The cars you didn't buy thread

[DavidB]

There are loads of threads on here about buying cars on here, but how about the RECENT mundane ones you didn't buy (not “I nearly bought an escort cosworth for £2 in 1988”).

I went to view this on behalf of my brother - he has been a bit ripped off in the past, and has spent a few grand in garages, only for the problem to still be there.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1537320930598197

Fella was nice and he wanted £700 - key wouldn't go into ignition properly and temperature gauge wouldn't go over 70 and was quickly fluctuating - same as his current Meriva - no thanks, it gave him the fear and he declined. 

[Imhotep]

Back when I was 19 or 20 and you could get a road worthy but needing TLC Porsche 924 for £700. I really regret not buying one, even if it only lasted a few months. 

[Split_Pin]

N118 MFV Jaguar XJ6 that was on here a few uears ago although its now out of MOT having failed on quite extensive corrosion. A bucket list car for me though.

 

[Jazoli]

53 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

N118 MFV Jaguar XJ6 that was on here a few uears ago although its now out of MOT having failed on quite extensive corrosion. A bucket list car for me though.

 

It had a really nice interior but that’s all that was good in my opinion, it was cheap and relatively rust free back then but wasn’t at all special to drive.

[Split_Pin]

I didnt know you owned that one!

[Marina door handles]

Once upon a time, I didn't buy a fairly nice cheap (back in the very late Ninties/early Noughties when they were cheap and unloved) Capri 2.8i . It was solid, looked good and sounded good but due to me being disorganised I needed to sort some insurance to test drive so I agreed with the vendor that I would return the following day, drive it and most likely stick a deposit on it. 

Unfortunately my Appendix had other ideas and decided it wanted attention, lots of attention, to the point I ended up in hospital having my insides re arranged......

A week later I escaped from Hospital (well the doctor decided I was good to go), but the Ford was gone, sold to somebody else. I still haven't owned a Capri, still fancy one. 

[AndyW201]

*Warning - long, dull, nostalgic reminiscing ahead*

My biggest 'one that got away' was back in 1991 when I was on a YTS scheme in the workshop at Reg Vardy Rover in Stockton. We always got to see the trade-ins as they came in and had the chance to buy the cheap, older ones at trade price before they went to auction.

The two 2nd year trainees, who had got their licences, were already running around in the cars they'd got this way (a superbly shonky matt black Mk4 Cortina Ghia and a Mk1 Honda Accord Executive!). I had just started taking lessons and had saved up about a grand from a weekend job I'd been doing, to buy and insure a car.  One day, in came one of my dream first cars as a trade in, a black Mk1 Fiesta Supersport. Charlie, the young mechanic who was mentoring me at the time saw it first, and went down straight to the sales manager and asked how much he wanted for it. He got straight back to me and told me I had to get it. Even back then, Supersports had started to take on a bit of Ford tax and mint ones were fetching around £1000 - £1500. This one, MOT'd, Ziebarted from new and with 60,000 on the clock, was available for £500. In the lunch hour, Charlie slapped the trade plates on it, and we went for an 'enthusiastic' test drive, then had a look around it back at base. He was a big Ford fan, and had a Mk3 XR3i at the time. The consensus was that it needed a  good service, new pads and discs and, being fussy, the wheels refurbishing. It was perfect!

Sadly, my Dad wouldn't let me bring it home, and it couldnt stay in the compound at Vardy's either. Looking back, my Dad was right really. It would be another 5 months until I would pass my test, and a car like a Supersport left on the road in the area we lived in at the time, uninsured, wouldnt have lasted 5 minutes really. Typically, once I did pass my test, there was absolutely nothing like that available.

EBB 248W (it hurt so much at the time, I can still remember the reg number after 34 years...) did eventually go to auction. 

I did eventually get a black Supersport, sadly it's the Corgi Vanguards version. It's the only one I can afford now 😆

[Soundwave]

Last year I got offered a Mk2 Lexus GS300 from a work colleague for a few hundred quid. No space, didn't fancy the running costs, so I turned it down. Same colleague (a serial Lexus botherer) later offered me an SC430 with MOT for a grand. Same story again, turned it down due to space/costs.

Regretting the latter though, as I always wanted to own something with a V8 in it at least once, ideally before petrol becomes ruinously expensive.

[Snipes]

About 20 years ago, back when this kind of car barely managed £2k, there was an MA60/Mk2 Celica Supra for sale on all the usual sites (Retro Rides, Celica club etc). Officially it was red but in reality burgundy with mahogany body kit and beige interior. I thought it look pretty naff, and it had an Auto gearbox. I think most people agreed as it sat around unsold for months. Eventually someone bought it, and I've regretted it ever since. Brown over brown and beige sounds amazing, and I'd bet the autobox would have suited that 2.8 straight six. 

To be fair to myself it wasn't so unremarkable to see them back then, and I guess my tastes have changed. 

[Schaefft]

50 minutes ago, Soundwave said:

Last year I got offered a Mk2 Lexus GS300 from a work colleague for a few hundred quid. No space, didn't fancy the running costs, so I turned it down. Same colleague (a serial Lexus botherer) later offered me an SC430 with MOT for a grand. Same story again, turned it down due to space/costs.

Regretting the latter though, as I always wanted to own something with a V8 in it at least once, ideally before petrol becomes ruinously expensive.

Next time your colleague offers you such deals, send me a PM!😂

Meanwhile, I checked out this W12 Phaeton 4-Seater for sale locally a few weeks back, it even appeared in Top Gear briefly when new! Unfortunately it was heavily neglected and off the road for a few years despite looking great in photos in 2021. I hope someone in the owners group is willing to fix it, it looks worse in person than the photos convey.

 

[wesacosa]

Loads of missing out on the cheap cars over the years that are worth fortunes now, but in line with the question I had a couple of opportunities to buy that beige Lada Samara off here last year, couldn't quite make the logistics work when it was at HMC towers and got beaten to it by about 15 minutes when it appeared again a few weeks later 

 

 

 

[Snipes]

4 hours ago, AndyW201 said:

*Warning - long, dull, nostalgic reminiscing ahead*

My biggest 'one that got away' was back in 1991 when I was on a YTS scheme in the workshop at Reg Vardy Rover in Stockton. We always got to see the trade-ins as they came in and had the chance to buy the cheap, older ones at trade price before they went to auction.

The two 2nd year trainees, who had got their licences, were already running around in the cars they'd got this way (a superbly shonky matt black Mk4 Cortina Ghia and a Mk1 Honda Accord Executive!). I had just started taking lessons and had saved up about a grand from a weekend job I'd been doing, to buy and insure a car.  One day, in came one of my dream first cars as a trade in, a black Mk1 Fiesta Supersport. Charlie, the young mechanic who was mentoring me at the time saw it first, and went down straight to the sales manager and asked how much he wanted for it. He got straight back to me and told me I had to get it. Even back then, Supersports had started to take on a bit of Ford tax and mint ones were fetching around £1000 - £1500. This one, MOT'd, Ziebarted from new and with 60,000 on the clock, was available for £500. In the lunch hour, Charlie slapped the trade plates on it, and we went for an 'enthusiastic' test drive, then had a look around it back at base. He was a big Ford fan, and had a Mk3 XR3i at the time. The consensus was that it needed a  good service, new pads and discs and, being fussy, the wheels refurbishing. It was perfect!

Sadly, my Dad wouldn't let me bring it home, and it couldnt stay in the compound at Vardy's either. Looking back, my Dad was right really. It would be another 5 months until I would pass my test, and a car like a Supersport left on the road in the area we lived in at the time, uninsured, wouldnt have lasted 5 minutes really. Typically, once I did pass my test, there was absolutely nothing like that available.

EBB 248W (it hurt so much at the time, I can still remember the reg number after 34 years...) did eventually go to auction. 

I did eventually get a black Supersport, sadly it's the Corgi Vanguards version. It's the only one I can afford now 😆

Similar story to myself back in 1999, looking at Corolla GT Coupés. I had the money to buy one as they were cheap old smokers, but no licence, not a chance in hell of insuring it and no where to store it.