jpsmit
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,254
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The 'what car did you really want as a teenager' got me thinking about the one that got away. (stories are even better) I have 2. In the early 90's in our Classic Auto trader Magazine a 1956 Lagonda Tickford Coupe showed up for $2500 CDN. (Probably about 1200 pounds) The price was low because it had a Volvo engine (my idea of car heaven, a classic with a modern engine). Unfortunately the car had been sold. 24 hours later the new owner called and tried to sell it to my for $5000. I was having no part of that. 12 years later I tried to locate the car again and did, the owner said the engine had caught fire and been scrapped. Pushing him as to whether it was truly scrapped he sheepishly told me that after the fire they had put it in a demolition derby. This is the saloon The second was just two years ago when, for literally months a 1986 Skoda appeared on Kijiji (our local classified site) Over time the price dropped, finally to $1600 CDN. The car had 8600 original kilometers and even came with a parts car. I tried to contact the seller, and did, but couldn't quite organize a meetup. Interestingly about 6 months later the car showed up at a cruise night and I had the chance to meet the new owner who had had to do the brakes only to get it licensed and running, 6 months later it was on Kijiji again, this time for $16,000. I watched the price drop to about 10k and then it disappeared. It would have been just fun. (I did test drive one in the 90's as a daily - $750 - should have bought it also - a very quirky car!
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In the '80s I test drove a Consul 315 from a dealer. Quite liked it. Went away to think about it. Went back the following week and the dealer had closed up shop and all the cars were gone.
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Funny, I never really missed out on cars and even if I did or do I couldn't be bothered to much. However when I turned 16 or so I was very keen on a new moped. I was able to buy this Kreidler RS dirt cheap. I was only 100 gilders short. No one wanted to help me out and I had to let this one go. I am still (40 years later) bitter about it...kinda
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I might have to start a thread "the ones that got away because they came up for sale just after I'd bought something else" because that's always happened to me!
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Paul Y and I still cry about the same car. I was disappointed and walked away, he just could not justify it on the day. 1971 Pontiac LeMans. Low miles, one California family owned. There will be others.
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I might have to start a thread "the ones that got away because they came up for sale just after I'd bought something else" because that's always happened to me! See! www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1213451Would have been perfect if I hadn't just bought the golf!
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Paul Y
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,948
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Mar 16, 2020 10:56:54 GMT
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Paul Y and I still cry about the same car. I was disappointed and walked away, he just could not justify it on the day. 1971 Pontiac LeMans. Low miles, one California family owned. There will be others. I must admit that I think about that car numerous times per month. Let me find a picture of the one that REALLY got away... P.
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The One That Got Awayballbagbagins
@ballbagbagins
Club Retro Rides Member 164
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Mar 16, 2020 11:43:06 GMT
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Renault 5 gt turbo, couldn't find a clean example and this was back around 2001.
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Mar 16, 2020 12:51:47 GMT
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Had a answer phone message off a friend of my dads about a old car with no engine in a derelict garage of a property he had inherited. Forgot about it for pretty much 2 weeks. Then spoke to my dad one weekend and he reminded me that his mate had phoned and that id not got back to him. Got in contact with him and it had gone to the scrap yard. Firstly I kicked myself for forgetting to get in touch. Secondly kicked my dad for only bringing it up weeks later. Thirdly and the real kick in the teeth. A E type with a front end shunt and no engine. He got paid £90 by the scrap man. Always check my messages from that point on. But have been rewarded with a Carlton gsi, bmw e30, 2 mk 2 fiestas and a triumph gt6 since.
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jpsmit
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,254
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Mar 16, 2020 13:16:49 GMT
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Hadn't really thought about the one that showed up the day after I bought. I have always had a soft spot for Isuzu Troopers. A few years ago we lived in Florida. I had spent quite a bit of time researching every car for sale in the state (as one does) only to land on a Passat. 24 hours later the Isuzu dealer put up all his new stock at 1/3 off.
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Mar 16, 2020 17:22:20 GMT
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My mum sold my late dads RS500 for 3500 in 2003, can probably add 80k to that now, so no RS500 for me ever
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Mar 16, 2020 18:07:40 GMT
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I've missed out on a couple of cars that I regret. My first car back in early 1995 was nearly a mk2 Escort Super Sport. Couldn't afford the insurance so got a Beetle instead - it has kind of shaped my life as I've still got it now, but I sometimes wonder "what if". In the late '90's some friends went car hunting in Coventry and were shown an oval window Beetle project. They took one photo and I just fell in love with it. No chance of it still being there, and even if it was, one of the lads who knew where it was died 15 years ago and the other is apparently now in Canada! In 1999 I was drag racing my Karmann Ghia. I was chatting to a mate and the opportunity of a straight swap for a late '60s Porsche 912 came up. I decided not to go for it because I would need to put a Beetle engine in it to keep racing! I look at the prices of 912s now and know I'll never have one of them...
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1968 Cal Look Beetle - 2007cc motor - 14.45@93mph in full street trim 1970-ish Karmann Beetle cabriolet - project soon to be re-started. 1986 Scirocco - big plans, one day!
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Mar 16, 2020 18:47:13 GMT
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My mum sold my late dads RS500 for 3500 in 2003, can probably add 80k to that now, so no RS500 for me ever Wow, yes as you say, close to £100k now & also not that long ago. Just shows how quickly they have jumped
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Mar 16, 2020 23:03:21 GMT
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Back in the late 90s I was into Classic Minis and my 25 had started to do what most Mini 25s did - rust badly, so I was on the look out for something different. I quite fancied a Mini Pick Up as they were just totally cool. So I sorted some money and started looking. The classifieds were surprisingly empty - there was precious little of any type of Mini, let alone a Pick-up. Then I saw it in the Free Ads - an early 70s Mini Pick-up with 1000cc engine on 10" wheels in Navy Blue (not the one in the picture). Perfect. It was also a good price. So I rang the number as soon as I could, some 5 minutes after getting the then newly-released Free Ad paper. Nope. Sold to the first person who viewed it that very morning. I never got my pick up. And I had such big plans for it. I bought a 1985 Mayfair instead and modified it. A lot...
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Last Edit: Mar 16, 2020 23:04:12 GMT by mrbounce
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Mar 16, 2020 23:23:26 GMT
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Back in 2009 I found a real nugget of a car. An Austin 1300 estate in white, just like this It was literally like new inside and out. The chap selling it was a dealer of modern 'prestige' cars, and was selling the car on behalf of an elderly neighbour. It was a VERY nice area, big houses, bigger gardens. He said 'I don't suppose theres much of a market for this sort of thing anymore' 'nah mate, what sort of deposit do you want?' It had done stupidly low miles and really was the sort of car you dream of finding. I'm convinced it had lived in a heated garage, no rust, wear, or damage anywhere I could see, and he only wanted £1k for it. I left a deposit and planned to collect it the following week. When I got home I found that my father had been taken ill, so I had no choice but to tell him that I simply wasn't in a position to take it. Ever since then Ive had ideas of dong an estate in GT+ spec. Probably never going to happen, but its still nice to have those ideas.
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Last Edit: Mar 17, 2020 19:16:18 GMT by bmcnut
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duncanmartin
Club Retro Rides Member
Out of retro ownership
Posts: 1,320
Club RR Member Number: 70
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The One That Got Awayduncanmartin
@duncanmartin
Club Retro Rides Member 70
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Mar 17, 2020 19:10:24 GMT
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Lancia Beta coupe in 2004. It was only the 1300, but it revved freely, was in really good condition and drove eautifully. I was hoping to part ex my Uno Turbo for it, but unfortunately he didn't like my car, and by the time it was sold the Beta had gone. It was really nice, and good ones are so hard to find now (it wasn't like they were easy to find then).
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Mar 17, 2020 19:40:57 GMT
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Mine is a car that belonged to my grandfather.
It was a car that I spent a lot of time in as a child and have very happy memories of. Seen on eBay about well over a decade ago and in good running order, it was just too far away for me at the time and I couldn't afford to run two cars. I contemplated trying to track it down for a while but I imagine it's either scrap or squirrelled away in someone's garage now.
I will forever kick myself for not just buying it.
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Mar 17, 2020 20:25:06 GMT
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Mine is a car that belonged to my grandfather. It was a car that I spent a lot of time in as a child and have very happy memories of. Seen on eBay about well over a decade ago and in good running order, it was just too far away for me at the time and I couldn't afford to run two cars. I contemplated trying to track it down for a while but I imagine it's either scrap or squirrelled away in someone's garage now. I will forever kick myself for not just buying it. Try the number plate checker and see if it’s taxed or MOT’d. It might still be about.
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1994 BMW 525i touring 2004 BMW Z4 sorn and broken 1977 Ford Escort 1982 Ford Capri getting restored 1999 Mazda B2500 daily driver.
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Renault 5 gt turbo, couldn't find a clean example and this was back around 2001. Didnt get away....but on 2 seperate occasions (88 & 90..ish) i walked away from mint low miles gtt's as i couldnt part with my 924 turbo. Ironic as the 5's are worth more now. Who would have thought??!!
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'80 s1 924 turbo..hibernating '80 golf gli cabriolet...doing impression of a skip '97 pug 106 commuter...continuing cheapness making me smile!
firm believer in the k.i.s.s and f.i.s.h principles.
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Mar 18, 2020 11:50:00 GMT
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The other one was turning down an really clean RS1600i for less than £1k about 20 years ago. I had just bought a Mk2 Golf GTI at the time and although I wanted one, I thought I'd hold off and buy one later ... no chance of buying one now!
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