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Having a classic car is a labor of love. As incredible as it may be to create a living piece of history by restoring a vintage ride, it is crucial to maintain and preserve the automobile to ensure it remains road-worthy for cruising the neighborhood or even attending a car show.
Fortunately, in the age of fingertip technology via mobile phones, there are several apps that are must-haves for vintage car owners. They make it easy to prolong the life of a modified car, locate nearby events, show off models to other enthusiasts, make new friends, or even chronicle the vintage car restoration journey from beginning to end using a digital work diary.
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While there are numerous apps that provide a variety of different services and features, here are 7 of the most essential apps for classic car drivers:
1. CarFax Car Care
With many features, including the ability to locate and purchase vintage cars based on search criteria such as the make, model, body style, and price, CarFax Car Care is ideal for the prospective classic car owner as well as the experienced devotee.
Here are some particularly handy features:
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The CarFax Report - This report features excellent information on a vehicle’s history, including its usage and accident history, to help determine its actual value
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Maintenance Tracking - From oil changes to tire rotations to insurance and registration, the app keeps a record and sends notifications for when it is time to provide a little TLC.
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Nearby Service Shops - No matter where a driver is, a quick check on the app offers data about service shops in the area, including which are nearby and their locations.
2. Ebay Motors
When the time comes for a new part, whether for initial restoration or down the road, the Ebay Motors app makes it easy to find the needed part or accessory quickly. It also provides a tool to verify that said part is compatible with the intended classic car and buy and sell services for automobiles.
In addition, there is a thriving community where car enthusiasts can talk shop, show off a vintage car, or engage in other vehicle-related discussions. If unsure about any aspect of part installation or acquisition, it is easy to find others who have the experience that can help with the process.
3. Ion Classic
The first and only app of its kind, Ion Classic is designed to chart the course of an antique car’s restoration process from the beginning. Partnering with Hanneke Design to create a digital paper trail, the app allows users to add photos of new additions and changes to the modified car, add receipts to chronicle the costs incurred during the entire process, or even share the journey with other enthusiasts.
The result of maintaining your Ion Classic database is a digital diary to reference each step of your journey which serves not only as a quick reference to any mods made but also as an album of memories to relive the journey.
4. Octane
The ultimate event app, Octane provides collectible car owners with every opportunity to showcase their rides and meet with other enthusiasts. Within minutes, an app user can find and locate thousands of car events all over the United States.
Some types of events that Octane tracks are:
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Cruise events
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Educational presentations
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Car meets
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Car & Coffee meets
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Octane sponsored events and more
Additional features include the ability for users to add their vintage cars to a virtual garage, see what other cars will be attending specific events, and even track other cars in real-time when participating in a cruise event.
When it is time to show the world how incredible a classic car is, this is a great way to find nearby places to make that happen.
5. RoadStr
RoadStr targets the antique car enthusiast social experience. Using the app, owners can meet up with car groups (or find one if they are not currently a member), meet new people with similar or different models, meet on the fly, locate events, and much more.
It is easy to find groups and profiles to make new friends. The cherry on top is the points of interest feature, which offers coordinates to locations that are great for taking the perfect shots of your car in scenic environs as well as great drive locations.
6. Trophy Cloud
Another event-specific app, Trophy Cloud offers a wide variety of features to make it easy for event organizers and classic car owners alike to participate and interact with events in a variety of different ways, including:
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Adding new events and information
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Locating and registering for events
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Creating an online garage with photos of the owner’s cars
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Calendar reminders for scheduled events
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Event check-in
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The ability for event coordinators to allow trophy voting through the app
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Event communication forums
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The ability to view a user’s attended event history
7. Vin Check and Decoder
A CarFax competitor, VIN Check, and Decoder is designed to make it quick and easy to access a full vehicle report through a VIN check. It’s available for both Apple and Android.
With the incredible number of informational details, the app has garnered a nearly perfect user feedback rating with many users lauding the Vin Check and Decoder’s ability to gather the information that would take hours to research within moments.
Their tech support team is also quick to respond when there are any troubleshooting situations and seem dedicated to ensuring the user’s experience is a memorable one.
Final Thoughts
The diversity of available applications provides unlimited options for classic car owners to find new ways to interact with their antique cars and other people. These apps are great starting points for car enthusiasts, but they are only the tip of the iceberg.
After exploring the features these high-quality programs have to offer, investigate deeper into the world of classic car apps to find new features and experiences to supplement the enthusiast lifestyle.
Now more than ever it is possible to immerse oneself in the world of vintage cars and share these remarkable automobiles with others.
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