You’ve always admired the classic car owned by your granddad or your great aunt or your neighbour. They’ve sadly passed away, but you’ve received the pleasant surprise that they’ve left you the classic car you once complimented. But what do you do next? You’ve never owned a classic car (maybe you’ve never owned a car, full stop), and you didn’t ever think you would. Now you have one, you need to know how to care for it and perhaps decide what to do with it. Before you panic, take a look at these tips for what to do if you’ve inherited a classic car.
Make Sure It’s Insured
Before you do anything else, you’ll need to make sure that the car is insured. The existing insurance policy will no longer be valid after the death of the owner, which means the vehicle can’t be kept on a public road in the meantime. Don’t worry about insuring a classic car – it’s often cheaper than a standard policy. This is because insurers recognise that classic cars often have lower speeds and simpler mechanics, plus they tend to view classic car owners as people who care for their vehicles. Look for a special classic car policy to cover your new car.
Decide Whether to Keep It
If you’ve unexpectedly inherited a classic car, there might be a question of whether you want to keep it. You might be interested in the idea, but perhaps you’re not sure about what owning a classic car involves. Before you decide whether you want to keep the car, think about whether you have somewhere safe to store it, and whether you’re capable of caring for it. Owning a classic car isn’t for everyone, but it can bring you great joy. On the subject of ownership, you will need to make sure the DVLA knows that the previous owner has died and register yourself as the owner.
Learn to Drive It
Hopefully, you already know how to drive if you’ve inherited a car. However, that’s not necessarily going to be the case. If you’ve found yourself in possession of a car without a driver’s license, you need to learn to drive it if you want to keep it. Arrange driving lessons for yourself as soon as you can so that you can work towards getting your license. In the meantime, you can own a car without having a driver’s license, but you may have trouble insuring it. Someone else might need to help you out until you pass your test.
Get to Know the Car
Of course, as well as generally knowing how to drive a car, you will also want to be familiar with your classic car. Not only do you want to know how to handle it well, but maintaining it is important too. If you’re not sure where to start, consider seeking out a club for owners of the particular model that you own. You can also find plenty of advice online to get you started.
Inheriting a classic car can be exciting, but there are a few things that you might need to sort out. Make sure you get any paperwork in order if you want to be sure that it legally belongs to you and is ready for the road.
This is a Take to the Road Collaborated Post