Chapter 12 - Maintaining Your New Classic Car

Once you have bought your dream car, you need to find a mechanic to keep it running properly. Many owners can do the simple things like change the oil, replace the brake pads, and do simple tune-ups, but when it comes to major work they need a reliable and trustworthy mechanic or garage. Major engine, transmission, or bodywork not only takes a lot of knowledge, but expensive tools and time are also involved.

Why is it important to find a mechanic or garage that knows a thing or two about old vehicles? The last American car to use a carburetor was in 1990 (the Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser and Buick Estate Wagon), so we are going onto 25+ years with no cars built with a carburetor. Most mechanic schools don't even teach about these, or spend very minimal time on them. Considering much of a technician's troubleshooting is now done by a computer, especially engine issues, you need to find someone who's worked on older cars. These cars aren't going to tell you what's wrong with them by plugging in a cable and looking at the display.

If you have bought the vehicle locally, ask the seller who the mechanic was previously. Not only will you be able to get a good recommendation from a trustworthy source, the mechanic or garage will have worked on the vehicle previously and should have records of previous work.

If you have bought the car from a classic car dealership, many of these places also have a repair shop. Again, they likely made repairs and did a major tune-up of the vehicle before going on the showroom floor, so they will have some knowledge of the vehicle. Some collectors claim these dealerships can charge higher prices much like standard car dealerships, so it's worth comparing and shopping around.

If you haven’t picked up the idea in this guide that you should connect with a local car club chapter for your vehicle, I’m mentioning it again. What better way is there than to find out who other local owners of your model use for a mechanic? Some of these owners may even do work on the side, potentially saving you some money, and having someone knows the model inside and out work on your vehicle. Use some caution though, as they will likely not be fully insured like a garage is.

Forums are also a great way to find a local mechanic, although it may be a little tougher to find someone in your local area. Make sure the forums you participate in are fairly large and active, otherwise you probably won’t get many answers. Even if someone can’t help you with a specific location, they may have tips for how to find the right mechanic for your model (i.e. what questions to ask a potential mechanic).

I know a few owners who have found a mechanic through Craigslist, although you really do need to be careful. The anonymity that Craigslist provides is great, but you should be prepared beforehand to know what questions to ask potential contacts. Many contacts will likely be individuals who may work at a repair shop, but are looking for some side work to do in their own garage. For many this is fine for a small job or if the car is not worth a lot of money, but beware these individuals will not be insured. If your vehicle is worth a lot of money, it may be best to just go to a certified garage. Your own insurance will likely cover theft or damage due to fire at the shop, but beyond that it may be harder to get a claim approved.

If you are interested in looking into a local shop further, or have been suggested to check one out, there are a few signs to look for when driving by. Cars that have been sitting out in the lot for weeks at a time that are in some state of repair is a big red flag. Make sure that vehicles are always being worked on and there is good turnover. There’s likely a reason why a service shop is not being used much, don’t find out for yourself the hard way.

Once you know a service shop you want to try (that hasn’t been suggested to you by an actual customer), finding reviews of it online is a good idea. Angieslist.com is a great website for unbiased reviews. There is a fee to use it, but you can get a monthly subscription for the price of a cup of coffee, and you can also use it for other projects for your home, lawn, and even physicians and hospitals. Angieslist is great because they claim to have unbiased reviews since it is a paid site. The problem with most free review sites are that they are spammed with fake reviews.