Buy a Classic Cadillac
For anyone who wants the stylish look of a vintage vehicle, knowing how to buy a classic Cadillac can be the starting point of a large or a small collection of classic vehicles. To begin your search, you will need to know what year Cadillac suits you, how much you want to pay and from how far away you are willing to purchase your vehicle.
Contents
Steps
- Familiarize yourself with the Cadillac brand before diving into a purchase.
- Know that Cadillacs are the luxury vehicle line of General Motors. They introduced fully enclosed cabs in 1908 and an electrical system in 1912.
- Cadillac developed and introduced the V-8, V-16 and V-12 engines.
- Learn that models with shatter-resistant glass began in 1926, tailfins were incorporated into the design in 1948, heater/air conditioner units came along in 1964, and driver airbags started rolling out from Cadillac in 1974.
- Browse the timeline and photos at http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm to get an idea what style of Cadillac you have in mind.
- Start your search of classic Cadillacs locally.
- Check the classified section starting with the personal ads and then move to the dealership advertisements.
- Because most dealers primarily put their newest stock in their print ads, visit the local dealer websites and run a search online of their Cadillac inventory.
- Grab a copy of a regional car trader magazine when considering purchasing a classic Cadillac. You can generally find them at the gas station or convenience store in racks by the door.
- Expand your search to the web.
- Run a search at AutoTraderClassics.com. Try to plug in as many fields as you can to help narrow down your search including the year you are seeking, how far you'd be willing to purchase from, as well as the price you would be willing to pay for the Cadillac.
- Try the vehicle search engine FossilCars.com. Search either by make or use "Cadillac" as a key word search.
- Check OldRide.com's Cadillac listings at http://www.oldride.com/classic_cars/cadillac.html.
- Slim down your selections to one or just a handful.
- Consult the Kelley Blue Book to assign a valuation to the Cadillac(s) that you are looking at. Based on the condition of the vehicle and what the Kelley Blue Book says, you should be in good shape to run the figures on what you should make as your starting offer on a vehicle.
- Contact the seller and iron out the pricing expectations.
- Work with the seller on how you plan to gain access to the vehicle. Determine if he or she will be shipping or delivering it, or if you have to make arrangements to be driven to their location, or fly out and drive home.
- Settle on how the payment will take place, and complete the transaction for your classic Cadillac.
- Finished.
Tips
- Speak with your insurance agent about how adding this vehicle to your household will affect your automobile insurance payments. Discuss with him or her whose coverage the vehicle falls under while it is in transit.
