What does owning a classic car really cost? Costs and risks before you buy

Anyone who buys a classic "as an investment" usually compares the purchase price with what the car might fetch in a few years. Everything that happens in between gets left out. This article is about exactly that: the costs and risks of ownership. Whether classics gain value at all, and what the market indexes show, I cover separately in Are classic cars a good investment.

Which costs come on top of the purchase price?

You need to add one-off costs at purchase and recurring costs for every year of ownership. The main items:

The purchase tax is simple: according to the Polish government portal gov.pl, when you buy a car from a private individual you pay 2% of its market value, not the contract price if that has been understated. You file the PCC-3 return and pay within 14 days of the contract. No tax is due on a value up to PLN 1,000.

Servicing is harder to predict. A typical, expensive fault for a given model can eat a sizeable share of the car's value in one repair. Two examples from Hagerty's buyer's guides: on a Porsche 944 the timing and balance shaft belts must be changed at least every four years, and on a Porsche 996 an intermediate shaft (IMS) bearing failure usually means an engine overhaul of US$20,000–30,000 — on some cars more than the value of the whole car.

How do you insure a classic in Poland?

A classic can have cheaper and shorter third-party liability (OC) cover than an ordinary car, but only if it meets the legal definition of a historic vehicle. Comprehensive cover (AC) is a separate matter and should match the car's real value.

Third-party cover for a historic vehicle

The Polish compulsory insurance act (consolidated text, Journal of Laws 2026 item 783) defines a historic vehicle as one that is:

• a registered historic vehicle under the Road Traffic Act,
• at least 40 years old, or
• at least 25 years old and judged by a motor vehicle expert to be unique or of particular importance to automotive history.

For such a car the law offers two concessions. First, a registered historic vehicle is exempt from the duty to hold OC for the whole period of registration (Article 23(1a)) — the insurance must be in force from the moment the car is used on the road. Second, you can take out a short-term policy of no less than 30 days (Article 27(5)). A car that is only driven in season therefore does not need an annual policy. You do have to watch the dates, though: driving after the policy expires means driving uninsured.

Comprehensive cover and the car's value

In standard comprehensive cover, the sum insured is usually the car's market value. With a classic it is worth checking, before you sign, how the insurer will set that value, because the payout on a total loss depends on it. Some insurers offer separate products for classics with an individual valuation. For example, Warta described its AC Klasyki cover (in a 2021 article) as covering cars 25 years old or more worth over PLN 10,000, with each car valued before the contract and no requirement to register it as a historic vehicle. Check the current terms of the specific insurer.

Is it worth registering a classic on yellow plates?

Polish yellow historic plates mean fewer formalities in use but more at the start. Under Article 2(39) of the Road Traffic Act a historic vehicle is one entered in the register of monuments or included in the regional (voivodeship) inventory of monuments, or entered in a museum inventory. The decision rests with the heritage conservator, not the vehicle inspection station.

At first registration of a historic vehicle the owner attaches to the application (registration regulation, Journal of Laws 2024 item 1709, § 2(7)):

1. the decision entering the car in the register of monuments, or a document confirming its inclusion in the regional inventory,
2. a certificate of the technical compliance test for historic vehicles and a technical condition assessment report.

In return a historic vehicle is exempt from periodic technical inspections (Article 81(10) of the Road Traffic Act), unless it is used for commercial road transport — then it is inspected annually. The plate has black characters on a yellow background and a historic vehicle symbol. From 1 January 2027 an amendment to the heritage protection act (Journal of Laws 2026 item 875) comes into force: a vehicle in the regional inventory will be deemed entered in the register of monuments if the conservator issues no decision within 90 days of the application.

Historic status on its own tells you nothing about the condition and originality of a particular car — those have to be checked separately.

Which risks can reduce a classic's value?

The cars that lose most value are those in which something has been hidden, not those that are simply worn. The main risks:

• Corrosion and old repairs. According to Motorious's Porsche 944 buying guide, a galvanised body does not stop sills rotting from the inside, and cars with poorly repaired crash damage can corrode badly years later. The same applies to most classics.
• Originality. A replacement engine, altered equipment, a respray in a different colour — each changes the value if it is not disclosed.
• Fakes and replicas. The bigger the price gap between a regular and a rare version, the bigger the temptation to turn one into the other. For rare versions it is worth ordering the factory data from the manufacturer or the marque club.
• Mileage and history. No invoices and no service book mean you do not know what has been done — so you have to assume nothing has.
• Shifting fashion. Hagerty's indexes show that in 2026 British classics and 1950s American cars fell to five-year lows, while cars of the 1980s and 1990s set records. A segment's popularity is not fixed.

Most of these risks can be reduced by one thing: an independent inspection before you buy. How to arrange one and what to check in the paperwork is covered in How to buy a classic car.

How quickly can you sell a classic, and what does it cost?

Selling a classic takes weeks, and transaction costs reduce what reaches the seller. At MB Classics the average time to sell is about 6 weeks (MB data), and the seller pays the commission only after the sale. Auctions charge fees — on Bring a Trailer, for example, the buyer adds 5% of the final price (capped at US$7,500) or 10% (capped at US$4,000), which lowers what a bidder is prepared to offer for the car itself.

Finally, tax: in Poland a private individual who sells a car more than six months after the end of the month of acquisition pays no personal income tax. A faster sale has to be declared on the PIT-36 return.

How can you limit the costs and risks of owning a classic?

A good choice at the start saves more than cutting corners on upkeep. A few rules that follow from the costs above:

1. Set a total budget, not just a price: purchase, tax, registration, a reserve for first repairs and annual upkeep.
2. Choose a model with available parts and specialists in your country or nearby.
3. Buy a car with a history and have it checked before you pay.
4. Match the insurance to how you use the car: short-term third-party cover for a seasonal car, comprehensive cover at a realistic value.
5. Keep the car somewhere dry — that is cheaper than dealing with rust.

If you are buying your first classic, start with Your first classic car in six steps. The cars I currently have for sale are in the showroom, and if you are thinking of selling yours, see Sell your classic. The MB Classics archive includes a 2007 Aston Martin DB9 Volante and a 1988 Lancia Delta Integrale. More on the market is in the Market and prices category.