Barn Find Cars in New England: How to Buy, Move and Insure One

By Jon Merwin, Founder and CEO

New England is full of them: a Mustang under a tarp in a Vermont-style bank barn, a pickup that hasn’t moved since the 1970s behind a Seacoast farmhouse, a British roadster parked in a Connecticut carriage house when the owner’s knees gave out. Barn finds are one of the great joys of the hobby, and they come with questions most buyers don’t think about until the car is already on a trailer. Who’s responsible if it slides off the ramp? Can you insure a car that doesn’t run? What’s it worth?

This guide walks through buying, moving and insuring a barn find, with a New England angle. For the bigger picture, see our classic and collector car insurance guide. If your find is about to become a long-term project, our guide to restoration and project car insurance picks up where this one ends.

Before you buy: paperwork, VIN and the story

The excitement of a find makes it easy to skip the boring part. Don’t. A car you can’t register is worth far less than one you can, and paperwork problems are much easier to solve before money changes hands.

• Match the VIN. Find the VIN plate or stamping on the car and photograph it. Compare it with any title, registration or bill of sale the seller has.
• Ask about the title. Title rules for older vehicles differ across New England, and some older cars were never titled. Call your state’s motor vehicle agency before you pay if the paperwork is thin.
• Get a real bill of sale. Include the VIN, year, make and model, the price, the date and both signatures. If the seller is an estate, get the executor to sign.
• Check for liens. An old loan on a car can follow it. Your state agency can tell you how to check.
• Write down the story. Who bought it new, where it lived, why it stopped. Documented history can add real value later, and it’s easy to lose once the seller moves on.

Moving it out of the barn

Getting a car out after decades is often the riskiest part of the whole project. Tires are flat or rotted, brakes are seized, the floor of the barn may be dirt or rotten boards, and the doorway was built for a hay wagon rather than a car with a modern trailer behind it.

Plan the extraction

• Inflate the tires if they hold air, or bring skates or dollies if they don’t.
• Loosen the brakes and steering if you can do it safely. If the wheels are locked, plan on a winch.
• Clear a path, check the barn floor, and keep people out from between the car and the winch line.
• Look for nests, wasps and rodents before anyone reaches under the dash or into the trunk.

Use a flatbed or enclosed trailer

A barn find should ride on a flatbed or a trailer, never on a hook. If you hire a hauler, ask for a certificate showing their cargo coverage. If you’re trailering it yourself, check that your tow vehicle and trailer are rated for the weight and that your own auto policy extends liability to the trailer. Our guide to car shows and trailering covers how trailering and collector coverage fit together.

Who is responsible during the move?

Until the car is on your policy, a scrape against the barn door or a slide off the ramp may be the seller’s problem, the hauler’s problem or yours, depending on who owned the car at that moment and whose equipment was involved. The simplest fix: call us before pickup day so we can talk about insuring the car from the moment you own it.

Can you insure a car that doesn’t run?

Usually, yes. A barn find is rarely roadworthy on day one, and collector car insurers know that. Depending on the car and the insurer, the options generally look like this:

• Stored or project vehicle coverage. The car is covered for fire, theft, vandalism, falling objects and similar damage while it sits in your garage or at a shop, without driving coverage.
• A collector policy that starts as a project. Some policies let you insure the car at an as-found value and raise the value as work is completed.
• Full collector coverage once it’s roadworthy. When the car is safe, registered and ready, we add liability and collision so you can drive it under the policy’s hobby-use rules.

We shop collector car coverage with carriers including Hagerty, J.C. Taylor, Liberty Mutual, Cincinnati and American Modern, and we’ll confirm eligibility for your vehicle before you rely on a policy. The right option depends on the car, where it will live and who is doing the work.

Setting a value for a barn find

A barn find’s value changes more than almost any other collector car, because it starts low and climbs with every invoice. Begin with what the car is worth as found: what you paid, photos of its condition, and recent sales of similar project cars. Then plan to update the value as the work goes on, with receipts, parts invoices and progress photos. Our guide to agreed value car insurance explains how agreed value is set and kept current.

Photograph the car in the barn before you move it. Those pictures help document its condition, and a well-told barn-find story can add appeal when the car is eventually shown or sold.

New England barn-find problems to expect

• Humidity rust. Dirt floors and unheated barns hold moisture. Floor pans, rocker panels, trunk floors and the bottoms of doors and fenders usually suffer first.
• Rodents. Mice and squirrels nest in air cleaners, seats and headliners and chew wiring, which is a fire risk.
• Roof leaks. Water dripping on one spot for years can rot a roof panel, a seat or a floor.
• Old fuel. Gasoline turns to varnish and can clog the tank, lines and carburetor. Leaking fuel is a fire hazard in the garage.
• Dry rot. Tires, hoses, belts and seals almost always need replacing, even if they look fine.

Bringing it home: your garage and home policy

Once the car is home, it usually lives in your garage while you plan the restoration. Remove the old battery or disconnect it, don’t leave old fuel in the car, and keep the space clear around it. Your homeowners policy covers the garage building and your tools; the car itself needs its own coverage. If the garage is detached, tell us, and make sure it locks.

If your find will spend the winter waiting for work, our guide to collector car storage and winter lay-up has a storage checklist.

Original, restored or modified?

Barn finds go in different directions. Some are preserved as survivors, some are restored to original, and some become resto-mods with modern drivetrains. That choice affects how the car is insured. See antique vs. classic car insurance for original and restored cars, and modified car insurance if you are building a hot rod or resto-mod. Popular finds in our area include first-generation Mustangs and early Ford Broncos.

We work with collectors in New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine and beyond from our Portsmouth office. See our New Hampshire collector car insurance and Maine collector car insurance guides for state rules.

Frequently asked questions

Can I insure a barn find car that doesn’t run?

Often, yes. Many collector car insurers will write a non-running car as a project or stored vehicle, usually with coverage for fire, theft and other damage while it sits, and add driving coverage later once the car is roadworthy. We’ll confirm eligibility for your vehicle and explain what each option covers.

Am I covered while the barn find is being towed home?

Not automatically. Until the car is on your policy, damage during extraction and transport may fall on you or the hauler. Ask a professional hauler for proof of their cargo coverage, and call us before pickup day so we can talk about insuring the car from the moment you own it.

How do I set a value for a car that needs a full restoration?

Start with what the car is worth as found, supported by photos, a bill of sale and comparable sales of similar project cars. As the restoration progresses, update the agreed value with receipts and progress photos so the coverage keeps pace with the money and work you put in.

What paperwork should I get when I buy a barn find?

Get a bill of sale with the VIN, price, date and both signatures, any title or old registration the seller has, and photos of the VIN plate. Title rules for older vehicles differ by state, so check with your state’s motor vehicle agency before you pay.

Is it safe to start a car that has sat in a barn for decades?

Usually not right away. Old fuel, dry seals, seized parts and wiring chewed by rodents can cause a fire or engine damage. Most restorers recommend a careful inspection and recommissioning before anyone turns the key.

What our clients say

From our client surveys. Comments are lightly edited for typos only.

“

Jon is super helpful and amazingly communicative. He responds fast with well thought out answers making the process of getting insurance for my home and car super simple.

“

Very informative, responsive, and helpful with answering any questions we had. Helped us get the best deal and coverage, explained the differences between coverage options, and let us choose what worked best for us. Highly recommend!

“

Excellent guidance on insurance options and fantastic quoting and onboarding experience. We trust their recommendations and feel that we have best coverage for peace of mind at best possible cost.

Read more client testimonials