So you want to buy an old car?

 It’s a great way to help a guy(or girl) unwind, and de-stress. It’s a fun community to be a part of. And, every old car saved is literally preserving a piece of history. Now if you’re thinking of looking for a car but aren’t sure what to look for, I will try and give you some pointers. The most important thing is figure out what you are willing to invest…. physically, mentally, and financially. And be honest about what you’re willing to do. Otherwise, you end up with a parts car sitting in your drive-way for years.

 I’ve found what works for me is to find a car that is complete. If it has all the trim, original drive-train, and all the little bits and pieces, I don’t care how worn out it is. Who cares if the paint is faded, that just makes it that much easier to prep for paint. Old oxydised paint makes for easy sanding, and priming. You get to skip the paint stripping process at that point. Next you need to determine your mechanical abilities and desires. Do you need a big V-8, or do you just want a daily cruiser that gets decent gas mileage? This blog will focus on the economical daily driver. So lets say you saw a 1963 Dart that really caught your eye, and you have your heart set on a 63′ Dart. Things to consider are….. The Dart was basically the same car from 1963-1966(66′ having more square fenders). There were only minor cosmetic changes for the most part. Now lets say you fell in love with the push-button transmission. That was available on the 64′ as well. And, both years came with what might have been the best 6 cylinder engine ever made. So now that gives you 2 model years to work with.

Now you have to consider whether you have to have a 2-door, or will a 4-door work? If you have kids, maybe the 4-door would be better. A 4-door tends to be priced a little less, and usually has seen better care throughout it’s life. The 2-doors tend to attract the wannabe hot rodders, and have had more abuse. Thats not a hard and fast rule though. Lets say at this point, you’ve decided that a 4-door is acceptable. Now think of what appointments you desire. Darts came in many trim levels. The models were 170, 270, and GT trim levels. 170 was the base model with bench seats, rubber floor covering, fabric seat coverings, and very little trim. the 270 had a little beefier trim running down the outside of the car, carpeting on the floor, and  seats were covered with a combination of fabric and vinyl. And little things like a full horn ring around the center of the steering wheel, ashtrays in the arm-rests, and a host of optional items including the new 2bbl 273cid V-8 engine(not in 63′). Both of these models came in 2-door post, 4-door, and station wagons, and convertibles. The 270 was also offered in a 2-door hard-top coupe(no posts). Then the premium level was the GT. It came with a boat load of exterior trim, and was in the 2-door coupe body only. It had bucket seats, console floor-shifter, special 3-spoke steering wheel, all vinyl interior, full carpeting(including carpet on the door bottoms, and seat backs, deluxe arm-rests, stone shields, full wheel hub-caps, 15 color options, and interior and exterior emblems denoting that is a GT.

 Engine options for all cars were the 170 slant-six, 225 slant-six, and the 2bbl 273(64′ only). So you can apply these sort of offerings to most of the other American compacts of the 60’s. Remember we are using only the 63 and 64 Darts for examples here. So take all that information, and narrow it down to what interest you. Are you happy with a base model bench seat car, with dog-dish hub caps, or do you want to go a little sportier with the GT buket seats, floor shifter, etc..  Also consider manual and automatic transmissions. The GT had a cool 4-speed floor shifter option, or the lesser models had 3 on the tree manual transmissions. The automatic was the same across the board, either push-button shifted, or floor shifted(GT). 

Now you are armed with this info. Now research what is and what is not available for these cars. Mechanical stuff is generally readily available for the Darts, but trim, and the bits and pieces are harder to find. So the object is to find something with all the trim intact. No speaker holes cut into the doors, or back dash, and original wheels and hub-caps.  Even if the interior is worn, it is replacable as long as it’s not drastically altered. Look at the engine, and see if it has things like the original air cleaner, original oil filler cap, and the little things like that. And just look at the general condition of the whole engine compartment. Everybody always wants to know what the mileage is on a car. When a car is 45 years old it doesn’t really matter. Unless it was some grandma car with 2200 original miles. But with a normally used vehicle, it really doesn’t matter. Our goal here is to find something you can drive while restoring,so if you find a car take it for a spin, drive it for at least 20 minutes so it gets to full operating temperature, and see how hot it gets. Stomp on the breaks and see if it grinds or pulls to one side. If it has power steering, pay attention to it, and listen for noises coming from the pump. Do a walk around and check all the lights. Get any maintainence records the owner might have. Check how well all the body panels match up, and how easily the doors close. And most certainly check the floor-boards for rust.

Now, not all these things have to be perfect, it’s not a new car after all, but it just gives you an idea what you’re up against. And if you do decide to buy the car, you will know what the immediate cost will be. If the tags are out, try to get the owner to renew them. It’s easier for him than it will be for you. Now if the tires are bald, half the bulbs are burnt out, it needs an oil change, a radiator flush, a transmission service, plugs and wires, etc. That is a lot of expense right off the bat. Thats not a deal breaker, but just something you need to figure into your intial cost. So let’s assume you found a good candidate. And you’ve paid cash(not a check, cash talks), and you’re on your way home in your new old car. We will discuss what to do next in my next installment.

Tags: buying a classic car, Car, ChevyII, Classic, Comet, Corvair, Dart, Falcon, For Sale, Old, Rambler, Valint