Where To Buy

It’s All About Trust, But Not Really

When it comes to actually purchasing a classic car there are 3 sources; dealerships, auctions,and private owners.  At this point you are probably asking where Affordable Classics fits into this?  We are clearly a dealer, but as you will see below we are not like most dealers.  Our knowledge of the individual cars in our inventory is considerably more extensive than a lot of traditional dealers.  Second, we own the cars outright rather than serve as a middleman. We go out to private owners and buy their cars as is.  We then sell them to you the consumer, also as is, warts and all.  We even take the extra step to detail those warts in the vehicle description.  Check out our inventory and descriptions you’ll see what we mean. 

Car Dealers

Other dealers are a pretty good source for classic cars and occasionally are really only serving as a middle man for the actual owners which means they have no sentimental attachment and are willing to negotiate for the sake of closing a deal.  However, that being said…

1. Knowledge – Or rather the lack thereof.  While a lot of dealers will at least do the minimum inspection they are more than likely fairly ignorant about the product’s full history.  They honestly can’t tell you what’s factory original and what is’t.
2. Costs – Realistically you are looking at a 10% to 15% markup by the seller owing to the fact that they know the dealer will take a commission.

Auto Auctions

Auctions are great fun and really exciting.  To be honest some of the most impressive classics have sold at auction instead of by other means, and in many cases you don’t have to be there in person to bid which is really important during Covid-19 lockdowns.  Unfortunately the drawbacks to an auction are pretty substantial.

1. Costs – Once you factor in the fees related to auction purchases you are looking at a price mark-up anywhere between 10% to 25%.
2. Quality – What I mean by that is you have to take their word for it as there is NO opportunity for the kind of inspection one should make before buying a used car.

Private Owners

Buying directly from private owners is the primary way I find cars, and not a bad way for you to find your beloved car, but it has its drawbacks as well.

1. Effort – To find the exact car you’re looking for from a private seller you really have to put in a lot of time and effort.  When the average person sells something online they only feel the need to post their listing on one or two sites to get a hit, while you will probably have to search all of them to find your dream car.
2. Trust – For some reason we’re hardwired to put a lot of faith in what the owner of the car says about it, it’s his car after all.  You need to verify every claim they make, but when in doubt, listen to your gut.

Introduction / What to Buy / How to Buy