Few things are more rewarding and satisfying for car lovers than taking a vintage vehicle onto the open road and driving for hours. If you’re taking your classic car on a road trip soon, we have some tips to make the journey safe and more enjoyable.
Ensure Its Condition
Before you embark on your journey with your prized vintage vehicle, you want to ensure it’s up to the task. If you’ve only driven the classic sparingly up to this point, and this will be its first long-distance trip, you should carefully inspect all aspects of the car to ensure its condition.
Even if you’ve taken a road trip with the car before, old cars are much more likely to wear down and break faster, so it’s crucial that you give your vehicle a thorough inspection inside and out. Getting a full-body tune-up with an oil and air filter change is wise. Check the fluid in the brakes and cooling systems, especially if you’ll be traveling through hot weather.
Protect the Exterior
After ensuring that everything inside the vehicle is running properly and ready for the trip, you should also protect the exterior. A long-distance road trip can be brutal on the sensitive exterior of a classic car, exposing it to dust, sun, and bugs.
To protect your classic car from sun damage, you’ll want to give it a thorough wash and a coat of wax protectant. If you’ve just spent a lot of money on a new paint job and want to ensure it doesn’t fade or stain, you may want to consider a paint protection film, which adds more layers and better shields your vehicle from the elements.
Plan the Route
Another tip for taking a classic car on a road trip is to focus more on the journey than the destination. If your trip doesn’t have many time constraints and you can stand to take your time, plan a route that emphasizes the scenery and beauty of the landscapes on your trip.
Instead of staying on the interstate highway the entire time, consider some backroads that take you through smaller towns on slower roads with better views. Plus, the slower backroads are easier on your vehicle than the highways, so it’s a win-win for the driver and classic car.
Don’t Push It
If you must mostly take the highways for your trip or even if you’ve restricted yourself to surface roads, you don’t want to push your classic too hard. Especially if this is the first time the vehicle’s been driven at length in years (or decades), you don’t want to push it to its limit.
Consider going a little slower than you normally would, and keep an eye on your dashboard for any signs of problems with the car, like overheating. Take frequent breaks for yourself and your car to ensure you reach your destination safely.
