Daily Driving a Classic Car: What to Know (2024)

FAQs

Daily Driving a Classic Car: What to Know? ›

Replace any component that's not working correctly before you daily drive your classic car. Install high-quality headlights, brakes, and tires. Pay attention to the oil level and consistency since older cars go through it quickly. Keep the tires properly inflated and inspect them often.

Classic cars generally are not equipped with anti-lock brakes, stability control, and other accident-avoidance features. They may not handle as well as modern vehicles and generally require more distance to stop.

You should drive your classic at least once a month so the tires, belts, and other components don't wear out from lack of use. And besides, you bought the car to have fun with it, so taking it for a spin every now and then is a good thing.

No. Any car used for regular errands and commutes requires a standard auto insurance policy. Classic auto insurance excludes daily driving and typically limits where or how much you can drive the car.

Classic Car Maintenance Check

Several things will determine a car's safety- the year, the mileage, and the past upkeep of the vehicle. When changing your classic into a daily driver, you'll need to do a full maintenance check, including replacing or restoring some vital parts: Change oil, plugs & all filters.

Cost: Classic cars may cost more than modern vehicles, and you'll likely drive it less due to its age. Repairs and parts: Because they're old, classic cars may need to be inspected and repaired more often. If your classic is particularly rare, you might have difficulty finding the parts you need.

In general, though, cars with more than 100,000 miles on them are typically considered high mileage.

At a minimum, any vehicle should start and run 30 miles once a month if it's a “driver” (a vehicle you'd drive anywhere at any time). You'll want to do this for several reasons: Your battery and charging system will stay in shape.

The most significant con is the maintenance of classic cars. The cost of maintaining an old-timer, including insurance and maintenance, can be up to 20 percent of the classic car's value. Spare parts or even simple consumables may be really difficult to buy in auto parts stores, so you have to 'hunt' for them.

Be careful about the investment.

Making money on classic cars can be very difficult. Buying something simply because you think it's a good investment can be risky. The collectible car market is very volatile. Experienced dealers will tell you that a collectible car is only worth as much as someone will pay for it.

Why is Hagerty so cheap? ›

Why is Hagerty Insurance so cheap? Hagerty offers a low-priced auto insurance policy for collectors' cars, which are rarely on the road. The company has guaranteed replacement value and annual premiums that you can afford because of their flexible usage options to best suit your needs as an owner.

Hagerty is one of the top auto insurance carriers for classic and historic vehicles, so it places strict limitations on how coverage can be used. Insured classic cars cannot be used for daily driving. However, Hagerty auto insurance places no mileage limitations on occasional pleasure driving.

Classic cars also have a high end when it comes to age: Generally no older than 40 years. As before, these vehicles should be largely unmodified.

It's easy to think that driving any vintage car over long distances will be hard, or dangerous, or the car won't make it. Just because they are old, however, doesn't mean they won't survive a long journey. After all, back in their day thousands of people used these cars to road trip every year.

Engine swaps are often possible. They're extremely difficult in many cases. The easy cases are ones where that engine was installed in that body by the original manufacturer, so you have to copy a different model of the same car. It's still not easy, as many subtle things might change between the models.

Maintenance of Classic Cars

Because classic cars are a lot simpler, they are low maintenance. It is easier for the owner of a classic car to fix and service their own car, rather than having a modern car that will need to be sent into the shop at a higher price for labor and parts.

The most significant con is the maintenance of classic cars. The cost of maintaining an old-timer, including insurance and maintenance, can be up to 20 percent of the classic car's value. Spare parts or even simple consumables may be really difficult to buy in auto parts stores, so you have to 'hunt' for them.