Bought a 1970 Torino Cobra sight unseen from Ideal Classic Cars. After viewing detailed photos I asked the manager to confirm overall condition of metal as some body fill was visible around rear marker light. I was assured it was a small '10 inch area'. In actuality, the entire car was bondo and rust. We sent for sand blasting and realized we were cheated - the car required $95,000 CAD in body work and paint, almost not fixable. DO NOT TRUST this company. As others have said, Ideal Classic Cars has a reputation of misrepresenting cars. Wish we'd have known that. Buyer Beware! read more

Cars look very clean and shiny and wonderful and great and amazing and also people are very nice!

I purchased A 1958 corvette for top dollar. John, the salesman, assured me it was in mint condition, and had been gone completely through by their service team. He also said they would go through it again before shipping. I needed a good drivable car for an upcoming Route 66 trip. I purchased the car for $140K (50% over what they paid) and received delivery a week or two later. And then the nightmare began. First, they didn't send me the transferred title, and there was no registration, so I couldn't legally drive it. It took three phone calls, ultimately with the GM, and over two weeks to get the title Next, the car stalled once warm, and then was very hard to start. The Ideal service manager told me to an adjust two of the mixture controls on the Holly carburetor. Turned out the carburetor was a Carter, and the advice was not applicable. Chevrolet never put a Holly carburetor on any corvettes. I has to send he carb out for rebuild. Also we noticed there was white smoke coming out the exhaust, After extensive trouble shooting we pulled the heads and found a leaky head gasket allowing coolant into the combustion chamber. The car also had extensive oil leaks, which we are still troubleshooting. As of now, it looks like the rear main seal was improperly installed. Also there is a coolant leak, which looks to be coming from the heater core. I now have over a hundred hours in this car over the last few weeks. Looks like we are going to miss the rte 66 trip. The company was so unresponsive over the title and carb issue that I have quit calling them. They completely misrepresented the running condition of this car, and they certainly did not "completely go through it." I found the oil drain plug was still painted over from the restoration 8 years ago, it had never been removed. Take for a ride in Scottsdale. Doug read more

Well I guess I'm not the only one they tried to rip off. look at 37 ford 49.983 talk with Ian send him pictures of my prowler 6500 miles. He said he give me 30.000 take 5000 off his that would but it at 44.983 he was going get a price on shipping. when he sends everything bal. 54.995 called back left Ian a message you added 5000.00 He didn't call back his sup. call I think his name Dale He said car was supposed to be 59995.00 today 6/21/25 still shows 49983.00 59995.00 and we will only give you 25000.00 for yours. Told him for get it lost SO BEWARE WHEN DEALING WITH THEM. Roger S read more

Ideal Classics buys cars cheap at auction and jacks the prices way up. These cars are trash. I had a certified inspector look it over but get a real mechanic to review it. These inspectors are only superficial. They checked off the brakes on mine but when I received it, they were so mushy, I was afraid to drive it. My mechanic found so many short cuts taken and the cheapest of parts to merely patch it for sale. Up to $20k to fix the issues so far. Image search the car on google and you can probably find what they paid for it at auction. I don't recommend this vendor. read more

Wanted to go to this museum with out of town guests. Called ahead and they said they would be open on Labor Day but come early since they may close early. Got there at 10:45 and were told by a blonde lady that they were not open because of the hurricane and the cars were too packed in to walk around. Didn't even get an offer to look around from the entrance. I don't ever need to go back based on that encounter and I certainly won't be buying a car from them. Even if you check ahead, you can get shut down at this place! No hospitality at all...don't waste your time. read more

This place serves as a great FREE car museum. They have a section of cars from various movies and TV shows (Batman, Cars, Dukes of Hazzard, Jurassic Park, etc), which was really cool. They have a wide variety, and did I mention FREE to get in? It's a great way to cool off for a bit in the summer, and a nice change up from the beach/pool routine if vacationing in the area. We bought a couple small things in the gift shop. Well worth a visit. read more

Hard to imagine how they stay in business. I inquired about a car that they said they bought. They wouldn't tell me what it needed and wanted me to sign a contract first, along with a $2000 deposit (but wouldn't send me the contract to review first) OR I could pay $300 to have it inspected. I'm out of state and wanted to get some input before flying in. Have it all documented in emails.. Seems like they buy some at auctions then raise the prices as well.. Bought from another dealer in NC. read more

If your a car junkie this is the best sales/Museum and free car collection on the Southeast coast. Venice sits between Ft Myers Beach and Sarasota. The building houses about 100 cars with some being related to tv shows and movies, while others are for sale and perhaps consignment offerings. These a real cars and some are modified while others take you back 20+ years. Most are muscle cars in variety. Two minor suggestions to offer : 1. You need to build a better gift shop area and get a car guy to stock it for children and adults alike. This is a cash cow while visitors are there. Display high dollar unique car care items also. 2. Perhaps a couple small tables to sit and visit for guests. A vending machine with sodas and or snacks will keep kids happy also. This allows the adults to revisit parts of the collection and even consider purchase. read more

See all

Where do I even start with this? So my boyfriend and I are shopping for a classic car. I see their ad that has the car we want- a 1968 442. I call them- ask the price- the price is OUTRAGEOUSLY high-60k. I tell Rich thanks, but that car is priced super high. A week later Rich calls me back, owner (it was a consignment car) came down on the price by about 10k. I make an offer 5k less than the asking price- I'm asked for a refundable deposit-which I was told was a "hold" not a charge (it ended up being a charge). I give my credit card for the deposit- sale is pending inspection. This is where it starts to get fun. I send an inspector out- Ideal trashes the inspector to me. I call inspection company- they tell me they will look over the report and if they feel it's lacking they will make it right. The report wasn't lacking- there were multiple things wrong with the car and for the money they wanted I shouldn't have to put a dime into it. I make an offer of 10k less than my original offer- they counter. Kermit (the manager) decided to "mansplain" cars to me- and this didn't sit well with me at all. I've been researching these cars for months- I know what they're worth and I know where the problem areas are. It was almost like they were desperate to get me to take this car. My boyfriend must have had car fever because he said let's do it-the whole ordeal wasn't sitting right with me, especially after being talked down to by Kermit-and I asked him 10 times are you sure? He said yes. Later that evening after I completely lacked excitement about the car, my boyfriend and I talked in detail and also spoke with a trusted mechanic-friend- we decided to back down on deal- we hadn't signed any paperwork yet, just a verbal agreement. I spoke with Rich who was very nice and told him we decided it wasn't our car. Five minutes later Kermit calls me- I almost didn't want to answer-but I did. I get a crazy combative guy on the phone, once again "mansplaining" cars to me-first words out of his mouth were let me give you some advice on cars- telling me I'm never going to find my car because my expectations are too high, I basically stopped listening. I said refund my deposit. He said would do 30k? I said seriously? The car started at 60k, now you're at 30k? Something shady is going on. And he hung up on me. I checked my account and there was no sign of the 2k CHARGE being refunded 5 days later- so I entered a dispute w/ my credit card. My credit card thankfully ruled in my favor and refunded the money. The cc company said Ideal never even submitted a reversal. I've bought quite a few cars in my life- classics, new ones and muscle cars- I have never had an experience that has made me feel sick in the process of buying one. It was to the point even if the car was 30k and I was in love with it I wouldn't have bought it because of how I was treated. Run far away from this place unless you have a ton of money to spend. And ALWAYS ALWAYS if you can't see the car in person get an inspector!! By the way- we did find our car- for a reasonable price somewhere else- and the process was wonderful and happy! read more

I had been looking to buy a 1970 Chevelle SS for quite some time. I surfed all the classic car internet sites for several months getting a feel for prices and quality. I really wanted an original with matching numbers, but also something I could drive on weekends and enjoy. It needed to be rust free and mechanically sound, but also something I could tinker with and upgrade cosmetically over time. I reviewed a lot of vey nice cars out there, but some were not true SS's, or they just did not reach my expectations. Another key point I'll make is not all the sights posted crisp, quality photos or only a few photos, which made me wonder what they were trying to hide. Finally, I hit on Ideal Classic Car's internet sight and found a true SS that was in great condition. The photos/videos were crisp, detailed and plentiful, showing exterior, interior, engine and even undercarriage, which was clean enough to eat off! I made a phone call to them and the GM, Kermit Watkins, answered the phone. We spent the next 45 minutes talking about the vehicle, its condition and history. Mr. Watkins was very personable and professional, even recommended that I have the vehicle inspected by a third-party vehicle inspection service or come to Florida and take the vehicle for a drive. After more discussion, I knew this vehicle was the one for me, and we negotiated a deal. Mr. Watkins reached out to me, nearly daily, until I received the vehicle from a classic car transporter. He has followed up several more times with what I would consider excellent customer service skills! I'm very pleased with the vehicle I purchased and the customer service I received from GM Mr. Watkins and Melissa Summersgill who handled all the required documents! Ideal Classic Cars is fortunate to have employees of this caliber! Thanks again, I'm really enjoying the car! read more

Classic Car Museum & Sales. Free admission. Extensive collection of cars & trucks from the 1920s through the 1970s. The 27,000 square foot showroom displays up to 90 cars, and the inventory changes daily. Take a walk down memory lane at Ideal Classic Cars! read more

See all

Another follow up on 68 442 Had to replace gas tank which was leaking Replaced fuel pump and lines which were corroded Re wire air conditioning which was wires where backwards and spliced Together BreAK lines on rear crushed by tail pipes 1 star is to high I will keep everybody informed what else is wrong and there's a lady list So far 3500.00 in repairs how can you sell something like this read more

I walked and they greeted me and told me about some of the cool cars there. Very nice place and have a lot of knowledge about all cars. They have a gift shop I bought a poster and wristband!! read more

See all

If your thinking of buying an antique muscle car do not buy from Ideal Classic Cars. They lie and the cars are junk. trust me I had to spend $10k to get the engine rebuilt. They told me they would help. Kermit lies like a cheap suit. AVOID!!! read more

Every year on my trip to Florida I always stop by to browse the selection. Last year we saw Batman mobile, and Mater. This is the coolest place to visit in Venice FL. read more

Ideal Classic Cars - This truly is the only place where you can find the coolest cars. - Car Dealers Near Me - Venice, Florida

Free admission to a showroom loaded with gorgeous cars - the inventory varies because many of the cars are for sale. There were very old cars going back to Henry Ford's and new cars like mustang, camaro, and corvette. Classic American and European cars throughout the years and all of the cars look to be in perfect condition! It's worth a visit! read more

Put deposit on car and decided not to purchase car. Its been two weeks and talked to Rich who is rude and obnoxious. Told me twice he would refund money nothing yet. Bad business to deal with and crappy and do not trust salesman Rich. He is a liar read more

They should be renamed LESS than Ideal. I recently bought a little Isetta at a good retail price. I live in another state and stupidly used someone they recommended to inspect the car. It passed with 'flying colors' and was shipped to me. The 'flying part' was a huge exaggeration. It wouldn't start and my mechanic found numerous faults. Some $3,000 (and counting!) later, I've bought a new carburetor; intake, petcock;other fuel system parts & have had the gas tank cleaned and coated (full of rust), new clutch and accelerator cable routed properly (ones on the car went over exhaust and were melting; the brakes will need attention and the door doesn't seal properly. They were oh so friendly when I was buying.. When I pointed out these numerous deficiencies which made the car un-drive able, they stopped talking to me. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!! read more

Our experience was exceptional! We visited previously but only had 10 minutes as the store closes quite early on Saturday, but revisited a few weeks later. Upon walking the floors, Mark was out and about and basically became our personal tour guide. He was very knowledgable, honest, and personable when talking with us. He showed us various features of cars, and we enjoyed his company for quite some time. Mark is actually a technician, however he was passionate and very kind to take the time to help us. Though we can't afford one of the beautiful pieces here at this time, if a classic car were to be bought, it would be from Mark. Excited for the Christmas show to see the vehicles again! read more

I bought my car of my dreams so I thought they told me car is perfect needs nothing I asked I want an all mental car no bondo he said no bondo all lies do not buy a car from these people they call 6 times when I wanted the car after they got there money no calls called Friday to see if they would help me make it right he said let me talk to the owner I will call you back it's Tuesday no call yet I just don't want this happening to anybody else it was a 69 z28 80k cars should not need 8k worth of work when you get the car very disappointed read more

This is a fun place to visit! Love to look at all the collector cars. No one bothers you as you walk around-just keep your hands to yourself! They have a small gift shop to check out, too. Best of all, once a month they have a Car Show outside-I think it's the 2nd Saturday morning of each month. Great way to enjoy a Sat morning in Venice! read more

just want to let you all know that they are not honest business people. I went in and told them just what I wanted. I liked a certain auto and they told me it had just been refurbished, new engine etc. The y didn't let me hear it run or even take it for a ride. I believed them and signed the papers and paid in cash for the auto. But when they drove it around to me in front of the building and I heard it I told them I didn't want the car. To bad it's yours, you signed for it. I said I wanted to invoke the 3 day rule and they told me that didn't apply to antique autos. So I drove it home. I then took it top my mechanic and found out that it was going to need about $10,000 worth of work done to make it safe and drivable. Total new air condition system, ring job on a new engine, exhaust system and much more. I took it home and later that night my garage smelled like someone had poured fresh gasoline all over the place. I was afraid the place was going to blow up. I pulled the car out onto the drive but could not sleep all night. The next morning I took it onto the Cadillac dealer and traded it off. At a loss of $22,000.00. But I now have a dependable vehicle I can drive anyplace I want to go. Plus I have a good warranty with it. Be careful when you buy from Ideal Classic Cars in Venice. read more