The One (car) That Got Away?

[ChiliPepperGarage]

I've had hundreds of cars since my 1st in 1972. Many really nice and cool ones that I regret selling. Most were sold to fund the next one.

I recently ran across theses photos taken in 1976 when I was in the Army at Ft. Lewis, WA.
My 1966 SS 396, 4 speed car. Like an idiot, sold it to fund a stupid V8 Vega drag car I was building.

Regretted it ever since. Ironically, several months after selling it I was called to the office and was told the FBI was on the phone! I picked up the phone and thought someone was BS'ing me but it turned out the guy I sold the car to went AWOL and the FBI picked him up. He had never transferred the car to his name so I was still the legal owner. They asked me if I wanted to come down to Oregon where they picked him up and get my car back. Again, like an idiot and not thinking swiftly, I told them I sold the guy the car.

I could have gotten my car back and would have even paid the guy his money back (although I'm sure he was headed to be locked up) as I sold it for only $800! These cars are very rare now and go for big $ if you can find one.

What's your "The One That Got Away" story?

 

[port austin pirate]

37 ford stock body, 55 caddy engine many good memories with that one, early 60s sold early 70s. ran mid 14s en mid 90s in early 60s

 

[TripleB]

1967 Shelby GT-500

 

[FreeBird236]

56 Belair 2 door post, 67 SS Camaro. A few others, but those are the two worst.

 

[Nordie]

75 firebird formula 455

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[mjc]

68 Nova I made into a street racer

 

[Ziggy]

Hindsight is 20/20. So many things I could be angry about.
Biggest car regret was off loading my Datsun roadster, all because I was lazy and didn't want to get greasy fixing it.

 

[pronstar]

1966 Impala SS 327
Was almost my first car.
Original owner, cherry condition.

I probably would have wadded it up at 16 years old, but I still think about that car.


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[t&y]

lol.. got in the game way later than most of you. 88 Pontiac Trans Am GTA. That was a fun car. Blew the tranny, took it to a shop, they fixed it, then the front seal blew. I took tranny back to them and the next day they closed up shop. No idea where they went. Sold that car cheap minus tranny not really knowing how easy I could have replaced it. Had that car dialed in, fun to drive.

 

[t&y]

The one that I could have owned if my head wasn't up my ass was a late 60 Bronco. Would have been my first car. Uncle owned it, was a mechanic, had gone through that thing bumper to bumper. Solid driver, not a show truck, but solid. So at 16 we I was on vacation with my learners permit driving from Cali to Colorado with him. He asks, "So what kind of car do you want? Maybe I'll just sell you the Bronco." Me being the smart ass 16 year old didn't take the time to ask if he was serious (he was a my Smart Ass idol.. lol) so I figured he was just joking and I told him, Sure, i'll give you 500 bucks... We both laughed and just kept talking about potential cars.

He sold the thing super cheap to another family friend a couple months after. Next christmas I asked him why he didn't sell it to me or my brother? Apparently both my brother and I are idiots, and the discussion he had with me had also taken place with my older brother. Both of us were idiots.. lol. He was wanting to sell it to someone in the family, but didn't think either of us were interested. The family friend he sold it to sold it off shortly after for a profit (total dick move).

Learned that day to not be such a smart ass.... sometimes...lol

 

[Dkahnjob]

So many I couldn't list them all. And in every case I was selling the one car to move to the next car or boat.
To name a few:
1966 Shelby GT-350 Bought new and sold one year later for $2,800.00
67 GT-500 Sold it when it was 3 years old for $1,800.00
This one is the one I think about all the time: 1967 Ferrari 275GTB-4 cam long nose.....bought it in 1971 for $8,500.00 drove it 9 months and then sold it for $8,200.00 so I could build a Sanger 17'10" Flat bottom. I figured if I ever wanted another I would just go buy one.......Who knew that car today would bring $3MM

 

[Taboma]

1968 CJ 428 Cougar 4-speed. Black on black, barely had a radio and the only one sold new in Orange County. Traded in my SS 396 El Camino for it.
I rapidly built up so many tickets and then receiving my Army draft notice was forced to sell it to my best friend. (Basically gave it away)
The handshake stipulation of the sale was I get it back once I was discharged. Got home and it had been sold two months prior, best friend claimed his OC Sheriff wife
made him sell it so she could buy a new work car --- a POS yellow Maverick !! Had her run the plates and it had already been totaled
We remained best buds, but I never really forgot that life lesson.
Looked identical to this one, even the red pin stripe, but I lost all my pics in the wildfire. That's just one of four cars I wished I'd never sold, but each seemed right at the time

 

[satellitemike]

72 El Camino ss, and 74 VW Thing, grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

 

[Cdog]

69 Ss 396 4 Speed Camaro. I Needed $1500 more than I had at 15 years old (4K) and mom said no big blocks. So I got the 67 327 car.

 

[Bullet28]

My all original 69 Z28 Camaro that I got at 19 and sold at 22 what was I thinking or doing baffles me now, I put 400 down at 67.00 a month paid 1,200 big money in 75.

 

[scottchbrite]

My 70 Camaro and both my 87 Buick Grand Nationals. I sold the camaro and bought property that I’m building on so it technically lives in infamy now.

 

[Willie B]

...’57 Chevy Black Widow...a real one...long long story...seriously doubt that this is the actual car...but you never know???...Think there may have only been 12 built???...

(Hmmm???...I have thought about posting the story of the Black Widow that I let slip away...but there are parts of the story I’m not sure are true???...
...might be my most bizarre story yet...hmmm???)...

 

[nameisbond]

I miss my 1985 Corvette the most for some reason. I've been looking for one, but its hard to find a nice one now.

 

[Canuck 1]

I miss my 1985 Corvette the most for some reason. I've been looking for one, but its hard to find a nice one now.

You are about a week late. Just sold an 38000k original

 

[monkeyswrench]

I've sold most I've built to make steps forward. It's done good for me, but not fun at all. Probably the one I regret not getting the most is the one that irks me. I passed on a 32 3wdw about 20 years ago. The bottom 3-5 inches were gone, as was most the floor. It was cheap, 3k. At the time, that was 3 house payments...and I didn't have enough faith in myself to do the metal work. Damnit! I should have, but lacked the balls.

 

[napanutt]

Not mine but my dad had a 66 stingray. I drove it once in 80. I was 16. Didn’t know a lot about cars but I knew it was bad ass.

 

[Riverbound]

My second car was a 1965 mustang K code. Bought it In 1997 for $3500

I bought the car as the second owner. The first owner kept a log of everything down to every time he put gas in it. What it cost and how many gallons. It was a documented 38k mile car. I was senior in high school drove and raced the shit out of it And then had a job driving where I did 35k miles + a year driving. Sold it and bought a 97 f-150 [emoji2961] I should have kept that car.


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[GRADS]

For me there's no doubt about the one that got away and I posted about it here on RDP. I never owned it but a had a chance to buy it and the wife veto'd it. Still pissed about it to this day. I found a 57 Plymouth one street over from my house and planned on buying it and making it into a "Christine" car. FUCK!!!

As far as cars that I've owned that I kind of wish I would of kept....I've had a lot of really nice and really fast cars but for some reason these two cars hold a special spot in my heart. My 87 L6 BMW and my 64 Lincoln....probably because I got more pussy in them than any other car. I'll never forget the day the owner of the Lincoln delivered the car and said get ready for this.... I pointed to my Viper and said I know what it's like...he was like you you have no idea, he was right. For some reason chicks just wanted to get naked in that car.

 

[wishiknew]

1970 SS 396 4speed cowl induction hood El Camino $1500 1973 And the guy totaled it around a tree a week later

 

[Outdrive1]

69 Mach 1 with a 351 and a 3 speed.

69 Numbers matching carousel red GTO ram air III, Ac, power windows, Hurst shifter. Sold that in the mid 90’s for 18k I think.




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[Flying_Lavey]

Ive only owned 4 vehicles. A '95 Thunderbird a '97 Saturn SC2 commuter car, my current '01 Silverado, and the one i wish i never sold.... A '93 Yukon GT 2 door. All black exterior with the 90's red interior. Loved that thing!

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[poncho]

1970 SS 396 4speed cowl induction hood El Camino $1500 1973 And the guy totaled it around a tree a week later

My high school car and it's the one that got away. Wadded up my Ninja and no work for 2 months, a toy had to go.

 

[nameisbond]

Another one was my Dads car. He bought it new and sold it in 1977 when my brother was born. I was five and mad when he sold it. It was a Datsun 280Z. I want one now. They are hard to find in good shape. It also must be a Canadian market car, no smog equipment like the U.S. models.

 

[Rajobigguy]

I've had lots of cars and regret getting rid of just about everyone but the one that I never really get over isn't the fastest or the most valuable it's just the one that I liked the best, a 1970 XR7 Cougar.

 

[rivermobster]

My high school car...

GT/A edition. Lost the 390 and found a 406 for it. C6, 4.11's, and I traded a friend who's dad owned a body shop, a custom built engine for all the body and paint work. It was silver when I got it.

I built the engine and trans myself. I had someone do the suspension for me. Didn't loose a whole lot of races.

 

[Classic Daycruiser]

1970 Camaro SS396, Hurst 4spd., Hugger Orange over black deluxe. No A/C ;(

It was my high school/college car.
I parked it at my parents house after college for 10+ years, and sold it in 1996, when my parents sold the house.
The guy I sold it to lived in Michigan, cleaned it up like new. It's been through Barrett Jackson, and now in a collectors museum.

 

[TripleB]

I read a couple of cars you should have bought, was really close to a deal on a 1969 ZL-1 Camaro in the early 80's, we were $1000 apart on price

 

[nameisbond]

Back in the late 80's could have and should have bought a girlfriends neighbors Road Runner with 440 six pack for $6k. It was in good shape, just not worth much back then.