Greetings,

For some reason, I am drawn back to getting another classic car or sports car lately.

I started thinking about the ones I've owned over the years...1964 Cadillac Convertible (23.5' ft long...like a canoe going over railroad tracks); classic TransAm, which was an awful lot of fun when I was in college. Just good memories, there were others, but I was thinking about them today.

Remember when you pulled into a parking lot for supper, a burger and fries, ice cream, or maybe any ol' parking lot with your best gal?

Well, I was thinking about the one that got away. When I was 14 years old, walking home from the highschool/middle school to my parents place, I remember an ol' feller who always wore a white button down shirt with collar, dress pants, big large frame glasses, and white hair slicked back. He was a neighbor. He had a 1970 GTO in triple green with a big block. I remember it like yesterday.

One day walking home, I noticed a for sale sign. The old man just pulled it out on his front lawn, was using shoe polish to write a price on the windshield.

I go, 'Mister, how much is that car? He goes, Kid, I am asking $ 4,500.00. Has 30,000 original miles give or take. He stood there continuing to do his best to put the letters and asking price on the car, while smoking his long pipe.

I remember walking home and asking Dad and Mom if I could borrow $ 4,000.00. They laughed. As a kid, he might has well been asking $ 40,000.00 but what a deal it was; and she was straight and perfect in every way. Wish things were different. I worked starting at 12 for farmers and then in kitchens, but that kinda money was just outta' reach.

What's your story? Please share and don't hesitate to post a picture or two.

Kind regards -- TH

__________________
Rather be outdoors

Art, for Art's sake.

__________________
Rather be outdoors

Art, for Art's sake.

__________________
Rather be outdoors

My first brand new car was a 67 GTO and do I wish I had kept it.
However I have another story. A guy in my town circa 1960 had a Cord in running condition but needing some restoration. He wanted $500 for it as I remember. My father talked me out of it because he claimed I wouldn't be able to find parts.
Jim

That would be my 65 Chevy Biscayne, never seen another one up here. Got it in 1992 when I was 16, had a 250 inline 6 cylinder, AC and an original 8 track radio. My step father kept telling me it was too much work etc but I should have held onto it. It ran and drove and the body was nice without any rot.

__________________
Vaya con Dios

This is the one that got away. A guy I was stationed with had one and I never got over it. Like most of you, I have gone through a number of cool cars. I can no longer afford my fantasies but if I could, I pick this humble beauty:

__________________
Music/Sports/Beer fan

66 GTO, 70 Torino Cobra Jet, 69 Camaro with a 327 in it. The Camaro had hounds tooth upholstery, yuk. Should have bought it anyway. 71 AAR Cuda with a 340 6 pack, 69 Mach 1 Mustang. I had a 71 Olds Cutlass Supreme with a 350 Rocket in it but sold it around 2000.

All of the above could have been mine. All of them would be worth a bunch more than I would have paid for them 20 to 30 years ago. I tend to buy things that decrease in value. I have some wonderful golf clubs, drivers with persimmon heads and such. Can't give those away anymore. I have quite a collection of VHS tapes too.

__________________
LIVE FROM THE DAWGHOUSE

I was in high school, and saw a 1968 Camaro SS/RS on the side of the road with a for sale sign. A quick look and I found it to be in like new condition with a 396 4 speed. LESS THAN 10,000 miles!!! Mostly put on 1/4 mile at a time. $6500. Sadly, or more probably fortunately, my dad wouldn't cosign for a loan.

I have owned a few cars.
The onliest one that I wish I had back is a 1966 Shelby Mustang.
British Racing Green.

__________________
NRA LIFE MEMBER

My lost gem was a 1976 Jeep Wagoneer. I bought it for $900 and over paid. It has 260,000 HARD miles on it when I bought it. I used it to escort deer and elk hunters when in that profession. No 2 tires were the same and the ones it did have were from the town dumpster. I arc welded mirrors to the doors, bolted the spare tire to the roof, mounted my rifle rack to the dash, installed 6 more gun racks, ran over a coyote and tied his tail to the antenna, a spotlight through the roof was my backup light, pistol and ammo racks screwed to the front 2 interior doors, to name just a few modifications. If you rode in it you got to scratch you name in the exterior paint. If you dented it, you had to sign it so we knew your dent from the other dents. That was the best vehicle for that type of use I ever had. At the end of 4 seasons there was so much mud and pistachio hulls in the floorboards the doors wouldn't close. More good times were had in that old junker than I have ever had before. I sold it when it broke down, again, in the bay of a car wash. Man I miss that old car. Did I mention the pink haired troll doll glued to the dash? She was our good luck charm. Everyone rubbed her posterior upon leaving the car, for luck. We gave the car the initials BOTT. It stood for "but other than that she was cherry".

My other beauty that got away was a 1959 GMC that a friend and I took to Alaska when we were 16 years old. We paid $350 for old TRUKLDOIT. One door was not the same color as the rest of the truck. It cost us $25 to buy a used homemade camper shell that we lived in for 4 months. It ran rough he entire 11,000 miles there and back. We then found out that one piston had been removed. We got there on 5 cylinders.

I would give good money to get either one of those vehicles back.

I was in my early twenties - maybe 20 or 21 so it's about 1977-78. Through a friend of a friend of a friend of an acquaintance I found the car I'd been trying to get since they came out new - a 1970 Mustang Mach 1. Sitting in a field about 35-40 miles south of where I lived. Went to look at it, and while the body was pretty straight, rust-free and the glass was good, the 351 Windsor had been neglected and was frozen. Couldn't turn it over with a breaker bar on the crank snout. Made a deal with the guy (don't recall the exact amount but it was less than $500), he signed over the title and I had it towed back to the house.

Spent the weekend pulling out the 351 and the FMX, the interior (carpets were pretty well mush but the seats weren't too bad), taking off the trim pieces and generally doing the things you do at the start of this type of project.

Monday I go to the DMV. Can't transfer the title, there's a lien against it. By the BROTHER of the guy I paid for it and who signed over the title. Brother wasn't interested in being bought out at a level I could afford; he wanted the car back. After pretty much using up my (at that time) limited vocabulary of curse words, repeating many of them at increasing volume to the guy, it was agreed that I would be made whole for the "purchase" price and the cost of the tow to my house. The time I spent taking apart "his" car was just too bad for me.

There were probably avenues available to me that at that time I had no idea of exploring, and I was just so hacked-off I wasn't thinking too clearly. The guy came the next weekend with a tow truck and my money, and hauled it out of the garage.

I probably shouldn't have started typing this. The whole episode still makes me grate my teeth and want to do mayhem to the son-of-a-... Not the guy who had the lien, the jackass who "sold" it to me knowing full well his brother had a lien on the car.

Red 1968 Dodge Dart GT; 340 with a 6 pack, bench seats with a 4 speed on the floor. Bought it in 1969, sold it when I got married in 1970, and been crying ever since ( not about getting married, but about selling that car)

__________________
John

Mine didn't get away, it was given away by my mother when I grew tired of it and abandoned it to let the tires go flat. An uncle had taken it in trade for some horses and he gave it to me for my 16th birthday. It only had 15K miles on it and the interior was complete and pristine including the optional rear seat and the leather picnic trunk. The paint shone like jewels. But I was 16. To me it was an old geezer wagon and I couldn't wait to save enough money to buy a 64 Mopar muscle car with a hemi. I like to think (hope) somebody rescued it out of the wrecking yard where she had it towed. It'd be worth a hundred grand today, easy.
The car? A 1951 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon, complete with wood. Stupid stupid stupid youth.

Mine was a '67 Camaro. The car was a couple of three years old when I got her but for a new Gold Nugget fresh out of flight school this was my Ensignmobile. She was RED with a black convertible top, black bumble bee stripe around the front end, black pin stripes down the side and Serie 70 wide tires with aluminum wheels. Had a black interior with black bucket seats. Man, did she look pretty, but she had a 327 with a two speed trans and a low rear end. Couldn't get out of her own way. Had guys challenging me to drag wherever I went. It was down right embarrassing sometimes. Taught my young bride to drive with that car. It was a "muscle" car without the muscle, so she was comfortable driving it.
It was a great car.

Pantera.

I begged my Dad to buy one and put it on blocks until I could buy it down the road. My Dad had the loot. I knew it would be worth many, many times the purchase price of $9000 new.

I drove a 69 Z28 with a 302 and a 4 speed in 74. Could have bought it... if I had a dime in my pocket, but nooooo. Gas shortage so all thirsty cars were heavily discounted.

Regret that one too.

I understand when things are not to be, but it sure would have been nice to make them happen.

Both those rides would be worth $$ now.

My brother bought and sold classic Thunderbirds for a few years in the early 70s. I decided I wanted one to drive. We looked at a nice '56 with hard and soft tops, Continental Kit, and 3-speed manual transmission. It had a great interior and decent tires. My brother advised me not to buy it. Said the guy wanted too much money. Asking price was $1800. My brother said $1600 was top dollar for it.

__________________
Georgia On My Mind

'64 GTO convertible, dark blue with a black top. It was the summer before Vietnam and I hit a porcupine at 100 mph about 5 miles south of Estes Park Co, top was down and 3 buddies in the car with me. We went airborne and when we came down all 4 tires were flat and the front of the car was crushed. That was the biggest porcupine I've ever seen. I think the insurance company gave me $1000 (it was a 5 year old used car ) One of those "how did I survive that one" moments, many similar moments happened during the next couple of years.

Here's my 40 Cad. 62 Series, my first Classic. We loved it. Sold it for a down payment on our house.
Flat head V-8, 3 speed, factory radio and heater. It was a real eye catcher in the 80's when G.M. wasn't doing anything special whatsoever.
First year of "sealed beam" headlamps, turn-signals, no running boards or exposed door hinges. And....it drove like a Cadillac!

Attached Images

	1622735_274479812707055_267534505_n[1].jpg (53.7 KB, 40 views)
	40 cad2.jpg (99.2 KB, 35 views)

I've collected and bought, sold and traded classic cars since I was 14 yrs. old 72 yrs. ago. 1st cars I owned were two 1914 Model T Ford roadsters. Paid $1.50 for both. One ran & one didn't. Fixed the one that didn't and sold them both for $5 ea. That was during WW2. Next was a 1935 Ford V& burned in a fire. Paid $75, fix it up and drove it for about 4 yrs. Tried to raise $700 to buy a 1932 Dusenberg Phaeton, ex Howard Hawks movie director car, in 1948. He ran it into a ditch in San Diego coming back from a drunk in TiJuana, Mex. and left it here. Tow company filed a lien against it and it was put up for sale at $700. Needed brakes, but ran great. Couldn't raise the $700, so lost out. Belonged to the Early Ford V8 Club and owned many different V8s. Bought a 1953 Muntz Jet out of a farmer's field in the late 1960s. It was ex-Olivia DeHaviland car from 1953 Paris Auto Show. Drove it for some time and traded it for a collection of Smith & Wessons and a 1957 Cadillac Eldorado brougham. Drove it for awhile and sold it to a Los Angeles collector for about $5K. in 1980. The car sold ( restored ) last year at auction for over $150K. I could tell you a lot of car stories, but this is enough for now. Ed.

Traded a 68 GTO for a 63 Vette..Split window coupe. 327 250 HP. Sold it for enough to buy a 64 XKE coupe that a good friends widow sold me. All good cars and worth much money now days. But the one I really wish I had kept was a 57 Chevy convertible 283 4 speed with fuel injection. First factory car with one horsepower per cubic inch. I paid 800 bucks for it. sigh!!

First car I ever bought. 1970 Camaro, orange on black, with a 350 V8 and 350TH tranny and the split front bumper. Got to drive it exactly ONE time. It belonged to one of my best buddies when I was a sophomore in HS. I drove it and flipped it into a ditch and so I ended up buying it from him.

Others I've had I'd love to have back...

1969 Olds 442 - silver on black with the 400 Rocket and dealer option floor shift automatic.

1967 Nova - only a 200 inline 6, but still a nice car.

1992 Ford Taurus SHO - 3.0L V-6 massaged by Yamaha and a 5 speed.

I bought it in 1977 from the original owner, an 87 year old local lady and it had 22,000 miles on it. Still have it and it now has 60,000 miles and all three of my kids were raised in it. 1956 210 2 door hardtop, the stripped down Businessman's Coupe. Never seen another one of the same model.

In the late 1950's I came across a Tucker sitting on blocks behind a gas station in south Minneapolis. Because it wasn't running and if I remember right the price was less than a grand, so I passed and in 59 bought my first new car a Chevy Biscayne 4 Dr for $1900.

Every car that slipped way from me was a Ferrari. The first was a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa racing car. It had a fresh engine and the body looked perfect. It was no longer competitive, and the owner wanted to get rid of it. He wanted $3000. I was in college. I didn't have much money. Tuition, books, and other expenses kept me broke. Three thousand dollars was beyond my reach.

Not too long ago a similar Ferrari sold for over $16,000,000.

Attached Images

	1957-Ferrari-Testa-Rossa.jpg (71.7 KB, 22 views)
	Ferrari TR Engine.JPG (153.6 KB, 21 views)

I have two, both are sad. First at 18 I went to work at the sawmill and hated it but liked the money so I bought a garage kept '57 Chevy 210 2 door hardtop in 1988. Red and white, custom interior, 325 HP 327, Muncie close ratio 4 speed and a 4:11 rear end. Driving to work one night I had a small electrical fire and had to have a friend drag it home for me. He parked on the street(only time ever) and someone hit it at 70 in a 3/4 ton truck. I had that for 8 months. The next one was my replacement, a '57 Chevy 150 2 door post that I put my drivetrain in from my old car. It was my daily driver for most of 22 years and I loved it like a child. Mom and Dad were going through money trouble so I sold it to help them out. Really hard to do but people are a little more important than cars, a little more. I have been a car nut since I was 5. I still have one classic car I love, my '42 Chevy Aerosedan with a 455 Olds. i am a poor, family man now and have built this myself with the exception of the front suspension swap I farmed out. It is not even close to done but is mechanically sound and will drive anywhere. I have about $5k in it, mostly a few hundred a year but countless hours of labor. I love old cars of every kind

Attached Images

	214.jpg (169.0 KB, 33 views)
	300.jpg (149.2 KB, 35 views)
	307.jpg (180.9 KB, 35 views)

I never owned this one. I went to a car auction in the mid 80s, saw a 66 Corvette go for $8000.

__________________
Common sense isn't so common.

I had a 1970 Buick Grand Sport 455 convertible. Great car and fast too. In 1979 we bought out first new car a 1979 Malibu. I wanted to keep the car as I knew then it was destined to be a classic but would have had to pay storage on it as I didn't have anyplace to keep it. My wife thought we should sell it and put the money down on our new car and not have to pay the storage. I finally agreed with her and we sold it for $1500.00.
Those go for big money now.

My first car was a '57 Chevy, 2 door HT Bel Air..The original owner had special ordered it from the factory..He ordered a Corvette 283 c.i. engine..Corvette raised fin valve covers, dual point distributor..'57 tiger tooth grill, between the parking lights..
My first new car was a 1966 Chevy II Super Sport, 327 c.i., 350 HP, 4 speed...Man that was one fast car..Wiped it out when I tried to match bumpers with a huge oak tree..
After that I had a '56 Chevy convertible, a sweet ride..

Others I have owned, '64 Chevy SS, '66 SS396, convertible..
Yeah, I have had some 'real' cars..

Not much of a Mopar man here but I found one of these about 1982 and picked it up for a song. 440 six pak, 4 speed. Mine was copper in color with white vinyl top. Sold it when my first insurance bill came due and got into speed boats.

__________________
Isaiah 41:10

My parents still had their 1969 Bonneville convertible when I was in high school in the 1980's. They sold it and I wanted to keep it...but they had none of it. I was working in Denver in 1986 for a rental shop during college and the owner had a 1971 Cadillac Eldorado convertible with only 22K miles on it. It was red with white interior and had it for sale for $4500. I tried to get my parents to float me a loan to buy it...again...had none of it. A couple of bikers from Wyoming came in...looked like meth dealers...and paid cash for it. Sad day...

In 1973, I had just bought a 1969 Boss 302 Mustang from a buddy for $325. It had a blown engine and a dented fender. While I was rebuilding the 302, I found a 65 Mustang hardtop, sitting on a lot, that was a K code 271HP car. All original, navy blue, 4 speed. I looked it over and started talking to the saleman, although I couldn't bring another car home. I was still living with the parents, and Dad wasn't real happy about having that Mustang in his shop. When I left the lot, he told me he would take $550 cash. I know he would have taken an even 500. A couple of weeks later there was a 1968 GT500KR sitting on another lot for $1200.

__________________
Wayne
Torn & Frayed

Um...my 1965 (yup 1965) Shelby Mustang, SFM-5S-408, that I traded for a 1968 Corvette.

Where are ya, old girl?

Just a few of the Corvettes I've owned since the late 70's...



My current Vette (2004 Z06 Commemorative Edition - 1,472 one-owner miles) is the blue with stripes above left.

Shares the garage with a 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner 440 6 barrel 4 speed pistol grip with air grabber.

This is my current daily, a '87 El Camino with 68k on it. It has the 4.3V6 with 4 speed auto and "performance" rear gears. It takes some of the sting out of my other two I lost. I also regret losing my first car, a '70 Buick Skylark GS350. Rootbeer brown withe all the factory Ram Air or whatever Buick called it

Attached Images

	DSC07681.jpg (159.6 KB, 13 views)
	DSC07709.jpg (153.7 KB, 13 views)
	DSC07721.jpg (153.1 KB, 14 views)

Man some nice rides. Remember the sound the classic Muscle cars made, that's one thing that separates the classics from today's fast cars.

I have an 05 Mustang GT that I would consider to be that fastest car I've ever owned, not the new 5.0 insane fast, just fast enough, faster than that Cutlass I had mentioned. I also had a 71 340 Dodge Demon that I almost got killed in but I'd put this Mustang up against either of them. Thing is I was sitting in an intersection a few years ago when some absolute music to my ears pulls up right next to me. I look over and see a sweet 68 302 red Mustang GT convertible. Had like an aftermarket mini cowl induction hood on it, very tastefully done. I screamed over at him that I wished mine sounded as good as his, had that little 60's lope idling. He'd have seen my tail lights too if he'd wanted to get froggy, he knew it.

__________________
LIVE FROM THE DAWGHOUSE

69 SS Chevelle. Owner came home just before I got the under dash wires connected. ��

__________________
Thirty characters. Exactly...

LOL, I sold a 73 911T with the mechanical fuel injection system just 2 years ago. It was all there and mechanically pretty good, but the body was a rust bucket and the interior was pretty bad. I was shocked to get $10,500 for it...

Guy at the GM factory had a 64 Plymouth he bought new. After a year he raced it. Last year I offered him 6 k cash for it. He says naw I told so an so back in 80 that he could have it. Sold for 3500. I've not spoken to him since and will not!

I personally do not see what the problem was. The man kept his word. If he had sold it to you we all would know what his word was worth. $2,500. I admire the man and would do business with him anytime. But that is just me.

Best regards.

Ya, several got away from me too...72 Nova and 70 Firebird for me. Not necessarily classics, but I enjoyed the heck out of them both back then. But being young and dumb, I just considered them "old" cars and sold them to get something new.

I tend to keep things but this '37 Packard 115C had to go to make room for my brother's '58 Chevy truck after he passed away. The Packard was totally stock with a flathead 6 and an excellent original interior. It was like driving a time machine...

__________________
"Shall not be infringed"

I've not read even one post on this thread. It is too painful.

I had the first Mustang in my state. The first. I took care of it until I was re-assigned to Europe. I left it with family to take care of. And to meet laws where everyone lived, I transferred title.

I returned home to find it had been sold, and scrapped out for parts.

That branch of my family all died in hell that day. My will sends everything to the (non-family) folks who will be driving me to chemo.

My regrets for not buying.....
A '69 Shelby GT 500 in '78 for $5500.
A '57 Chevy convertible with red leather and 9 original miles in '89 for $40k.
A '57 black Chevy Nomad with 20k miles in '94 for $25k.

My only classic now is this '68 GTO with a 428 from a '68 Grand Prix.

__________________
Smith & Wesson beat four aces

1953 Austin Healy 100-4 BN1
Stupid me it didn't get away,,,I sold it ! Didn't really know what I had back then, just married buying a house so I sold it!

My first car was a '52 Ford Victoria 2-door hardtop my Dad bought so I could drive myself to school. He sold it to a kid who destroyed it in a few weeks.

My first new car was a '67 Olds Delmont 2-door hardtop. I don't remember details but the engine was huge and the hood seemed as long as the rest of the car. It was so front heavy, the rear wheels spun when I stepped on it hard. It came with Uniroyal tires which developed lumps after a few thousand miles. I put new Goodyear Polyglas tires on it and the car was so much more stable it was amazing. To this day I would NEVER buy a Uniroyal tire(if they still made any???)!

Had to sell it when I moved to NYC. Can you imagine trying to park that boat on the street?

__________________
Bob.
SWCA 1821

My life has been full of cool cars, but they either just got close enough to taste or else slipped away. My pop had a penchant for really cool cars, but unfortunately lacked the slightest mechanical skill or interest.

Cars that passed through our household before I could drive included a Jaguar MK VII saloon car, a 1949 Buick straight eight convertible, a 1927 Chrysler with running boards, velvet upholstery, and tasseled shades for the opera windows, and a string of small Austin and Morris sedans.

I learned to drive in a 1949 Cadillac Fleetwood and drove it to my high school prom. That car had nice, wide bench seats and a flat floor that made it ideal for double, or even triple dating.

My first car was a 1957 MGA 1500 roadster. I ran that car hard for three years before trading it for my first motorcycle. In retrospect, that was a lousy trade, but it was even money at the time, and it did get me into motorcycles, so I don't really regret it.

Other cars I regret letting go of:

A 1966 Alfa Romeo, the Bertone-bodied coupe that is one of the prettiest cars ever made.

A 1951 Ford with a flathead V8. That was one of the sweetest-running powerplants ever made (except for some inline sixes), not a sreet racer, but an 80 mph cruiser with overdrive.

A Peugeot 504 wagon, a fine tank of a car. For what they gave me when I bought a new Escort, I might as well have kept it. It was the last of three Peugeots for me. I drove Volvos before that, but I don't miss a single one of them.

__________________
Not in jail.

I'm happy to say this one hasn't got away. I've heard so many times people say what they used to have that I didn't want to do the same.

Attached Images

IMG00088-20110801-1734.jpg (201.2 KB, 24 views)

I had a 65'[ Goat in maze with a black gut-389 close box-posi-373 gears-but it got gone when Uncle came a knockin'-couldn't handle those $56.00 payments as a draftee!!! Best I ever had, and I've been blessed-whole saled it for 1150.00

I loved the look of those "goats" front ends..That's the way I viewed most of them in my rear view mirror, when street drag races...
Honestly, they were a beautiful car...

Back in '72, I bought a 1942 Packard 120 convertible, running boards and all. Straight eight. Black body, white top, and red leather upholstery. Didn't get to drive it much; sold it after a few years. Later, had a near-mint 1940 Packard 110 4-door, straight six, quieter than a Rolls-Royce; daily driver for a couple of years. Traded it off to a local jeweler for an engagement ring for my wife. No pix of either of them.

__________________
de minimus non curat lex