Another tip to add is to bring a trusted friend that will tell you to walk away. A second trusting pair of eyes will catch things you may not.

You pay the stealership $25,000 and if you want to sell it you can only get $17,000 IF YOU'RE LUCKY.

This might be the best and most comprehensive video that I've seen for buying a classic car.

I went to Mecum auction. Up close 90% were crap. The diff between tv and in person is huge.

I like the guys who show up looking for a perfect car even though it priced as a driver and listed as a driver. Shit cracks me up.

As an old man working in a restoration shop in the bay area, the modification i can't stand is LED lights,  cars come into the shop with wires under and around everything, and anything under the cars, with stereo  speakers under the gas tank front end , but hey I'm an old man!

Buying a muscle car nowadays is a waste. All the good ones are gone. Barrett Jackson and all the guys wanting to turn a profit ruined it by overpricing them.

Another great video.   Wish he was near Los Angeles because I would go to his shop for work on a classic car, plus he is giving people really useful information.

Very good information, thank you. 3 other items to pay attention to, don't look at the car/truck/motor cycle at night and if they are parked on a lawn find pavement (soiled) ground to here the motor/drivetrain. Lawns will act as a muffler to engine noise and use a rag or paper towel to drape over the tail pipe(s) if the towel or rag looks like it is being sucked in, the valve train may have some negative issues.

Another thing that I do that will work for others as well is what I call the three time look over.  The first time you see a car you see only the fantasy of the vehicle, or the rose coloured glasses are going full power.  After that first look over you should go back a second time because this time you start to see the little imperfections that your excitement missed the first time.  The things that will stand out to you and that you will think that isn't too bad or I can deal with that.  Then you need to go back for the third check over and if the excitement and the appearance of the vehicle still holds up then you should consider purchasing it, but if it looks really bad to you and you see all the expensive to repair flaws or you think what a POS, then you need to either except that you will spend a lot of money to make it right or just walk away.  This has worked for me many times and remember that there are many other cars for sale and the one in front of you isn't the last car on the planet!

You’re absolutely correct, folks get excited looking at a car like a kid on Christmas Morning (I get it)…. BUT you can’t let your emotions overshadow your logic and reason. If it doesn’t feel right in your gut walk, there’s always going to be another car. Also do they have a qualified person who can work on it if they are not used to working on an old car. Lots of incorrect information out there. Great video, I am a Certified NYS inspector and lots of guys I’ve seen should have seen this video before they purchased.

How many of you remember buying muscle cars for anywhere from $800-$3000 in the late 80s? I bought a 69 roadrunner, 383 4spd for $2300, so much fun back then. I have a auto trader from the late 80s with so many muscle cars and cool classics for under $2000, those days are gone but they were a blast!

What to look for is completely dependent on the level of car you're looking to buy, I buy alot project/survivor cars so it's a completely different PPIL, I very very rarely buy a finished car and when I do it's for someone that's looking for something specific and don't want to wait for it to be done. I mostly sell running and driving project cars so the customer can finish it the way they want it, that's what most people are wanting now because buying a finished classic is above their price point.

I don’t have a classic car nor are currently in the market for a classic car. I just like this guy’s overall car knowledge. 🤓

Perfect analogy mentioning how we all try on shoes before we buy them, so why would we not do a thorough inspection on a car 🤣

Bring a magnet to check for excessive body filler, also when in the trunk check if the quarters have been either fully replaced or patched, check if they repair has been lap welded or butt welded, if lap welded skip it moisture eventually gets between the 2 panels and will bubble the paint.

Here are two simple questions to ask a seller when considering buying their car:

- with 100% being a concours-level car, how would you rate your car?
- what's it going to take to bring your car to 100%

It's important not to ask the seller over email or the phone - ask them when you're with the seller, and have looked the car over.

Try to watch them carefully when they answer - and look for obvious signs the seller is fibbing, such as stammering, restating the question, etc.  And if possible, watch which way their eyes move: to their left can mean they're thinking back while they're responding, whereas looking to their right could mean they're improvising their answer.

I know many of you cant build a car, not a jab. BVut you can at least crawl under , over , around and throughout "your" Prospective new car. This should be your attitude with the buyer....Uhm hey, im just gonna go thru everything now, pop the hood, trunk, open all the doors, everything and take a look. Get under it  and all.   This is how i asses used Florida cars I buy. I get UNDER them and look front back and both sides underneath. Then I pop the hood and look at the strut bolts and see if they are rusty.  This gives me a feel for the overall car itself.  Any leaks, or smashed dented or broken parts are right there to see.  Next I pull the engine cover, check all the fluids, smell the trans and oil . Then I start it and lean over the engine as it warms, listening to her speak. When she calms down and starts to tighten up you can hear all the little sounds that she says. lifters, rods, belts, pumps all that. anything ticking bad or worse knocking subtly? Nope ? alright! Test drive!
Ill leave that to you. But my advice is either be aggressive, or take it up onto the interstate, and hammer it a bit on the merge when its kosher. Then run it ten miles and get a feel. Best wishes!

if  you can do a cold start , also shut it off when its warm ,  and restart  it ,and move it from where it was parked look for fresh drips

Fire, flood, bent frame, bondo, odometer not matching miles, lien. So many things to be watching for.