Barn finds get romanticized in this hobby and sometimes they deserve it. Other times, the barn is the kindest thing the car could have asked for. Here's the honest breakdown of what I've found and bought over the years.

The best barn find I ever pulled was a 1965 Chevelle Malibu in a Wisconsin dairy barn that had been parked since 1984. Dry, cold, insulated from humidity. The paint had chalked but the metal was nearly rust-free. Ran with a battery and some fuel.

The worst was a 1967 GTO in a Georgia tobacco barn. Twenty years of humidity and rat damage. More rust than car. I still bought it, restored it, and love it — but I went in knowing what I was dealing with.