which one do you most regret missing?

[Brass is Best]

1 hour ago, 1912Staver said:

 

Thats a very practical attitude..... if you have the $ to just buy what you like. For most of us the regret is that it was a car that we liked and normally could not afford in a situation where we actually could afford it. Whole different ball game.

I must have misunderstood the question.

[1912Staver]

Not really a wrong answer. Things like 1910 Packards are rare enough that a chance to buy one might only come along a handfull of times in a lifetime. But for a good number of us on the forum it is always a balancing act between desire and cost. There is always a collector car available , even for all but the smallest budgets. Early 1950's Mopar's, Comet's , Falcon's , Chevy 2's , Rambler's and lots of other less desirable cars are perfectly OK cars. And generally quite easy on the bank account. And as you say if one is missed it's no big deal. Something similar will come along before too long. No big prize , and if one is missed no reason for regret.  It's the $10,000 GT 350's from 25 years ago that tend to be the missed chances that people today regret. All the more so as very few of us can afford one at the current going rate price. Same for early Z 28's , GTO Judges and the like. Lots of used to be able to afford them and possibly even owned them in our youth. But pretty unlikely to fit todays budget.

[wayne sheldon]

Like 1912Staver, I don't stress or regret the cars I could not even begin to afford. Mostly, I only regret the cars I had to sell later because of family and finances.

There have been cars I really wished I could buy, but if there was one that really stuck out? I didn't have the money, and circumstances were generally against it. Had I done what I could have done? I probably would have ended up a lot worse off than I later did. Still. I probably could have borrowed against the house (something I generally do not want to do!). At the time, we had the equity, the good jobs, and credit rating. I never went to see it, but I had known the seller for quite a few years, and knew him to be good to his word! In the late 1990s, I could have bought a 1915 Stutz Bearcat (a real one!) basket case, mostly there and restorable! $30,000. He got his price for it a couple months later.

Yeah. I still think about that one from time to time.

[car crazy]

This..

[1912Staver]

7 hours ago, wayne sheldon said:

Like 1912Staver, I don't stress or regret the cars I could not even begin to afford. Mostly, I only regret the cars I had to sell later because of family and finances.

There have been cars I really wished I could buy, but if there was one that really stuck out? I didn't have the money, and circumstances were generally against it. Had I done what I could have done? I probably would have ended up a lot worse off than I later did. Still. I probably could have borrowed against the house (something I generally do not want to do!). At the time, we had the equity, the good jobs, and credit rating. I never went to see it, but I had known the seller for quite a few years, and knew him to be good to his word! In the late 1990s, I could have bought a 1915 Stutz Bearcat (a real one!) basket case, mostly there and restorable! $30,000. He got his price for it a couple months later.

Yeah. I still think about that one from time to time.

 

 

Strangely enough I was also interested in a Stutz basket case around that time . I expect it was the same car. That car is what led me to buy my Staver basket case. A somewhat similar car  { or at least could be configured in a similar speedster form } but with a Warner gear conventional gearbox. Stutz has a great engine but the less than great transaxle.  The Staver has a somewhat inferior and decidedly scarce Teetor Hartley engine. And in the case of my Staver about 2/3 of the engine missing. The initial buy was only about 1/10 of the cost of the Stutz, which at the time was a serious amount of money compared to my income. So the Staver came home with me and the Stutz went who knows where. I expect it is probably running by now. Any Idea where it ended up Wayne ?

[tomcarnut]

In 1989 I was looking for 68-72 Corvette coupe. My wife and I were at the Springfield Cars and Parts swap meet and saw a red 1959 Caddy convertible in about number 3 condition for sale at $7500. My wife loved the car and still wants one. We soon after found a 1970 Corvette in about the same condition paid about the same price. I still have Vette but should have bought the Caddy. They are worth probably 3-4 times what the Vette would bring today. As a consolation, about 7-8 years ago we were given by a very good friend a 1948 Cadillac series 62 Convertible that was the first year for fins. The car needs everything mechanically and mice did a number on the interior and the chrome is bad. Looking into how much it would take to get it mechanically sound and get rid of the mouse smell that is still around after sitting in my barn for several years. It would make a nice HPOF car as full restoration would be crazy money vs buying another one already done. Almost would prefer buying another one that is done but the wife was very involved getting this one unearthed from it slumber since 1968. It will be one my retirement priorities later next year as I will have the time and money.