The process of classic auto sales usually involves working through classified ads, either local ones, or nationwide ones, or online classified advertising listings like Google Sales, Yahoo Sales, and Craigslist to find classic cars for sale. Local classifieds may work for you if the car you want to buy is available from a local seller. It may not be though, particularly if it's a car that was never made in large numbers, or a car that's simply old enough to qualify as "classic". At that point, you need to broaden your search horizons, and look farther a field. And that usually means going online to look for classic auto sales.

Google, Yahoo and Craigslist replicate the formats of classified ads, even down to breaking them down regionally, but you'll still have to work directly with the seller. If you want some third party escrow protection, the best place to go is eBay. EBay seems to be a counter-intuitive place for classic auto sales, but it's a good venue to find classic cars for sale - and not just any car, but cars meeting specialized tastes and market niches, like vintage muscle cars and hot rods.

With the process of classic auto sales, a lot of car buyers are nervous about buying a car that they can't test drive, and while there are hazards to buying a car online, they're not as pronounced as many people seem to think. EBay and specialized car sales sites like CarsOnline all offer buyer protection programs of various sorts.

If you're buying classic cars through eBay, which has the most extensive set of protection programs, your options include a $20,000 vehicle protection program, a conditional guarantee by the seller, and a roadside assistance program good for the first 30 days of ownership, bought through Hagerty Plus, a nationwide auto services broker - all making the classic auto sales process easier.

Before you finalize your purchase, you will want to do a title search and check out blue book values; most classic auto sale dealerships give you direct links to this sort of information. You'll also want to check out CarFacts.com, which, for a small fee, allows you to get the entire accident history of any car you have a VIN number for. This is a great way to suss out cars that have had serious mechanical issues and verify that the seller is telling the truth.

When looking for a classic car, be aware that you're looking for something that is, ultimately, an investment. Classic cars date back from a time when raw performance mattered more than amenities, and compared to a lot of modern sports cars, classic cars seem lacking in conveniences. On the other hand, they do have a feeling of raw power when a V-8 engine revs up and propels a solid steel chassis down the road at 90+ mph that really can't be replicated with modern over-engineered cars - this all making the classic auto sales process worthwhile.

In the classic auto sales industry you will find classic cars appeal to a certain masculine primitivism. As you hunt classic cars that are for sale, be prepared to compete with other classic car fans.