-1-All American cars vary strongly in price,the reason is not so much the conditoin of the car but the type of car. For example, you can buy a standard '65 6 cylinder Mustang for about 5,000 euro but a '65 Shelby Mustang would cost about 80,000 euro even though ,outwardly,
both cars look the same.
-2-Americans treat thier cars differently than Europeans. The average American takes his car to the garage only if it doesn't work they don't seam to have heard of regular or preventative maintenance.
-3-All Mustangs in Holland are, sooner or later, brought into the country by dealers.
( …..Eeh….. well not exactly true……) it is interesting to note that in the late '60's in Amsterdam there was a Ford factory which ,among other things, assembled Mustangs for the European market. It is therefore known that roughly 20 Mustangs were not only built but also sold in Holland.
Dealers handle only in cars that bring profit, mostly cars which are no longer of interest in the USA or in bad condition or cars with lots of "extra's" which are wanted here. It is for this reason that manual shift Mustangs(real muscle cars) are very rare here as they bring more profit when sold in America.
( …..Eeh….. well not exactly true……) it is interesting to note that in the late '60's in Amsterdam there was a Ford factory which ,among other things, assembled Mustangs for the European market. It is therefore known that roughly 20 Mustangs were not only built but also sold in Holland.
Dealers handle only in cars that bring profit, mostly cars which are no longer of interest in the USA or in bad condition or cars with lots of "extra's" which are wanted here. It is for this reason that manual shift Mustangs(real muscle cars) are very rare here as they bring more profit when sold in America.
-4-California import.
Cars from California have a reputation of being rust free and this is mostly true. The most Californian classics have long been exported. The newer imports come more often from more northerly states and are shipped via California and are therefore still ,officially, "Californian imports" . Don't forget that northern California has the same climate as Holland.
People want cars from southern California or more southerly(a desert car) but will this please them ? The answer is - not always because these cars have thier own unique problems.
Such as the fact that under a blazzing son a car has to be resprayed every 3 or 4 years. All the rubbers dry out, not only door rubbers but also drive shaft/diff. Rubbersand seals have a difficult time of it . The dashboard and interior can also dry out. Look out for this because by a restoration these items can be quite expensive.
Cars from California have a reputation of being rust free and this is mostly true. The most Californian classics have long been exported. The newer imports come more often from more northerly states and are shipped via California and are therefore still ,officially, "Californian imports" . Don't forget that northern California has the same climate as Holland.
People want cars from southern California or more southerly(a desert car) but will this please them ? The answer is - not always because these cars have thier own unique problems.
Such as the fact that under a blazzing son a car has to be resprayed every 3 or 4 years. All the rubbers dry out, not only door rubbers but also drive shaft/diff. Rubbersand seals have a difficult time of it . The dashboard and interior can also dry out. Look out for this because by a restoration these items can be quite expensive.
-5-Matching numbers.
There are a lot of , so called , matching number cars for sale and unfortunately , because few people know exactly what this means , they are often wrong. This comes from two different things.
-1- That the specs of the car match the information on the door tag(the metal plate under the lock on the ,drivers side, door). This tag has information about the color,interior,type of engine etc. With these codes you can check informationfrom,for example, a restoration hand book.
-2- What some people don't know is that all of the panels,doors,big parts etc. also have a factory serial number. A real "matching numbers " car has to have all of it's origional body parts.
There are a lot of , so called , matching number cars for sale and unfortunately , because few people know exactly what this means , they are often wrong. This comes from two different things.
-1- That the specs of the car match the information on the door tag(the metal plate under the lock on the ,drivers side, door). This tag has information about the color,interior,type of engine etc. With these codes you can check informationfrom,for example, a restoration hand book.
-2- What some people don't know is that all of the panels,doors,big parts etc. also have a factory serial number. A real "matching numbers " car has to have all of it's origional body parts.
