Can Antique Cars Be Used for a Daily Commute?

For many owners of classic or antique cars, those cars are meant more for appreciation than actual use. But there are some people who get a lot of driving use out of their classics, and even use them for their daily commutes.

Whether or not this is a good idea really depends on the kind of car you have, the condition it’s in, whether you’ve done any restoration or modding to the vehicle and the kind of comfort level you have with driving it day in and day out. With this in mind, here is some information from a mechanic in Minneapolis, MN about the kinds of issues you can expect to come up if you do decide to use an antique or classic car for your everyday commute.

Expect a lot of attention

This probably is a little obvious when talking about antique and classic cars, but you’re going to get a lot of attention from other people if you drive it around on an everyday basis. This attention might come in the form of a simple thumbs up or a stare, or you might have people who see you entering or exiting your car ask you questions about the vehicle itself.

You need to be sure that you’re comfortable with this attention before you decide to drive around in a classic vehicle, because it’s going to happen. People don’t frequently see decades-old vehicles out in use on the road, or even at all. Many people will get excited, some will get nostalgic and others are simply curious to know more about the vehicle and why you’re driving it around.

Get used to finding parts

In most cases, you can’t just go to your local auto parts store and find exactly what you need for a vehicle that was manufactured during the Kennedy administration. However, the rise of the internet and ecommerce has been a great thing for car collectors. No longer do you have to find an independent parts store that carries what you need for classic cars, which is a prospect that is not always available in every community. Instead, you can find exactly what you need online and have it shipped to you.

Therefore, you should get accustomed to browsing particular websites, get to know the prices of the various parts you’re most likely to need and, if possible, build a relationship with a vendor who will be able to make recommendations to you based on the make and model of your vehicle.

Don’t expect complete comfort

Unless you’ve made a lot of modifications to your vehicle, there are going to be some uncomfortable aspects of driving the vehicle around. While today’s vehicles might not be as aesthetically interesting as those built decades ago, they have the benefit of decades of advances in comfort, safety and engineering. You’re not going to get that out of a classic vehicle that hasn’t gone through some big-time modifications.

For more information about driving classic cars for your commute, contact a mechanic in Minneapolis, MN at Quality Coaches, Inc.

Categorised in: Mechanic

This post was written by Sharon Morgan