When I was 16-17 I found a 48 Chevy fleetline at a local junkyard/mechanic shop. It had 75,000 original miles(couldn't hear the motor it ran so smooth), perfect interior, body,glass and chrome, and the original black laquer paint. The only thing wrong with the car was the paint needed to be rubbed out and there was a splot on the trunk where someone shot it with a .22 and it made a little dent. With fresh paint it would have been showroom perfect and they only wanted $2,500 for it. I begged everyone in my family to loan me the money or cosign a loan but no one would. Less then a year later I bought my 49 fleetline(cracked windows, surface rust spots, pealing chrome) FOR THE SAME PRICE!!! Don't get me wrong, I love my 49 but man that 48 sure was nice.
Some sad stories out there!! The ones I am kicking myself in the ass for years. '58 Vette 283 4-speed nedded work-------$800.00 '64 1/2 Mustang FACTORY 260 4bbl, 4 Speed, convert, w/ generator--------$400.00 '52 Chev coupe 235 3-speed. Ex-buddy drained the oil, then he fired it up and threw a brick on the gas pedal. Didn't tell anyone he didn't want the car anymore. Then it went to scrap. Man' it was straight. '50 Chev coupe 348 tri-power, ran great.-----$150.00 There are more, but these are the ones that really stick in my mind. BTW, A friend bought the Vette. Three months later he recieved best of show in Portland, Or.
i musta been about 15 or so...'shopping' for for my first car... looking thru the recycler there was an ad that read something like this: 1967 camaro. big engine. something called a YENKO. and something about it didnt run or needed work or something...........$1500.00 what did I know? then right after i got my first car for $1500, the neighbor across the street was moving and needed to unload his '67 chevelle...big block, turbo 400 all fresh, new interior and fresh bodywork...$1500.00 oh to be young and cash poor.
The bitchin' 58 Vette my buddy couldn't keep running...$600...The bitchin' 57 Belair 2 door w/original paint that same buddy eventually wrecked...$350....The '62 Alfa Romeo roadster that same!!! buddy had...$700...but the one that HAUNTS ME? (besides the 67 Shelby GT 500 we SCRAPPED) is the 50 Ford Woody. It ran. It drove. Good wood, everything worked...I had $350. He wanted $400. I walked....sigh.......
My Dad bought, new, a 1967 Shelby GT500 when I was in high school in June of '67. It was my Dad's pride and joy until my Mom was killed in a traffic accident in 1972 in her '67 Galaxie 500. I moved out in '73 and in '75 Dad asked if I would keep the Shelby in my garage until he could find a buyer for it. He sold it for $2400. I traced it two years ago through it's VIN numbers and with the help of the Shelby Owners Club. It had been restored and sold at Barrett-Jackson for $229,000. The new owner would crap if he knew that the new paint was incorrect.
In 1975 I walked away from a running driving '55 Nomad for $1200. I had the money but was living in an apartment with on street parking. What was I going to do with it? Same summer ,1969 Chevelle SS 396 375hp with the aluminum factory heads. Fresh engine,$1500. I too cry at night.
1982 - Sweet running 67 Falcon convertable - had another year of college to go and no cash. 1996 - 39 Lincoln Zephyr for a grand. I let it go at an auction sale because I had nowhere to store it. Was so pissed at myself that a I bought a 32 Chev 2 door for ten bucks 15 minutes later. Saw the same Lincoln at a swap meet in 2004 for $3000.
Both were 53 Ford hardtops. First one was in late 62. It had a hemi in it and was a driver, the price was $150, I gave the guy a deposit and was supposed to pick it up the next week. Well I got laid off my job and had to forget the car. I was very lucky as the guy was nice about it and gave me my deposit back. Second one was spring of 83. I called about it and it was 35 mi away by the time I got there it was sold. But the car was still there, the only visible rust was a dime size hole on one front fender. A new headliner was included and all upholstery was in very nice shape. It ran and drove also Price $250
A old guy called me and said he had a 34 Chevy sedan that was totally restored about 10 years ago and had been sitting for 2 or 3 years. I asked how much and he said six. I said six hundred? He said yes. It was about 10 miles away so I jumped in my truck and went to look at it. It was in nearly perfect shape. I asked again how much six hundred? He said yeas again. I went to the bank and got cash. Came back with the cash and my trailer. I count out six hundred dollar bills into his hand. We push it out of the garage and get it loaded onto the trailer. I get turned around and start pulling out of the drive and he runs up to the window and says I think we have a problem. I said what? He says I meant six thousand. I was so mad I almost took off. I had asked him 3 different times and it was always six hundred. I had counted the money into his hand before we loaded it. I unstrapped it and rolled it off in the middle of his drive and left.
In 1959,I dragged my dad to the back of the local car lot to see if he'd lend me the money to buy a 32 five window.....full fenders....dropped axle.....painted red with a brush....but dad couldn't afford it......$35.00
A 1970 Monte Carlo 454 SS Red, black top and interior. 43k miles, original owner. I let my father convince me to buy a 4 dr 1977 Mercury Grand Marquis instead.
Early 60's, I was in my teens, and had not yet 'diiscovered' cars, but I would within 12 months or so. The big vacant paddock behind our house was sold off and subdivided, and while they were clearing it they ran the dozer over an 'old car' that sat in the paddock that we used to play in as kids and buried it. It was a mint condition Model A sports coupe, complete right down to the ingntion keys! Cheers, Glen.
1929 Model A sedan with 5500 orginal miles with zero rust and running. The car came out of argentina so it was right hand drive. (a car with no rust that old and in Okinawa is very rare) The car was absoultly perfect. I picked it up for $3000. I tell my wife about what I just picked up and she had a fit. It was so bad that she threatened divorce if I bought the car. (she didn't know that I had already paid for it and was making arangments to pick it up) Long story short I owned the car for maybe 12 hours and sold it the next day to a good friend. Now he won't sell it back to me. I should've let the wife go and kept the car...
There have been a lot of them. In no particular order: Circa 1983- a 55 Chrysler 300, 2nd owner original, complete, ran excellent, had some quarter rust, $500. Circa 1973- a 53 Buick Skylark, complete but ratty with bad interior and one repaint, a mere $500. Circa 1974- 1952 Olds 88 hardtop, original owner, running $20 Circa 1976 - 1965 Shelby Mustang, NICE original, $2500. Did I mention NICE? Also various cars from the Carter, Reagan and H.W. Bush administrations. I displayed no favoritism with my muddle-headed decisions. And on and on and on it goes in agonizing detail, page after page. It doesn't get any better.
1956 porsche 550 spyder, 2000 dollars...had 700 cash in hand and he would of held it a week for me. Ran like new. Was 20 years old and frankly thought it was just some nice two seater. I figured be responsible walked away for an hour to think it over, came back as some guys drove off in it. ouch.
Among many other cars over my life that I turned down or let go my Dad offered to give me his '40 Chevy 2 door sedan (see below a picture of my Dad and younger brother) but I was building a '53 F100 with a 401 Nailhead and I had a '38 Ford 4 door sedan (restoring) so I passed on it. He sold it to a lowrider in Long Beach, Ca. and as far as I know it's still there. That was in 1969!!!
I had picked up a 46 Nash coupe that belonged to one of Dads friends off of a grass farm that belonged to another friend..I asked the guy about some of the other stuff stashed out there, specifically a little XKE Roadster, light blue,dark blue top and somebody had done a good job of putting a Ford six cyl. innit. He said yeah, If you want it,lets talk about it..So, being young and stupid? realizing it has a value. I save up $600 and come back at him in about a month, figgering thats a fair amount. He says Rick, its gone, I had somebody else haul it off, I meant for you to just take it...Dammit!...The flipside of that story was the finely restored 49 Cadillac that a friends father had put together for him for Graduation present. Painted in school colors, nice blue body with metallic gold roof, nice interior, the works..Practically the first trip away from home to College, the hood flies up on him, bends the hood and cracks the windshield..Kid gets bad voodoo about the car, it gets parked and I buy it for$100.00, thats right. one bill...So, you win some and you lose some...
Probably six years ago...E-bay. I found a late sixties FED, ready to run, w/ Blown, (gasoline) 392 Hemi. I watched it run out of time, with no reserve, at around $5,000.00 I had $2,000.00, and tryed to force all my friends around me to join my "racing team". Nobody wanted in, it seems...damn.
70 440-6 Road Runner 4 speed car 24,000 mile survivor.I could have traded a 66 Sport Fury convert and a little cash for it.
a few months ago, when I sold my 71 buick, I was looking for an older car. I was looking at a 53 bel air, rust free all original, straight 6, powerglide. It even had PS! the interior was good, and the body was in primer, ready to paint. It was a daily driver, and ran PERFECT. I could have got it fo $3,000. Well, the dude that came to get the buick was a day late, and by the time I got back to the chevy, it was gone! Anyway, after I sold it, I was at my buddys house when my dad called and told me to get up to the house quick. There was my 61 galaxie on ebay, and by the time I got my bid in there was 1 sec. left on the auction. I got it for a pretty good price, but I want something older. So it is now on the classifieds.
1952 GMC 1/2 ton with late model rear and 235 I6. The truck was in pretty good shape. It didn't have a bed though. It was only $150. But my dad said I couldn't have another project till I finished my toyota. I was planning on rat rodding it. But there will other projects.
39 Ford coupe ,37000 miles all original except Offenhouser heads, 3 carbs, no mufflers, 13" wheels on the front and 15" on the back. Interior was dirty but no tears, no rust, no front bumper, Laminated dash knobs. All for $175 in 1962 or 1963 and it ran and was driveable. I asked Dad if I could buy it and he said "I don't want that piece of junk in my driveway". .....I have never forgave him for that.
69 charger with a 440 and a 4 speed- non matching number car for $700. My dad told me the car was never going to be worth shit because of the non matching numbers.
1929 A roadster, garaged from the late '40s....watched for years, offered to buy it numerous times..fast forward to 1989-90...I had just sold my Vega drag car for 4500....my dad & I were going to pick up a used rollback for our towing business....we were sitting on the back steps when in rolls the "A"s owner....he needs quick cash...$3000 will buy the '29....my dad looks at me.."its up to you, Buck....its your money." I bought the truck the next day.....3 days later, on my way to work, I see the "A" being loaded onto a rollback.......I tell my dad when I get to the shop...he gets real quiet...walks away from me, and stays away all day....I later found out, that after he found out I bought the truck, he went and got $3k out of the bank to buy me the "A"....I did, however, end up with the As radiator cap...a friend of mine helped to load it, the guy had asked him to see if there was coolant in it(???), and he pocketed the cap...later, when I told him this story, he went home and presented me with the cap.......I have one pic...shot thru the garage door..I'll try and find it.
I have a girl cousin that is/was an ex model she had a GTO Judge convert that supposedly there we only 11 made with the options and purple paint job she had on hers she got all this info just after she had it 5 years and got it painted a hot pink! My biggest should have bought it dumn ass Blunder was a 427 powered AC Cobra for 800$ ! passed it up because the rear spring was broken and didn't have enough $ to buy the car and get a new spring made bought a 63 1/2 427 4 speed galixy instead
Not lost due to money but kinda the same. My Father always cussed building the dirt car he had in the mid or late 60's. It was a 1957 Pontiac Star Chief. He said he paidnext to nothing for it and it was a perfect car. I guess hind site is 20/20 since it got cut up and turned into a dirt car. The funny thing is the car Im building now is a 57 Pontiac
I have been haunted by this car since I was a teen. Cole Foster did the work on it in the 90's. I had the opportunity to buy this car in 2003 but it was either buy this car and stay in CA or move to Austin. Should have bought the car...Last I heard is was sold in 2005 and now have no clue where it is but i think about this car every day. I took 3 of these pix in 03
The one that bothers me the most was found in a JY in NE Ohio about 1980. A roller Henry J with a chrome straight axle,glass nose, lotsa engine setback,and an Olds rear axle. Remnants of the metallic purple paint, orange plexi windows and the faded "Satans Crate" graphic on the doors. No dough at the time,but the mental images are forever burned in the brain cells...
The Jalopy Journal
