Cars you never bought - but wished you had

[Bren]

I went to view one of these in 2004 - it was up for £1450. K plate petrol 1.8. Same colour as the picture.

A private sale in Birkenhead. I never bought it because on viewing the car the rear lights and boot trim were in the boot disassembled - not disclosed in the ad. I bought a P plate laguna instead.

I regret not buying this model of A4 - their was a solidness and simplicity about it - a bit like a merc - that audi dont have these days.

[warren t claim]

Ex Ford press demo Capri 2.8i. VVW8W. I passed over the chance to buy it for a grand back in 1992 so a mate could buy it. He dithered and it was sold to someone else.

[RoverFolkUs]

This very 416

Which seems to have gained quite a bit of popularity online, including Lloyd vehicle consulting featuring it and it being passed around various owners since

It was up for less than a grand by it's original owner's granddaughter when it had less than 30k miles on the clock a few years ago

I was tempted but didn't bite in the end because it was an auto and I really wanted a manual. So bought my 45 instead which I wasnt unhappy with by any means but I always wanted (and still do) a nice example of a manual 400 HH-R to replace the one I used to have

Oh well. One day ...

[Wibble]

Black 87 D reg 2.0 Laser Capri, immaculate, was early 90s at the time and I  nearly went for it but would have needed finance. Got approved for funds but bottled it, thinking Dad wouldn’t approve. Not long after, walking with Dad and a Capri went past, “love those” , he said 🤦‍♂️

[warren t claim]

S1 Jensen Interceptor for £1500. Instead of saving it I helped a mate cut the running gear out of it and bridge the shell.

[MJK 24]

VW Corrado

Alfa 156

Mercedes W126

 

[warren t claim]

2 minutes ago, MJK 24 said:

VW Corrado

Alfa 156

Mercedes W126

 

All of those depend on what engine was fitted.

[Metal Guru]

A Sierra Cosworth in the 90s when they were going cheap and an Impreza 22B I saw for £22k in 2004.

Both would have made a nice contribution to my pension pot and a lot more fun than stocks and shares and gilts, (whatever they are).

[somewhatfoolish]

A moderately fucked looking Lotus Carlton for £5k in 2006. I had the money but not the bottle.

[RichardK]

[Split_Pin]

6 hours ago, Bren said:

I went to view one of these in 2004 - it was up for £1450. K plate petrol 1.8. Same colour as the picture.

A private sale in Birkenhead. I never bought it because on viewing the car the rear lights and boot trim were in the boot disassembled - not disclosed in the ad. I bought a P plate laguna instead.

I regret not buying this model of A4 - their was a solidness and simplicity about it - a bit like a merc - that audi dont have these days.

This isn't an A4 man, it's a B3 80.

They're still really cheap. One is for sale for £700 in Perth, 5 months MOT, looks half decent. Galvanised bodues and your spot on about the build quality. They have almost no classic interest in the UK, only mint v6 examples fetch anything decent, or a well specced Coupe. That leaves the rest of them for the likes of us

[EyesWeldedShut]

Still on the Audi bent: around 1988 my then wife was offered the opportunity to buy an end of lease one of these that had belonged to her area manager. We'd just moved house and I'd also bought a Renault 5 GTX (stop tittering at the back there please) so we said 'non'.

Crystal balls and all that

[GMcD]

30 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

This isn't an A4 man, it's a B3 80.

They're still really cheap. One is for sale for £700 in Perth, 5 months MOT, looks half decent. Galvanised bodues and your spot on about the build quality. They have almost no classic interest in the UK, only mint v6 examples fetch anything decent, or a well specced Coupe. That leaves the rest of them for the likes of us

Off topic I know but Procon-Ten still fascinates me. I love (ultimately) deadend/ ingenious ideas. 

 

[bunglebus]

Three Beetles. An early 70s that was various different colours and primer, but upon inspection was solid as a rock. Something silly like £125 in about 1993. At the time I was 16 and got £25 a month. My dad would have got it for me but I didn't feel I could ask. No idea what happened to it.

Second was another early 70s, white and LHD, registered in 1979 after being imported from Italy. Think this was mid 90s not long after I passed my test. I agreed a price and paid two of three instalments but something happened (lost my job maybe?) and I never went back for it. Also AWOL.

Last was a '66 that came up for sale in Auto Trader or similar, late 90s. Lowered but had been in a shunt that damaged bonnet and engine cover. Think it also had an engine fault. Walked away but looking at the price of 60s Bugs now...

However I don't regret saying no to the 1302 which had the chassis number ground off

[Split_Pin]

Most of the cars I regret buying were from here, were cheap and the ship has now sailed in them.

- 1993 Honda Prelude. I was initially offered it in a swap for an 75 I had for sale at the time but an ensuing huge protracted Whatsapp dialogue that ultimately went nowhere peed me off and I shitcanned the idea.

- 1995 Jaguar XJ6: I dithered because I wasn't in a great-paying job at the time and was worried I wouldn't be able to afford to run it properly. 

[Dan the van]

I've mentioned this before but back in about 1984 I was offered a twin cam mk1 escort.Frilly front wings but tidy enough otherwise.Pair of un filtered twin 40's that sucked little birdies in.Sounded awesome.£400.I passed as I preferred my Manta.Idiot.....

[brownnova]

One of the guys at my local garage knows my liking for odd stuff, so when I was there once he pointed me in the direction of a Chrysler LeBaron he had there, and was a deceased estate car needing a new home. Long test, low miles and I was put in touch with the owners daughter who said I could have had it for a decent money.

But as it had been sat for a few months since the owners death I thought it might need a bit of work and bought the TF instead… and then helped the daughter sell it to someone else!  It’s the one I regret letting slip away the most (so far) 

[Schaefft]

A Toyota Sera for 350 quid on ebay. Other than that I usually realize when there's a deal to be had and jump on it, hence the fleet of cars I wouldn't want to sell😂 Most proved to be the right choice.

[CreepingJesus]

Back in about 1997 or so, a Lotus Carlton for ten grand, and a Senator with a 350 Chevy in it for about half that. Both looked well iffy and I probably did the right thing in walking away, but...damn you retrospectacles, 'if only' shouldn't even come into it. 

Same for a fully bodily restored Interceptor I was offered for three grand a few years before that - the price being the outstanding balance on the bodywork since the owner had gone bankrupt. 'Some assembly required' though, as the body was still on dollies, and every single other part was in boxes! Nowhere to work on it at the time, so that was a regretful nope.

[Bren]

2 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

This isn't an A4 man, it's a B3 80.

They're still really cheap. One is for sale for £700 in Perth, 5 months MOT, looks half decent. Galvanised bodues and your spot on about the build quality. They have almost no classic interest in the UK, only mint v6 examples fetch anything decent, or a well specced Coupe. That leaves the rest of them for the likes of us

Apologies - such a long time ago I forgot it was an 80.

When I looked under the bonnet I liked the look of simplicity - it was a 4 pot.

It still had the procon - ten sticker in the rear window.

[HMC]

there was a white 3.0 manual senator 24v on retro rides in 2008. I cant remember the price but it wasnt a lot. It looked a bit scruffy and hacked about but i would have really liked that. 

[sierraman]

‘84 A plate Sierra 3 door with a solid shell for £500. Could have dropped a 2.0 in. A £50 Polo GT, a free Rover 820...

[De Selby]

A cheap but sound Spitfire mk2.

[1duck]

Saab 9000 and an Impreza WRX wagon, both of which are now going north price wise.

[MiniMinorMk3]

Back in about 1983 me and a mate went to look in a classic dealers in Forest Row. They had a nice looking Dino 246 GT, just like Danny in the Persuaders. Neither of us could afford it, but it was a snip at £16,995. By the end of the '80s they had shot up to £50,000, now they're 1/2 a million. If only I had had the money back then.

[EyesWeldedShut]

25 minutes ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

If only I had had the money back then.

Me neither nor was I blessed with the looks of Tony Curtis so I never considered a Dino

[chaseracer]

A mintola DS23 Pallas with black paint/leather, five-speed box and the fuel-injected motor.  For three grand.  TWAT.

My first car was very nearly a shabby but very solid 1302S Beetle, but I bought the red T-reg Dyane instead.  Still quite fancy a 1600 Beetle... 1302 cabriolet, preferably.

There are one or two on the list below which I did buy, and wish I hadn't - but that's a whole separate thread.

[Marina door handles]

Back in about 1999 I went to look at a fairly tidy 2.8i Capri, and due to circumstances agreed to come back the following day for a test drive (needed to sort insurance through work) and most likely stick a deposit on it.  My Appendix had other ideas, the following day I ended up in hospital being prepped for theatre! 

A week or so later I had recovered but the car had sold, I ended up buying an Alfa 164 V6 instead. 

[HMC]

I did look at a 19k 1961 flat floor e type FHC in about 2004. It was a distress sale and i was going to swap it with my 2003 land rover discovery. They had similar values then, but not now! in the end i sold the disco and it helped fund my first house purchase; so its a case of sad / not sad. Id probsbly have ruined it by parking it on the street and caning it about. When you cut through the hype they tended to disintegrate unless well cared for.

[1duck]

Renault five gordini turbo in timewarp condition, think it was about 900 quid, but it idled fast and looked like it had been parked in a garage rather than driven, so I had a real feeling of paranoia that it'd shit itself on the drive home.