I have seen it all when it comes to claims owners make on their classic car. Sometimes they are erroneous claims that could be considered honest mistakes. Other times, a more nefarious plot is underway. As a prospective buyer it really pays to do the due diligence and verify each claim a seller makes about their car. Here are some of the claims I have heard over the years… along with the reality behind each claim.
CLAIM: “The car is completely original.”
REALITY: They didn’t know it had had a colour change, electronic ignition, later wheels from the same model etc. Their father’s mechanic always changed the components to modern ones when he serviced the car. Luckily their father kept all the original components in boxes in the garage. Even the original rear axle. This made a huge difference when it came to selling it.
CLAIM: “One owner since new”
REALITY: Their father never mentioned he bought it when it was 1yr old, it had always felt like new to the kids.
CLAIM: “The mileage is original”
REALITY: Their father never mentioned the broken speedometer cable that went unfixed for a couple of years, twenty years ago.
CLAIM: “Original paint”
REALITY: Many people can’t see that their car may have more than one colour paint or don’t notice the overspray on the lock mechanisms.
CLAIM: “Never winter driven”
REALITY: Their father drove the car to work all year round for the first three years before it was stored every winter.
CLAIM: “1956 Thunderbird with only 2500 miles on it”
REALITY: The car was originally raced by a Ford dealer in Florida. It was then disassembled and put in boxes. Later it was restored to better than new, the owner at this point had the mileage set to 1956, the year he got his license. Original mileage unknown!
As you can see, there are different ways that a classic car can turn out to have a story that is quite different than what is originally reported. Take your time to find out the verifiable facts when purchasing – or hire a professional to conduct a professional pre-purchase inspection. It can save you a fortune.
Stay tuned for Part 2.
LIPSTICK ON A PIG
Avoiding Life’s Lemons
Lipstick on a Pig features excerpts from the vast library of Maurice Bramhall’s experiences.
When you advertise on Kijiji or similar sites, one expects occasional bad mannered responses — this is a mild one. 
One of the biggest myths in the classic car world is that “rare cars are valuable.”
A number of years ago I received a call about a Rolls-Royce Phantom V advertised on my website. A Phantom V is the model that HRH The Queen used for years for public parades. In her case it often had a glass roof for better visibility, this one was a normal limousine. They wanted to buy it for their father-in-law. A price was finalized and the car was delivered. My salesman went to get the cheque from the intended user, it turned out he was 92 yrs old and wanted it so he could sit in the rear and have his breakfast served in it. He had previously had one but had sold it to the Middle East and regretted it.
It was 1991 and had just spent 6 years in the restoration business restoring the most beautiful classics in the Toronto area. I was driving along North Queen by the auto wreckers when I saw a white MGB parked against their fence. I stopped and checked it out. The first thing I noticed was how straight the panels were and no corrosion. I had a friend in the trade who did engine swaps for them. He arranged to borrow the car for a pre-purchase inspection 
Just after I bought the car and I was driving it downtown Toronto, someone approached me on the street to ask me if I wanted to buy their recently wrecked car. I think I paid $500 for it and I placed it with my mechanic and we split the income from selling parts and he took the engine for a project he was working on. The car turned out to be very reliable. 
