Maintenance is the part that's most often overlooked by classic car owners. Some may think that cleaning and detailing a car is as simple as washing it and waxing away. The truth is, improper practices might lead to a degradation of your car. In order to avoid that, just read and keep in mind this very simple guide to maintaining your classic.

1. Do keep a schedule for maintenance work. You don't need to do it everyday, since it might take up a lot of time. Once a week will be fine for light maintenance like surface-cleaning the exterior, and twice or once a month for vacuuming, applying wax, polishing, and cleaning your engine.

2. Do wash your car first. If you apply polishers or wax on a dusted car, there's a good chance that you'll ruin the paint. Use great cleaning products that wash and catch dirt and dust, while still being pH-balanced.

3. Don't air-dry the classic car. If you air-dry the car, you will find yourself in a bigger mess than what you possibly have started with. Water-spots will form. Use cotton detailing cloths and wipe off the excess water. These cloths are non-abrasive, and could soak up water real good.

4. Don't use silicone-based protectants when cleaning the rubber and vinyl of the interior. Silicone-based protectants leave oily residues which serves as a magnet to dust. Use water-based protectants instead.

5. Do clean every inch of your interior, even the vents. Use a small brush specialized for cleaning the small parts of the car. Any other brush will just leave hairs behind, and could probably clog up a vent. And don't forget the floor mats–shake them off and vacuum-clean them.

6. Don't use polishers unless the paint won't shine even with all the cleaning. Polishers work by ‘scraping' off the surface paint, thus revealing a new layer. If you use it too often, the paint will thin down too much.

7. Do wax the car, especially after polishing. Wax protects your classic car's paint. What would be better is if you apply a paint sealant first, and apply car wax after. This will protect your car for a good two months at the least, and if your sealant is a good one, maybe even up to six months. (But of course, you still need to clean your car.)

8. Do clean your engine. Degrease the engine first with a good engine degreaser, and wash it using a specialized engine brush and cleaning formulations. Dry your engine afterwards, and apply wax and protectants.

9. Do clean the glass last. This is to avoid re-contaminating it when cleaning the other parts of the classic car. Look for cleaners which are free from ammonia. Household glass cleaners are a big no-no. They contain ammonia, which dries out leather, plastic, and vinyl. Not too good for the other parts of your car, or the glass itself especially if it's tinted.

10. Don't clean your car while it's still hot. Make sure that the engine is cool, and the paint has not been exposed in the sun for too long. Cleaning a hot car will only be more damaging.

11. And finally, do use a properly fitted car cover to protect it from weather effects and dust. An enclosed garage is not enough. Car covers will make your paint last longer, as well as keep dust and bugs away. It will save you much time, as you won't need to clean your car as frequently.

Maintenance is a lot of hard work, but it really pays off. Follow these simple maintenance tips for your classic car, and you will surely have a dazzlin' and shinin' ride.

One of the areas that differs considerably between modern and classic cars is deprecation. This is perhaps one of the most frustrating facts for those driving a modern car – the knowledge that all of the money they spend keeping their car roadworthy is having no impact on its overall value. In fact, nearly all modern cars will depreciate a considerable amount during their lifetime. For example, a brand new, entry model VW Polo, purchased for just under £8000 will be worth a tad over £3000 in four years time, that's a deprecation of over £1000 a year!

A well looked after classic car thankfully, will not share this same painstaking truth, in fact in some cases, albeit rare cases, they even appreciate.

Secondly there's the insurance, which can work out considerably less when compared to a policy for a typical modern-day car. In most cases you will have to be over 25 years old to insure a classic car however, when you do, expect to pay no more than a couple of hundred pounds. This can be slashed even further if you opt for a limited mileage policy, which is advised if you do not intend to use your classic as your main method of transport.

Road tax is another area those driving classic cars reap the benefits of; as if their vehicle was built before 1973 then they are not required to pay a penny. This can save roughly £160 a year alone! It's worth noting that a tax disc still needs to be displayed, essentially just to prove that your vehicle had a valid MOT and insurance.

As you can see there is a great deal to be saved when investing in a classic car, with regards to insurance, MOT costs and overall car value. If you need classic car insurance, then the internet is an excellent place to source and compare quotes as well as finding out all you need to about classic car insurance.

Owners of old trucks would never deny permission for somebody to take a picture of their vehicle. Do you want to take a picture of my truck? Go ahead. Next time don't even ask!

Let's suppose somebody came up to you and asked for permission to take a picture of your classic truck to publish in a magazine or a website. Would you refuse? Of course not. You're proud of your truck and you want the whole world to see it.

But there are people who don't want to have their classic trucks photographed or filmed. They spend a lot of time fixing their trucks, they go to car shows to show off what they have and yet they refuse to have their trucks filmed or photographed. It doesn't make sense and it's not very smart either. Maybe they don't need the money…

Now let's suppose you had a chance of having your truck filmed for a TV commercial or, better yet, for a movie! How great would that be? Let's also suppose that some TV producer decided to create a new series based on the 1940's, 1950's or 1960's. Wouldn't he(she) need a lot of cars from those eras? And if the series became a hit the vehicles would be used again and again.

Yeah. It it possible and it's not even too hard. You just have to promote your vehicle in the right places. There are companies out there looking for vehicles exactly like yours. Many companies in fact. They look for classic trucks for sale and they buy them. They look for classic cars of all types and they pay rent to the car owners in order to film the cars. There are companies that go after owners of classic cars, old trucks and hot rods in order to list these vehicles in large databases. Advertising agencies put ads in the papers when they need an old car or pickup truck for a TV commercial. Keep your eyes open because your big chance may come from that direction.

If you have a good set of pictures of your little jewel you're one step closer to fame and fortune. Well, may be not fortune but fame is possible…

A movie production company may need classic trucks just like yours. They might need your truck to spend, say, three days in Hollywood and a week on location in New York. They would make the arrangements to have the vehicle transported to both places and might even be willing to pay for your expenses to go along. You would see how a movie is made and you could even end up meeting a couple of famous movie stars just because you own an antique truck.

The producer of a movie or a TV commercial may be looking for a beautifully restored old car, one that looks like it came out of the showroom a couple of days ago. But directors want their films to look real. Therefore they may need a regular classic vehicle, one that shows it's been used. And they might even need a real wreck, a rust bucket so to speak. Your chances are real, no matter what condition your truck is in. Don't be ashamed of it. Go ahead and try.

And how does this thing work? First you have to find an agent, a company that has the contacts and knows where to go with your truck pictures. Get listed on their databases and be patient. You might get a call the following morning but it could also take a couple of years.

Here are a few suggestions of sites you can visit to learn more about this:

MovieVehicles.com

OldCarLocator.com

Cornwell & Sheridan Motor Cars

TVParty.com

Classic-Chassis.com

If you're really committed to the idea of having your vehicle on a movie or a TV commercial you may do what actors do. Have a professional photographer take a series of shots of the vehicle and send them to advertising agencies or talent agencies. Or have a nice video produced, send it to talent agencies and upload it to YouTube, Google Video, Yahoo Video and so on. Even wedding planners may be interested in your old truck or classic car. Promote it well and one day you'll get your big break.

And here's another very important thing to keep in mind: don't hide your prized possession in your garage. Take it to shows, go to swap meets and take your chances at show prizes. You may win a simple trophy and you may also get some prize money. But you'll have to make sure your truck is in show condition before you do that. Nobody will allow you enter your classic car or old truck in a car show if the car or truck is not worth showing. Movies and TV commercials might look for regular old trucks or classic cars, but car shows don't. Car shows want the cream of the crop, so to speak.

All of this is true all over the world. Movies are made everywhere these days and so are TV commercials. Classic car and old truck shows are common in almost every country and you can take advantage of that to make money with your truck or classic car.

Money? With old trucks and classic cars? Yep. It's possible mainly because nobody is making trucks like yours anymore.

Classic cars cost a lot since their upkeep and maintenance is something which requires a fortune. However, when a passion is concerned, then these things stop bothering us. Through classic car loans, you can now take up money to buy a car which is antique and face no burden in repaying the money too.

While buying a classic car, you may make a choice according to your own taste and availability of the car too. Any choice of the car will be paid for through the classic car loans and you may also take the opportunity to borrow more than the required amount which will be helpful to you in case you wish to make changes in your car before you use it.

It is really helpful before you take up the money for a classic car that a research is done online. This will help the borrowers in getting the deal which charges the lowest rate of interest on the borrowed money. Also, the borrowers can find out more about the cost of the car and come to terms by negotiating with the owners of the classic car. The term of repayment for the classic car loans is 5-7 years.

Borrowers who have a bad credit history due to arrears, defaults, missed repayments etc can also take up these loans easily for their needs. The money is made available to them at a slightly higher cost but with online research and comparison, lower rate deals can be obtained easily.

Through classic car loans, the borrowers are now able to fulfil the desire of owning a classic car easily. There is no burden on them in repayment since the rate of interest is low.

Every year more become classified as antique or collector cars. With so many antique cars on the market these days, it's getting harder and harder to keep track of market prices. Luckily there are a number of guidelines you can follow to come up with a fair price for a classic automobile.

Antique car prices are determined by a number of factors, but the most important one is supply and demand. The more popular a car is and the less of them that are on the road, the greater its market value. Forget about how much the car sold for originally. Forget about how much money has been put into restoring a car. None of that matters. How popular is the car and how many are there? That's the most important question of all to ask.

So how can you determine supply and demand? Where can you find a price list for antique cars? If you want to buy a used car, you can go to the Kelley Blue Book, the standard authority for used car prices in the country. Is there something similar for classic cars?

Fortunately there is. The Gold Book has been around for nearly 40 years, and similarly to Kelley's Blue Book, it is the defacto standard for antique and classic car prices. They not only monitor auctions all over the U.S. but also monitor private transactions between individuals – as long as they can be verified. They also have a web site where you can use there on-line search tool to find the sold prices for thousands of antique makes and models. This can give you a good baseline as to what others think the car is worth.

What is the condition of the car. This is not as much of a factor as supply and demand but it is nevertheless an important factor. First off, you can ignore the odometer readings. Many antique cars, especially those that have had significant restoration work done on them, have simply had their odometers rolled back to zero. Unless you're a mechanic yourself, bring one along to evaluate the physical condition of the car. Listen to the engine, check the wiring, inspect the engine mount and ignition systems, take it out for a test run. Any problems will normally cause the evaluation price to be adjusted downwards.

Has a celebrity owned the car? Celebrity ownership raises the price of everything. That the bid price of a piece of chewing gum spit out by Britney Spears reached $14,000, tells you what celebrity ownership can do to the price of a classic car. If you are buying a classic car from someone who claims it was owned by a celebrity, be sure to get some sort of document of authenticity – as there is no shortage of shysters willing to take your money.

And lastly, keep in mind that collecting antique cars usually turns into a lifetime hobby. You'll no doubt meet fellow collectors at future auctions and events that can give you further advice about not only valuating antique cars but also can help you find some really great deals.

Now this article will shed some light for those of you who aren't very familiar with these types of auctions, so you might want to pay close attention!

First up, a classic car auction is a great event to check out all of the different types and models of rare cars belonging to different eras. But since the classic car market is a fairly tight niche, cars are often sold at high prices, compared to other car auctions. And because of this, most classic cars are often not sold at all.

Don't let this deter you from bidding on one though. A classic car at an auction will probably cost you less the amount you'd have to pay to a private owner. Besides, not all cars are sold at exorbitant prices; once in a while, you do come across a great bargain you can take advantage of – you'll just have to keep your eyes open!

There aren't that many classic car auctions around though, so you want to do some research. A good idea would be to flip through popular magazines and other publications that cater to this niche. You could also do a search on major search engine such as Google and Yahoo. Here are some great websites you might want to check out:

* http://www.classic-auctions.com/

* http://www.classic-carauction.com/index.cfm

* http://www.coys.co.uk

There's a ton of other classic car auction websites, so have fun browsing around!

As mentioned before, this is a pretty small niche market, so you'll need to be armed with some 'insider' secrets if you want to dominate it. Now this doesn't mean you've got to be an 'expert,' but a good knowledge on classic car auctions will help in the long run. For instance, it's always better to know exactly what type and model you're looking to buy, because problems could arise between the seller and you if you were to return the car after paying for it.

For the budding car auction enthusiasts out there who're on the lookout for great deals… well, here's good news for you: you can find a limited selection of very rare cars for rock-bottom prices, if you don't mind spending a good amount of time hunting around!

Now here's a fair warning – once you do find the 'ultimate' classic car, be prepared to participate in a frenzied and often raucous bidding war. If you're absolutely delighted with it, there'll be plenty of other classic car auction fans who're likely to feel the same way as you do.

Finally, you need to keep in mind that some sellers out there can sell you cheap replicas of actual classic cars. The best way to avoid being ripped off, is to take along an experienced classic car auction buyer. That way, you'd feel much safer when handing over the cash in exchange for a classic car!

Most of the antique car enthusiasts group these cars in two distinct categories. Cars built and sold before World War II usually go into one group while the other cars are put into the second group. There are some marvelous antique Chevrolet cars available from each of these two groups. There are some beautiful antique Chevrolet cars from the 1920’s that are in mint condition and they are easy to drive.

Popular Antique Chevrolet Cars Include Roadsters And Corvettes

The glorious name Chevrolet is used on cars that are very different. There are antique Chevrolet cars that are sleek Corvettes and there are also pickup trucks. There are antique Chevrolet cars that are called “Roadster” and “Tourer”. The antique cars from Chevrolet are sought after by collectors from around the world. Some of these cars carry two passengers, but there are some classic station wagons as well. The antique Chevrolet cars come in many different colors, and some of these antiques cars are considered to be luxury cars because of their use and value when new.

Some of the antique cars are more valuable because only a few were made in that group at the time of manufacture. Some of these cars were very limited in number. The Chevrolet Imperial Landau was valuable and remains a very rare car because only about three hundred of these cars were made in the first place. Some of these antique cars are admired because they represent important advances in automobile engineering. Some antique Chevrolet cars are in important museums while others are used by their owners on a daily basis. An antique Chevrolet moving down a freeway or country road is usually a cheerful sight to see. Most people viewing these antique cars are most impressed.

The Classic Car Era

The American automobile industry actually really began around the year 1900, with the first fifty years or so being a very unruly time, also taking into consideration that these were the years of the Great Depression and two World Wars. This particular era is known better for being the Antique Car Era.

After this, as the American people began to recover from the Second World War, they started to embrace the role of consumer and the annual parade of fancy cars. It was for about ten years straight after this that bigger, better and more powerful cars started coming down the assembly line and being sold to the general public, and these years, the 1950s, are known as being the Vintage Car Era.

The Classic Car Era itself actually began in the early 1960s, a time which brought about various new concerns to the general public. By the mid-60s, muscle cars were incredibly popular and this included cars such as the Camaro, Firebird and Barracuda. However the American auto industry was knocked to its knees come the 1970s, with the Clean Air Act of 1970 which practically killed the use of high performance engines, and the oil embargo in the winter of 1973 which encouraged consumers to conserve as much gasoline as possible.

Finding Antique Car Blue Book Prices

There are quite a few different companies that you can go through to find antique car blue book prices, one in particular being MacRAE’s Blue Book, an online company that is known for being one of the world’s key sourcing tools for North American industrial products and which performs over 5 million searches monthly for their users.

The company offers incredibly powerful search features, where users are able to access information on over 500,000 North American industrial companies with more than 2 million product listings and new ones all the time.

They are a national organization that is known primarily for its accurate and helpful antique car blue book prices, and they offer regional sales representation throughout the United States.
The Kelley Blue Book site is another great option for finding antique car blue book prices, and they are a company quite similar to that previously mentioned. In the 10 years since their establishment, they have become a leader in their field.

How to Look for an Antique Car Trader

It is not so advisable to do business regarding vintage or antique cars in the internet. Considering that these automobiles can cost quite a lot of money, it is better to see the automobile first before you purchase it.

You can look for a reputable antique car trader in the web and then start your transaction from there. Initially, you should make sure that the trader is of good repute and has done business with someone you know. Preferably, that person whom you know should be satisfied with the transaction.

You can also search for an antique car trader in some antique car trader magazines. You can at least review their works in it and also be able to see recommendation by other people. You can also ask your other antique car aficionado friends if they know someone who knows someone who can recommend a good antique car trader. There are many traders around who try to pass themselves off as the best traders but they are all just interested in making a profit. Sometimes, it is the traders who ware passionate about their work that can produce the best antique cars restorations.

An antique car trader can also make profit from his antique cars but his restorations should also be well done and not shoddy. Most of the time, the antique car trader will have supervised the restoration of the car and may have first hand knowledge of what has been done to it. Intimate knowledge of the restoration could mean that he is concerned about the standard of the car and is also concerned regarding the perfection of the restoration.

Some antique car traders just slap together some parts and try to pas it off as a restoration. You should also have a general knowledge of antique cars so you will not be taken for a ride by the more unscrupulous antique card trader. Read up on the trade before venturing on your own to do business with traders.

The Internet will equip you with valuable details about unbiased car reviews and ratings, including price ratings, specifications and reasonable, yet honest, reviews, including photos of used cars.

Comparison shops furnish and maintain databases as well where they keep price listings for used cars with their respective merchandisers across the net.

Private Seller Listings: Great Deals for Real

Great deals may not always turn out great in some circumstances. Unwise selection and choice of car dealers could lead you to wasting your money.

In fact in 2004 alone, it was recorded that half of those who bought their own cars in the US have considered purchasing used cars rather than brand new ones. A great deal of the population is becoming more and more open to buying used cars due to their maintenance flexibility and overall cost.

This information should give you more reason to research on which car dealerships are offering the most sought after secondhand cars on the net.

While used cars are getting more popular today it is practical and wise to look for specs which includes conditioning requirements, vehicle history and real pricing report and comprehensive range of values for used cars and possible trade-ins and leasing.

Look for Reviews

A good car dealership offers accurate and honest advice and reviews for prospective car buyers. Reviews provide clients with information regarding the nature of the product and its relative condition.

Others even provide true-cost-to-own values in order to better prepare you for the cost of the transaction. Many even dispense alluring incentives and rebates for sale buyers and those who opt for deduction on certain payment methods for easy money transactions.

The majority of dealer networks across the internet provide search listings to better approximate your location and needs. Search listings would provide you a roster detailing the latest used car models on sale together with their descriptions, vehicle condition, history reports and cosmetic essentials and requirements.

Although most accept trade-ins, some assess additional charges for appraisal, and the value-assessment might fall lower than you expected. Used cars may range from $15,000 + to $30,000 + for a good one. Some would even drop below $20,000 but requires a considerable amount of reconditioning.