Dear Tom and Ray:

I am the owner of a four-door, 1971 Chevy Malibu. Is my car a classic? What is a
classic car? Do you know how I could find out the value of my car? -- William

RAY: Like beauty, William, "classic" is in the eye of the beholder. An "antique"
car is easy to define. It's one that is 25 or more years old. But "classic" is a
highly subjective label.

TOM: For instance, my brother and I both agree that my 1963 Dodge Dart is an
"antique." But while I call it a "classic," he refers to it by a familiar two-
word phrase that ends in "box."

RAY: There are some cars that everybody agrees are "classic," like the '57 Chevy,
the '56 Thunderbird and most of the early Corvettes. Is a '71 Malibu in that
category?

TOM: Well, I'll be polite and not give you my opinion. But there may be people
out there for whom a '71 Malibu is the world's most beautiful machine.

RAY: And if there are suckers like that out there, they probably subscribe to
either Hemmings Motor News or Old Cars magazine. So pick up a copy of one of
those, check and see who else is selling '71 Malibus, what kind of condition
they're in and what they're going for. That'll give you a very good idea of what
kind of treasure you've got in your garage. Good luck, William.

It's NEVER cheaper in the long run to buy a new car. Want proof? Order Tom and
Ray's pamphlet "How to Buy a Used Car: Things That Detroit and Tokyo Don't Want
You to Know." Send $3 and a stamped (55 cents), self-addressed, No. 10 envelope
to Used Car, PO Box 6420, Riverton, NJ 08077-6420.

?(C) 1999 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.