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1.1 cars that got away


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The one on the top of my list would be my 67 Camaro SS/RS 350 that I bought for $1,795.(early 70's)

My list would be

66 Barracuda

49 Ford 2dr sedan 

49 Mercury 2dr

64 Olds Cutless F85

65 Mustang Fastback 

54 Ford Convertable

52 Ford 2dr Wagon

58 Pontiac Chieftain 

31 Model A Roadster

67 Mercury Caliente 2dr hdtp

91 Thunderbird SC

58 Thunderbird 

58 BMW Isetta 

Probably a few more but I can't think of right now

The list for cars I wouldn't like to have back is far greater than this one.

As far as the one that got away as in almost owned was a 61 Corvette Roadster that was at a car lot for $1,300 but my girlfriend at the time said she didn't want me to buy it. That was back in the 70's and we have been married for 48 years and I am still pissed at her about it. 

Edited by Jon Haigwood
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Most of my cars over the years were bought as wrecks or restorable or with some sort of major problem. Though they almost all went on to find good homes after being repaired or at least partially restored, and most at a reasonable profit for me, if I'd been able to keep them all in storage and sell them off NOW, I'd be able to retire quite comfortably.

As it is, I'll be doing good to be able to afford to finish up the ones I WAS able to hang on to.

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Yeah, there are a few I wouldn't mind having back......

'67 Ford Galaxie 4 door with a 289.

'71 Plymouth Satellite with a 318.

'74 Chrysler Newport Custom with a 400 and a 4 bbl...... I got my first speeding ticket in that car...

'86 Chevrolet Caprice Classic... It burned to the ground in front of my house due to a fuel leak:(

'59 Dodge Coronet... My baby... Had to sell it after I had a stroke:(

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I guess the one I wish I still had was my 1978 King Cobra Mustang. Nothing really special , just a V8 mustang with stick on plastic parts and some decals but I really liked that car and the whole time I had it I only saw a couple others. I traded it in a couple years later when gas in California got more expensive and I had to have something that got better mileage.

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Wish I had my '65 Chevelle SS back.  It was only a 283, but it sure was fun to drive.  I installed a set of Hedman tri-y hedders, a quadrajet carburetor, chrome-reverse wheels with 9:00 x 15 tires on rear. :(.It had been wrecked, really minor damage, but it was parked in a shed beside the house and Dad sold it while I was stationed in the Aleutians while in the USAF - the title was in his name.

My65ChevelleSS.jpg

Edited by TarheelRick
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I guess the one I wish I still had was my 1978 King Cobra Mustang. Nothing really special , just a V8 mustang with stick on plastic parts and some decals but I really liked that car and the whole time I had it I only saw a couple others. I traded it in a couple years later when gas in California got more expensive and I had to have something that got better mileage.

I had one that was back with gold stripes .Never could get a title for it so it sat in the driveway a few years then sold it for parts

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Probably the one that was identical to this one. It was our family wagon. I traded my dad an Olympus OM-10 camera for it in the 80's, they were worth about the same. It needed a lot of work and had to get rid of it, but I wish I'd stored it instead until I had a career.

PontiacCatalinaWagon1966avjpg1_zpsfa6c03

Edited by Lunajammer
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Owned and sold but wish I still had:

'74 SD455 T/A (bought it in '78 w/32K on the odo);

'64 Impala SS (M-21 4-speed, tweaked small-block, TorqueThrusts, VERY deep black lacquer, Cali rake, tuck 'n roll);

'66 VW Bus (21-window w/canvas sunroof, maroon and white);

'60 VW Beetle (canvas sunroof, wedgewood blue.  I bought it in '79 from the original owner: a little old lady who put 11K on it driving to her job as a school teacher a couple miles from her home);

'71 Cal-look Karmann-Ghia convertible (built from the ground up.  2.0 Weber motor w/Abarth Monza exhaust; lowered and Konis, de-chromed, dark red w/black interior and top, Fuchs wheels);

'84 VW GTI (My first brand-new car.  I didn't sell it, however.  It was stolen when I lived in NYC and it turned up in a NJ junkyard stripped to the bone.  Replaced it with a Jetta (babies by then).

Wished I had bought:

'57 AH 100-6 (It had just been fully restored.  Silver w/black coves.  $3000.00 in '78 but the guy was selling it recoup drug money he was owed.  I passed);

'71 340 Cuda (Immaculate, adult-owned, low-mileage 4-speed car, Keystones on big 'n littles, Cali rake.  $2700.00 in '77.  Don't know why I backed out);

'66 Chevelle SS-396 (Black on black, 4-speed, wheels, paint and rake just like my Impala, but a Chevelle).

There were others, but I gotta get back to work...

PB. 

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I guess the one I wish I still had was my 1978 King Cobra Mustang. Nothing really special , just a V8 mustang with stick on plastic parts and some decals but I really liked that car and the whole time I had it I only saw a couple others. I traded it in a couple years later when gas in California got more expensive and I had to have something that got better mileage.

Friend of mine had one like this (Black and Gold). Was a nice car, but got zero traction. If one drop of rain hit the road, the tires would spin.

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This is only going to depress me , but here goes

1970 Superbird , FY1 yellow with black int, 440 six barrel auto

1969 Daytona 440 auto, R4 red , white interior ( bought and sold it as a project I decided I didnt want to get into at the time)

1970 Road Runner 426 Hemi 4 spd, dark green with black int,

1969 GTX conv 440 , 4 spd, B7 blue with blue int. ( this one is in Louisville Ky as far as I know )

1970 Challenger 340 auto, B5 blue, blk int, LOADED with AC, sixway seat, power windows, rear sway bar, pwr dic brake, pwr str , etc etc . This one is in Australia now

1970 Superbee 440 six pack 4 spd , B5 blue with blue int.

1970 Coronet 500 conv , 383 auto, it was a junker, but I loved that car and drove it everywhere

1969 Roadrunner 383  4spd , light green with green int

1969 Roadrunner 383 auto, the very 1st car I bought on my own with my own money . Gave $150 for it and drive it home ( summer of 1977 )

1969 GTX hardtop, 440 auto factory air car , dark green with black int and dark green vinyl top ,

1969 GTX hardtop 440 4spd , R6 red with red interior

The following are the  ones I would truly love to have back if I could and are in order of desirability

1969 GTX conv  440 auto, B5 blue with white top and int, I brought my wife and my 1st born home from the hospital in it after  she was born .  The day  it pulled out of my driveway when I sold it I knew I had made a big mistake . I actually called the guy  that bought it the next day and offered him $1000 more than what he had just paid me for it  if he would sell it back to me (  he wouldnt  )  Last I heard this car was in Las Vegas NV area

1968 Chrysler 300 conv , 440 TNT car, factory air and cruise control car, pwr steering  and pwr disc brakes , console auto , factory black with white power top and a red interior, ( my absolute dream color combo )  I bought this one as a restoration project,,but sadly lost it in a fire where i had it stored . Ive yet to see another one in the same color combo,,,,and I have been looking .

1969 Road runner 426 Hemi 4spd, rallye green with black int, I was told about 10 years ago,  its the only hemi 4 spd car known in its light rallye green  color.  It sold new about 5 minutes from me at Scothorn Motors  in Petersburg Ky.

Edited by gtx6970
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This is only going to depress me , but here goes

1970 Superbird , FY1 yellow with black int, 440 six barrel auto

1969 Daytona 440 auto, R4 red , white interior ( bought and sold it as a project I decided I didnt want to get into at the time)

1970 Road Runner 426 Hemi 4 spd, dark green with black int,

1969 GTX conv 440 , 4 spd, B7 blue with blue int. ( this one is in Louisville Ky as far as I know )

1970 Challenger 340 auto, B5 blue, blk int, LOADED with AC, sixway seat, power windows, rear sway bar, pwr dic brake, pwr str , etc etc . This one is in Australia now

1970 Superbee 440 six pack 4 spd , B5 blue with blue int.

1970 Coronet 500 conv , 383 auto, it was a junker, but I loved that car and drove it everywhere

1969 Roadrunner 383  4spd , light green with green int

1969 Roadrunner 383 auto, the very 1st car I bought on my own with my own money . Gave $150 for it and drive it home ( summer of 1977 )

1969 GTX hardtop, 440 auto factory air car , dark green with black int and dark green vinyl top ,

1969 GTX hardtop 440 4spd , R6 red with red interior

The following are the  ones I would truly love to have back if I could and are in order of desirability

1969 GTX conv  440 auto, B5 blue with white top and int, I brought my wife and my 1st born home from the hospital in it after  she was born .  The day  it pulled out of my driveway when I sold it I knew I had made a big mistake . I actually called the guy  that bought it the next day and offered him $1000 more than what he had just paid me for it  if he would sell it back to me (  he wouldnt  )  Last I heard this car was in Las Vegas NV area

1968 Chrysler 300 conv , 440 TNT car, factory air and cruise control car, pwr steering  and pwr disc brakes , console auto , factory black with white power top and a red interior, ( my absolute dream color combo )  I bought this one as a restoration project,,but sadly lost it in a fire where i had it stored . Ive yet to see another one in the same color combo,,,,and I have been looking .

1969 Road runner 426 Hemi 4spd, rallye green with black int, I was told about 10 years ago,  its the only hemi 4 spd car known in its light rallye green  color.  It sold new about 5 minutes from me at Scothorn Motors  in Petersburg Ky.

Your list even depressed me

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i had a 57 Bel Air with a 301 motor, fuelie heads and three 2 barrels and a four speed tranny, a blue 65 GTO with a 68 389 motor and a four speed that I sold for $150 and a dark blue 66 Impala SS that was stolen and totaled while I was in the Marine Corps. Also a nice 61 Impala convertible. I have models of all but the 57.

 

 

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Amongst the many cars I've owned was a '76 MG Midget, which I bought in the mid 1980s. I thought it would be fun to drive to work, and would offer great gas mileage. Not long after I purchased it, I drove it to work (25 miles) one morning, and everyone kept telling me that I had left my headlights on. I *never* forget to turn off the lights and lock my car. So, I went to check the car. Sure enough, headlight switch was in "off" position, but headlights were on. Thus began my acquaintance with Lucas Electrical components (otherwise known as Lucas, prince of darkness)? Then there was tuning twin carbs, and the high price of foreign car parts, and..........

The two (2) cars that I really miss are my '70 Pontiac Grand Prix, and my '76 Caddy Coupe DeVille (hope my Modelhaus '76 Caddy shows up some day soon). Both of these were victims of car wrecks caused by idiot drivers.

The biggest problem with British cars were the electrics, and the dealers. It took me a while to learn how to tune the carburetters, but now that I've figured it out, it's easy.

Ironically, parts for MGs are cheaper than their Honda equivalents. Biggest problem is that the rubber parts aren't very durable any more.

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My first car was a 1972 Dart Swinger ( LH23G2B307811 ) , factory EV2 Hemi Orange , white top , white interior . 318 / 904 , etc. I gave 800$ for it on 29.08.1989 ...

...and sold it on 04.07.1999 for 3,500$ .

My cousin had a 1970 Challenger ; a very-early production , FC7 Plum Crazy , black top and interior . 318 / 904 , etc. She drove it off of the showroom of Atlantic Dodge ( same dealer whom sponsored Charlie Allen ) in September 1969. I prodded her for years : "When you sell it , give me 'first refusal' ."

About a week after I bought my Dart , she sold the Challenger !!! I shockingly asked , "Why ever did you do that ??" , to which she replied , "Well , you bought that [Dart] , so I didn't think you wanted my Challenger any more !"

ARRRG! !!

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I often dream about having my '65 Barracuda back.  I meant to keep it forever but someone made me one of those "offer you can't refuse"  in the middle of my move to Pennsylvania.  He was supposedly putting it immediately on a flatbed truck to his brother's restoration shop.  Three years later I saw a picture of it looking exactly like it did when I sold it to him and stored outside.

One that got away was my aunt's 1970 Hornet 2 door.  My uncle bought it new and promptly died. My aunt didn't drive but wanted a car in the driveway so her house didn't look unoccupied.  She also kept it running and registered so when she asked people to drive her somewhere they could do so in her car.  She had promised me the car. Around 1988 she was going to sell the house and gave the car to my younger cousin who was just getting his license. The car had about 8,000 miles on it then. This was a non-car family who had no appreciation for the car. They took it to their mechanic to have it checked out and he swindled them out of it. 

 

Edited by Tom Geiger
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I have a few that I miss.

1993 Volkswagen Passat wagon. Had the VR6 engine, 5-speed manual, and black leather. Already kind o f a rare car. I then removed the AC, added a large turbo and intercooler, full Borla exhaust, C2 programming, coilovers dialed down, Porsche D90 wheels, and Porsche brakes. Car was the brutally fast, and a crazy amount of fun. All in a station wagon body.

DSC_6027.jpg

1985 Volkswagen Transporter. Did an engine swap in this one. Added the TDI from an '05 Jetta, bigger turbo, intercooler, regeared manual transmission, lowered springs, Mercedes wheels, South African front end. Got tired of the nickel and diming, always putting money into it. Should have stuck with it a little longer and really dialed it in.

082607-001-dokaattheshow.jpg

 

1978 Ford Thunderbird. My first car. Should have kept it just to have it. Brown on brown, vinyl roof, spoke hubcaps, 400ci V8 with a 4-barrel. Sucked fuel, didn't care...because I was 16 and who cares about that kind of stuff when you're 16 and gas is 34 cents a litre? No pics on the computer though.

 

2002 Porsche 996. My first track car. So many good times with this thing. 6-speed manual, upgraded to Euro spec 030 suspension. Sold it once kids arrived on the scene, bought wifey a Volvo XC90. Sigh.

Me%20and%20my%20car%203_zpsexkrlovq.jpg

Dan%20and%2002%20996%202_zpsa7olrxxf.jpg

 

 

 

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There aren't many cars that I have owned that I couldn't replace easily, because the majority of them were just daily drivers. The only one I sold, and would like back, is my 1973 Ford Mustang. It was a 2 door notchback, green with a silver stripe, black vinyl interior, 351C 4 barrel/4 speed, 3.91:1 rear. My Dad picked it up for me back in 1988 with only 32,000 miles on the clock. It was a great car for a 17 year old kid to drive in the summer, mainly due to the lesson in economics it provided (Summer Job - Fuel Consumption = Nearly Always Broke). Even then, it was a great car to cruise around town. We stored it at our cottage for the winter months, and somebody (sure we knew who did it, but couldn't prove it) stole the rims and tires off it. Dad sold it the following spring for a good profit, even with the non factory wheels.

There are a few cars that I looked at buying, but didn't pull the trigger. When I looked back, it seemed I always let the more exciting car go.

1967 Dodge Coronet 500 Hardtop: 318 poly/automatic, light bronze with a black roof. It had a bit of visible rust on the inner fenders so I passed. Bought a 1980 Malibu 6 cylinder coupe, which turned out to have a lot of hidden rust in the quarters.

1984 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe: silver/black with a stickshift. Not a bad car, but was leery about the turbo, due to my sister's experience driving a Renault Fuego Turbo. Bought a 1986 Mazda 323 5 door instead.

1985 Pontiac Fiero SE: red/gray, V6/ 5 speed, fully loaded. The worst clutch I have ever driven. Bought a 1988 Mada 323 3 door (one of the most durable cars I owned).

1994 Nissan 240SX/1995 Acura Integra/1995 BMW 318ti hatchback: Each one would have been a great driver, but the insurance was a bit high on the 240 and Integra, and the BMW didn't have the features. Bought a 1995 Honda Accord coupe (reliable, but it had the words "HIT ME" written into its' DNA: by the time I sold it six years later, the roof and driver's door were the only original panels on the car).

1965 Pontiac Strato Chief: 4 door, 6 cylinder/manual. Only $600, but i was worried about fuel mileage, and driving across Ontario during winter with a rear-drive car. Bought a 1985 Ford Tempo, which got even worse mileage than the Pontiac would have.

2014 Volkswagen Golf TDI wagon: wanted to buy one, but the consumer books warned of possible problems with the injection system and the automatic transmission (I wanted a stick, but the dealers were sold out). Bought a 2014 Ford Focus instead, and got to experience the joys of automatic transmission issues without the injection problems...

I also had the loan of a 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 convertible for a couple of weeks. Black/red with a 352/automatic, it was a great cruiser, but Dad wouldn't sell it to me. I can't blame him, either, because as nice as it was, it would have turned into a complete money pit.

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Another Depression List here.  Younger folk should remember I bought/sold many of these long ago, when they were just used cars.  And after the various gas crises, the rule was usually the bigger the engine, the smaller the price.

1964 Corvette coupe - the one I always wish I'd kept. Silver with matching interior, stored for over 10 years when I bought it in the 1970s. 327/4-speed.  IIRC, the 327/300 hp.

1967 GTO convertible - white/red int/black top.  Bought cheap for cash, from one of the ripoff "Buy Here-Pay Here" used-car lots catering to Marines in Orange County, CA.  The same lot had a triple-black '65 GTO convertible with Tri-Power.  Missed that one!

1968 GTO convertible - I like weirdly-optioned cars and this one fit the bill. Red with black interior, bench seat, automatic on the column, power everything and A/C.

1969 Charger R/T - metallic green w/black R/T stripe and green int.  440/automatic.

1972 GTO hardtop - another oddball. Yellow with a white vinyl roof/white interior, but it had a 4-speed.  There couldn't have been many of those built.

1975 Trans Am - silver/black interior. A great driver.

 

 

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