If I could have it back......

[Guest billybird]

We all have stories about a car that we owned that we wish we had back. In fact, I believe there was a thread for that a while back. This time I'm asking: Is there a vehicle your parent{s} or someone else in your family had that you wish you had today? I'll start. My dad was always practical when it came to cars. Mostly dull and boring stuff. {he wasn't a hobbyist}. I don't know what came over him, but in 1968 he bought a Ford Torino GT. Black interior, gold side stripes, black exterior, 390 4bbl, auto. I was only 10 and I went nuts. He did'nt keep it long {traded it for something dull and boring} I'd love to have that car now. Anybody else got a story?

[keiser31]

My grandfather's 1955 Chrysler 300 2-door hardtop. White with saddle interior. Power windows.

My dad's 1966 Chrysler 300 2-door hardtop. Red with a black vinyl top and interior. 440 automatic.

Edited September 13, 2011 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[Guest danceswithpumps]

My 64 Chevelle Malibu bought new in Aug. of 64.

Dad's 1937 Terraplane, Uncle Joe's '48 Packard and Grandad's '29 Century Hupmobile and any of the 13 Model T Fords that he wore out..

Edited September 14, 2011 by danceswithpumps (see edit history)

[Guest Dave Boyer]

My Dad's '68 2dr Buick Lesabre...

My Grandfather & Great Grandfather co-owned a Dodge / Desoto dealership, so I could just imagine....

[John_Maine]

Oh boy, lots! One car I wish never left the family was my grandfather's '56 Chevy 210 4 door hardtop. 265 power pack, powerglide, radio. No power options, dog dish caps, blackwalls. Pretty rare then, very rare now. I would also love to have the cameo coral/satin beige '59 Impala 4 door hardtop my parents had when I learned to drive. They later traded for a mist blue '66 Impala 4 door hardtop. I hated both then, but would love to have either (or both) now. I also loved my uncles '56 Desoto 2 door hardtop, red/white with a black and white interior as I recall. He'd start it up and let me push the pushbuttons and go back in forth in my grandparents driveway. I couldn't reach the peddles (I was 7-8 years old) and it would just slowly go back and forth while he walked beside the car with his hand near the pushbuttons. Another uncle had a '62 Olds Super 88 2 door hardtop that was a fabulous car. And if I ever found a '72 Gran Torino 4 door in yellow with a beige interior and brown vinyl roof - like my first new car - I would be sorely tempted. Almost forgot, my first car was a used '64 Corvair. It was a mechanical nightmare - had a lot of trouble with it - but I've always had a soft spot for another 'Vair.

Edited September 13, 2011 by John_Maine (see edit history)

[Harold]

There are only a few cars that I'd like to have again. One is the '52 Plymouth Cambridge that was our family car when I was young (although I have a twin to it today). Our '65 Coronet 440 sedan (in medium turquoise metallic) is also on my short list. I told my wife that if the right one came along at the right price, I'd buy it. I also regret cutting up a '51 Cranbrook for parts years ago. I've seen cars in much worse condition get restored in the past few years. These are dull family cars to most, but represent a lot of memories for me.

[R W Burgess]

My Dad...red '65 Chevy Impala SS coupe, 250hp small block, powerglide.

My Dad...red '58 Chevy Impala coupe (imagine what that's worth now), 283, 3 on the tree

My great grandfather, and early Chevy woodie...let me find the picture...

[ch1929]

My Dad's 56 Chevy Nomad with 265 power pack was the family hauler. I remember sliding the windows to open while in the back seat. Aqua and White, Wow!

Roland

[Steve Moskowitz]

EVERY car I let go! Most importantly my 1908 Model X Oldsmobile that GM now owns. BIG mistake and I will never be able to own a car like that again. Think about it almost every day.

[kfm53]

1955 chev. 2dr. hard top bel-air power windows,power brakes power seat 265 4bbl.

power pack dual exhaust. payed 150.00 for it. drove it 2 years trans. went out

sold it for 175.00 WHAT A DEAL.

[PONTIAC1953]

oh my, nice tread idea, my uncle garo took me for a ride back in 1965 or 1966 in a blue 1965 chevy corvette stingray, 327, four speed, blue interior. after that ride, i became a car nut. i wish i had my mother's 1958 oldsmobile 98 four door sedan, loaded with options, even J-2 and factory air conditioning. charles coker, 1953 pontiac tech advisor.

[Guest Barry B.]

Oh boy! I'd like a lot of them back but I guess my favorite was a 1953 Mercury Monterey hardtop coupe. I still have an old snapshot of it. It was light blue bottom and dark blue top with ww tires. I remember the interior was beautiful with a lot of chrome trim , a great looking dash and comfortable naugahide cream and blue seats. Fordomatic and that quiet flathead topped everything off. I traded it for a big boat 56 Merc. which was beautiful but it lacked something that the 53 had, can't put my finger on it but maybe it was the perfect size.

[Durant Mike]

We all have stories about a car that we owned that we wish we had back. In fact, I believe there was a thread for that a while back. This time I'm asking: Is there a vehicle your parent{s} or someone else in your family had that you wish you had today? I'll start. My dad was always practical when it came to cars. Mostly dull and boring stuff. {he wasn't a hobbyist}. I don't know what came over him, but in 1968 he bought a Ford Torino GT. Black interior, gold side stripes, black exterior, 390 4bbl, auto. I was only 10 and I went nuts. He did'nt keep it long {traded it for something dull and boring} I'd love to have that car now. Anybody else got a story?

Billybird

I tooled around in a car just like this. My brother let me use his Torino all the time. Black with gold stripes like your Dad's. Only difference was the interior was tan/gold color. Had a hood scoop that my brother made functional. Great car and great to drive. The one I'd like to have is my parents 1963 T-Bird. White with Red interior and red vinyl top. Great car!

[caddyshack]

My first car. A 56 Vette purchased in1965 for $1,100. Or, the first car I bought after I got married, 70 Chevelle ss cowl inducted 454 for about $4,900. Both were terrific autos with unbelievable speed.

[Dave@Moon]

In 1989 I sold a near-perfect 1969 Dodge Coronet 500 2 dr hardtop (black vinyl roof over turquoise, 383 2 brl.) loaded original with every option in the book at Carlisle. I bought my first TR6 with the money (holding on to a 1960 Ford Falcon sedan for emotional reasons at the same time), but every year that move looks dumber and dumber.

The same year i gave my brother my 1982 1/2 Subaru BRAT DL, a kind-of interesting car that was so rare I had 3 Subaru dealers tell me they were never imported to the U.S. I only ever saw one other.

My dad's oldest car that I can remember is a 1956 Plymouth Belvedere sedan, notable only for the original pink & white 2-tone. Otherwise our family's car history was almost inhumanly boring.

[West Peterson]

1968 Shelby GT500KR

[R W Burgess]

1968 Shelby GT500KR

Who's???

[JV Puleo]

I don't think my parents ever owned an interesting car...(my father had zero interest in cars) but the one I most regret parting with was also in the most deplorable condition. A Panhard, probably 1897, 98 or 99. We were never sure and no two of them are identical in any case. It was barely recognizable as a car. There was a tree about a foot in diameter growing in the middle of the frame that had to be cut down to move it... but still, I'll never have another one that old and by now I'd have gotten it back together.

[Guest Skyking]

Two actually.......

1964 Chevelle 300 2dr. post I bought new and a 1964 Chevelle Malibu SS convertible I bought for my wife in 1970 for $650.00. Lots of memories.......

[Guest my3buicks]

My Mom & Dads red and white loaded to the gills 63 Impala Sport Coupe a twin to the one pictured

The unique thing about it was it was a check list car - EXCEPT it had the 6 cylinder

[1937hd45]

The ARCA Chrysler-Ford two man car that raced at the Worlds Fair in 1939. I could never prove it until after I'd sold it. Lesson learned, NEVER sell a race car untill you find all the history on it.

[Dave Mellor NJ]

My father used to tell a story of his first car, a 1930 Model A deluxe roadster that he bought for $100 in 1931 from an unfortunate victim of the depression. Then he had a 34 Ford 4dr followed by a Terraplane and a 39 Chrysler which he left home during the war. He was a SeaBee in the Phillipines. He met my mother in a USO in Rhode Island. The war ended,Frank married Rhoda and they embarked on a life in the Philadelphia area driving a 42 Plymouth blackout model. I don't know what became of the Chrysler but the Plymouth broke down three times on the honeymoon ride and they abandoned it in Connecticut,Finishing up on a bus. My Dad never had another Mopar. After that he acquired a Studebaker, a new 49 Ford tudor, a 54 Crestline Victoria, a 58 Country Sedan and a 61 Country Sedan. I guess I was only supposed to give one car but I'd love to have any of them now.

[Restorer32]

Dad's Jaguar XK 150S Roadster that he sold in about 1977 or so for $3500. Inspected, driveable car but you did have to overlook the Naugahyde interior and Chevy Red (orange) paint.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Two, really

A 1955 Buick Special convertable, light green in and out in 1962 . No power any thing! Even a three speed standard tranny.

1966 Buick Electra fourdoor hardtop, in 1970. Boy, it had everything. Beautiful car.

Ben

[TexRiv_63]

There aren't many. If you are going back you are not moving forward and there are too many still on my list. But...

1967 Plymouth GTX

1969 Hurst Olds

1970 Plymouth AAR 'Cuda

[mrspeedyt]

if I had a good storage place i'd like all the pre 1979 cars my family (and grandparents) ever had. that would be an interesting collection.

Edited September 14, 2011 by mrspeedyt (see edit history)

[Rusty_OToole]

1931 Model A Deluxe Roadster with twin side mounts, dad courted mother in it during WW2. I have a snap shot of her and the car around here somewhere.

1947 Hudson Commodore Eight Drivemaster sedan they brought me home from the hospital in. I still have a scar on my arm from the cigarette lighter.

[oldford]

When I was a kid, my oldest brother had a 1951 Cadillac 9 passenger limo with a custom body by Derham. It had a divider window and closed rear quarters. We used it for family vacations and I always loved that car. He sold it for $600 around 1970 and I've kicked myself in the butt ever since for not buying it. The last time I saw that car, it was in a large parking lot off of I87 in Clifton Park, NY. It was pouring rain and all the windows were down. Often wonder what happened to that car....

Frank

[keiser31]

My dad's blue 1932 Chevrolet Confederate roadster.

[vermontboy]

My Dad's 1933 Pierce Arrow 836

Grandfather's 1955 Chrysler Imperial

My 1931 Model "A" Sport Coupe

My 1950 Chevrolet Pickup (daily driver in the 80's)

My 1952 Plymouth Concord fastback

There are so many ...........

[Guest 36chev]

1959 Dodge Coronet two-door hardtop that belonged to my grandmother. It was two-tone white and lime green (or whatever that characteristic 1950's color was called). The way the front sheet metal was formed made the car look perpetually angry from the front!

It was sold in the early 1970's I think--remember it see it sitting on lot for sale for a long time. At that time it was just a used old car with almost no value--probably ended up junked. But recently, I've seen the 1959 Dodge two-door hardtop in the price range of $50,000-$60,000.:eek:

The ultimate, though, would be the Thomas Flyer seven passenger touring that my great, great uncle owned. We have a picture of it with his family posed in it. Then, in a local history book, there is a picture of it turned upside down in a shallow creek--he ran off a bridge!!.

He was known to have a drink or two, and it is suspected this was the cause-- no serious injuries reported. The top had apparently been put down before the wreck and the car didn't appear to be too badly damaged. No one knows what the car's eventual fate was.

Edited September 15, 2011 by 36chev (see edit history)

[Guest PWN]

I would love to have my Grandfathers (Emerson Clavell) Adams Farwell, and if he were still alive, I bet he would have loved to have it back as well.

ADAMS-FARWELL AUTOMOBILES. Dubuque's highly honored contribution to America's automobile heritage. Between 1898 and 1907, the ADAMS COMPANY manufactured fifty-two automobiles featuring futuristic innovations including fuel injection, supercharging, and automatic timing. The car was the first in the world to be powered with a rotary air-cooled engine placed in the rear of the car. The engine was located under the rear seat ahead of the axle. The crankshaft did not turn; however, the engine did, which cooled it.

ADAMS-FARWELL AUTOMOBILES - Encyclopedia Dubuque

[Guest dokks6t9]

My 38 willys gasser, my 2 1967 GTO's, my 69 corvette, all of my Nova's, my 69 442, and my 1971 Chevelle.Not to mention my 34 Ford, 40 Ford, and my 41 Ford. Alas, my 40 Olds, 49 Plymouth, and my 57 bel Air...

[Lebowski]

When I was 10 my grandparents pulled up in front of our house in a car they had just purchased a few minutes earlier-a '62 Impala SS which was yellow with yellow bucket seats. I thought that it was the coolest car I had ever seen in my life and I think that's when my interest in cars began. My grandfather died in 1966 and my grandmother moved into an apartment the next year. The car was stolen from the parking lot there in 1969 and found a couple days later completely stripped which was obviously devastating to her. I still have the owner's manual from it with all their notes inside. I've never seen another one like it since....

[keiser31]

Just reading Lebowski's story about a stolen car, reminded me of a stolen car story. My aunt had a beautiful pale yellow 1967 Firebird 400 convertible...one I always wanted after she no longer "needed" it. She lived at the edge of Detroit in Highland Park and one day came out to discover the Firebird missing. She got it back later. The thieves had taken the car, put down a blanket on the back seat and taken each nut and bolt off of the front clip and carefully laid them out on the blanket. All of the other parts that were taken off in order to remove the front end sheet metal of the car were laid down in little clusters to sort of give someone a chance to figure out where they were supposed to go. On the windshield was a note that read, "We are very sorry to have taken your car lady, but we really needed those parts for our car". I never got that car.

[Guest AlK]

There are a couple. My second car which was a 1939 ford coupe with a modified flathead(3/4 cam, triple carbs) boy would that thing fly. The other one I only saw once but I did ride in it. My maternal side of the family came from the Montreal Canada area. While visiting in 1958, I got to ride in my great uncles 1932 Chrysler sedan. This was not a restored vehicle just a plain old driver, but it impressed me.

ALK