West Coast Classics

West Coast Classics is a California licensed and bonded classic car dealership at 1205 Bow Avenue in Torrance, in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County. The company says it specializes in rare, primarily low mileage, original Southern California rust-free classic cars, and it handles European and American collectibles, muscle cars, trucks and motorcycles, plus some late-model exotic and luxury cars.

History and location

The company's own site says its showroom was on Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica for many years before it moved to Torrance in 2016. The founding year is reported inconsistently across directories, so it is not given here.

How the business works

West Coast Classics buys and sells cars and also takes cars on consignment. It says it sources most of its stock directly from the home garages of owners and collectors rather than from auctions, and that it supplies the full history of each car, including service records and original documents where they exist. It lists its own cars on a wide range of channels beyond its website, including eBay, Bring a Trailer, AutoHunter, Hemmings and Carsforsale.com, and it is also listed on ClassicCars.com. A related company site, Sell a Classic Car, handles buying cars from owners.

What it sells

The inventory is broad and larger than that of a typical single-owner lot. A dealer directory listing reviewed during research showed about 115 vehicles, with asking prices from roughly $5,000 to $225,000. Examples listed included a 1931 Ford Model A, a 1962 Porsche 356, a 1967 Oldsmobile 442, a 1956 Mercedes-Benz 190 series, a 1963 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III, a 1936 Bentley, a 1940 Ford Deluxe coupe and a DeLorean DMC-12. The company's site names makes ranging from Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin and Austin-Healey to Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Jaguar and Porsche. Stock turns over, so treat this as a snapshot rather than a current list.

Buying and selling through West Coast Classics

The company's site lists a range of services for buyers:

• Financing and insurance arrangements for classic cars.
• Shipping, which directory summaries describe as domestic and international.
• Inspections by appointment, and a classic car finder service for cars it does not have.
• Valuations for owners who want a market opinion.

Owners can also place a car through the company. For a clear picture of the process, including fees and how long a car stays listed, read how classic car consignment works and then ask the dealer for its terms in writing. The specific commission and agreement length were not published in the sources found.

Reputation

West Coast Classics has been in the market for many years under the same name, with a Santa Monica to Torrance history that can be traced through its own site. It is active on ClassicCars.com and on several auction platforms, and public review directories carry reviews for the Torrance location, mostly rated around four out of five stars in the summaries seen. No Better Business Bureau record was reviewed. As with any dealer, check the particular car, the title and the paperwork, and consider an independent inspection. More choices are on pages such as classic cars for sale around the state.

Visiting

The showroom is at 1205 Bow Avenue, Torrance, CA 90501. The company's site gives hours of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, and says all business and test drives are by appointment only. Call (424) 376-5151 before visiting.