the one that got away.....

[tubbs]

ok, since the rat rod post went over so well, lets start one that will bring tears to most peoples eyes. tell us about the hot rod, musclecar or whatever that you didn't plop down the money for. the heartache story. i have plenty of them and this one really hurts!!! i remember this like it was yesterday.......

this is intitled "kids know everything"

summer of 1979, just out of high school and had a decent job, a friend and i went to a very large swap meet (before the internet, this was the only way to sell things,) got there early and went looking for a muscle car. i had graduation money and just sold a 68 road runner so i had some cash and very nice parents. looked all day and nothing really caught my eye until we were getting ready to leave. we saw a black (actually fathom green but i am color blind) 69 camaro with cragars sitting on a trailor. thats cool!! lets go check it out. very clean car, 4-speed, buckets, big block.....BIG BLOCK? i saw no 396 emblems on the outside of the car.... i askes the guy what size motor, he stated 427.... "dont you mean 396?" i said back to him. "nope, a 427" he said. "did it come out of a vette or something? "nope, bought it this way"........ yea right? we laughed.. i was a 19 year old know-it-all about cars and the factory DID NOT put 427's in camaros. I KNOW!!! I'M 19 AND I READ HOT ROD MAGAZINE!!!! "its a special order car. a COPO"....... we laughed again. "a what?" we said. "a COPO camaro, i ordered it to race and i am not racing anymore and want to sell it. $5000 or give me an offer." we walked away laughing our butts off, only to realise about a year later that they actually made a 427 COPO camaro in 1969..... who's laughing now....... certainly NOT ME!!!

Edited August 15, 2012 by tubbs

[mikemodeler]

Similar story here Al. I was fresh out of high school in 1981, had been saving my money for a car and decided I was going to buy the brand new S-10 pickup. I had visited the dealer and was trying to figure out what color and everything one night when a co-worker called me to help him with a car. I went over and he had a 70 El Camino SS396/ 4 speed sitting in the garage and I helped him with some minor work on it. He told me the owner needed cash fast and if I had $1,500, it could be mine! I did have the cash, but couldn't decide between the brand new truck or the 11 year old fixer upper hot rod. He did his best sell job and before I could say yes, somebody else beat me to the Camino! The S-10 I bought lasted me nearly 6 years and I had a bunch of fun in it but that Camino would probably still be with me and worth a whole lot more!

[James Flowers]

What is up with the little print in your post? I see this small print in several post at times here .I wonder why and how it happens?

[Deathgoblin]

Mine's more of a passed away than got away. My first car was a 72 Buick Skylark Custom, 2 door hardtop. had a 350-2bbl, automatic slushbox, and a lot of rust. Transmission went out at one point on my way home from Votech, but dad and I replaced the TH350 with a TH400 out of a junkyard GS. Eventually after being battered and worn, it finally wouldn't go like it used to. The frame rusted through, and at one point we jacket it up for something and the passenger door wouldn't open. My parents bought me a 78 Plymouth Volare to replace it. The Buick sat for a while until our neighbor who did some dirt track racing offered me $100 for what was left of it. I actually got it to jumpstart and fire, drove it over to the guys house and parked. It never moved another inch under it's own power after that. The guy had to get one of his wreckers and tow it on up into his yard. The Volare ended up being a zombie that hated me, but that's another story for another time. I WILL have another Skylark one day.

[tubbs]

What is up with the little print in your post? I see this small print in several post at times here .I wonder why and how it happens?

i have no clue, i bet this one comes out normal.......

fixed it!!!!

Edited August 15, 2012 by tubbs

[Dr. Cranky]

I had the chance to buy my father's 1965 Dodge Dart back from a friend (who had bought it from my father) but didn't do it, and I regret it to this day. It was the car I drove to high school when I first started driving. I loved that car, but it got away. Who know what happened to it. It stayed in California, and I moved to the East Coast.

[JunkPile]

Hey Al, how about some caps too. Your posts seem to be one long sentence.

[my name is nobody]

The one that got away..........

in 1980 I was working in the west texas oil patch.

eighteen years old, driving a '70 Dodge Super Bee.......and making boatloads of money.

in the fall, we moved the oil rig I was working on into the company yard in midland,texas.

I lived in odessa texas, and my commute to work took me right through town.

Every day I would drive by a Datsun dealership.....and there was something in the showroom that caught my eye.

One day when I guess curiousity got the better of me, I drove into that dealership lot

and decided to go inside and see what this car was.

it was a green 1967 Shelby GT500. and it was beautiful.

428 big block. Four Speed. Dual Quads. and it was in mint condition.

Low, Low mileage. I believe it was 14,000.

I knew exactly what I was looking at. and I wanted it pretty bad.

the salesman informed me the original owner had traded it in on a new 280ZX.

So, I asked the question:

"How Much"?

$14,500

in 1980, fourteen thousand dollars was alot of money.

but I had a great job, and almost $8,000. in the bank. and my dodge.

I asked about trading in my car, but the salesman said they didnt want it.

and it was a pretty nice car, too. I thought about selling it, but decided if something went wrong

I would still need a ride home to Colorado.

Went to my bank, inquired about a loan. But with my age and lack of credit,

that wasnt happening. asked my boss to loan me the money. He just laughed and said my Super Bee was a

better car than that old Mustang.

after a couple of weeks of trying, I noticed the Shelby was gone.

I often wonder what hapened to that car.

[tubbs]

Hey Al, how about some caps too. Your posts seem to be one long sentence.

i thought my last english class......... oh, hold on.......

I thought my last English class was back in '78. If I had to put caps in, it would take me 20 minuted to type a post. Maybe double spaces ....

[fredgsanford]

between 1985 and 1990 i must have passed up a dozen early 70s electras , boattail rivs and early 70s skylarks most with big blocks and all cheaper than $300 each

[mikelo]

I used to work with a guy who, when he was going to college bought a 69 Nova for $300. He drove it a couple of years, then said even back then the costs were getting to him. It always leaked oil and was terrible on gas. He ended up selling it for $100. Yea, he didn't find out till about 5 years later about the stats of a 69 Nova SS 396. He marks it up to not knowing anything about cars at the time, though I wonder since he knew what engine size it had (from doing oil changes) and remembered the SS on the front and back.

Mike

[Badluck 13]

Mine was in '79,there was a local gas station and the owners were MOPAR fanatics and always had the nicest ones around,but the took in a partial trade a orange(my favorite color) '69 Nova SS 396 4sp and they were not fans of GM but took it anyway to sell off which they tried to do with my neighbor who was a GM fanatic and knew them well.

The car was jusssss a lil' rough in a few places,the typical Nova rot above the rear quarter lip,drivers door but nothing to extreme but my neighbor wasn't interested cuz he had 2 Nova's,2 Camaro's and one Monte' and he knew I loved Nova's and I was looking for my "first" real car so he turned me on to Jim,he wanted $1500. but being Larry's neighbor I could have the car for $900.

Needless to say I didn't have the cash so Jim said "see whatcha' can do Doober and the deal will be the same if I don't sell before you could get the money".....I scraped,saved,begged,borrowed..no steal,until I got 9 bills and I hopped on my 10 speed and rode my butt off to get there just to hear Jim say "Aww Doober,I sold the car earlier today,soo sorry"..........

[Draggon]

In 1973 I missed out on a slightly used 1971 Pantera for $4000. With my trade in and the cash I had, I had half the cost covered. Probably a good thing, tho, I would have killed myself in that car.

[mikethepoormodeler]

Around 1974 or so the girl I was dating, whom I later married, bought a '68 Mustang fast back. It was either a 289 or 302 with a three speed in the floor. It had a few problems, but nothing too bad. She put a nice set of Keystone Classic mags on it, and it looked sharp. One day I went to pick her up for a date and the car was gone. This was in 1976. She sold it to he uncle for $500. I was really disappointed. Then, in 1994, we were in Matthews, N.C. and ran across a 30th anniversary Mustang car show. We found a car like hers and ask the man what it was worth. He said about $8,000. I looked at my wife and she said "Don't say a word". Boy, I wish she would have kept it. I eventually picked up the MRC Keystone mags and converted the AMT '67 Mustang to a '68 and put the mags on it for her.

Edited August 15, 2012 by mikethepoormodeler

[Mike Kucaba]

Mine didn't really let it get away... I let it go!

1966 Chevy II SS L-79 optioned. 327,4-spd Muncie, Hurst comp + shifter, Corvette pointless ign. 12 bolt posi w/4:88,

Corvette rallys all around Dougs(or Hookers can't remember) headers,Custom multi leaf rear springs and a snubber with 50/50 curerides Scary fast ride.

[Agent G]

1974, just enlisted in the Marine Corps, and a cherry '63 E Type comes up for sale for $2500. Had to pass, but oh boy was I tempted. Later I learned the insurance alone was 2x what I made a month as a PFC.

Fast forward to 1998 and a brand new Harley Road King gets delivered to my local dealer. I decided that was the bike for me when I discovered a divorce was also looming. Same same in 2004 when I ordered a Mercury Maraduer from my fave Lincoln Mercury dealer. Fearing losing it I opted for a Grand Marquis after the divorce was final. Worked out well as I traded that for the Town Car I still have.

G

[58 Impala]

I actually missed two good deals in 1979. The first was a silver w/red 63 SplitWindow 327 2-speed, blew oil smoke $6000. The other was a gold 58 Impala convertible w/348 4bbl ( it was in pieces) $7000. Today I couldn't touch either one for anywhere near those prices. Oh well, at least I can afford them in plastic.

[C.C.RACER]

^{Well there are 3 Iwish I still had. First up is a 65 notch Mustang with a 289/271hp 4spd and 410 rear order that way. engine gave up and sold for $300.00. Next is a Porsche 914 rust free in parts for restoring. Then I had my son born and car had to go. Last was a 90 Eagle Talon AWD turbo. Bad fast car. Oh well theres alwas the next one.}

[Ace-Garageguy]

More than I can remember.....E-types, Minis, Jensen Interceptors, a Mercedes gullwing for $10k and a Ferrari Daytona Spyder for $15,000. I was either a day late or a dollar short on all of those.

I most miss my '62 VW crew cab pickup, which got sold for $150 by someone "looking out for my stuff" while I was out of town. And a '58 Karmann Ghia, same story. I narrowly missed another VW, an old split-window Beetle. After having paid $50 for it, I went back with a tow bar to get it and was told it had just gone to the crusher.....a little comm problem between divorcing parties. And when I was at Ga. Tech, I drove a hot-rod VW with a Porsche 356SC engine (which I built with money I earned working summers). A used car lot downtown offered me $1500 trade-in towards a 427 Cobra for $6500. I couldn't convince my dad it was a sound investment.

Then there were multiple Corvairs and Fiats, 2 Vegas, a pair of 240Z Datsuns (one of which was the world's first convertible Z, stolen from a friend/s house), a '65 Mustang notchback 289 auto that was horse-shoed by a drunk, a Porsche 356 B-roadster, an A coupe, a B sunroof-coupe and a '67 911 both stolen from my own driveway......geez.....I wonder where they all are now.

Not a nickel of insurance ever collected on any of the losses, by the way. No wonder I have a bad attitude.

[tvandmoviecars]

Miss a few I used to have... 2 Mustang IIs.. 1 was my 1st car... 1 didnt have a motor, and other blew the motor...

Had a Nova in High School that I wished I could find again.. if it still exists.... probably doesnt, since I sold it to a buddy, who sold it on payments to another guy that screwed him over, and hid or possible junked the car.

Other was a 96 Ford Mustang.... closest thing I ever had to a NEW car.... 1 year old and 15,000 miles... sold it to mom, so I could get married and get out from under the payment (lost my good paying job jst before I got married, so $$$ was tight with less pay and more bills.) She sold it later because she needed a larger car...

after getting married, I was coming back from a jobsite and seen this... $1000 obo. Didnt run,

wife said "No, don't even think about it!!!"

9 months later I was divorced, and paying off her almost new truck, that we couldnt aford when we got it, and she left in the burger king parking lot, when she took off... so I had no Mustang... no 69 Charger.... and a 1997 Ford F150 long bed that i had no use for, and couldnt afford payments on....

BUT.... I did make up for my losses....

I later got this (drove it a few years and sold it.)

and currently have THIS as 1 of my current cars...

which is what the $1000 wold have been.... for a lot less then I got in this one!<lol>

[mopar01lee]

My story begins about 17-18 yrs ago... I was working a KFC,I was 16 ,17 yrs old an was a cook. I could see the drive threw window from my work station an one night as I was cookin that finger likin chickin .. I saw a roof line I will never forget. I knew what it was right off the bat. As I ran over to the window. Shure enough it was a all original 440 se 69 charger w/a all black interior an a looked like a cream yellow paint..

that need a lil body work but ran great .. Guy wanted 3000 . But said since I noticed what it was by just the roof line I could get it for 2000.00. I was a lill short I had round 1200. An. 68 Nova that was killing me in parts ..it was a beater.. needless to say I did not get my dream car.. an to this day if I could kick myself in the balls, I would do it rapidly. Lol

Later days davin

Edited August 15, 2012 by mopar01lee

[cobraman]

Mine didn't actually get away as I traded it in. It was a brand new 1978 Mustang King Cobra. I managed to get one of the first about 5,000 ever made. Although not a very high performance car even with the 302 back then it was a very cool car and I didn't see myself coming and going. I regret that I ever gave it up for trade on a 1980 Corvette. The Corvette was not that much of a performer either being one of the California versions with the 305 engine.

[Custom Hearse]

Back in 1976 I had a chance to buy, but turned it down, a metallic blue 1971 Chevy El Camino with a 396 big block, Cowl Induction hood, and white stripes for $50.00. The engine had thrown a rod so it was not running.

[Eric Macleod]

This one is not a muscle car but the car that got away from me was a 1962 Lincoln Continental Convertible. When I got the car it was light jade (a sort of light metallic green) with a matching interior. I wanted a yellow car so I strripped the green and had the car painted Jamacian Yellow. Then I changed the interior ( a brute of a job) to a Black/white leather combination and added a white top. It ran great and looked better. I drove the car to an AACA meet and won a first Junior with it the very first time the car was out. Later I wanted a Full Classic car and found a 1931 Buick 90 series 7 passenger phaeton I could afford...if I first sold the Lincoln, which I did. The moment I saw the Lincoln being loaded in the trailer I was regretting my decision but a deal is a deal...or so I thought. I called on the Buick (I had placed a deposit on the car) only to have the dealer tell me "we sold it and we're sending your deposit back to you." Never, ever should have let the Lincoln go. The kicker is I have since owned 7 more of those cars and none of them were as good as that '62. I am currently in the process of buying Lincoln Convertible number 11 (yes my math is correct, the car I am discussing was my third of the 10 I have owned so far) which I plan to paint Jamacian Yellow with a Black/White interior!

[Jeff Johnston]

Hey Al, how about some caps too. Your posts seem to be one long sentence.

What are you an English major or something ? I didn't have any problems reading it. It not like he's applying for a job... lol