If you drive a vintage or collectible car, you will most likely want to insure it, especially if you have put a lot of money into it, or are planning to. It is important to understand that what you will need in regards to insurance for a classic, collectible or vintage car is a bit different than what you will need for car that you drive every day to work or around town. A collectible car requires specialty insurance and you can find such insurance for all types of collectible cars, from muscle cars, to antique cars, to customized cars. One big difference is that insurance for a specialty car is not required like it is for your every day car.

Every specialty car will not qualify for specialty insurance. In fact, they must meet certain criteria. In the past, cars that were more than 25 years old, could be classified as collectibles. Today, that is not the case. Even if your car is 40 years old, it may not qualify for specialty insurance. In order to qualify it must have some notable characteristics. Some of these include being a muscle car, having a unique body shape, being a convertible, foreign sports car or have a big block V-8 engine. Older fire trucks, regular driving trucks, commercial cars and trucks, low rider trucks and cars with hydraulic suspension systems may also qualify. Older Harley-Davidsons or Indian chief collectible motorcycles, may also qualify. The first step is finding out whether or not your car qualifies.

Another big difference between the type of insurance for a car that you drive every day and a specialty car is that the restrictions governing the car are different. Traditional insurance is required to protect your car from damage. Specialty insurance places special restrictions on how you can use your car so that it does not get hurt or damaged. In fact, many policies will not allow you to use a car daily and the car must be placed in the garage all of the time. This is to decrease the likelihood that the car is involved an accident or is damaged. Because these restrictions are in place, specialty insurance is quite a bit cheaper than traditional insurance. You will likely pay 80% less than what you are paying for your regular car.

If your car does become damaged, the amount of money that you will receive is equal to the agreed value of your car that was determined when you purchased your policy. You won't get any more or any less than the agreed value of a car.

If you have put a lot of money, time and effort into your classic, vintage or muscle car, you will most likely want to protect your investment. One way to do this is through specialty insurance. Specialty insurance will provide you with the agreed value of the vehicle in the event that it is damaged. Specialty insurance is not for cars that will be driven on a daily basis. In fact, special restrictions apply that expressively forbids this. You will also have to be sure that you have proper storage arrangements for the vehicle. It will need to be placed in a garage everyday.