Classic Car Buying Red Flags- Evaluating Cars Via Video

We look at two similar cars from the same dealer and show the good, the bad, and the why.

[classicreaction]

Back in the 70s there was this big legend that Van Halen used to go crazy if they found brown M&Ms in their dressing room. David Lee Roth explained in his book that it was buried deep inside their contract with every venue that there was to be no brown M&Ms in the backstage area. The reason was that he knew that if he walked in and found brown M&Ms, he instantly knew that the venue probably didn't read the contract, and probably did everything else shoddily as well, including electrical setup demands, sound, lighting, etc he would demand a complete double-check of the entire operation before taking the stage in front of thousands of people. Those spark plug wires are the brown M&Ms, man. 😂

[aaronmedley]

I actually work for the company that he pulled this video from. Buyers be very thorough when buying a classic! The vast a majority of the classics I look at are just thrown together. It is so disgusting how many cars I get in and the carbs are not even adjusted properly, it is like the seller cannot be bothered to adjust their idle on their car before they sell it. Uncle Tony's Garage keep up the awesome work man, I see a lot of uneducated buyers picking up classics for all the wrong reasons without the know how on keeping them road worthy. Same for shops, I see a lot of these cars come from a "professional shop" and its just mickey moused together. Thanks Uncle Tony's Garage for educating the masses, knowledge in this sector seems to be dying out.

[davidprevost]

Uncle tony has went up over 30k subs since i subbed a couple weeks ago. And this is why great stuff as always uncle t.

[forddodge]

Uncle Tony is like the Grave yard cars show but for the everyday working man, I'm a fan of realistic car shows. And yours is as real as it gets

[kevinchaparro]

im 25 and im barley getting into classic cars/ muscle cars and everything that uncle tony has said in all his videos is just beyond awesome. im soaking up all the information and taking it and putting it to work. Thank you Uncle Tony!!!

[russeljones]

its like women, if they have fresh boltons and loads of makeup. its best to pass. You know they have a worn out undercarrage

[steveshroder]

goddamn. Tony it is a pleasure watching someone use their knowledge. Thank you for these videos.

[michaelcarroll]

Just like uncle Tony said about those flipper cars, "fuckery is afoot".

[zoso]

Honest car. Love that description. That's exactly what you look for. I'm lucky with my 1971 Mustang hunting, the hot rodders and chintzy types tend to slap all the spoilers and stripes. The minute I see the chrome trim along the bottom quarter of a 71 mach 1, I move on if someone has started slapping all the extra stuff on the car and the hockey stripes and that chrome trim are there - NEXT. (A 1971 Mach 1, had lower chrome trim the length of the car if WASN'T a factory stripe car. Factory stripe cars had the trim deleted). The engine is exactly where you see the real deal. My Green 71 mach 1, the engine was almost 100% original. That's what made me fall over to buy it. I could fix the wheels, take the hood stripe off - but that beefy original M-Code Cleveland was unmolested and perfect. Still hate that I sold that car. UGH. One I want back. Anyhoo, with any 71 Mustang 5 seconds and I know if it's worthy or it's a flipper's darling. I don't want a flipper's darling. I want a real car, that's been really loved and maintained. That's why I have my 1985 Mustang GT. I bought from original owner AND have all the paperwork going back to day one. THAT's what I want. Honest as they come. Cheers Tony.

[vwx]

99% Of the population are not this detail oriented, like you and I are. This is a talent and skill that not many have.

[jessiebickel]

I've been using your videos to look at cars where I live and I think I've settled on a nice honest example of an IROC Camaro. It's been left stock, still has all its emissions systems, the weather stripping and t tops is cracking but isnt caulked or glued into place. The car seems honest and I love that you show people how to look for honest cars

[mattbauckman]

I love me an honest car. I often see distributors (street cars not drag cars) vacuum advance either disconnected or pointing the other way or both. I just shake my head. It’s a sign that someone hasn’t payed attention to the details. Details matter. Great video. Once again thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise with us Tony.

[trsmar]

Good advise especially for most people who are either new to the old car hobby or owned one 30 years ago and forgot many things...And for myself to assure myself I am not crazy ..


Again all those are fine if the car is priced cheap enough, heck rust is fine for the right price ! But not $22, 000 ! $8, 000 sure !


I love the stock look and hate aftermarket steering wheels and radiators ! I have mostly stock looking cars/engine bays some do have chrome valve covers but well I am a sucker for shiny things..Electrical wiring if I cant see it assume it needs to be rewired..Painted chrome and trim usually is done to save money and loaded with filler and painted..6 months from now it will crack, peel and look like hell, seen that !



Do you remember back in the mid to late 1980's guys would paint all trim flat black(on a nicely painted car), then up until the early 1990's a pastel side squiggly stripe.I have no idea how or why they thought that looked better than stock looking !! My buddy bought a 68 Sport Satellite painted like this lol..Pink, pastel blue and yellow side squiggly stripe and painted trim, flat black and pink omg !!! He bought it because it was a numbers correct rust free 383 4bbl, 4 speed 3.55 car that had stock original interior that was very nice and performed and drove really like new ..Yes, I repainted the car and we found nice original re chromed bumpers and trim he still owns it today, only changes when painted back then was a hood from '68 GTX.


The 2 piece rad hose is odd on a so called restored car..I can see if you're 3, 830 miles from home in the middle of nowhere and 6 toothless men are checking you out, then yes radiator hose cobble job is in order just to get the hell outta there !!!

[freewillfarms]

Purist na ...
We just like them unmolested .
Nothing like a barn find original but those are rare like chicken teeth .
Never buy unless in person period.

[jegesmedve]

If I were 40 years younger I would hope I could apprentice in your shop, sooo much I could learn!

[PureNathan]

I really appreciate that you're spreading good knowledge and awareness on old classics! Keep it up the good work👍

[immikeurnot]

Now, speaking as someone who was the lead tech at an independent used car dealer that specialized in "high end" autos...

If a car is being sold at a dealership and has any amount of recent work done to it, but especially if it has a LOT of fresh work... that work was all done as cheap and fast as possible. These places are mostly buying these cars with something called a floor plan. A floor plan is a loan that lets you buy a car to resell it. The first week or two, there's no interest. After that, the interest hits. The interest is tied to you selling the car; there was a lot of "quick, it's the last day - fax the bill of sale to the floor plan before they close!" at that place.

So, even aside from all the negative aspects of hanging on to inventory for longer than necessary like having good money sitting around doing nothing, effectively diminishing ROI, getting taxed on something you might not even technically own (in the US, come tax time state and/or local agencies like to tax businesses on everything on their property, including shit they don't even own - shop owners end up paying tax on MY tools - yell at your local politicians... for all the good it'll do), etc., having one of those Barracudas sitting in the shop getting spiffed up is rapidly going to eat into any potential profit from its sale. They need to get the work done fast so it can be sold fast. Hence the wiring being shit. Hence the distributor being stabbed wrong. Hence the PCV being capped and having two breathers without an oil fill.

I seriously recommend that people not buy from used car lots. I'd much rather find a private sale because I'm way less likely to get bent over.

[clemmahabir]

This style cuda brought back memories of my mopar buddy from high school. We we're just kids enjoying 15yr old classics at the time left over from the muscle car era and they were affordable. My friends Baracuda was I believe a 1967 blue formula S with black interior fold down rear seat 4spd and it was a fun car to be in. It was a fast car mostly factory when he bought off of a mechanic at an auto shop that he worked for and my friend eventually owned 3 Baracudas one convertible. I love my GM cars but my friend showed me the other side of classic cars mopar and being a car guy love all classic cars since American muscle is my favorite!!

[goldenaxl]

Alpha, great video. Excellent analysis, plain simple, concise, total absence of nonsense, purely factual. Loved it. Keep up the great work amigo.

[matthewmorrison]

I grew up at carshows. My dad made me learn how to see bondo and non original equipment on cars. He did it so I could learn to judge, but I’ve used it buying cars. Helping friends out. This video does a great job on what to look for. I might like zip ties and bias plys for his showmanship, but the pure information here is unbeatable! It really bridges rookies with experienced buyers.