In a sense, insuring a vintage auto is like insuring any other kind of antique. Because a classic car is often irreplaceable, it is best to get an objective measure of its worth. When you need to file a claim on your 1995 Ford Taurus, the claims adjuster has a little book that tells him how much the car is worth, how much it has depreciated, and how much it should cost to repair. But the value of your 1965 Corvette may be a bit harder to determine, especially if you have put a lot of work into the car or had it customized.

That is why it is often best to hire an appraiser when you decide to take out a vintage auto policy. Before you do so, though, shop around to see who will write you this kind of coverage, and if your car even qualifies. Different companies have different standards: Some will only write a vintage auto policy for a car that is 25 years old, and others will insure a 15-year-old model that is particularly rare. Some insurance companies offer riders or endorsements that let you add a vintage auto to your regular car policy. Other companies specialize in writing stand-alone policies. Oh, what a tangled web!

There is some good news about insuring a classic car: Once you have jumped through the necessary hoops, you will usually pay less than you would for a regular auto insurance policy. But that is because the insurance company expects you to use the car in a certain manner. An insurer, for instance, might not offer the coverage for people who drive their classic cars to work or even tool around in them on the weekends.

Other insurance companies put stringent mileage limitations on vintage auto policies, usually 2,500 or 5,000 miles a year. Considering that most standard auto insurance policies assume you will be driving your car 10,000 or 15,000 miles a year, that is not a lot of time you can spend on the road. Insurers often also require that you store your prized auto in a locked garage, perhaps with a burglar alarm and a sprinkler system. Some companies will also ask that you update the appraisal of your car worth every few years.

At first glance, it may seem a bit unreasonable for an insurance company to tell you how to use and store your car. But most owners of vintage autos take these precautions anyhow.

Regardless of whether you own one classic car or a whole fleet of them, you should be sure to ask certain questions when you are looking to get them insured. Most importantly, find out whether you are getting a "stated value" policy or endorsement. With a regular auto insurance policy, the value of your car depreciates over time. But the value of a vintage auto does not depreciate — it increases. So you should make sure when you buy the policy that your insurance company is agreeing that your car is worth a certain amount, and that in the event of a loss, it will pay that amount.

For cars worth less than $20,000, often all you have to do is fill out a form describing the car. But for more valuable cars — and in order to avoid problems with claims adjusters later — it is often worth it to hire the services of an appraiser. An appraisal should not run you more than $100 and will often cost less. Choose an appraiser with professional credentials and who specializes in vintage autos. Use the report when you buy your policy.

The liability portion of your vintage auto policy probably will not run you much more than $100 a year. That is because you will not be driving the car very much and when you do, you will be driving it very carefully. But the physical damage portion of your policy (the part that covers theft, vandalism, and fire losses) will run you a bit more: about 1 percent of the total value of the car. So if you have a classic car that is worth $100,000, you will pay about $1,000 for comprehensive and collision coverage. Obviously, pricing will vary depending on where you live, how you garage your car, and how often you drive it.