junkyardjeff Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 Around 1985 a friends dad got in trouble with the county for having too much junk,he offered me the car bit I already had too many and not enough money so it got hauled to a local junkyard where it still sits today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkyardjeff Posted January 17, 2021 Author Share Posted January 17, 2021 This one has the 4 bbl engine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 Same here 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 What is it? Can someone post a photo of a restored one? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trulyvintage Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 If it makes you feel any better .... You can have my ex wife .... 😉 Jim 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLF Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 29 minutes ago, 1937hd45 said: What is it? Can someone post a photo of a restored one? 1963 Buick Skylark with the 215 cu in aluminum V8. I've had a couple in the past. Lots of fun. Here's my last one Ken 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zepher Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 (edited) I regret not buying a '70 fastback Torino with the Cobra Jet motor and shaker hood. Could have had it for $1,500 from the original owner back in '89. But me being a GM guy and generally having no use for a Ford product, I passed. Not the best decision on my part. Edited January 17, 2021 by zepher (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 Ahh, hind sight. 15 years ago an elderly friend offered me his old Cadillac as he could no longer drive. Said it was a big old 70's model, flat tires, hadn't been started in 7 or 8 years and I could have it for free, just come and pick it up. A typical tub I figure. Said thanks, but I was not interested. A few weeks later he asked me again if I could help him get the tires aired up so he could give it some charity or other that offered to take it. I said sure and showed up the next day at his condo. He opens the climate controlled garage door and there sits a 1971 Eldorado convertible, triple white. 40K orig miles, not a mark inside or out. Dusty and the tires were flat, but that was about it. Needless to say I was just sick about my hasty decision.... Live and learn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 Sixty years ago I turned down the offer of a running and licensed 1917 Chevrolet V8 for $200.00 because I did not want to go down from driving a 1930 Pontiac. Stupid is not easily fixed but can be improved upon with enough time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 Are quite a few have walked away from and felt relief afterwards, couple of times with trailer and cash. Have two that were just too cheap/easy to pass up so no regrets but may put on block following recovery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted January 18, 2021 Share Posted January 18, 2021 19 hours ago, Trulyvintage said: If it makes you feel any better .... You can have my ex wife .... 😉 Jim You wouldn’t want mine 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walt G Posted January 18, 2021 Share Posted January 18, 2021 I was to young to haul them home and park them in the driveway but in the early 1970s a pair of 1936-37 Cord sedans with the front transmission cover cracked on both for $1,200 the pair and they weren't really rusty, both in the Hempstead /Uniondale long island area. A friend bought the 1932 Cadillac V16 limousine on West Hempstead/Hempstead border for $1,500 but it needed some structural wood. It was on Hempstead Turnpike in a used car lot on the north side of the road just past the old S. Klein department store. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted January 18, 2021 Share Posted January 18, 2021 I regret selling my 190SL for 12k !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted January 18, 2021 Share Posted January 18, 2021 Always thought of the 190SL ans AH 3000 as ladies cars. Were often graduation presents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
58L-Y8 Posted January 18, 2021 Share Posted January 18, 2021 Two come to mind, during 1970-'71 I had the chance to buy a '36 Cord 810 sedan that was drivable and presentable throughout for $2,500. The other was a 1961 Facel-Vega HK 500 coupe for $2,000, also fully drivable and presentable. I passed on both because I decided to attend college, certain that a degree and what was viewed as a 'good job' at the time would provide enough income to purchase either in the years to come. Well, the 'good job' never materialized and the income allowing such purchases never kept up with the accrual in increasing value of either car. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted January 18, 2021 Share Posted January 18, 2021 My never-never bucket list includes a HK-500 with Pont-a-Mousson and AC. Reatta just must do... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morgansdad Posted January 18, 2021 Share Posted January 18, 2021 On 1/16/2021 at 11:34 PM, Trulyvintage said: If it makes you feel any better .... You can have my ex wife .... 😉 Jim I knew, shortly after joining this group you guys were good people but I could have never guesses so many of you would be willing to offer you're Ex'es so freely. You guys are awesome ! 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan G Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 As a teen my best friend's dad had a 66 Coronet 440 sedan with a 318, AT & factory AC, straight & rust free. Just needed a fuel pump. He offered that car to anyone who would listen, $100 (late 80s). I could barely keep one car on the road and sure didn't need this. He finally tired of looking at it and sold it to the local junkyard (I wouldn't go to the level of calling them a salvage yard or "recycler") and within 2 weeks they'd backed a loader into the side, hard. 10 years ago I was offered a 72 Toyota Crown sedan (straight 6, 4 speed), hadn't been driven since the 80s I guess. The fellow also had a 51 Fordor Deluxe 6. I was flat broke but we worked out a barter on the Ford. I later learned he gave the Crown to a scrapper; said if he knew I would have taken it he'd have given it to me. I'm not much on Japanese cars but I love oddballs and that sure met the criteria. At least I still have the shoebox. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
46 woodie Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 If we could only go back! In 1970 I got a lead on a 1940 Ford Coupe that was in great condition, the asking price was $385. It was a complete running car. I called my friend that lives in the town where the car was located and asked him if he knew any history on the car. He told me that the car was just purchased from a friend of his for $85. I got so p.o.ed that the seller was making $300 on me, I never went back, oh well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalowed Bill Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 We can all share in the experience! I have more than a few stories of the ones that got away, but I try to be content with the cars that I did get. You can't own them all! I did own a nice 1963 Cutlass convertible in the day. Every once in a while I catch myself thinking about owning another one, but then reality sets in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 In the mid 80’s I was offered two Jag MK V’s for $1000. One was running and drivable the other a parts car that ran but needed a lot of work. Had just bought a house and had no extra cash. That’s life. dave s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John348 Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 On 1/16/2021 at 11:34 PM, Trulyvintage said: If it makes you feel any better .... You can have my ex wife .... 😉 Jim ' I had an Uncle who always said he should have kept his third wife.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 Just as comparison, a fully functional & intact FI Split Window tanker in 1970 was $1k. Just back from SEA so no credit history, had to get two $500 loans to buy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porsche 68 Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 Bone head me had a 1965 Griffith 400 I bought back in the early 80s for $500 dollars sold it to buy a Porsche 911 Should of kept the Griffith🤬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Luddy Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 Sitting behind my 1st car (1957 Meteor Rideau 500 hardtop) was a 1957 Ford Del Rio 2 door wagon for less than $100. But having no place to put it, and being 15 yrs old with not enough cash I said I'd come back for it. I watched it sit and rust away for many years before it got hauled for scrap. Then 2 yrs later (when I was 17) a buddy showed me a 58 Porsche 356 sitting in a compound with no engine for $400. Once again low on cash and barely able to keep my 58 Fairlane in gas I passed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 Youth is wasted on the young. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff_a Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 In Hemmings about 1969 there was a Bugatti Type 101 F/S for $5,000. Probably a good price, but high school kids 50 years ago didn't have that kind of money, even in McLean, Virginia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzcarnerd Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 9 minutes ago, jeff_a said: In Hemmings about 1969 there was a Bugatti Type 101 F/S for $5,000. Probably a good price, but high school kids 50 years ago didn't have that kind of money, even in McLean, Virginia. Presumable one of three - of seven built - now in the Schlumpf collection in France - my photo from 2016 - 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHuDWah Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 On 1/18/2021 at 6:15 PM, Morgansdad said: I knew, shortly after joining this group you guys were good people but I could have never guesses so many of you would be willing to offer you're Ex'es so freely. You guys are awesome ! Not me - mine's not an ex but I'm keeping her. I'm the original owner and I've always tried to take care of her. Some parts may need replaced and some of the accessories may no longer work. She's sometimes hard to start but she runs (well, walks) good and is fairly economical. And she's AACA-eligible three times over! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHuDWah Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 (edited) Back on topic, "the one that got away" wasn't a car, but an engine - a NOS 53 Merc flathead, what's now called a crate engine. It was complete with a McCulloch centrifugal supercharger, used but not much. Guy bought it intending to build a racer that he never got around to. He wanted $400 for the works. This was in the early-70s so not a screaming bargain, but a reasonable price. But I was a poor college student and really didn't have a need for it at the time. Edited January 22, 2021 by CHuDWah (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkyardjeff Posted January 22, 2021 Author Share Posted January 22, 2021 I hope it would not had ended up like that if I got it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff_a Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 (edited) nzcarnerd, Thanks for the comment & photo from the Schlumpf Collecton! I don't know which car it was -- just remember a sketchy ad with a poor B&W photo of the grill. It may have been white. I ran it past my Father...investment potential, etc....I think he just gave me a look. Campaigned the acquisition on practicality, but one of my teachers made a BHD of driving a Porsche 356 to school every day, and I had visions of hooning into the spot next to him some morning and asking him if jalopies like this were any good, being a defunct French brand and all. I thought the marque name and the dohc straight eight were a Big Huge Deal, but the car we wound up getting was a '67 Rambler Ambassador wagon with a 290 V-8. Just think... in 1969 it had only been 4 years since the last one was finished, a Virgil Exner/Ghia design shown at the Turin Motor Show. Edited January 22, 2021 by jeff_a (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89tc Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 When I was 16 in 1986 I dropped my buddy off from high school in my 1978 firebird. When I pulled into his driveway I saw the front of a car peeping through the bushes beside his garage. It was a 1969 carousel red gto judge with hideaway headlights. I told him to ask his mother how much she wanted for it and she said $1500. At 16 years old, $1500 was too much for me. Two years later I saw it on the back of a trailer with New Jersey plates going down the highway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morgansdad Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 7 hours ago, 89tc said: When I was 16 in 1986 I dropped my buddy off from high school in my 1978 firebird. When I pulled into his driveway I saw the front of a car peeping through the bushes beside his garage. It was a 1969 carousel red gto judge with hideaway headlights. I told him to ask his mother how much she wanted for it and she said $1500. At 16 years old, $1500 was too much for me. Two years later I saw it on the back of a trailer with New Jersey plates going down the highway. 89tc, boy, you really did let one get away ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 Back when young I pined for a 57 Cadillac Seville (3/4 size replica with stainless steel roof, suicide rear doors, and dual quads) that sat behind a gas station. Kept pestering to buy but think the owner wanted for himself. Supposedly belonged to a drunk. No luck. Decades later I saw the car on the field at Auburn with an astronomical price tag. Knew same car because it had an unusual crack in the vent window. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AURktman Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 In high school I passed up on a 1950 Chevrolet pickup that was in fantastic condition. Paint was chalky, but zero rust and dents. It had been used at the local airport to tow aircraft around when needed. It had a tow ball on the front bumper and it spent most of its time in reverse gear. Had less than 10k miles (in 1989) and the guy only wanted $900 for it. I couldn't come up with that much. Makes me sick now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WQ59B Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 Circa '82, I had to pass on a black '59 Biarritz with a white top and white buckets. It was very solid & I believe it ran. $1000 (or $1200). Didn't have anywhere near the coin then (I was 16). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckowner Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 Back in 1977 I sold my 1951 GMC 5 window 3100 pickup for $350.00 Sorry now, but at the time that was what it was worth. Life goes on. At least I never let the DeSoto go, probably because a 1930 car was already sort of an antique back then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morgansdad Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 8 hours ago, ckowner said: Back in 1977 I sold my 1951 GMC 5 window 3100 pickup for $350.00 Sorry now, but at the time that was what it was worth. Life goes on. At least I never let the DeSoto go, probably because a 1930 car was already sort of an antique back then This is what I actually learned to drive on. Had the granny gear so I could dump the clutch and steer around all day. LOL.. Been looking for one but, as you know, they are out of reach right now. I will have one tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Cole Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 As a senior in high school, I traded a 1961 Impala 4-door sedan for an original 1940 Chevy coupe which wouldn't start. I drove the Impala to his house and handed him the keys and title. Never went back and picked up the '40 as my Mom was giving me such a hard time about having multiple cars. Driving one away and towing one back wouldn't have gone over well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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