Ever Regret not buying a Car?

[Alfa02]

We have the post about (Ever regret selling one) But what about not buying one. I have two. First one- 1976, had a 72 240Z, found out about a gentleman in Cal. that was building V-8 powered Z-cars (Brain Morrow, Scarab). Well I wanted mine to be one of those. Talked with the bank, (my loan officer, at one time sold Tigers) so he was on board, except the Wife, couldn't see me spending $11,500, on my $4000 car, I would still own that car, (no longer have that wife Mine was to be a 302DZ motor with alum case 4-speed, rather then a 327, iron 4-speed. #2- 1980 Was looking for a nice Tiger (spent my 2-week vacation driving up & down the west coast) Way before the internet Nothing, so a friend call's me about a "Shelby" a friend of a friend passed away, and his wife was selling his collection. Well "Pictures of a Cobra" danced in my head. She wanted $5000 Cash. Went to go see this "Shelby" there was a 66 GTO, 67 GTX, 340 Cuda, and a few more. Sitting there was a 65 GT-350, very nice driver and I, like a fool walked away (still wanted a Tiger), as you can tell I still regret it. I would still have that car too. There you go guy's my mistakes, and you?

[t walgamuth]

Not me. Whenever I have really wanted one and could afford it I bought it. I've had two cars I liked so much I bought them twice.

[Three Peaks]

When I was in the Army the first two years (72,73) I was stationed at Fort Lewis, just outside Tacoma, Washington. One day, my buddy and I were ogling girls downtown Tacoma and a 427 Cobra drives up and we strike up a conversation. After a bit, the guy offers to sell me the Cobra for $6500. I would still have that car, but for a young private making $400 a month, it might as well have been a million dollars he was asking...

I've also passed up several very nice cars- 2- 69 Z28's , a 69 Charger, a 69 Road runner, and a couple more that are just too painful of memories to discuss...

Bob

[RB60]

I'd say one was a freshly restored '66 Shelby Mustang GT350H back around 1979-1980. The guy was asking $8500, but at that time it was a bit over my budget. I told a friend about it and he went down and bought it for $8000. He had it for a few years, then sold it and bought a Pantera.
Today, he has a 2011 Porsche GT3 RS, I have a Cobra and we still go to car shows together, but he often brings up that Shelby and says he wishes he'd kept it.
The only other one worth mentioning is a '70 AAR 'Cuda back in 1983, but just before I bought it, I stumbled upon a cherry '67 Mustang Fastback, and being a die-hard Ford man, I bought that instead. I pulled the original 289 drivetrain out and shoe-horned a professionally rebuilt 429 SCJ drivetrain out of a wrecked '70 Torino CJ in it. That one I could put in the "Ever regret selling one" thread.

[xb-60]

Haha, who hasn't regretted not buying a car?

Back in around 1975, I regularly rode or drove past a truck wrecker's 'showroom' that contained a Ferrari Daytona sitting on a car trailer. It was there for about twelve months, and every time I went past, I thought "I should go in a see what the story is". Every time! ....and still I didn't go in there; was always too busy. The car was covered in dust (could see that even from the road).
As mentioned, this was 1975, so only two years after the "energy crisis", and doom and gloom was being forecast for the motor industry, and particularly for the exotic car sector. Bearing in mind that the Daytona (365GTB/4) was originally released in 1968, this car could not have been more than seven years old at the most.
When I think about this, I still mentally kick myself. It would probably have been out of my pay scale .....but I don't know, do I?

Cheers,
Glen

[Ron61]

Yes I have a couple. When I worked for the labs and was in Los angles at times I would always go look at the Cobras and I wanted a 289 but they had quit making them by then and the people that had them wouldn't sell There was a car lot there that had three of the 427 styles, two with 427s and one with the 428. They couldn't sell them and offered to sell me all three for $20K and I turned it down as I wanted a 289. Darn, I hate hind site.

Ron

[Turbonut48]

I used to see a MGTD parked in a gas station for years. I never did talk to anyone about that one.
I also found a 1969 Pontiac Trans Am, But the Wife wouldnt go for it. Wife gone, car gone.

The Nut

[MOTORHEAD]

Seeing what some of you have "left on the table", I don't feel quite so bad, however:
around 1960, age 18, a totally original 1936 Ford 3 window coupe, $200 ! Drove it, mechanical brakes scared the s@#$ out of me ! (I wasn't a "motorhead" at that time, so I knew diddly squat )

Also a Lotus Elite (sp?) Was too noisy inside,like being inside a 55 gal drum full of bees and jackhammers !!

[RCSC]

In 1977, I was 16 and an acquaintance was selling a 1967 Chevelle SS for 500 dollars. I REALLY wanted that car, but my parents (who were already aware of my idiotic driving tendencies) wouldn’t let me buy it. Probably a wise decision on their part.

[RockBit]

I worked after school during high school at a Texaco station. The owner had a ne'er-do-well brother that came around once in a while, driving a silver 1959 Corvette. One day he came by, said he really needed money, and would sell me his car for $250. I didn't have the money so I begged my parents to loan it to me. They wouldn't. I did get him to let me swap his aluminum finned Corvette valve covers with the sheet metal ones from my Nova for $5. I still get mad at my folks every time I think about it.

[1985 CCX]

AKL1068
It was a car located in southern ME at the time I was looking at it.
My friend Don bought the car and still owns and loves it.
Absolutely missed the boat on it!
Regret it every day!

[1985 CCX]

Still have the sale add in a binder.
13 years later.

[Alfa02]

Gosh guy's, your all making me feel so much better, that I wasn't the only one, with 20/20 hindsight @Three Peaks, I was wondering where that Cobra went? As I have lived near Tacoma my whole life? I would have been out too, since in 73 I had just finished High School. I did try to get my father to buy a Cobra back in late 63 (I was what 8years old?) But my dad being a sports car guy, did buy a new Volvo P-1800, because it had two jump seats, for myself, and my little sister. We lived in a very small town, and 99% of the people thought it was Ferrari He even put wire wheel's and Lucas Flamethrower's on it. Dad was a pretty cool guy.

[xb-60]

Originally Posted by Alfa02

....But my dad being a sports car guy, did buy a new Volvo P-1800..... 99% of the people thought it was Ferrari ....

If you squint a little, the front of a P1800 does look a little like a Ferrari 250GT SWB

Cheers,
Glen

[Alfa02]

@xb-60, that's what my Father thought too. And with the Flamethrower's (Driving lights) between the parking and headlight (Lucas Tri-Bars). The front end, looked a lot like the 250GT (SWB), at about a 1/3 of the cost Volvo $4995 vs Ferrari $12,300 It helped too that it was Red. When he brought it, it was a flip of a coin, between that Volvo or a Avanti, my Mother wanted the Avanti (More int. room.) I might have been a V-8 guy sooner if we got the Avanti Now back to our regular scheduled broadcast, sorry guy's about getting off topic. Tom.

[Mark IV]

Originally Posted by 1985 CCX

AKL1068
It was a car located in southern ME at the time I was looking at it.
My friend Don bought the car and still owns and loves it.
Absolutely missed the boat on it!
Regret it every day!

I sold 1068 new I believe.

[xb-60]

Originally Posted by Alfa02

@xb-60, that's what my Father thought too. And with the Flamethrower's (Driving lights) between the parking and headlight (Lucas Tri-Bars). The front end, looked a lot like the 250GT (SWB), at about a 1/3 of the cost Volvo $4995 vs Ferrari $12,300 It helped too that it was Red. When he brought it, it was a flip of a coin, between that Volvo or a Avanti, my Mother wanted the Avanti (More int. room.) I might have been a V-8 guy sooner if we got the Avanti Now back to our regular scheduled broadcast, sorry guy's about getting off topic. Tom.

Always have been a fan of the P1800. Did you get "The Saint" series (Roger Moore) in the US? Simon Templer (aka The Saint) drove a P1800

[Alfa02]

Glen, that was my Father's and mine favorite show, bar none We had to be very quiet, for that one hour, on our HUGE 19" TV, in of course B&W Everyone in the (SVCC) Seattle Volvo Car Club, watched that show. That very car is in Cal, 64 1800S ( Restored ) I sold my 1800ES six years ago, and my last Volvo I sold this summer ( 65 122S Wagon ) to the largest Volvo Collector in the world, in fact both of those went to him.

[moore_rb]

In 2003, I was a 34 year old, die-hard Corvette nut. (I had owned 4 already up to that point in life); who made the abrupt transition from being a happily married DINK (Dual income, no kids) to being a single income traditional family, with kids.

so obviously, any and all expensive hobbies involving 2-seat cars that didn't have a latch system for car seats, rapidly found themselves on the extinction list.

after I liquidated all my man-toys in order to finance diapers and baby lotion, I fought the urge for several months not to pull all my savings together and buy either a late 80's Testarossa (which were going in the mid-high 50's at the time), or a mid 90's F355, which were also in the low-mid 50's for a good low-mile example. This was during a major low point in the enthusiast car market, following the big Dot-Com market bust.

I remember remarking to my wife at the time that if we bought a well papered Testarossa and just put it away and forgot about it, that it would probably finance both our kid's college educations; but she was having none of it.

All you have to do is search Hemmings for Testarossa values today to figure out who was right...

[powerbyford]

Glad to see I'm not the only one with this issue.

When I was 18 or 19 (around 1993/4), I found a 1974 Barracuda on the lot at the Volunteers of America in Pontiac, MI.

It was a blue with white stripes, white interior 318 slap stik car.

It was also $100. Needed everything sheet metal behind the driver/passenger seat replaced, save the tail light panel.

My dad said no way.

To this day I kick myself for not just buying it... there were fewer Barracuda's made in 1974 than Cuda's, and I actually had the chance to get one cheap.

We've also had 3 1979 Chrysler 300s between us, and I missed out on a super nice one because I was too hung over to go look at it. Missed it by like an hour, from what I remember. They aren't powerhouse moneywise, but they are great driver/cruiser cars and still pretty rare.