How many of us have passed on buying a car/project, only to regret it later? I'm sure there are quite a few. Post your pics or tell your stories, so we can all shake our heads and say , WTF was he thinking?" Anyway, here is my WTF from 1983. I could have bought this 1955 Pontiac Safari for $1500. The motor was dead but complete, it had a few body issues including a rotted out spare tire well, but it was complete. The "expert" I had with me said no parts were available, so I took his advise and passed on it. I do believe I earned the "Dipshit of the Day" award that day. I
In '71 I bought a '57 Silver Hawk with a desoto hemi from a buddy for 75 bucks because the hood was sprung. The wife and I finagled the hood so it would close and stay latched. An older fella drove by to see the car and my buddy told him it was mine. He offered me double my money and drove away with it. The wife is still mad about it. I guess I didn't pass on it. But it did get away. In '72 I had a chance to buy a '54 Corvette. It was all stock and needed a top (the bows were there) for 250.00. I passed on it because it needed a top and I didn't think I could come up with the cash before winter. I could probably do this all day, I haven't always made wise decisions.
Oh, okay thanks for the input. All these years I thought it was a '55. I do remember my "expert" friend telling me I would not be able to find another spare tire well. Hindsight is 20-20 , shouldn't have listened to him. These share the same basic shell as the Nomad right? Wish I'd bought the thing.
Ouch and Ouch x 2 lol! I think we all can say that. I'm sure other HAMBers have stories that would generate an "Oh Shit" or two! !
I have 2... 1981: A WAY O/T '70 Dodge SuperBee for $1500. Red with a Black Interior AND a rebuilt 383.I passed on it because I didn't want to wait the 2 weeks for them to install the 383. The 2nd one; In 1983 I passed on a '56 Chevy 210,Red/White with a Black Interior and a 283 that smoked "a little" for $1500.
1500 was a lot of coin near 30 years agom for a 25-ish YO car, like you have pictured. I'd have no regrets unless you had the same deal yeasterday and passed on it.
I passed on a nice 67 Mustang coupe for $1500 needing a transmission due to ignorance at the time. It was factory GT with all the stuff but I didn't know GTs came in anything but fastbacks and convertibles.
Yeah it was, but I'd never seen another one. Don't know how rare they are. If I had the same deal yesterday and passed on it, I'd have to kick my own ass!
Not the only one by any stretch, but one of the most memorable for sure... I bought my '48 Plymouth in my avatar in June of '87 for next to nothing. Had a a super cute but terminally bitchy girlfriend that was living with me at the time, and was pissed that I spent MY money on it. Two weeks later, I opened the paper at 5:00 am one morning to 1948 PLymouth woody, runs and drives, 1000.00. Called, got directions and said "don't care what you say, I'm going to buy this too..." The screaming could be heard for several blocks around, and out the door I went. Pulled into the driveway just in time to see the guy give the owner 10 100.00 dollar bills, just like the ones in my pocket. If I hadn't spent 10 minutes trying to be a responsible mate to no avail, I would still have it to this day! The car has changed hands around Phoenix about 6 or 7 times since then, the last time was two years ago for aprox. 75,000.00, basically unchanged from that morning... Got rid of her about a year later... Don't think of her nearly as often as that woody! Young guys, let that be a lesson to you, she may be pretty and talented, but they are a hell of a lot easier to find than that just right pre '48 car!!!
i got one, didn't pass on it but it got away. ten years ago i was living with my grandpa and looking for my first car, he said:" i know where there's a car at." we went to look at it. it was a 61 t bird a friend of his had. the guy had it brought to him around 63 to do some work on it, basic work, brakes or something. owner never came to get it back. so this guy pulled it into his barn a few years later and it just sat there. basically brand new car. retractable hard top, 289 three on the tree, white with blue interior. i offered the guy everything i had, almost 4000 dollars i had been working for since i was 12. he wouldn't take it because he didn't have a title. so about a month after that i moved back up to northern illinois, three days after i moved the guy fell and broke his hip and died shortly after. that car sold for 50 dollars in an auction. over the last ten years there have been a lot of cars pretty similar to that that i've almost been able to get, just never happened. not to long ago somebody came into the thrift shop my girlfriend and my roomate work at and said she wanted to donate a car, so my roomate got it and brought it home, got a bunch of heat for snaking the deal from the store, so after talking to me a little and finding out what it meant to me to get this car i ended up buying it for 300. turns out to be a one owner 63.5 galaxie 500 with the 390 4v. 54000 original miles. rough body but not beyond repair. ugly looking but nice running motor (curing the oil burning problem right now). not the same as the t bird, but pretty damn close. happy ending to a ten year long sob story. almost got my welding up to snuff to start on the body.
So my old school had this big gorge that they wanted to utilize more often. in the gorge were several cars. Some 80's to 90's stuff but there was one 50's Chevy 5 Window Truck in there, regular sized bed five window with the spare tire mounts on both sides with (what was left) tires on each. It wasn't rusted too bad or really bad at all. It had just been down there for how ever long, at least since the earlier 90's and to clean that area up they had to get rid of the cars. They crushed the younger cars but they gave 3 or 4 away, you just had to know to ask the school for it and haul it out yourself (not really that much of a pain because it rolled and if you could go far enough down the gorge you could tow it out. Well, they were offering the truck for free and i didn't take it even though I had the chance. It took a month for anyone to take it. You see, back then I was big into "tuners" so I thought it was a hunk of junk. Now I know... and I hate "tuners" for it.
Another one for me. I saw the post about a '63 1/2 galaxie and it reminded me of the one that got away too...I've known the hot rod artist Jimmy Smith for nearly thirty years now. His screen name is JEEM, You've probably seen it. Next time you do, click on the link to his art, and there is a short video of his old "64 Galaxie. Killer stance, louvered hood, at one time on severely polished Halibrands, it was wwaayy cool, long before those cars were collectible. He had decided to sell it, and steadily kept dropping his price over the nearly year he was trying to sell for. Let's just say it was very reasonable. All this time, he knew how much liked the car, and did anything to get me in it or to drive it because he knew I would bite. Finally, we were at a swap one fine Sunday morning and he said "for Christ sakes, just sit in it!!!" so I did. I had to have it, but I had to sell something to make it happen, and I knew just what. Not to queer the deal, I didn't say anything to Jimmy - In case it all went wrong with selling my car. I went home that afternoon and called a kid that had begged me to sell one of my VW for ever and said it's for sale. He said "I'll Meet you at your shop at 10:00am with cash"! This young guy had been somewhat less than reliable, so I don't want to get Jim's hopes up too high, Hell, the car has been for sale for a year, if he doesn't show at 10, well figure it out for later in the week! 10:00 am comes and new VW owner is at my place cash in hand and bouncing like crack fiend! We trade car for cash, go to the bank to notarize - back to the shop to call Jim! I call him at work and get - "no, he took a long lunch to run an errand". 1:00pm My phone on my desk rings - Hey dude, guess what - I got cash - get the Galaxie ready, I'll be over in a half hour!!!! Answer? "I'm just coming back from notarizing the title, I just sold it". LONG SILENCE.... wait for it.....NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For me it is this; http://www.flickr.com/photos/kustom55/sets/72157604424800702/ I know it is still out there, most likely on the East Coast and more specifically, Long Island, NY. Even if I cannot buy it I just want to see updated pics of it...
I was on my way to Columbus to party for the Ohio State Football game one weekend, in a small town on the way sat a A 400 convertible sedan ( Rare Car ). The guy wanted $3000 for it and his price was firm. It was partially restored and in very good shape. I didn't have the money that day, so I passed. I saw it at the Goodguys Nats swap meet the following year, asking price $13,000 without lots of the parts. I should have turned around went home and borrowed the money!!!!!!!!!!!! Tom
1965 I was a 14 year old kid. There was a 1932 Ford V-8 Roadster at Sickel's Upholstery, on the corner of 5th and Quince streets in Escondido, CA. It had a dead cylinder. Coulda been a valve, plug, plug wire, nobody knew or had tried to find out. ran okay. The price? 500 bucks I asked my dad for a loan to get the car, and he told me the car didn't cost that much new, and he wasn't going to loan me the money, on a money pit. It had dual fender mounted spares, original radio, and NO RUST. It was gone about 3 weeks later.
OahuEli dude, the Poncho Nomad is a dream i understand your grief, but can i ask what is that Gbody? in the back ground? Ford? would make a sweet 70s lowrider......sorry O/T i know but had to ask. Kustom55, i sure hope you find her, beautiful car, those Pontiacs lend themself perfect for that treatment. Did you consider the opportunity that it went overseas?
72 cutlass convertable, white on white on white with the 80s aluminum bullet holes......$1100 in 1988. Dad said it would use too much gas. 71 Challenger, new Orange paint and black vinyl top, rough interior. $2000. Dad said too fast. 39 chevy 4 door, 1 owner, ALL origional, 1 dented rear apron. $3000. My broke ass didn't have the $$$. The wife actually loved it.
Too many times. Even once is too many though. Infact, even just last week i did another one. A running 65 caddy sedan for 500$ in decent shape. What the hell was I thinking?!?!?!? -GothY-
OT - I lost out a true 1969 pontiac trans am, factory finish white/blue stripes, clean interior black buckets, console automatic, ran and drove, four flat tires.. It was a friends older brother who was away at college and out of money, he told his parents to offer it to me for $2000 because I was a "car guy". It was 1984 and I couldn't talk my dad into letting me get it, at the time I had a 66 Mustang fastback, 67 & 68 Cougars and a 62 bug. I tried everything, told him I'd sell all the Fords... he wanted me to focus on college and quit screwing around with muscle cars.
Actually this thread caused me to bring up the Vette last night. That was a mistake, all these years I thought she thought it was ugly. She also reminded me of a few others that I for sure thought she had forgotten.
That 1970 Thunderbird was my daily driver. Cost $425 in 1982. I eventually wore it out with over 200,000 miles on it. The original 429 went into my '56 F-100, the second 429 went into a '72 Mustang coupe. Wish I still had the T-Bird. That was one of the most reliable cars I ever had, and it would stroll with a tank of Av gas!
51 ford convertible...new blue metallic paint, white tuck and roll, lowered with a fresh white top..blown up flathead. Guy wanted 20 bucks for the car because he didn't have the $$$ to get it towed off the street and he was pissed about the engine siezing. I was 15 and dad said no.... Fast forward to 1965 and I was 17. Buddy passed for 21 and was drinking in the local bar..stumbled outside on the sdiewalk to see me cruising by in my 56 Olds ragtop and flagged me over...said he'd sell me his running/driving 40 ford sedan for 10 bucks as he'd run outta money in the bar. Fished 8 bucks outta my jeans and he said 'That'l do..title is above the visor" and threw me the keys. It was a cute little 40 standard two door sedan with [again] new blue metallic paint and a fresh blue and white candy stripe interior...ran the stock flatmotor and a 39 topshift tranny. I left the Olds at the curb and drove the 40 home, breaking the 39 tranny in the process. My dad said I had too many cars on his property already and made me give it back AND.......said I had one day to get all my cars off his place except 1 car. Spent the day hauling cars [2-50 fords and a 41 ford tudor sedan] to the local salvage yard....kept the 56 olds.
Two events totally proving my stupidity: Stationed in the Navy in the early 70's living in Stockton, CA. In a car club with a bunch of much higher rollers than me and driving bug eye sprites ($400-500 all day long as many as you wanted). In 1972 one member, a dentist, obviously feeling kinda sorry for me as a poor swabby offered me his FIA 289 injected Cobra (1964 I think) for $4,000 but that was like a gazillion to me then so I passed. Number 2 was when I purchased a 63 Corvair Spyder ($250 w/22,000 original miles) and a 60 Vette ($900 and ex-autocross car w/hard and soft tops) in 1973 and when I got transferred in 1974 had to make a decision on which of those to tow to my next duty station and chose the Corvair!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here is a couple my dad told me he passed up in the late 60's and early 70's: 66 GT350H: $1500 (wanted it but couldnt afford it at the time) 32 Ford 3 window: $700 full fendered, lowered with full on flathead. The guy was killed in Nam and one of his buddies was selling it for his mother. (Once again wanted it but couldnt afford it at the time)
It is possible for sure, last I heard it went to Long Island, NY, bought by a State trooper...that was 2004ish I believe. A fellow hamber pmed me last year and said the car went from CA to Ohio for suspension and paint before it went to the owner in NY and that he would try and get more info/contact info. I have yet to hear anything back...I just have this sneaking suspicion that it is sitting in a garage somewhere
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