Winter is officially here. And the conventional wisdom for most vintage car connoisseurs is to put a tarp over your baby and hide it in the garage until the Groundhog sees his shadow. No one wants to rack up an excessive vintage car repair bill, after all. But more and more classic car buffs are finding they just can’t control themselves. Sure, that refurbished car is a piece of history and it needs special care. But does that mean you can’t have any fun this winter?
More Enthusiasts Choose Not to Fully Garage Hibernate
Newsday had a great piece on this back in 2013. Steve Lindin argues: “The truth is that most of us do not own ‘concours quality’ collector cars, which most would agree should not be driven in inclement weather, if driven at all. We own ‘driver quality’ cars. Some nicer than others. These cars are not afraid of the cold and they can be cleaned if they get dirty. So why don’t we use them year round?”
Let Your Vintage Auto Out In Winter, But With Some Caveats
The last thing that we would ever suggest is to take a vintage car out when there are flakes in the air and salty road slush on the ground. Salt destroys your car no matter it’s age—any car mechanic will tell you that the classic cars in the best shape probably spent most of their lives in a place like sunny southern California where it doesn’t snow. No road salt means a whole lot less rust for your auto repair shop to take care of. But every winter, there’s always a few days of fantastic weather—clear sunny days without a snowflake or cloud in the sky. These cars were designed to be driven in all weather, so don’t let a month on a calendar deprive you of the enjoyment of a vintage V8 as long as the weather is fine. Don’t be afraid to take your vintage car on the road. If you only take her out on fair weather days, you won’t do anything that will increase what you would normally spend on vintage car repair.
The most important thing is to be smart about it. If there are still salt-laced puddles on the road, it’s not to the day to take your classic car out. But if it’s dry and sunny, the world is your oyster. Stick to beautiful days and you should be fine.
