Old Town Classics

Old Town Classics is a San Diego classic car dealer that is built around buying cars rather than brokering them. The business says it has operated since 1987, and its site describes the owner, who signs as Bill, as a full-time dealer and collector since that year. The company calls itself a licensed and bonded California dealer, and on one of its pages it describes itself as the oldest classic car dealer in San Diego. That is a company claim, not something we could check independently.

How the business works

The company's pitch is direct: "I'm here to buy, not to broker or consign." Bill says he travels to inspect a car at the seller's location, makes an offer, pays the same day, and does not move the car until it is paid for in full. He also says he handles the DMV paperwork, including difficult cases such as lost titles. After buying, he resells cars from his own stock, so buyers deal with one person rather than a sales team. The company does not offer consignment, so every car in stock is one the business has bought.

What Old Town Classics buys and sells

The site says it looks for original, well-preserved, garage-kept and survivor cars, along with unusual finds, estate and inherited cars, and non-running cars that are still decent. The stated focus is European cars, in particular Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and Porsche, with separate pages for Ferrari, British sports cars, Triumph, BMW, Volkswagen, Alfa Romeo, Volvo and Saab. It also buys Japanese classics from Toyota, Honda, Datsun and Nissan, and American cars from Ford, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Pontiac, Dodge and Plymouth. The owner says he sources dry-climate cars across California and the Southwest.

The current inventory page when we looked listed a 1967 Mustang Fastback, a 1971 Datsun 240Z, a 1996 Volvo 850 Turbo and a 1985 Mercedes-Benz 380SL, and showed a 1991 BMW 850i and a 1964 Corvette roadster as sold. Its sold page includes a 1964 Chevrolet C-10 panel van, a 1957 Ford Thunderbird, a 1985 Porsche 911 Turbo with a slant-nose conversion, a 1959 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint coupe and a 1991 BMW Z1. The pages do not show dates, so treat the inventory as a sample of what the dealer handles, and ask what is available now.

Buying from Old Town Classics

The business sells cars as well as buying them, but the site gives little process detail for buyers. It says the owner can assist with shipping to all points, including overseas, and that many customers are collectors and dealers in the U.S. and Europe, many of them repeat buyers. Buyer testimonials on the site describe a car delivered as described, with regular updates by phone, text and email. We did not find a financing program or a trade-in policy on the site. Before buying, ask for the VIN, title status and a walk-around video, and read what to check before you buy if you have not purchased from a dealer before.

Appraisals and inspections

The About page says the owner is also available as an independent vehicle appraiser and offers pre-purchase inspections for classic cars. He says he belongs to several local and national car clubs. A buyer or seller who wants an outside opinion can ask about these services, though the page does not list prices or turnaround times.

Reputation

The site says the dealer has more than 35 years in the business and a base of repeat customers. It displays Google reviews through a review widget and publishes a testimonials page, including a seller who describes Bill making an offer and heading straight to the bank for a cashier's check for a 1963 Studebaker Avanti brought across the border from Baja California. We did not find a BBB profile. As always with a one-person dealer, judge each deal on the paperwork and the car itself.

Contact and location

The business is based in downtown San Diego, zip code 92101. Its own site does not publish a street address, and directory listings disagree on one, so do not drive to an address you found online. Instead, call the number in the site header, (619) 295-1898, or the cell number the owner gives for faster answers, (619) 540-4637, or use the contact form on the website. If you have a car to sell and are located elsewhere in California or the Southwest, the owner says he will travel to see it. Buyers shopping the wider California market can also browse California classic cars for sale.