2 that I miss, 79 FJ40 and a Scout II. Miss both of them, not only because they would be worth a small fortune but, because they were such awesome. Damn children. Oh well, I just hope they will change my diaper when the time comes.
What car, truck or motorcycle do you regret NOT buying?
- Thread starter pawngal
- Start date
meaneyedcatz
Member
Jeep CJ. Almost bought one but opted for a pickup.
I will never own one as I will not buy a modern Chrysler product.
I will never own one as I will not buy a modern Chrysler product.
TheHobbyist
Member
There was an old timer that lived about six blocks down from my parents house that would wash his 1970 GTO, triple green, Judge Ram air on the weekends with a reverence. I never saw him drive it. He had a separate garage just for the car and would detail it weekly and go over it / enjoy it.
Looking back, he must have been around late 70's early 80's in age. Anyways, I am walking home from school one day, around 10 years old IIRC, and he brings it out and puts a for sale sign on it for $ 4,000.00. I was doing lawn mowing and odd jobs at that age but it might as well have been a million to me at that time. Begged my folks to buy it--no luck.
Looking back, he must have been around late 70's early 80's in age. Anyways, I am walking home from school one day, around 10 years old IIRC, and he brings it out and puts a for sale sign on it for $ 4,000.00. I was doing lawn mowing and odd jobs at that age but it might as well have been a million to me at that time. Begged my folks to buy it--no luck.
Sandman4delta
Member
Fresh back from overseas in 1982, I went to a local dealer to see the "New" Trans Am. While there, the talk expanded to different cars and he took me back to show me a trade they had in the shop.
An all original and "Unmolested" 1969 Mach I with all the goodies and a 428 CobraJet with Ramair.
The previous guy smartly didn't want his highschooler to be in danger, so he traded it for something cool but safer.
40 something K miles on it.
An offer in the mid 4 grand area woulda done it.
BUT...
I was on my way to a new assignment in North Dakota from Ca.
I had no idea what to expect and passed on it for a Bronco I found later.
A Bronco that I didn't keep long enough for it to realize the values now.
Oh well....
An all original and "Unmolested" 1969 Mach I with all the goodies and a 428 CobraJet with Ramair.
The previous guy smartly didn't want his highschooler to be in danger, so he traded it for something cool but safer.
40 something K miles on it.
An offer in the mid 4 grand area woulda done it.
BUT...
I was on my way to a new assignment in North Dakota from Ca.
I had no idea what to expect and passed on it for a Bronco I found later.
A Bronco that I didn't keep long enough for it to realize the values now.
Oh well....
My dad worked with a guy with an all original Shelby GT 350. Beautiful car. Not only did he drive it regularly, so did his wife and teenage daughters. When I said that I didn't think I could be that generous if it was mine, he said it was a car. Cars get driven. And besides, it was insured out the wazoo. He finally got offered stupid money for it and sold. Used part of the money to buy him and his wife matching Corvettes.
handejector
Staff member
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1971? or 72?
My buddy needed a car. Saw an ad in the Atlanta paper and went downtown to look at some cars. Being young and apparently not meeting a salesman's specs, we were blown off at a new car dealership (buddy had $4000 in his pocket), so we went back to looking at the ads for used cars.
Went in a garage like building on a back street in downtown Atlanta because of an interesting ad.
The guy had a Ferrari. I do not know what model or year it was, but it looked about like this-
Had a V-12.
It was yellow.
Odometer said 70 or 80 k?- been 50 years.
The leather interior was showing its age and beginning to crack.
The engine smoked just a little when you kicked it, like maybe one ring was cracked.
One fender had a dent.
The windshield had a crack on the passenger side.
We took it for a ride. I liked it. He didn't want to buy it and start doing repairs that would probably be expensive.
Asking price?
$1800
My buddy needed a car. Saw an ad in the Atlanta paper and went downtown to look at some cars. Being young and apparently not meeting a salesman's specs, we were blown off at a new car dealership (buddy had $4000 in his pocket), so we went back to looking at the ads for used cars.
Went in a garage like building on a back street in downtown Atlanta because of an interesting ad.
The guy had a Ferrari. I do not know what model or year it was, but it looked about like this-
Had a V-12.
It was yellow.
Odometer said 70 or 80 k?- been 50 years.
The leather interior was showing its age and beginning to crack.
The engine smoked just a little when you kicked it, like maybe one ring was cracked.
One fender had a dent.
The windshield had a crack on the passenger side.
We took it for a ride. I liked it. He didn't want to buy it and start doing repairs that would probably be expensive.
Asking price?
$1800
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Aggie1906
US Veteran
I got word through my Corvette Club that a guy nearby had just bought 1953 #3 as a rolling wreck to restore. He needed to finance, and put up his 1955. I visited and we haggled down to a $100 difference. OK, I had a GI loan house, a second child, so you know the drill.
I think we got to him wanting $2500. Curt LeMay's car, you had to be a somebody in '53. Maybe around 1973? Been regretting it ever since.
Years ago his #3 was way over $100,000.
I think we got to him wanting $2500. Curt LeMay's car, you had to be a somebody in '53. Maybe around 1973? Been regretting it ever since.
Years ago his #3 was way over $100,000.
Early 70s a pair of friends pooled their cash and bought an mga for $100. Being poor high school kids they spent a year getting it running again and included a rattle can paint job. They took it down to the freeway and halfway up the cloverleaf on-ramp it threw a wheel. Never saw that car again .
(I'm pretty sure Steve's dad hit the roof at that lol)
(I'm pretty sure Steve's dad hit the roof at that lol)
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Some years back I imported a 3.3 Liter Porsche 930 Turbo. It was my daily driver for a number of years. Although I did OK when I sold it, I should have imported a Carrera RS.
OLDSTER
Member
In 1991, I had a chance to buy an original factory documented 1969 Camaro COPO for about 25% less than it was worth. I declined and put my money on a 1972 GTO. ( What an idiot I was ). 
It was like this one ( in fact this may be it ).
It was like this one ( in fact this may be it ).
I had a '73 Jeep Commando in 1992. A gentleman offered to trade me his '76 J10 pick-up even steven. I had only had the Commando for a few months, and I had bought it from my dad. I turned him down. A few days later, I thought that maybe I had missed a good trade and tried to contact him. His wife answered the phone and said that she would give him the message. Never heard from him. I don't think she gave him the message.
I had ordered a winch after getting my first 4x4 stuck a few times way back in the hills. It was mail order back then and it was on back order. After 6 weeks I figured I should give 'em a ring. My mrs informed me they had called a week earlier to ask if I still wanted it. She told them no!!
Wives [emoji2955]…
A local car dealer here in Greenville had a buy one get one free YUGO Sale.
Man I missed that opportunity to be a two car family. 1987 Monte Carlo S/S Black. Dale Earnhardt edition.
Man I missed that opportunity to be a two car family. 1987 Monte Carlo S/S Black. Dale Earnhardt edition.
31FordA
Member
I regret not buying a Mercury Marauder back in '03/'04. I could afford the car, but couldn't afford to insure it and my '94 Grand Marquis. At the time I was driving 25,000+ miles a year, and couldn't see spending the money just to run the car into the ground as a daily driver. As it turned out I finally got a full time take home gov't car right after Mercury dropped the Marauder, so it wouldn't have ended up as a daily driver for long. I did get a used Grand Marquis LSE, which was almost everything the Marauder had, except for the DOHC 4.6 and the extra instrument cluster.
Another missed oppurtunity was a 1965 F-100. Dad and I were in North Carolina in 2006 and saw a clean, original 1965 F-100 on a used car lot for $2,500. I really wish I had bought that truck, I should have listened to Dad. He was certain it would get back to PA with no problem, and if something did break he could fix it. When I see what those F-100's are bringing now I could kick myself.
Whenever I feel badly about cars I should have bought I remember what my Dad used to tell me, "you can't buy them all". He told me that a lot, although he would also say that didn't apply to that F-100 in Carolina. He always said I should have bought that truck.
Another missed oppurtunity was a 1965 F-100. Dad and I were in North Carolina in 2006 and saw a clean, original 1965 F-100 on a used car lot for $2,500. I really wish I had bought that truck, I should have listened to Dad. He was certain it would get back to PA with no problem, and if something did break he could fix it. When I see what those F-100's are bringing now I could kick myself.
Whenever I feel badly about cars I should have bought I remember what my Dad used to tell me, "you can't buy them all". He told me that a lot, although he would also say that didn't apply to that F-100 in Carolina. He always said I should have bought that truck.
When the RS came out I was pretty much committed to my /5 (as I was when the R90S came out three years earlier).
For a while, I slaked my RS jones my mounting a Tom Stewart fairing on my /5. I don't think I ever saw another of those very sturdy fairings. It looked like a kind of a cross between an Avon fairing and a Rabid Transit. (I later put one of those on an R100S).
Have you ever seen a '77 in Havana Gold in really nice shape? When the RS was new, everybody wanted the ice blue, but 30 and 40 years later, the Havana Gold is what leaves you weak in the knees.
64 thunderbird for $1100 , 69 firebird for $1100 a v-max I do not remember the price. I gave my 67 mustang to friend before I went into the Marine Corp for helping me. The mustang was wrecked on the front clips, but fixable. Oh to be young and dumb.
FBI Buick Regal turbo. Was on the lot at the Alexandria, VA Pontiac/Buick dealer. I was there with my blown head gasket Pontiac Grand AM for a warranty fix.
Car had gold paint, bench seat and the 145 MPH speedometer as well as ZR rated tires.
Car had gold paint, bench seat and the 145 MPH speedometer as well as ZR rated tires.
.38SuperMan
Member
I'm not much of an enthusiast of American classics but love foreign classics.
The first regret was a low mileage 1952 Bentley that was excellent mechanically ant the exterior was excellent but the leather interior was cracking. This was 1974 and the initial asking price was $5k. I'm still kicking myself.
Second was a new Datsun 240Z. I bought an MGB instead but still wish I'd gotten a 240Z along the way. I wound up getting sidetracked with business and life and never got around to getting one.
Third was a Triumph TR3. The TR3 was my first experience with British cars and I've always loved them. Same excuse as number two for not getting one. There were just too many distractions in life and we can only do so many things.
Forth was a 1964 Porsche 356C that was show room new. It belonged to the owner of the Porsche dealership who sold it to my friend. It only had 90,000 miles and would pass for new. I was one of the privileged few that ever drove it. Anyway the price was right but again I hesitated and my friend sold it. Darn!!!
Well I got most of my dream cars including a new Porsche and I'm having a ton of fun now in a Mini Cooper S. What a blast in the mountains!
The first regret was a low mileage 1952 Bentley that was excellent mechanically ant the exterior was excellent but the leather interior was cracking. This was 1974 and the initial asking price was $5k. I'm still kicking myself.
Second was a new Datsun 240Z. I bought an MGB instead but still wish I'd gotten a 240Z along the way. I wound up getting sidetracked with business and life and never got around to getting one.
Third was a Triumph TR3. The TR3 was my first experience with British cars and I've always loved them. Same excuse as number two for not getting one. There were just too many distractions in life and we can only do so many things.
Forth was a 1964 Porsche 356C that was show room new. It belonged to the owner of the Porsche dealership who sold it to my friend. It only had 90,000 miles and would pass for new. I was one of the privileged few that ever drove it. Anyway the price was right but again I hesitated and my friend sold it. Darn!!!
Well I got most of my dream cars including a new Porsche and I'm having a ton of fun now in a Mini Cooper S. What a blast in the mountains!
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OP
Well I got most of my dream cars including a new Porsche and I'm having a ton of fun now in a Mini Cooper S. What a blast in the mountains!
I love my Mini Cooper S, it just laughs at hills and curves. And begs for more.
I love my Mini Cooper S, it just laughs at hills and curves. And begs for more.
ancient-one
US Veteran
Wine colored 63 Chevy Super Sport.
Wrangler Rich
US Veteran
In 1968, a friend blew the engine on his 63 Split Window (327 Fulie) and offered it to me. I told him I would take it but had to run home to get my check book. 10 minutes later, he had thought about it and declined the offer. Sebring Silver, black interior.
I had gone up to Berger Chevrolet in Grand Rapids Michigan and purchased a crate 302 that was going in my '56 drag car. I would have put it in the 63 had the deal went through...... Oh well...
WR
I had gone up to Berger Chevrolet in Grand Rapids Michigan and purchased a crate 302 that was going in my '56 drag car. I would have put it in the 63 had the deal went through...... Oh well...
WR
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