There’s something special about having your own car collection, but it’s something that’s usually associated with wealth and affluence. You don’t need to win the lottery to start your own car collection, though! Here are some tips to help you start your first car collection.
Why Do You Want to Collect Cars?
Before you start signing on the dotted line, it’s a good idea to figure out why you want to collect cars in the first place. Do you want to collect them because you just love cars? Maybe you outgrew your Hot Wheels collection or maybe you’re making an investment in your future. Whatever the case, figuring out why you want to collect cars in the first place can help you make the best decisions.
Figure Out What You Want to Collect
There are a lot of makes and models out there for you to choose from. You can easily spend your entire budget and then some without building a collection that you really love and are proud of. To start a small collection, choose one particular make or model to focus on, at least while you’re starting out. You’re not trying to create a collection that rivals Jay Leno’s — you’re just dipping your toes into the pool before you think about diving in head-first.
Have Somewhere Safe to Store Them
Don’t park your collection on your driveway or on the street. These cars are a target for thieves, and classic models don’t have the safety and security measures that modern ones do. Leaving your investment on the side of the road is asking someone to make off with your hard-earned collection.
Ensure that you have enough space in your garage, and double-check that it’s secure and in good repair, to keep your collection safe from anyone who would be eager to get their hands on your cars.
Stick to Your Budget
It’s far too easy to spend every single penny you earn on your car collection. Of course, if you do that, you’ll find yourself living out of one of your collectible cars before too long.
Instead of emptying your wallet, set yourself a strict budget and stick to it as closely as possible. If you’re patient, you can put together your dream collection without breaking the bank, but you can just as easily empty your entire bank account on lemons and rustbuckets if you’re not careful.
Look for Deals, but Do Your Research
Don’t buy cars for your collection as soon as they cross your path. For every gem, there are plenty of examples that will see you wasting your money. Even if you’re not driving them every day, the last thing you want to add to your collection is something that you’re going to have to sink even more money into for repairs and rebuilding.
You can find some great deals on classic cars, but you need to do your research first to make sure you’re actually getting your money’s worth.
Enjoy Building Your Collection
Unless you get really lucky and win the lottery, you generally won’t be building your car collection overnight. This isn’t a bad thing! Instead, enjoy adding each individual piece to your collection, one car at a time. There’s nothing like building a car collection from the ground up.