Should A Car Collector Go To Cuba

1
Should A Car Collector Go To Cuba
2
I own a classic car.
3
It is a 1970 Buick GS 450 convertible, and baby,
it is cool.
4
I put the top down and cruise around and enjoy
its old school personality and the horn honks
that I get from other drivers.
5
But good classic cars can be hard to find.
6
Perhaps now there is a new opportunity for
classic car enthusiasts to find the old beauty of
their dreams...Cuba.
7
Cuba and the United States have not had
diplomatic relations of any degree since the
United States imposed its embargo on Cuba back in
1962.
8
This embargo has made it very difficult for Cuba
to import things like U.
9
S built cars and trucks.
10
That is why, as we have all seen, the roads in
Cuba are full of vintage cars that date back to
the 1940s and 1950s.
11
Is The Door Open For Car Collector Enthusiasts
12
So now, with the United States and Cuba finding
themselves on better terms, might U.
13
S classic car collector see Cuba as a viable
source for the purchase of some of these older
vehicles.
14
The embargo that was put in place that made the
purchase of American made vehicles impossible,
also made the purchase of replacement parts
impossible as well.
15
Therefore, there is only one reason that these
cars in Cuba that are 50 to 60 years old are
still on the road and that is Cuban ingenuity.
16
What Should A Car Collector Pay For A Cuban
Classic Car
17
Take for instance a 1958 Chevy Cadillac.
18
If you find one of these in the United States
and its condition has been well maintained over
all these years that car could easily cost
upwards of 50,000 to purchase.
19
But what about the same vehicle in Cuba.
20
The owner of that vehicle would be lucky if he
or she could sell their 1958 Cadillac for 1/10th
if that price.
21
Why? Since the owner of that vehicle who lives
in Cuba has not been able to purchase factory
replacement parts, the owner has had to use duck
tape, glue and Bondo to keep it running.
22
The 1958 Cadillac in Cuba is no longer a true
1958 Cadillac, it has been, out of necessity,
turned into a mutant version of its original self.
23
Perhaps an American market will evolve over time
for individuals who will think that it is cool to
own one of these mutated classic Cuban vehicles,
who knows.
24
But a true car collector is most likely to keep
looking for that sweet ride right here in the
good old classic car USA.