Classic Car Blue Book

Owning an old car or a classic vehicle is a hobby for many, but in the same time you should be aware that these cars request special attention. Classic cars involve high budgets for maintenance purposes, expensive insurance and, some, expensive restoration processes. But after all your efforts, be sure that the car will be worth more than you think, so before making any hasty decision you should determine how much your classic vehicle is worth. The best source of classic car prices is the classic car blue book which is used by most of the companies specialized in classic cars.

By definition, the classic car blue book is a compilation of statistics, information about classic car values and market prices which targets the people interested in finding more about the classic cars they own or they want to invest in. You can find this classic car blue book on the Internet or you can buy it from different book stores.

The only thing you should check about the classic car blue book you decide to buy is the date when it was published, because in order to be provided with accurate information, you need to buy a blue book that has recently appeared on the market. Otherwise, the prices published inside its pages won’t be of much help. As you know, the value of a classic car increases in time due to its rarity and demand. Classic cars are divided into categories depending on the historical period when they were manufactured. From this point of view, there are four categories: the brass car category, the antique car category, the vintage car category and the classic car category.

During the brass car era, all the vehicles used chassis made of wood, a shinny brass trim and steam engines. The vehicles manufactured in the Antique car era are those powered by gasoline engines, but with no safety measures. After World War I the vintage cars appeared. Between the 1940s and the 1950s the car production increased and started to offer more quality vehicles. The Classic Car era began after World War II and includes cars manufactured between 1960 and 1972. This is the era of many cars manufactured in the USA and in the UK. Some examples of brands would be Ford, Chrysler, Austin Martin, MG or Corvair. The American vehicles were equipped with powerful engines and that’s why, nowadays, we can admire a lot of American muscle cars from the 1960s equipped with V8 engines such as the Ford Mustang, the Barracuda, the Camaro and the Firebird.

The most important and trusted sources of classic car values are the Manheim Gold Book, the Kelley Blue Book, NADA and Kruse International. The Manheim Gold Book is famous for its evaluation levels which you can find on their website by accessing the Price Guide section. By selecting the year and the model of your car you will quickly find out the value of your classic beauty.

The Kelley Blue Book has two different publications available on the market: one for the cars manufactured between 1987 and 2000 and a second one which refers to models built between 1946 and 1986. The price for either of these publications is of $60.  Kruse International is another source of classic car values. You can get their opinion by email or by using their site. The only thing you will need to do is send them a photo of the car and pay $99.95. For the money you will receive an authorized valuation certificate which is very important if you want to sell the car.

Post tags: Tags: automotive articles, Classic Car Blue Book