The One that Got Away

[Evans, Marv]

I've told this before on here. In the early/mid 90's I saw an add in the used cars for sale adds in the paper. It was for a '63 356 coupe without an engine or tranny. I thought that would be a pretty nice project car to play around with. But, the guy was actually selling two cars. The other was a '59 356 Cab. He wanted $20K for both. I tried to talk him out of the '63 and wasn't interested in the Cab at the time. It had some little accessories like the chromed wire mesh headlight protectors on it and some other things. He said he'd only sell both together. He had the original engine for the cab and a replacement was in the car. He also said he had parked the car because he was tired of people following his wife home when she drove it. Anyway I walked. Last year Excellence evaluated the Cabs at $76K for a poor example, $94K for an OK one, and $107K for a good one. I've blown it other times, but I really would love to be driving that Cab now.

[Superman]

When I was young, you could get a decent '57 Chevy for $200. Heck, '73 911 RS's were prolly $4000.

[ZAMIRZ]

On the eve of the Iranian Revolution of 1978, as the Shah was fleeing the country, his 1934 Mercedes 540K Autobahnkurier (gifted to him by the Third Reich) was offered to my grandfather for the equivalent of about $3,000 USD. My grandpa passed on it, fearing retribution from the Islamic Republic for supporting the monarchy if they found the car in his possession.

I still don't have the heart to tell him how much it would be worth if he had stashed it until today.

[porsche4life]

My dad talks about all the muscle cars he passed on when he was running the auction circuit in the mid '80s... He had a #s matching SS chevelle, that just needed a hood painted he let go for $700....

[on2wheels52]

Tom Waits had something to say on the topic.

Tom Waits - Rockpalast 1977 13 The One That Got Away - YouTube

You may have to look up the lyrics though.
Jim

[romad]

1980 ford fiesta sport 500 bucks......really

[monoflo]

Since I have been in the car world since before the nutty escalation of the market there are more than a few I regret

427 convert Vette =1967 - 7500.00 circa about 83
427 Vette coupe =1967 -6800.00 about 1982

55 Nomad -7500.00 about 85.

Untold Z28s 1967-69s from that same era at nice prices

Shoulda. woulda, coulda is so easy

Scott

[romad]

"you can't have everything, where would you put it?"- George Carlin

[Hugh R]

I still miss it, but I look at my bank statement and I feel better, bought it in 1971 for the prices of a used Ford Pinto. Sold it a few years ago to the Prime Minister of Kuwait. The one consulation I get is that I was considering a 427 Shelby Cobra for about the same money, and my Dad convinced be to get the Aston; if I'd bought the Cobra at 18 years old, I'm sure I'd have been dead by 19.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by Superman

When I was young, you could get a decent '57 Chevy for $200. Heck, '73 911 RS's were prolly $4000.

Never saw an RS below $10,000

[Ronbo]

In the mid-70s just out of high school, and of course with no money, I looked at an early '67 Shelby GT500 with the 427 and 4-speed. It looked to be in great condition but at $6,000 was way beyond my means. I also had to pass on a very low mileage '69 Boss 429 Mustang in showroom condition with the asking price of $4,500.

[Jim Bremner]

In 1986 I had a '66 Ford Fairlane GT that was pretty nice. I paid $3,600 for it.

I found a '66 427 Fairlane that a local person was selling for $6,500.
My boss at the time was going to front me the cash for the 427 car. It was NICE! it had 20,000 miles on it, never been hit, never driven in the rain. Other than a roll cage a some stickers to be removed it was perfect! The 20,000 miles, all done a 1/4 mile at a time.

I chickend out of the deal.

Ford made 57 of these

THE CAR IN THE PICK ISN'T THE CAR IN THE AUCTION.


IT DOES HAVE A 427 HOOD, BUT I DO NOT THINK THAT IT'S A FACTORY 427.

1966 Ford Fairlane Light Weight 427 Medium Riser, 1 of 57 for sale by Mecum Auction



I also missed on a De Tomaso Valhuga body only for $800 The body was sold 1 day befor me

[widebody911]

I was 2nd bidder on a nice '42 Kubelwagen that went for $20k. I thought it was going to go a lot higher, so I didn't even both setting up an automatic bid snipe.

[twobone]

When my Dad was living in the UK (where I was born), he bought a 1964 Aston Martin DB4. I think he bought it in 1969.

He said it drove like a tank and the gas smell from a pin hole leak made my brother and I barf in the back seat. When ever he drove thru a puddle it would stall.

If only he had kept it........

Probably worth ~$600,000+

[quaz]

So ever since I can remember my father told me about all the cool muscle cars he had as in his youth. In 1970 he bought new a Challenger RT Hemi with everything on it and then crashed it. He had multiple Chargers and Road Runners, but the one that got away was this. Back in 1972 he worked at a Chrysler Plymouth dealer in Milwaukee. On the showroom floor was a leftover 1971 Cuda convertible in what my dad described as pale ugly arse yellow. The owner of the dealer offered it to my father for $2500 to get it off the floor because he new my dad was into muscle cars. My father said you couldn't pay me to take that ugly colored car........fast forward to 2007 and at auction someone paid $2M for that car. The documentation with the car puts it on the show floor of the dealer my dad worked at. Only Hemi Cuda Convertible made in yellow. DOH!

[strupgolf]

There's a old Autoweek magazine I still have. In the F/S section: 1965 Shelby GT 350/R model, one of 36. Includes 2 engines, 2 tranny's, 2 rear ends, 8 mag wheels, trailer for $10,000. Now $1,000,000. Street model Ford GT 40, $12,000. I love to read those old mag's to see what I can find now at what I could not afford then.

[Zeke]

Lots of way back then stories. I've posted a few of my "missed" here before.

But, in the LA Times 3 years ago a guy was selling an MG TD for 3K. Called at 9am from the coffee shop. Gone. I suspect every ad taker has been recruited to send a heads up for anything on the list.