What car did you *just* miss out on owning, and you wish you didn't?

[OM646]

If there's a similar thread, feel free to delete it, search didn't bring up anything

What car did you come very close to owning, but for some reason didn't, and regret not owning to this day?

In my case, I almost got myself, as first car, a white SEAT Cordoba SX (2 door) 1.6, in very good condition, being auctioned off, with all the bells and whistles like AC, electric windows and mirrors, airbags and sports seats. (Adding to the Ibiza SDI i also almost got as 1st car too, but that one wasn't as cool)

Been quite a while, these cars are getting rarer and rarer, and I've come to appreciate them more and more, and I still want to own one to this day

Don't have actual pics of the car, but other than the color, it looked just like this.

 

[wesacosa]

Wish I had bought the Alfa Arna and Alfa 33 16v I looked at  .  Also test drove a totally original Miami blue 205 GTI 1.9 for about £1200 and walked away for a reason I can't even remember 

[Cooper1]

A 1993 Volvo 850 T5 estate, chap offered it me for £800 when I was 19 had the money but still passed , kick myself thinking about it. 

Oh and a 1997 Jaguar XJ6 Sport 4.0 not that long ago about 5 months ago it was for sale £500 It was sat in a chaps garden after failing an MOT in 2016, usual rot could of trailered it away, but got scared off by fist sized holes in the wings.. 

 

In hindsight it would of been an easy repair Gah!! love the X300.

[AnnoyingPentium]

Had the option of buying my Dad's SR back into the family for mega cheap (£3000), but didn't. It's nice that it's still on the road though.

[barrett]

Loads. Recently, and weirdly considering how rare they are, one of these for £2k

And also one of these, for £2k

The 1200 was RHD, too. It's been broken up now, sadly.

Somebody talked me out of buying an Aurelia B10 earlier this year on the basis I'd be disappointed with the performance after doing lots of miles in a B12. Doubt I'll ever see another affordable example. Silly me.

The £300 original, unrestored 1960s Mini Moke about 5 years ago was probably the best money-making opportunity I've ever turned down, but I only regret not making some cash, not the not owning a Mini Moke bit, which seems as boring an idea now as it did then.

[outlaw118]

There's been a few, but as it's bedtime, I'll stick with the first real regret for now....

For sale at a garage round the corner, in white with all the neccessary sticker intact. A or B plate IIRC., would have been 1990ish

Unfortunately a mate bought a Cavalier SRi off him, a couple of months previous which turned out to have finance on it, and some nasty men came round while he was at work and he had to hide it. Rumours spread that half his stock was dodgy, so I put the £3995 back in my bank account and bought a Capri instead.

[sheffcortinacentre]

Back in the mid 90's A maize yellow 2 Dr 1600 GT MK3 cortina built in August as the model was launched in September 70.

Even then this was probably the oldest surviving MK3 cortina.

 

[Soundwave]

The Saab 9000 of many shiters... came up for sale three times, and on all three occasions it sat for weeks, not selling, while I scrambled to get all my ducks in a row. And inevitably, it'd sell just as I managed to get into a position to buy. Them's the breaks, just how it goes sometimes.

But, fourth time was the charm and I now own it, so not entirely sure this one counts.


More pertinently to the thread, missed out on a minty-fresh Volvo 340 last year which was going for just £300, on Gumtree. Sent the seller a message after the ad had been up for 17 minutes, but it had sold almost immediately after being posted!

[danthecapriman]

A metallic silver/grey Jag mk10 with red leather interior. Absolutely immaculate. I was on the cusp of buying it but dithered and held back because I was supposed to be moving to Cyprus within a couple of months. Still kick myself for not buying it, even worse because I didn’t move in the end so really there was no reason not to buy it.

A 78 Volvo 244 GLE auto in dark green. One owner from new and in fantastic original condition. Couldn’t make my mind up how far to bid on it (eBay) and lost it. I wish I’d gone higher on the price as it was lovely. Another car I really regret not getting.

[HillmanImp]

Restored Porsche 912 for £4k.

Within 2 years they were fetching £30k.

Bought my first GT6 instead and sold it after 2 years for less than I paid for it. 

[Datsuncog]

A really nice metallic blue Vauxhall VX4/90 FD on eBay around 2007; not a minter, but looked honest and had a load of history.

Bidding peaked at £1600; I had the money to go higher but got cold feet at the last moment in case it turned out to be a lash-up, and backed down. 

Sold for £1600. No way would I get another as good for that sort of money these days, not even close.

Ended up buying another Mk5 Cortina instead, which it turned out was a lash-up.

Oh well.

I'll look out some pics once the site uploader's behaving itself again.

[Wibble]

A 1986/7 “D” reg Capri 2.0 Laser in black. About 1991 and would have required finance. Got approved for the finance but backed out as thought Dad wouldn’t have approved. Years later, walking with Dad when an identical Capri drove past . “Always wanted one of them” he said, “love the shape”🤦‍♂️

[Mr Pastry]

Long ago, a Lotus 7 body/chassis for £50.   It was advertised in Motoring News, and it was the middle of winter, but my mate and I did not hesitate, and took off in my A35 that night to see this thing.  It was an interesting car, must have been one of the last 7s to be raced in the Clubman's Formula, and it was in someone's cold, dark garden near Brand's Hatch, covered in snow.  The £50 was cheap even then, but it was a bit of a loss leader, because the seller had various other parts to complete it "at extra cost."   But still, there it was. 

I said I'd think about it, as you do.   It was quite a project but certainly re-buildable, and I sometimes wonder what direction life would have taken if I had bought it, because often it's very minor events that make a big difference to you.   Talking it over with my mate afterwards, the main thing that had been worrying both of us was how on earth we would attach it to the curved roof of the A35 to get it home.  

[New POD]

1984. Learned to drive in a 1.6 Sierra estate base model. 

1997.

Sapphire With 2.9 4x4 running gear and cosworth bodykit and 2000E interior 

Xr4x4 2.8

1.6 3 door converted into.cosworth replica with 2.8i running gear.

All under £3k 

Bought an Ax 1.4D instead.

2006.

Got a small inheritance.

Was seriously looking at 3 door cosworth costing £10 to 15k

Paid £6k to Dolphin Bathrooms for a 2k bathroom. (It's nice but not £6k nice) 

And bought a Calibre.  Note the E. For £1400. Had to swap the engine, which then blew up. Sold it for £1000. 

Have you seen the price of Coswaorths ? 

 

 

[Jazoli]

An Audi UR quattro in white, my mate had owned it for a couple of years and neglected to even get the oil changed, when the engine started knocking he took it of the road, sourced a spare engine then promptly ignored it as he bought a Mk4 Supra.

Fast forward a couple of months and he offered me the lot for £1500 (he had more money than sense), I declined, as I was going on holiday the next week and needed the money I'd saved for the holiday.

If I only knew, it was such an awesome car but my 18-30 holiday was far more important to me that week!

I saw it driving around a few months later and have regretted it ever since, 153 HHY where are you now?!

On the flip side I did buy a nice Mk3 Supra Turbo off him for £400 as it failed the MOT with an abs fault, it was just a sensor

[ProgRocker]

Back in 1997 I went to look at an E or F reg Astra 1.6 GL in silver but the lacquer peel put me off. At around the same time a dealer tempted me with a lovely looking F reg Rover 213 in BRG but at £2495 it was a bit over budget and I worried about paying for the insurance premium on top of the car's price.

I really had to consider insuring it. Insurance was going to cost me another £400 easily as I was 19 with one years NCB. Should have certainly persued that one further. As it would have been more exciting* than the Escort I eventually bought. 

In 2010 I chickened out of buying a 2005 Corolla 1.6 16v Sport 3 door for £5k. Could have been a better car than the Nissan Almera I eventually bought. 

[DVee8]

A Rover Vitesse  turbo 2 door coupe for £500 

This colour.

 

[bunglebus]

A £250 Beetle in various colours/primer when I was 16 and had an allowance of £25 a month. It looked bad but it was rock solid, I'm sure my dad would have given me the money but I didn't like to ask.

A 67 Beetle a few years later, cheap but abused, engine was cooked and it had a low speed front end shunt. Still way, way cheaper than its real value especially seeing how much they've gone up now.

Funny enough I was lead to a VW I did get by the offer of a MK4 Cortina Ghia estate on a farm. Turned out to be fairly tatty but the lady also had an air cooled T3 in a barn too, so that's what I chose. Wasn’t a bad choice but I do wonder what became of that brown MK4

[ETCHY]

Early 1970s BMW 2002 Touring Automatic. Factory sport steering  wheel, factory alloys & in a gorgous orange colour.

Like a dick i didn't buy it.

That was in 1991. It still fucks me off. 

[Lacquer Peel]

Mazda 626 Comprex diesel haunts my thoughts

[goosey]

Mk 1 escort sport extremely cheap 

HB 2 door Viva for free 

Suzuki LJ  very cheap 

BMW E30 2 door 325?  Extremely very cheap 

Sierra 2000E     For free 

 

there’s loads more but those are the ones that spring to mind and I must add when I had the offer of these cars they weren’t that desirable or sought after

 

 

[Kevin-TIB]

My list is not about what I missed out on but rather what I had and didn't keep 😔

 

As a serial Ford lover, I've been through so many that should have been kept including Escort and Cortina estates, a lovely Sierra and a Scorpio. Back in 80s and 90s, I couldn't give them away... Today they are in the £1,000s (because people like me let them die).

 

Hindsight keeps kicking me when I look through Car and Classic and whispers "told you so..."

 

 

 

[Dick Longbridge]

Back in 1993 I worked weekends in a local garage. My speciality was sculpting filler over badly welded repairs which had been pigeon shitted into place by the owner's son. He restored his Lancia Fulvia using the same strategy, but that's another story.

I became a bit of a pro with the old P38 to be fair. Anyway, I digress.

One of the workshops ended up rented out to a painter - Alcoholic Andy. He painted anything and everything in two pack. Unmasked (him, not the car). Master at his trade but without the safety gear or forethought. 

Eventually he was served notice as he'd stopped paying rent. Just before he vacated, he offered me his 1972 Volkswagen T2 bay camper van for a nominal £200. He had to shift it urgently and was struggling to find a solution. It was partway through welding but was actually quite solid. No engine, box or rear interior but it was still a very cheap van for what it was. I was 18, still living with my parents at the time, and without the skills or space to entertain taking it on. 

He ended up scrapping it...

About a year later I was selling my Morris Minor and a mate's brother offered me his mk2 Escort Linnet. It was around £700 and had MOT after he'd done some welding on it. I took it for a quick drive but was decidedly underwhelmed so  gave it a swerve. I ended up with a really early 81 MiniMetro in that yellow. It felt light years ahead of the Escort, and I still had £300 spare in my pocket. 

 

[LoftyvRS]

Back in 2004, whilst working for myself, a fellow member of the local RS Owners Club was in a bit of financial strife and needed some funds, he offered me his 1 previous owner Sapphire RS Cosworth for £3k, real lovely low mileage standard thing. I just couldn't justify taking the money out of the business for it. Right decision at the time, wrong one in hindsight. Oh well.

[jmsguzzi]

Just missed out on a mint local Mercedes E500 last year for around 4k, asked the seller to pass my details onto the new owner incase he moves it on, got offered it a couple of weeks ago for half that price, can't justify it at the moment, I know I'm going to be regretting it for a long time.

Regret not picking up the low mileage Mitsubishi Galant that was for sale local for around 300 quid just after I passed my test, actually went through a few members on here before being wrote off.

[Markeh]

In 2014, when I was looking to replace my Corsa, I started looking at Megane IIs. About a week before seeing the one I ended up buying, I had a look at a lovely 3dr one. It was in that grey-green they came in, had the glass roof, the 17" Nervasport wheels, and was in better nick with about 20k less than the one I eventually bought. I turned it down because the air con didn't work and because I assumed I needed a 5 door.

Certainly regretted it when the one I ended up buying didn't start the morning after I bought it.

[Bradders59]

In 1979 I was introduced to a bloke who was selling a Porsche 911T for £2500, which needed a little bit of work to recomission it for the road.

I told him I would buy it and offered to bring the money over in a couple of days. He wouldnt take me seriously as I was only 19.

Thought I was a dreamer who was probably hoping for  a test drive, and politely told me to far cough.

A couple of weeks later I went back to see him in the Chevette HS I had just bought for 5 grand.

His jaw hit the floor and I drove off with a smile on my face.

I wasnt some spoilt rich kid by the way. Just a council estate kid who got a claim for injuries in a motorbike accident.

[leafsprung]

Alfa Romeo Gt Junior 1600 FOR £3000

Like that moment when as a youth that really really attractive girl once held your gaze just long enough for you to think "maybe she does fancy me" but then YOU DID NOTHING ABOUT IT AND WILL STILL BE REGRETTING THAT FACT ON YOUR DEATH BED! 

Well, something like that. So I'm told. 

[High Jetter]

In my early 20s I was looking for something cheap and saw an ad in a paper, probaly The Argus, for an Audi 70.  Went to see it, looked lovely, and he also had a Citroen DS. I could have either, for £200. Nearly bought the Audi but was scared off because forrun and avoided the DS as too complicated. Similar later on with an Alfasud and a G reg 3-series BMW estate. Wish I'd been braver even if none of them turned out well.

[GR8 PL8 M8]

4 hours ago, Bradders59 said:

In 1979 I was introduced to a bloke who was selling a Porsche 911T for £2500, which needed a little bit of work to recomission it for the road.

I told him I would buy it and offered to bring the money over in a couple of days. He wouldnt take me seriously as I was only 19.

Thought I was a dreamer who was probably hoping for  a test drive, and politely told me to far cough.

A couple of weeks later I went back to see him in the Chevette HS I had just bought for 5 grand.

His jaw hit the floor and I drove off with a smile on my face.

I wasnt some spoilt rich kid by the way. Just a council estate kid who got a claim for injuries in a motorbike accident.

Jesus, what kind of injuries did you sustain to be awarded that kind of money in 1979‽