Classic Car Rentals

It’s that time of year again; proms, weddings, anniversaries, and people are looking to rent a classic car for their special event.

To be blunt: unless you have a family member or close friend with the classic car, you probably will not find one for your special event.

Here’s why:

1. Insurance. The vast majority of classic and antique cars are insured as pleasure vehicles and the policies specifically state that they can not be hired out. If anything should happen to you or the car, chances are it won’t be covered by insurance and the car owner would then be personally liable.
   
2. The risk of damage by kids, well-wishers, and anyone with a camera, purse, cell phone, or anything else protruding. These cars are valuable. In some cases, the paint jobs alone can be worth tens of thousands of dollars. At car shows, most people know enough not to touch the cars, but at weddings and proms, you run the risk of sticky-fingered kids, purses with sharp buckles, and other items coming in contact with your paint. I know of one guy who offered to chauffeur for a wedding and made the mistake of leaving the car alone for 20 minutes while he attended to other things. He returned to find people taping signs to his car and sprinkling confetti inside. It was not a pretty scene and no one walked away smiling.
3. No, you cannot drive my car. An antique car has become what it is today because it has either been meticulously maintained or lovingly restored. In order to ensure that the car stays in that condition, it is typically only driven by the owner and in the rare case, a close friend who understands the value of the car. If you think anyone is going to lend you that car, don’t get your hopes up too high. As for chauffeuring you around, remember the risk of damage, the fact that they’re taking time out of their day for you, and that should anything happen to you or their car, it probably won’t be covered by insurance.
4. Time. To get a car ready for an event means washing, waxing, detailing, polishing, vacuuming, dusting, cleaning the windows, scrubbing the tires and then getting yourself ready by showering, shaving, polishing the shoes, getting the suit pressed and essentially doing everything that you’re doing to get ready. There is an expectation for the car and driver to look good for your day and it takes a lot of time to get ready for that special moment.
5. Parades. Most proms today mean sitting in traffic lineups that could take 45 minutes or more to get through. Cooling systems have improved dramatically over the past 40-80 years and these cars weren’t designed to handle the stresses that idling for extended periods of time can put on them. No classic car owner enjoys seeing their car overheat, boil over, or get so hot that if they shut it off it won’t start again.
6. Weather. The majority of classic cars are fair-weather cars and do not see inclement weather. What might be “just a little rain” to you, means hours of work for the owner to get rid of the muck and dirt that has just gotten splashed on to the chrome, paint, and trim of their car.
   
7. And last but not least, the number of requests are overwhelming. I live in a fairly small city, but I would not be exaggerating to say that I get upwards of 15-20 requests before the end of May. I try to politely decline the requests, but some people just don’t handle rejection very well.
   

If you should be lucky enough to find someone willing to chauffeur you in their car on your special day, remember to reward them for their kindness. They cannot legally ask for payment because that would put them in the same category as a taxi and void any potential insurance claim that may arise. So how much would be enough? Well, for starters, you’ve just saved the cost of a limousine and they have probably spent many hours over several days to get themselves and their cars ready for you. On top of that, they may have left work early or taken the day off to get prepared and they are giving up their free time for your event. Add the value of all of those things together and you’ll have an idea.

Need just a little more help in coming up with the number? I did find one business in the U.S. that does rent classics. Their rates start in the $3-500 range and go up from there.