Reasons to never buy a vintage car

I have advised Rachel to have me sectioned if I ever invest in an ancient vehicle. There must be a zillion reasons why you should never buy a vintage car, especially if it needs some restoration.

Yes that’s me in the back seat of the gleaming black car in our driveway.  I am told it is a Rover car from the late 1940s and has an original 6 cylinder engine.  I understand this kind of car would have been owned by a “professional gentleman” such as a solicitor or a Doctor.  It looked truly magnificent and a lot cleaner than my car.  It looked just like the day it was made; every detail was perfect, even the tray of tools which is neatly hidden in the wooden dashboard is like new.

My friend took me for a little spin in the car; it was a lovely experience and even had that “old car smell” which I imagine is a mixture of leather seats and engine oil.  Compared to modern cars, the ride was a bit noisy and bumpy as it lurched about.  It was obvious that there were no power assisted brakes or steering.  And yet it had a certain charm.

Having said that, I would be absolutely mad to ever buy one.  Here’s just a few of the zillion reasons:

• it is a money pit, any vintage car would be.  You can be sure that if you estimate the running costs at £2,000 a year, it will be £20,000
• it is never finished, there is always one little extra job before perfection is reached.  You will get stressed and anxious about that tiny weeny detail which isn’t original or totally authentic
• the time taken to restore or maintain something like this is, well, who knows?  You can guarantee it will gobble up all your time when you need to source an obscure part which hasn’t been manufactured for the last 75 years
• apart from the time you will spend looking after it, you will be absorbed into all kinds of forums, clubs and shows.  You will never go on holiday
• it will test and strain the relationship you have with your other half
• you will become a real nerd as your knowledge of vintage parts and mechanical things increases and grows
• your pride and joy will hog the garage.  Your normal car will have to live outside along with your lawnmower

To cap it all, you will be too terrified to drive it in case something gets damaged, breaks, falls off or wears out.

And yet, surely there could be a rational side to this?  The joy of restoring a little piece of history?  An investment – maybe some cars appreciate in value far more than the pathetic rates begrudgingly given out by the banks these days?

Still, it was nice to have a ride in this beauty.  It did feel rather special and it’s good that there are some people who love these cars enough to restore and preserve them.  As lovely as it was, I would never buy a vintage car, unless my 15 year old Toyota counts.