Frequently Asked Questions:
Old Town Automobile specializes in the cars of the past. We understand why you love them, because we love them too.
Maybe you had a Nova when you were young. Or maybe your Dad had a tough Camaro and you never got to drive it. Maybe you were resigned to driving duds and always wanted a cool car instead. We’ve been there.
We want to help you find that car you’ve always wanted. Muscle cars, Classic cars, Hot Rods, Street Rods, Roadsters, Tri-Five Chevys -we know them inside and out.
Can I see the car in person?
Definitely. We encourage it! The best way to know if its the right car for you is to see it for yourself.
Hours – For the foreseeable future, we are open by Appointment Only between the following hours:
Monday – Saturday 10am – 4pm
Sundays – CLOSED. Sorry, that’s family day
Most of the time, we’re just few miles away at our full service repair shop. If you’d like to come just give us a call at 301.855.9029 to line up an appointment.
Can I Take a Test Drive?
Please understand that a classic car dealership is not the same as a used car dealership. In addition to being valuable, older cars have quirks – and may operate differently than newer cars, or even other older cars. Certain cars are high performance, loaded with power and perhaps dangerous with a driver who is not skilled in higher performance vehicles.
If you are seriously interested in a car, we can take you out in the car to see how it runs and handles. Generally, however, we can’t allow the cars to be test driven.
Do You Take Deposits?
We generally do not hold cars. If the dealership owner agrees to hold a car, it is only with a commitment to buy and with a 10% non-refundable deposit. Even with a deposit, we will not hold a car for more than a week or two. Sorry – we’ve just been bitten far too many times.
Do You Consign Cars?
We do not consign cars. The State of Maryland does not allow dealers to consign cars. Beware of other “dealers” offering to “broker” a car. Some of them have never even seen the cars they are trying to sell. We own our cars. You buy them from us.
Do You Accept Trades?
Yes, we consider trades depending on the car. We generally only consider LOCAL TRADES, we don’t trade for motorcycles or newer model cars, unless the deal works for us. It’s just not our area of specialty. We don’t retail newer cars, so we just sell them directly to a wholesaler. Therefore, if we do consider a newer car for trade, the most we could offer in value toward a trade is wholesale value.
If you have an older car, feel free to e-mail us at sales@oldtownautomobile with a few photos and some information, including your contact information and the car in our inventory in which you’re interested.
Please know that we get a high volume of trade requests and we don’t have a large staff. If the dealership owner is interested in pursuing the trade, he will contact you within 48 hours. If you don’t hear from him and you would like to follow-up, just give us a call.
How Does Shipping Work?
You are welcome to use any shipper you like. For nearby destinations, we can take the car ourselves. For longer distance shipping, we can help you arrange shipping for your vehicle. We have a few shippers we’ve had experience with and generally trust. The cost of shipping is in addition to the price of the car and is usually due directly to the shipper upon arrival of the car. Please have cash or a certified check ready.
We usually recommend “enclosed” shipping for the safety of the vehicle. “Open” shipping is available too, but the customer must understand that the car is more vulnerable to dirt, scratches and even nicks that come with traveling on highways.
Cars should be picked up for shipping as soon as possible after purchase. We’re not trying to be difficult, but please don’t expect us to store a car for several weeks or months. If you’re arranging your own shipping and the car is not picked up in a timely manner, we will charge a storage fee.
We cannot be responsible for the car during shipping. Each shipper is licensed and bonded and is responsible for damage to cars during transit.
What Forms of Payment Do You Accept?
Payment in full is required before any car may leave the lot. We accept cash, certified checks from a bank, and bank wire transfers. Personal checks are not accepted.
We do not offer financing directly, but we will work with your lender to complete the financing process. We often work with JJ Best Banc & Co, which offers competitive rates for vintage cars. See our page on Financing for more info.
Do You Accept “Offers?”
Make a reasonable offer. Sometimes, we can do a little better on the price. Sometimes, we’re already priced at our bottom line. We do not inflate our pricing like some of our competitors. Fortunately, we don’t have as much overhead and as many of them do, so we’re able to keep our prices lower.
Do You Offer a Warranty?
We have many years of experience judging the quality of a car. We know what to look for – we know the warning signs of junk. If a car passes our initial inspection and we purchase it, we then complete a 40-point inspection of each car we buy. We try hard to ensure we know the cars strengths and any weaknesses and give you an honest overview of them.
Most of the cars we sell are between 30-80 years old. If you were 80 years old, you might have an occasional problem too. We cannot guarantee that something completely unexpected might go wrong after it leaves our lot. In addition, wiring or other components can jiggle loose during shipping long distances and, if you’ve chosen to ship the car “open” instead of “enclosed,” there can be dirt and chips in the paint.
We want you to be happy and satisfied with your car and we will do our best to ensure that happens. We cannot, however, offer a warranty on the cars we sell.
Can I Get the Car Inspected?
We encourage customers to see the car in person. If you’re within a few hours of the dealership, it’s worth the trip to see it first hand. If you can’t come in person, you may order a third-party inspector to come out and review the car.
Please let us know in advance that an inspector will be coming and which company the inspector is from. You aren’t likely to be happy that you spent several hundred dollars on an inspection when we just sold the car. The inspector should contact us in advance to make an appointment to come see the car. Please beware of online inspection companies. They use local contractors to fulfill their online orders and some are lacking in car knowledge. We had one recently from a Toyota dealership. There’s a world of difference between newer, foreign-made cars and older, American-made models.
Will You Hold the Car for Me?
We generally do not hold cars. If the dealership owner agrees to hold a car, it is only with a commitment to buy and with a 10% non-refundable deposit. Even with a deposit, we will not hold a car for more than a week or two. Sorry – we’ve just been bitten far too many times.
If you are driving a long distance to come out and see the car, call us ahead and let us know. We can often agree to hold the car during your travel time so your trip isn’t wasted.
What is the Mileage of the Car?
Unless the car has had a fresh restoration and a brand new engine, it can be hard to determine whether the mileage on an older car is accurate. Most cars have had multiple owners. Someone along the way could have altered the stated mileage. We cannot guarantee the mileage on any car.
Can I Make Changes to the Car?
Want a different set of tires on that Chevelle? How about A/C in a street rod? One of the benefits of having a full-service repair shop is that we can often make modifications to the car once you have purchased it. The cost of the work is in addition to the purchase price, unless the dealership owner has agreed in advance of the work to include it.
Will you Buy the Car Back?
We have many long-time customers who buy a car, enjoy it for years, and then come back for a new “toy.” Other customers have fallen on difficult times and need to sell the car to get their money back. We try our hardest to work with them. Sometimes the market has shifted and there isn’t as much interest in that particular car. Or, we happen to have a lot of that particular car already in stock. Though we can’t promise to buy back cars, we have worked with many customers to trade for another car or to recoup their investment.
