We all did it...at least once.

[toesuf94]

We all have regrets - in fact I think regret should be a four letter word - but I digress back to my original post about the one that got away.

We all have been there, a car that to you was either a pain in the ass, no longer willing to dump money into it so you sell it cheap - or worse - junked it! I am talking about the abused of the abused, the downtrodden, and the cars that we did not appreciate at the time, but wish we had them now. Maybe it was a car you never got to drive or own, but saw it slip away because it needed more than you were willing to give or did not have the money to own/fix.

For me, it was a lovely 1970 Buick GSX Stage 1 in Apollo white that I spotted in the back lot of a cheesy used car lot. It was all there, a four speed 455 car with the wing and the cold air intake in the hood - IT WAS ALL THERE! Dad drug me away from her before I could talk him into it, but he thought it was too much car for me at 16. This was 21 years ago, and I can still remember it to this day! (It needed a full on restoration, but it was the most beautiful car I had ever seen). The only cars that I have personally junked were an 84 Chevette and two Mazda B2000 pickups that were parts cars - and no regrets there. The only classic I killed was a 1962 slant 6 dart that was so rusty it did not even have paint on it any more. My buddy and I destroyed every inch of that car behind the garage and then had it hauled away and shredded. It was gone when we got it.

So, that is an example of ONE that got away- of many - and four I have killed, so let's hear your stories.

Edited March 23, 2009 by toesuf94

[capriceman]

i beat my caprice everyday and i kind of regret it...

Back in the day....

I rember buying cars like nova's and gran torino's and satellites for $100-300 and then me and a bunch of friends would drive them up north and rally' them and jump them over hills till they broke then pop and grind the vins and take the license plate and go home. most of them would were beyond restoration but there was a couple good parts car rotting in the woods somewhere or long since scraped. stupid but fun...

[Satty]

My Solara, I loved that car. Freaking wreck. The rest of the crap I couldn't care less about.

[Camino LS6]

I came very close to buying a '70 Chevelle convertible as my first car.

$400.00 and it could have been mine.

[PurdueGuy]

'94 Chevy Corsica. It had about 180k miles on it, but it ran like a top until the auto trans gave out, out of state. Got $50 at a junkyard for it, which didn't even pay for my rental car to get home. Had a great interior, engine (3100), etc - everything but the trans was good, and it probably only had issues because I didn't know well enough then to change the fluid/filter, so it may have been original for all I know. If I knew then what I know now (mechanical knowledge), I would've found a way to get it hauled home, and fixed it myself cheap. Oh well, I got a '92 Regal handed down to me after that, and while it wasn't my favorite car by far, it was reliable for a long time, and the 3800 proved itself again. Car went well over 200k miles without any major or even moderate repairs. Unfortunately, I don't know exactly how far over 200k, as the odometer didn't prove as reliable as the drivetrain. lol

[loki]

My first car. 83 regal wagon. would love to find another (of that gen) and fix it up. turbo>muffler if you know what i mean.

my car took out a dodge van back in 02. other than a passenger door not opening well, bad right front end, and a tiny crack in the radiator, still ran...

Edited March 25, 2009 by loki

[Intrepidation]

Wouldn't know, I plan to keep my cars forever.

[staceface]

In 1980 I bought my first car, a 1969 Dodge Dart GT. It was amazing, found it in an old lady's barn, bought it for $500, took the plastic off the white leather interior. It was absolutely mint. Sold it 3 years later to get myself a 1979 Firebird Esprit. the guy who bought it off me junked the Dart, he had funeral flags in the back window. I really felt bad about that, I should have kept it, it'd be great to roll out of the garage today, but back then I was in college and could barely afford that, let alone two insurances. Also I lived at home, one of them had to go.

[deftonesfan867]

My moms first car was a Dodge Dart and she loved it.

[daves87rs]

I'm sure it will get a laugh, but my first car, a 87 Cavailer.

Blue, 2dr, looked really cool with the rally wheels and trim.

Then, years later, it got rear ended. I kept it up until late 2004.

And two months later, a perfect donor car comes along, with an offering of body work help....

I would have kept the donor car, but 2 days later a moron stole it and the flatbed truck it was on, and totaled them both....

[§carlet §wordfish]

We used to have a beat-up Triumph TR6 that was up on blocks in my grandma's garage for as long as I could remember. My cousins and I used to sit in it and pretend we were driving around town. My dad had to sell it for scrap to make ends meet one year. I doubt if we ever would've gotten around to making it drivable again, but I sure do miss it.

[Sixty8panther]

Ones that got away: (almost, but not quite purchased)

- 1971 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 350sbc/th350 $2800 obo

- 1963 Impala 2-door hardtop, 283/powerglide $2500 obo

(both almost became my first classic before the '68 Camaro, both were nice drivers)

but prob. the one I wish I had bought more than any other:

1938 Buick Special "barn find" $2500 obo

---

I've never junked anything that was semi-safe to drive or within the realm of restoration.

Naturally, as you guys know, I regret selling many of my past vehicles.

short list:

'68 Camaro hardtop

'64 Oldsmobile Super 88 Holiday

'83 Pontiac Firebird T-top

'77 Cadillac Coupe deVille

'84 Datsun Maxima (the 2nd one, w/sunroof)

'86 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham....

[Intrepidation]

Forgot about that Buick Special.

[balthazar]

I've never 'killed' a car from abuse. I have parted out a

few rough examples ('64 Catalina Ventura, '65 Bonneville, '66 GP).

Haven't really heavily regretted selling what I've sold, #1 missed

there would be my '57 F-250 until I 'replaced' it with the '40 COE.

I do miss the other '65 Bonneville I sold- nice cruiser, low miles, well-optioned.

Countless examples of 'ones that got away'. First was a car I took my dad to

see, I wanted it bad, '63 Studebaker GT Hawk, gold w/ black interior. $2000,

but my father would have no part of it ('too old').

[trinacriabob]

This is a great thread.

I have a reciprocal problem - seeing certain cars I loved as a kid/teen/college student and wanting to buy them:

1975 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme or Salon coupe with buckets

1975 Pontiac GrandVille coupe with Rallye wheels

1976 Pontiac Grand Le Mans LJ coupe with 260 V8

1982 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham coupe

1985 Chevrolet Monte Carlo with buckets and 4.3 "Vortec" TBI V6

Since my 1992 Regal is already my "second car," I won't be buying any of these.

[knightfan26917]

We all have been there, a car that to you was either a pain in the ass, no longer willing to dump money into it so you sell it cheap - or worse - junked it! I am talking about the abused of the abused, the downtrodden, and the cars that we did not appreciate at the time, but wish we had them now. Maybe it was a car you never got to drive or own, but saw it slip away because it needed more than you were willing to give or did not have the money to own/fix.

Oh, yes.

My former '88 MC LS ... "Silver Bullet". I bought it in 1994 because my '79 MC's bumper was rusting off ... literally ... and I figured it would take TOO much money to fix it.

Then, in 1996, when I got the '79 back out of storage ... and had the bumper fixed ... at a price that was too damn affordable ... the '88 started nickeling and diming me ... and I wasn't going to take the "sibling rivarly". So, I finally sold it in January 1997.

Now ... I wish I still had it ... talk about the perfect winter beater....

*sighs*

Cort | 35swm | "Mr Monte Carlo"."Mr Road Trip" | pig valve.pacemaker ...Chitown #2 = 07/25/09

WRMNshowcase.legos.HO.models.MCs.RTs.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort

"These are some good times, so take a good look around" ... Trace Adkins ... 'You're Gonna Miss This'

[daves87rs]

This is a great thread.

I have a reciprocal problem - seeing certain cars I loved as a kid/teen/college student and wanting to buy them:

1975 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme or Salon coupe with buckets

1975 Pontiac GrandVille coupe with Rallye wheels

1976 Pontiac Grand Le Mans LJ coupe with 260 V8

1982 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham coupe

1985 Chevrolet Monte Carlo with buckets and 4.3 "Vortec" TBI V6

Since my 1992 Regal is already my "second car," I won't be buying any of these.

That can help....

[Sixty8panther]

Forgot about that Buick Special.

Yes & no.

Didn't so much forget as my pans for buying a '61 Special

are still under way.... slowly but surely.

[Cory Wolfe]

I've never killed a car, what are you talking about?