In 1967 I had the chance to buy a 1965 Sunbeam Tiger (the hot Ford V8 version) for $5000. Owner was headed to Nam. I passed because I had my 1965 AH Sprite and just couldn't see owning another 2 seater sports car. Bad decision! They are now worth $50,000 to $100,000.
What car, truck or motorcycle do you regret NOT buying?
- Thread starter pawngal
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Fully restored Datsun 2000.
LVSteve
Member
2011 Maserati Quattroporte with the executive package.
1970 427 Corvette. A dealer had a nice used one that I could afford. I ran home to talk to the wife and she said go for it so back we went and it had just been sold. Darn it all
Fishinfool
Member
I became a licensed driver in 1975. At the time, the gas "crunch" was on, and a lot of classic muscle cars were reaching that 10 year / 100,000 mark. Good shape GTO's, Firebirds, V-8 Mustangs, big block MOPAR's could all be had for less than a grand. Older Corvette's for a couple K.
My 1965 GTO cost me $700.
If I had known then what I know know, I would have bought as many classic muscle cars as I could have, and set them away.....
A particular car? In 1996, at the Carlisle PA car show, I found a guy with an original 1965 Corvette with a 327 and 4 speed in good drivers shape. He offered it to me for 16K. I hemmed and hawed, then walked away. I regret that one..
Larry
My 1965 GTO cost me $700.
If I had known then what I know know, I would have bought as many classic muscle cars as I could have, and set them away.....
A particular car? In 1996, at the Carlisle PA car show, I found a guy with an original 1965 Corvette with a 327 and 4 speed in good drivers shape. He offered it to me for 16K. I hemmed and hawed, then walked away. I regret that one..
Larry
My friend was selling his 1969 Charger R/T with 440 magnum, black with black, 4-speed, white R/T stripe. $1,900. I then missed out on his 1968 Mercury 428 Cobra Jet, automatic. It was the fastest car around Beaver County at the time. The money I had for the CJ went to a '73 Harley Superglide. What a dumb (butt)! Fast-forward to 2012, I traded in my '08 Impala Super Sport for a danged GMC Terrain. Just shoot me!!!
LVSteve
Member
Forgot this one. Rover P5B saloon with the 3.5 litre V8, same as the ones driven by HRH Queen Elizabeth. Neighbor who maintained and fixed cars for old folks said the owner's eyesight was failing and it was coming up for sale. No rot as it had been treated with Waxoyl. At age 20 with British gas prices and insurance it was a nonstarter, as was the pagoda roof Mercedes 280SL he brought up a few months later. Broke my heart, back in the day.
Attachments
1956 Facel Vega I could have gotten for $1200 back in '66; 1962 Triumph Bonneville--fully restored--in 1998; a guy I knew bought it and wrecked it.
In the mid-80s I was at an auction where a '66 Corvette sold for $7000.
I bought a 78 Camaro with all my hard-earned money senior year high school. Had I known I would still have the car should have bought the Z28 model! Has about 37000 miles on it.
'69 Camaro SS 396/375 I could have had for $1500 bucks in '73. It was in a body shop getting a nose clip.
I passed when I found a '72 454 4sp vert soon thereafter for $3000. My lifelong affair with vettes thus began.
Shoulda bought both, and kept em.
I passed when I found a '72 454 4sp vert soon thereafter for $3000. My lifelong affair with vettes thus began.
Shoulda bought both, and kept em.
At 20 years old I had a chance to buy a 1969 Shelby GT500 convertible for the sum of $3500.00. Well I wish now I would have done it.
Ivan the Butcher
Member
In early January 1975, Quality Chevrolet in Columbus, Ohio. had a brand new 1975 Corvette convertible (supposed to be the last year of convertibles!), for a little over $4200. I could have swung it.
About 1988, I was at a swimming party at my wife's brother's F-I-L. The garage door is open, and there sits a 1975 Blue with black convertible Vette. I go find Bob the owner, and ask him about his car. He and his two brothers were builders (like my family) and 1974 was a great year, so the three brothers each bought a matching Vette. One was Red, One was White, but the nation's largest Vette dealer was out of Blue ones! They found one at Quality Chevy in Columbus. I yelled (with a smile on my face) You bought my Vette! Every family event we are both at, he jangles the keys to "MY VETTE" at me, he still has it. He told me he tries to put about 500 miles a year on it, but since he's in the Mission field much of the year, he thinks it has about 300 a year on it!
Ivan
About 1988, I was at a swimming party at my wife's brother's F-I-L. The garage door is open, and there sits a 1975 Blue with black convertible Vette. I go find Bob the owner, and ask him about his car. He and his two brothers were builders (like my family) and 1974 was a great year, so the three brothers each bought a matching Vette. One was Red, One was White, but the nation's largest Vette dealer was out of Blue ones! They found one at Quality Chevy in Columbus. I yelled (with a smile on my face) You bought my Vette! Every family event we are both at, he jangles the keys to "MY VETTE" at me, he still has it. He told me he tries to put about 500 miles a year on it, but since he's in the Mission field much of the year, he thinks it has about 300 a year on it!
Ivan
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Squarebutt
Member
When I was in high school I pumped gas at a Texaco station, and one of the guys drove a white '56 Chevy convertible, V8, stick shift, dual exhaust, the whole package. One day he came to work driving a newer coupe. I should've chased down the car lot where he traded it, but I hesitated and it was gone.
In 1972, I bought a brand new BMW R75/5. The next year, Guzzi introduced the V7 Sport. I rode a friend's - what a splendid bike. But I had too much tied up in the Beemer to buy another top line roadster. I have never regretted the BMW; I put almost 200,000 miles on it over the next 35 years. And I did eventually buy an 850 Guzzi Le Mans, the bike the V7 evolved into, so I was not deprived of the gambelunghe experience.
But I never did get to experience the metallic celery green and red frame. Many years later, Guzzi reintroduced that color scheme on the V11 Sport, but that bike, good as it looked, hurt me to ride. The power pulses through the bars left my palms swollen and tingling.
But I never did get to experience the metallic celery green and red frame. Many years later, Guzzi reintroduced that color scheme on the V11 Sport, but that bike, good as it looked, hurt me to ride. The power pulses through the bars left my palms swollen and tingling.
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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. 
My father bought a very nice '51 ford pu with 30,000 miles on it in '70 from the owners widow. I used it as a daily driver unless he needed it to haul whatever to a construction site. A few years later after I'd put a dent in it and broke a motor mount he loaded it up with gravel and headed up the hog back to a house we were building in the mountains…he threw a rod (and blamed me lol) after replacing the engine,he sold it. I'd love to have kept that one.
1996 Chevelle Super Sport 396 4 speed........Was too young when they came out. Cousin had one. Sure was fun to drive.
charlie sherrill
Member
Not long ago I had a chance to buy a Ford F250 crew cab 4X4 standard tranny for $1500.00. It was an old Dept. of Agriculture truck with 13,000 original miles. It was painted "Pea green" and was "butt ugly" but would have been perfect for piddling around on my little farm. I passed on it and found a F150 regular cab 2 wheel drive for more money and more miles. Hindsight is 20/20.
