What's the coolest/neatest/rarest, etc car that got away...

[spl310]

OK, Since we are all car dorks here, we all have a story about the one that got away. Some have several stories. I'll start it out...

I have missed out on some great deals, but I have picked up a few that were OK. The one that got away still stings when I think about it. It was when I was back in high school. This was my preroadster period. I was a complete car dork. I looked at car books in the library and when I went to the mall, I would check out the collector car book at B Daltons. My driver was a Pontiac Astre which was kind of neat. Since an Astre is a Vega in disguise, on a whim I looked up Vega in the index and found Facel Vega. Curiousity got the best of me, so I looked. What an ugly car!! The grill was funky, but the more I looked, it really wasn't so bad. I checked the production stats, and there was a footnote. Apparently a total of 11 were made as convertibles. (and you thought that the 67 2000 was scarce. Ha!!) Anyway, I filed that info away and went on with my life.

During this time, I used to go to junk yards on a regular basis just to see what I could find. There were some good yards then that would let you roam. A few months after reading about the Facel Vega, I was in a yard that I knew VERY well. They had a small import section, and one day I noticed something american stuck in there. I figured I should check it out. I crawled around and found the normal assortment of rusty british and french cars (a few Citroens were interesting), then I noticed a piece of chrome sticking up out of the weeds by the fence. I made my way over there and found that it was a windshield frame. There was a whole car under there! It was a convertible. I first though it may be brit - a Herald perhaps, but then I looked closer. The interior almost looked italian (what was left anyway) I found the hood release and opened the hood. No engine or transmission. There was an ID plate though. I wiped away the dust and mold to see what it said. Facel Vega! I almost wet myself. I crawled all over the car at that point. The headlights were broken out, and the interior was a goats nest, but the body was SOLID. All of the trim was there!! I tried to calm down and went to talk to my buddy at the counter. I described the car and where it was and asked what they would take for it. He said $2000.

I raced home and told my father. I had no cash, so the 'rents would have to finance this deal. No dice! I was crushed. The car stuck with me. Every time I went back to the yard, I would go look at it. Then one day, the family was at the mall, and as we passed the book store, the collector car book was on the table at the front. I talked with my father about the car, and showed him the stats. Then I showed him in Hemmings where several companies had everything for the car - including new soft tops. My father was a little interested, but the clincher was when I told him that it used a Chrysler V8. He was interested for sure then. That weekend we went to the junk yard and my father spoke with the counter guy. The counter guy said, "yeah, I remember that car. We crushed it a few days ago....."

[sgriffin]

My miss? Hmmm let's see.
Probably being 20 minutes late in buying a 1948 Packard Woody station wagon for $500. What made it additionally disgusting was it was earlier this year and the people that bought it passed me driving the car in the opposite direction as I was going to buy it. That would have been a money maker I tell you. Sam

[Datrock]

I miss my Big Block 69 SS Chevelle. It was my muscle car back in the mid 70's. I parked it when I bought my 68 spl. It was a 4 speed car with a built 402, bored out 396. It was white with a black vinyl top. Also made in Canada.

To me there is nothing like big block torque. It never got beat on the street and it's top end was around 155 mph. In the quarter it turned low 13's with road hugger tires, High 11's / low 12's with slicks.

I parted the car out in 1979 and the engine finally broke a rod going down the quarter mile at Medford drag strip and the body ended up in Portland to be built into a Hemi powered Drag Car.

[Import_sounds-of-mid-GA]

Mine, it isnt as sad as all of yalls, but I missed out on a perfect condition 84 Supra..... terra cota orange....5spd

[datsun65]

Well...It wasn't a purchase, but a fire sale.

Got Married a bit over 10 years ago. Most wedding costs were up to my wife & I. We had just enough to cover the wedding. But when final payment was due a week prior to the event, we were short.

So I put my 58 T-bird (fully restored with factory air and power windows!) on the auction block. A friend (car wholesaler) ran it through the auction for me as a favor. My reserve was just enough to cover the remaining balance for the wedding. No matter what....I just had to cover the wedding!

However, I was sure the car would sell for much more. It was an incredible ride, which needed nothing. The next day, he gave me the check...about half of what I was hoping for. I was happy that I had enough to cover the wedding, but really wish I hadn't sold it for so little.

That weekend, we had our wedding...everything went great. But, instead of driving away from the event in a classic ride...we left in our daily driver Nissan with the 'just married' sign....

NOTE: The upside to this story...Now that the very, very largeT-bird was gone after the wedding (took up 2 parking spots), a few months later I purchased my '63 Fairlady at a dealership in The San Fernando Valley!

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[Primm69]

Another "had to sell" story.

My partner had a 65 Silvia he spent numerous years doing up. When he got divorced the She Beast wouldn't let him pay her off over time for the half of it she "owned", after he'd paid the debts in their business. So he had to sell it. Someone in New Zealand bought her.

http://www.angelfire.com/ns/silvia/restoration.html

But we're not bitter!

[ppeters914]

The one I kick myself over...

Stationed in the SF Bay Area (Concord Naval Weapons Station to be exact). My buddy and co-worker was from Pacifica. He had started wrenching when he was 9-years old, and grew up to be teenage hot rod king. At that time (early seventies), he had a '69 Road Runner that had all the undercoating removed, a 383 w/ 440 heads, and a tunnel ram. We ran a single 600 Holley on the street, but bolted on duals for the drags. Think the best time was 10 or 12 seconds. We'd tool thru Daly City syphoning gas during the '73 gas crunch. Then there was the racing Henry J w/ the Hemi..but I digress...

Anyway, he got a line on a '67 Camaro. It was completely original including the 6-cyl and PowerGlide tranny. Been sitting in a backyard in Pacifica, so really, really dirty. He got it for nothing! It ran, but had a cracked head. Picked up another head for $35 at the wrecker, cleaned up the car, and drove it for a couple months.

I had a chance to grab it for $125...and passed. He sold it the following week for $400.

Debbie regrets not buying the 2001 Boxster in 2003.

[Ausdat]

It wasn't a car but it still makes me cringe thinking about it.
I've owned my 2000 almost 10 years now and about 3hrs after signing the paperwork and driving it home a fellow pulled up at the lights next to me and said "I've got a cylinder head at home for one of those, are you interested?". Being now flat broke and also not realising the rarity of a 2000 head in Oz I politely said no thanks and went on my way. Doh.

[TAP63]

I had the opportunity to trade a 67.5 spl daily driver and a 68 spl (runner but really parts) for a 68 Jag XKE daily driver. It had one dent behing the door but it was an XKE! That was in 1979 and I was already a roadster nut so no deal, but I sometimes wonder...

[Victor_laury]

I was young and poor, just a couple years out of high school, when a friend had to handle the estate of an uncle that had passed. I helped him prepare the house for sale. The Uncle love cars. Part of the estate was:
1968 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham limousine, A giant, amazingly plush party bus.
1963 Alfa Giulia 2 door coupe 1,300cc
1967 Alfa Giulia GTC 1,750cc

Well the GTC was the sexiest thing an this 19 year old had ever seen. I made a pain out of myself trying to make a deal for it. But my buddy had to do a fair job for the family and sold all the cars to a single collector for $1,500.

Later in life I found out how rare the little 4 seater convertible Alfa was (less than 1,000 made). And how the Bertone designed Giulia, was taken from the plant to the Touring Ferrari folks to make this very rare rag top.

[DaRoaster]

It was 1986. I was in high school, and got my license the week I turned 16, so I was pretty hot to get a nice car. My dad used drive all over the San Joaquin valley to fix TVs and stereos. He exitedly told me about a little convertible sports car a customer had, and I went with him to have a look. It was an Austin Healy Sprite MkII in British racing green with a black top. It hadn't been driven in a while and had just been sitting there. The tires were flat and there were leaves on it. The body was fine. The interior was decent. The motor needed attention. A tune up and a new battery may have fixed it.

An older fella owned it and just wanted to see it go to someone who'd appreciate it an take good care of it. He didn't put out any ads to sell it. He liked my dad and was going to let us have it for $600. I wanted it so bad it hurt, but my mom wouldn't let us buy it no matter what me or my dad said. She was concerned about safety and insisted that my first car wouldn't be a convertible. She also didn't want to see me working on a project that would distract me from school. I didn't have access to my savings account at that time, otherwise, I would've bought the car and kept it at a friend's house.

A couple of years later I got a 1965 Ford T-bird with 390 V-8 for $200. Yes, it ran. I drove it home.

[datsunfreak]

My partner had a 65 Silvia he spent numerous years doing up. When he got divorced the She Beast wouldn't let him pay her off over time for the half of it she "owned", after he'd paid the debts in their business. So he had to sell it...

Same thing happened to my brother. So I had him sell me the car for $1, then give her 50 cents after the divorce was final. Then sold it back to him a few weeks later for $1.50.

Hey, I had to make a profit right?

----------------

My story:

Missed out on buying what would have been my first 510. It was a VERY early production '68 2dr (for those who don't know, '68 2drs are quite rare). Was factory red, with white interior and the early low back bucket seats. It was $300, but at 17 I just couldn't seem to scrounge up more than $200 so it was sent to the junkyard instead...

[dbrick]

1. Plymouth Superbird, barn fresh, all original down to the hubcaps and tires, bench seat, 4 speed I about 35,000 miles, $6000.00

2. Corvair Turbo powered short wheelbase Myers Manx dune buggy, running but needed fuel pump. It even had brand new L-60-15 Stagger Block tires, like big motocross tires, polished 5 slots $1500.00

3. 57 chevy mild custom pickup, estate sale. All black, perfect body and paint, $3500.00

Large dent in your ass from kicking yourself, priceless

[steved033]

1964 Elva Courier. Coupe. one of 7 built in '64 as a coupe. I didn't have the mad car rebuilding skills to the job right, so i sold it to some guy who had the sister car to it.

sjd