Hi everyone, I'm planning to create a website for classic car enthusiasts, similar to barnfinds.com, where users can discover and discuss classic cars with emails updates regarding hidden gems. I like the idea of emailing a list of gems to everyone daily. I envision a community-driven platform with features like: Posting and discussing car finds Collaborative search help Direct assistance in finding specific cars I’d appreciate your feedback: What features would you want on such a site? What are your thoughts on a free or premium membership? Thanks for your insights!
First, define what a -classic- is. The Classic Car Club can help you with that. Heres a clue--classic cars are not traditional hotrods.
Barn finds, one of most missused terms in the auto hobby but down the list after Frigging "classic" It isn't a classic unless it is on the classic car registery, it is just an old car otherwise. It used to be every time I drove my truck somewhere and stopped some clown would tell me that next year his car would be a "classic" because it was going to be over 20 years old.
As manyolcars points out, "classic'' no longer means what it did in the auto hobby not too long ago. A classic car is a senior Packard, a Duesenberg, a 12 cylinder Lincoln .... A premium membership consists of being a HAMB member ...
I know a Classic when I see one …. But I’m positive when I read it in the rear quarter panel of a 1962 Rambler.
How about a website featuring the misuse of "classic" license plates. Are you more likely to hire a house painter with ladders on top of a POS station wagon with "classic" plates in your state?
One of my favorite cars of all time was my 1961 Rambler classic, there isn't too many cars I miss but I do miss that wonderful driving little car. It was most definitely a classic it said so right on it and 20 years after I owned the car this conversation still is fresh in my head like it was yesterday and you mentioning its name made me think of it. AutoZone employee: "What year make and model is the car" Me: "1961 Rambler classic or in your computer it might under AMC classic" AutoZone employee: "I know it's a classic but what model is it?" Me: "no that is the name of the car, it is a 1961 Rambler classic with a C" AutoZone employee: "Who made that?" Me: "Rambler or AMC" AutoZone employee: "the motorhome people? We don't sell too many motorhome parts?" Me "It's a car, fourth best selling car in the United States that year" AutoZone employee: "I've never heard of it" Me: "like I said it might be under AMC not to be confused with GMC" AutoZone employee: "oh there it is, I have never seen one, who made AMC?" Me: "AMC made AMC kind of like Ford makes Ford cars, AMC was the fourth largest auto manufacturer in the United States back then, in the '70s and '80s they owned Jeep, in the mid to late 1980s they got bought by Chrysler. I happen to have the car out front if you would like to come out and take a look at it" AutoZone employee looks very baffled but he decided that was enough of the conversation he then proceeded to sell me the wrong ignition points. I miss the car but that car helped me start buying stuff online.
On the note of a vintage car website. "I would make it a stock vehicle website" and you need to focus on a year range, a classic car could technically be considered anything from the 1990s especially if someone was born in the 1990s that to them is an old car, myself I would make that age of the classic vehicle allowed on the website a rolling age group meaning the vehicle must be at least 40 or 50 years old so as as an example in 2040 a 2000 model vehicle will be allowed in 2024 a 1984 vehicle will be allowed. You also probably need to classify it if it's all makes all models or just American vehicles. Probably need to make a mention if the vehicle needs to be predominantly stock or can it be modified and if it is modified to what extreme could it be modified I mean putting a pertronix in place of points is one thing putting an LS in place of a 500 cubic inch Cadillac is another thing. You also have to figure out how far somebody can modify the paint, should a paint have modern color tones such as a 2016 Mercedes-Benz color on a 1958 Ford Ranchero. Next thing you need is to figure out how far you want to go to the website do you want it to work very similar to this website but for stock stuff or do you want it to be more of a encyclopedia of classic cars with very little user interaction. Probably also need to figure out how much advertising you're going to allow and if you have premium members what kind of perks and benefits are they going to get. Myself I love a classic car website the HAMB pretty much covers the vehicles I am really into but it would be neat to see a website similar to collector automobile magazine or vintage trucks where there is just a wealth of great information for stock vehicles.
OK, You asked. First off, do you have a real job, 'cause this endeavor is going to BE a full time job. Not sure how you are going to differentiate your site from the countless others out there. I think you are trying to accomplish something that is already out there on You Tube and dozens of other locations. Just another observation from my perspective: You've been on here since 2007, your profile page is pretty much blank, we have no idea where you are or who you are or what you do for a living! You have never even created an avatar image. What I guess that I'm saying is, you really need to establish some sort of online "relationship" with us before you can expect us to offer up free advice for your adventure. That condemnation aside, good luck if you do pursue this type of website....Don.
Oh, and as mentioned by most everyone already, don't continue the misuse of the term "classic car" as it just makes you appear unaware. God I hate how that term gets bantered about just because a car is 20-25 years old!
If the intent is to cover HAMB-friendly cars, a discussion thread here on the board may accomplish the same thing (chances are there's already a thread somewhere where people are posting 'finds' from their area.)
If you did a Google search, you would find many hundreds of Barn find sites. Your idea would have been a very unusual around 1995 . Today, not so much.
Lemme see, the title of this thread is "Classic Car Website Help". On this site, there are 200 plus posts referring to classic car sites, dealers, definitions and so on. I think you're trying to re-invent the wheel.
I just started a site a few months back. Mine was never intended to be large, but to feel more like a bunch of guys sitting around talking cars. I also was hoping to fill in a gap that I saw as the cars made after 1966 not covered by the HAMB, I figured my site could be a sort of companion site, not affiliated but with a lot of the same members. This was before Ryan finally decided there was life after 1966 and created the Off Topic Hot rods and Customs section here, you can see how much demand there actually was for it! I’m glad he took the initiative and did it, Ive said for years it would work. Doesn’t bother me a bit that my site hasn’t taken off, it may or it may not. A lot of my members came from other boards I’m on, especially one that recently shut down after the owners passing, so I’m happy to carry on from that board. It’s hard to get folks to try you out, even harder to get them involved and stay with you. If you are a hard worker and don’t expect praise for everything, you might make a small dent. But if you want to be the forum king, fogetaboutit. With fecesbook and instantmaticgram, the crowds have moved on….
Eh, unless I misread the original post. The help is what features on a website, and free vs premium membership. But maybe I missed something.
...Yeah, I get your concern. I see that you are a relative newbie on here and 28 yrs. old. Nothing wrong with any of that and I personally am glad you are here. That said, we could be construed as a rather anal bunch on here (myself included) and when people start referring to their '96 Caprice as a Classic simply because it says "Classic" on it, our collective sphincters tend to tighten just a bit.
Not to be negative, but if you don't have a new/fresh approach to this concept, you're just playing in muddied waters. There are so many websites and forums with the same basic features, and nobody likes getting their email box spammed full of ads or daily updates. Sure some are small niche type vehicle specific that may work out fine, but not on a broader scale. Find a new way to do it, or don't waste your time.
The Jalopy Journal
