Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Scotty]

(If this has been done before, my apologies, but I can't remember if it has.)

Ever let a car / truck slip through your fingers and for years live to regret it?

I did, one holiday in 2002 when travelling through Florida and stopped at a little gas station where this was sitting for sale -




It was only £4000 (in todays prices) and my other half said we could afford it as the credit card was empty, so all we had to do was buy it and our friend would sort out shipping for us. I went around it and couldn't find anything too wrong, the garage owner was happy to let me drive it and even offered to deliver it for us as he needed the cash - ever heard the phrase "don't look a gift horse in the mouth"?

Well I did and talked myself out of it - what was I thinking!!!!!!!!

[Job-Rated]

Hindsight is an exact science.

Move on.




But yeah, I can see why you'd be kicking yourself.


It's bloomin' gorgeous!
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Don't run your fingers over my truck & I won't run my truck over your fingers!


http://www.loosechange-band.co.uk/

[peter scott]

Back in the late 60s, early 70s there were at least half a dozen scenes like this within a 20 mile radius of my home...



...and I well remember thinking I'm sure I could pick one of these up for very little money, but how would I store it and could I restore it?
At the time I was living in a top floor flat and even my very tolerant parents wouldn't appreciate one of those dominating their small back garden.

Peter

[Mog]

What is a restored, running one worth now ?

[Greeney in France]

This is the only photo I have after I restored the leather but this was my regret car, I was offered this Aston DBS V8 for 10grand but said no in the end as I had recently divorced and had custody of my son and was trying to get a new house renovated HO HUM
It was used in "The living daylights Bond" as the "sound" of the other car

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www.OldFrenchCars.com

We do these things not to escape life but to prevent life escaping us

[Giggles]

Not a car, but I know my father-in-law was rather upset when the Gilford bus that was used in Dad's Army and for their wedding came up for sale several years ago, they couldn't afford it at the time. The bus is (or was the last we heard) in a very sad state and the owners didn't want to sell it.

Here's a picture of it taken at Brightn several years ago.


They celebrate their ruby wedding in 2 years time.
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1953 Humber Hawk
1955 Ford Fairlane
1960 & 1963 Humber Super Snipe's

[Uncle Joe]

I wouldnt really know where to start on this...A 3.5SS Jaguar for £80, An Austin 16 for the same amount, but worst of all, a Barracuda for £50...

[old gto]

Not too long ago, I found on-line, a 1932 Pontiac coupe for $5,000, located a couple states away, about 600 miles. I mentioned it to the wife, who said...
"So hook up the trailer and let`s go get it".
It would have been MUCH better if she`d said NO, FORGET IT! instead of making ME decide the finances wouldn`t allow it just now.
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"The only thing I`m sure of.....is that I`m not sure of anything!"

[Mog]

I remember going in the 60's to look at a Rolls Royce with my mates. It was a big sedan, complete, no damage but needed a lot of resto. work. It had a red badge on the rad. I think it was about 1935 but not sure. They wanted 25 quid for it, we did not buy it as we had no where to put it. 25 quid was a weeks pay for a tradesman in those days.

[Brian M]

My "One that got away" is a bit more of a story, but may serve as a lesson to others.

Back in 1992, my wife was working in the Personel Department of our local hospital. One day the Fire Brigade called in and said that there was an abandoned car near the nurses' quarters that was blocking a fire access. Her boss gave her the task of locating the owner and getting it moved. After some investigation it was discovered that the car had been left 18 months previously by a trainee Doctor who had left the hospital. She tracked him through three different hospitals, but then the trail went cold. She told her boss who instructed her to call a local breakers to get them to take it away, but before making the call she actually went to look at the car and called me instead.

The call went "It's blue with a black cloth roof and on the back it says Triumph Vitesse 2 litre overdrive, but the tyres are flat"

I left work early to have a look and the bodywork and interior meant it was far too good to be broken, so at 08.00 the next morning I was there with a friend of mine who was restoring a GT6 from which we had removed the wheels. We changed the wheels, tested the brakes and they were just working enough to tow it home.

I parked it at the side of my house in full view of the road, and decided to send off for a log book before I did anything to the car.

Three weeks later I had a visit from two policemen and was accused of stealing the car! The Doctor had been notified of my request for the log book and reported it as stolen. Because I had not tried to conceal the car, the Police agreed that this was not a case of stealing but of rescuing, but they were obliged to tell the owner where the car was.

A few days later I got a call from the Doctor, I explained that if I had not intervened his car would by now have been crushed, and even made him an offer to buy it. His pompous reply was that he wanted the car back, but could I keep it for a month until it was convenient for him to collect it.

At this point I lost it totally and told him that unless he removed it within three days I would call the breakers myself! I put his flat tyres back on the car, and two days later he arrived when I was at work to put the car on a trailer. I had told my son who was at home, not to help him, and he stood watching while the Doctor struggled for over an hour to drag the car onto the trailer, and away it went.

I just checked on the DVLA site and got the following:

The vehicle details for MDR 832H are:

Date of Liability 01 01 1991
Date of First Registration 25 06 1970
Year of Manufacture Not Available
Cylinder Capacity (cc) 1998CC
CO2 Emissions Not Available
Fuel Type Petrol
Export Marker Not Applicable
Vehicle Status Unlicensed
Vehicle Colour BLUE
Vehicle Type Approval null

So he never got it back on the road!!

So if you ever rescue a car with no documents, get a V5 before you start working on it.
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Brian
1970 Volvo Amazon and 1978 Safari 15-4 Caravan
Classic Safari Forum: www.classicsafaris.co.uk

[Dirty Habit]

I am sure there is a name for people like him Can't think what it is right now.......
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1964 International Harvester

[pigtin]

Around 1960 a mate told me about a Wolseley Hornet sports that had been in someones garage for ages and was for sale.
It was in nice nick apart from a leak from the rear main, I offered him £35. which was all the spare cash I had at the time, he wanted £65 for it and I went away to think about it... the swine sold it for £50 before I could get back to him.
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Due to the onset of my mid eighties I'm no longer sprightly and rarely seen in my Austin special. I have written a book though. https://amzn.eu/d/7rwRRqL

[Bengt Axel]

In 1982 a friends dad offered me a fairly scruffy, but running Isetta 300 bubblecar for £25. Trouble was I was only 15 at the time and I didn't have 25 quid!.

About 10 years ago I saw the self same car restored and offered for sale at £3500.

[Mog]

As a young teenager I did a newspaper round 7 days a week. I got 1.25 pounds per week. So when I was about 15.5 yrs. old I bought my first Morgan 3 - wheeler for I think 30 pounds. I had to get my older brother to drive it home from Bedford to Stourbridge. It was the year the M 1 was opened. From what I can find out the car is still on the road. I have one picture of the car, I can send it to anybody that gives me a p.m. with e-mail address.