What car, truck or motorcycle do you regret NOT buying?

[robvious]

does trading in a 1972 DeTomaso Pantera for a pickup truck generate enough regret...
the big woulda shoulda was a 2 car deal... 1970 grabber green Boss 302 & 1968 GT500 dual quad.. both were rolling basket cases. but could have had them both for 40 grand.. had the money back then.. no place to put them and wouldn't have any money left to fix them.. oh well

 

[TheHobbyist]

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

Hey Bud,

I am surprised, did they not know your friend had that amount of cash on hand at that point in time? That was a lot of money he had on him; I just did a quick check and it is equivalent to $30K cash today. I had a 1964 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible that was GM's flagship, which was about 7 years prior and I believe it sold back then for around $6K new. Boy, did they miss a sale.

 

[Doug627]

I was in Topeka, KS the summer of 1981. An estate was selling a car collection. There was a 1958 Impala convertible, gray on gray, for $5,400.00. I just didn't have the money.

 

[ike1518]

Back in the 70s I lusted after two things: One was a girl named Liz and the other was the Kawasaki Mach III 500 cc motorcycle. I never got either one.

 

[wuluf]

The 2001 Dyna I have for sale now. I'll miss it and riding like crazy but it's time...

Sent from my SM-G981U using Tapatalk

 

[jag312]

After I graduated from college, I started to save my money to buy a Ferrari. I wanted either a 275GTB or a 250GT California Spider. Someone had a 250GT Cabriolet in excellent condition for $4000. I wanted to buy it, and I did have the money. My mother talked me out of it. She said that if I wanted a California Spider, then I should wait to get a California Spider and not buy a Cabriolet, which she said was a lesser car. Thanks a whole lot, mom.

 

[Model 19 6"]

For me it was a 67 chevy caprice ss 2 door hard top, 427 engine. Some how my dad said no. I learned not to argue with him at a young age.

 

[Dave from Pa]

1974 I was just out of school and looking for a job.A friend had a 69 BOSS 302.I needed $800.00 to add to what I already had to make the deal.Asked my Dad, he said if you don't have the money you don't make the deal.That was the end of the discussion.Car sold to another neighbor next day.

 

[LVSteve]

After I graduated from college, I started to save my money to buy a Ferrari. I wanted either a 275GTB or a 250GT California Spider. Someone had a 250GT Cabriolet in excellent condition for $4000. I wanted to buy it, and I did have the money. My mother talked me out of it. She said that if I wanted a California Spider, then I should wait to get a California Spider and not buy a Cabriolet, which she said was a lesser car. Thanks a whole lot, mom.

Parents, they get pretty sneaky and even snarky if there is a danger you will be getting a nicer or faster car than them. In the early 80s I bought a UK car called a Magnum 2300, meaning 2.3 litre motor. Big motor for the UK and in something weighing less than a ton. It had a 4-speed with ludicrously short gearing (typical of a mid-70s car) which, combined with the light weight, gave it startling top gear acceleration.

My Dad gave me a ride to go get it, and while following me back I gave him a demonstration of half throttle top gear go as we left a 30 mph limit. When we got home his face was a picture as he got out of his car. "What the hell have you bought? You just walked away from me as we left that 30 limit! What is this thing?" You may guess how even less pleased he was when I told him that I was in top gear at half gas. After a few rides in around the hilly area we lived in, he begrudgingly agreed that it was a suitable tool for the job.

Sadly, he passed before I got my XKR. I could imagine his reaction had I picked him up at McCarran. "Good grief!!! How much did that cost?" Then, after looking at it and berating the 20" wheels he would have smirked and asked, "So, does it go as well as it looks? Not that I'm looking for a demo!"

 

[DesertFox]

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

Rode in one of these in the early 80's. Had a sticker inside the pop up ashtray saying "WARNING: DO NOT EXCEED 120MPH WITH TOP DOWN!" Certainly a once in a lifetime event.