One of the main things I had to keep in mind when looking for a family cruiser was that it had to fit within our budget. Well... the budget that I had in MY mind because we really did not have a budget for a classic car, haha. It was an impulse buy! And when you BUY a classic car, what is bound to happen sooner or later to personalize or customize or repair that classic car? You're gonna need PARTS!
Your options for parts are to buy either brand new or reproduction OR to buy NOS or good used as I do since we live on a budget. I have bought new parts but REALLY like buying period correct, authentic, NOS parts or good used parts. The internet makes it very handy to find these parts but isn't very fun AND DOESN'T allow for the interaction with FELLOW car hobbyists. So what it the coolest and most enjoyable way to find and buy these parts? SWAP MEETS! My wife is from south GA and I am from southern CA. She grew up going to flea markets and I grew up going to swap meets, lol. I guess the terminology is a regional thing?
Hagerty.com recently had an article titled Five of the Best Classic Car Swap Meets which inspired this blog, OF COURSE. I feel fortunate to have been to two on the list - Hershey and Pomona. Myself, dad, brother, uncle, cousin took a trip to Hershey a couple years ago for the first time. If you've never been but do want to go, PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE! We had a blast but it was a SERIOUS marathon! I didn't even make it the whole day because my feet hurt SO bad. The annoying off and on ALL DAY drizzle didn't help anything either! The other thing that was evident with Hershey was that it was geared more toward much older stuff. We definitely plan on going back though. Also, next time we will probably bring the girls because there is plenty other stuff around Hershey they can do. Last time I went to Pomona was before I could drive, ha!. I do remember it being large and HAD plenty of cool stuff. On one of our Pomona trips, my dad's dreams were dashed when he tried to sit in his dream car - a '58 Corvette. Since that day, he has never talked about that car again. He would've only found that at Pomona too cause he'd probably continue to dream about it and never actually pursue one on his own. LOL
Your options for parts are to buy either brand new or reproduction OR to buy NOS or good used as I do since we live on a budget. I have bought new parts but REALLY like buying period correct, authentic, NOS parts or good used parts. The internet makes it very handy to find these parts but isn't very fun AND DOESN'T allow for the interaction with FELLOW car hobbyists. So what it the coolest and most enjoyable way to find and buy these parts? SWAP MEETS! My wife is from south GA and I am from southern CA. She grew up going to flea markets and I grew up going to swap meets, lol. I guess the terminology is a regional thing?
Hagerty.com recently had an article titled Five of the Best Classic Car Swap Meets which inspired this blog, OF COURSE. I feel fortunate to have been to two on the list - Hershey and Pomona. Myself, dad, brother, uncle, cousin took a trip to Hershey a couple years ago for the first time. If you've never been but do want to go, PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE! We had a blast but it was a SERIOUS marathon! I didn't even make it the whole day because my feet hurt SO bad. The annoying off and on ALL DAY drizzle didn't help anything either! The other thing that was evident with Hershey was that it was geared more toward much older stuff. We definitely plan on going back though. Also, next time we will probably bring the girls because there is plenty other stuff around Hershey they can do. Last time I went to Pomona was before I could drive, ha!. I do remember it being large and HAD plenty of cool stuff. On one of our Pomona trips, my dad's dreams were dashed when he tried to sit in his dream car - a '58 Corvette. Since that day, he has never talked about that car again. He would've only found that at Pomona too cause he'd probably continue to dream about it and never actually pursue one on his own. LOL
Being on the east coast, the swap meet we've been going to the last several years is the Charlotte Autofair. The good thing about it too is that there's a spring AND fall event. Unfortunately, it also is on the same weekends as some pretty cool other car events in the southeast. The Autofair also has a huge car show, auction and other stuff going on during those weekends, but I ONLY go for the swap meet. It's an absolute blast! Earlier this year I scored some spider caps and fender skirts for my Impala.
I'd be really interested to learn about other swap meets around the country but more specifically in the SEC. If you read this blog and know of swap meets you like or know of in your area, let me know in the comments section below and I'll check them out and put them on my calendar!
RSS Feed
