at the same time. Be sure you aren't going to want to sell your car anytime soon, or you may have trouble getting rid of it once it is no longer original. I've saved the most common investment for last. You want to be able to turn heads, but you want a car to drive daily without breaking the bank. You want speed, but you also want to get more than 6 miles to the gallon. When you're shopping for this type of car, look for the common basic packages. I bought a 1970 Mustang with the small 4.1 litre engine and manual drum breaks. This was a very basic package with no added features, a little engine that still gives pretty good performance while saving gas, and a lower blue book value so I can sleep easy if I want to modify it with non original parts. It requires lots of basic maintenance and repairs. So far I have done all repairs myself without ever having any prior knowledge in auto mechanics, and the replacement parts are cheap and easy to get at any local parts store. Carefully look over the car before you buy it. Ask how many owners the car has had, how many original miles it has on it (Chances are the odometer has turned over), and see if the engine or transmission has been rebuilt. If neither have been rebuilt, expect to be paying for the work in the future. Check the body carefully for rust. Rust will eat a car quickly and is very hard, if not, impossible to stop. Check to see what modifications the owner has made. There are many popular modifications used in classic cars, such as an electronic ignition upgrade. Many modifications will help the car run better and more efficient. Check the oil and make sure it still feels slick and is not black. This will tell you if the owner has been changing the oil regularly. Look at the belts and hoses to make sure they aren't cracked. If they are, there is a good chance that the owner did not keep up on maintenance and there could be several problems about to develop as a result. Most important, be sure to test drive the car. Make sure it drives strait and the steering doesn't make noise when you turn. Use the break heavily to be sure the car doesn't sway when it is stopping. Listen carefully to the engine as it idles, sits in gear, accelerates, and decelerates. Many problems may be present, so take note of what may need to be repaired and an estimated price to repair it. If the asking price is too high, bring the repair needs to the owners attention and see if you can subtract an estimated repair cost from what they want for the car. Once you have your car, if you don't plan on modifying it, you should at least buy an accessory or two. A Calvin bumper sticker peeing on a Ford or Chevy sign is nice, or a foot print gas pedal is better if you don't want to be challenged to street racing by opposing car owners. Drive safe, and have fun!  |
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