Page 15 - Wayne Carini's Guide to Affordable Classics

qualities make the car easier to clean. The same can be done on the interior with modern leather and plastic treatments. Before you throw away seat covers, consult an upholsterer about restuffing and respringing the seats. Older seat materials are typically very durable (and can be impossible or expensive to replace) and seats can be made to look like new just by being rebuilt.
Introduction
Finally, I highly recommend that everyone become an AAA member, preferably on a premier level with 200 miles of free towing. It’s so inexpensive and can be a huge help if you ever need roadside assistance.
Find your Story
People are always asking me what type of car to buy. Of course, a lot of that is driven by individual tastes, but I have a personal bias towards cars that no one else has. If you own something unique, someone will always want to talk to you about it and you’ll become more of a participant. I have nothing against, say, Camaros, but if you go to a typical car show, there will be many of those on display. But an AMC Gremlin or an MG Midget? You’ll probably have the only one there! Remember that in the end, owning a collectible car is a hobby. It’s not the end of the world if it doesn’t come together your first time out. We all make mistakes – I’ve certainly made many. But I’ve sucked it up, fixed the issues and learned from every one of those mistakes.
We hope that this book will be helpful to you in finding a great example of the cars we’ve put into our first edition. I’ve owned dozens of cars, and I’ve worked on hundreds, and I never get tired of learning about their engineering, their quirks and their foibles. Every car has a story and I wish you luck in finding yours.
Wayne Carini Portland, Connecticut April 2021
Wayne Carini  Affordable Classics  13