The "Bike" "Car" Truck" "Boat" you wish you had never gotten rid of.

[Guest TankerHC]

Never hear women talk about this, but I dont believe I have ever been in a car conversation with another guy when the inevitable "I used to own a "add year here" "Add vehicle here" and wished I had never sold that thing" conversation. So here is my list, what did you all have that you "sold" "Traded" "Crashed" etc. that you wish you still had today?

 

Trucks.

I only had one truck I believe I can say I wish I had not gotten rid of. In 1994 I bought a 1971 Ford F100 351M400 off a farmer in Texas who had bought it new. That truck in its day was considered a "Performance" truck. I gave him $600 for it. Needed something to get back and forth to work, was stationed at Hood then and the wife got the good car. On startup the truck would blow some blue smoke for about a minute, the bed was rusted out (I put a piece of plywood in it) and the gas gauge didnt work so I went with a broomhandle gauge. After owning it for a few months my brother and I painted it Blue with cans of Krylon. Next day when I took it to work it instantly took on the nickname "Big Blue" by everyone in the unit because we inadvertently painted it the same color as the soap in an SOS pad. Reason I should have kept it was because you couldnt kill that truck, I paid so little for it I didnt care if it blew up, I could then tell my wife I needed a new truck, problem was the fricken thing wouldnt blow up. I know, I tried, I wanted a new truck. But told the wife when I bought the Ford I would only buy one when this one was no longer driveable. That truck is still on the road to this very day. I sold it to a friend who retired just before I left for $200. He still has it, restored the body but has the same engine. Is black instead of blue, he did replace the rings and pistons and some other minor mechanical work, did it all himself. . Last time I was there I saw that truck and thought "Wished I had kept it and done that".

 

Cars.

Several cars I wish I still had.

'67 GTO that I bought for $800 in 1984. Ran perfect, body was perfect. I was looking for a cheap car and this was literally a barn find. It was sitting next to a barn in Jellico (sp?) Tennessee (I was stationed at Knox at the time), a buddy found it and knew I was looking for a car so we drove down and I asked the guy if he wanted to sell it. Said give me 800, put a battery in it and get it out of here. I did.

 

Traded the GTO and $4000 for a 70 Dodge Super Bee (With the Black and Yellow Super Bee paint) in mint condition. Did that when I got my re-up bonus. Kept it a month and traded it for a boat which me and a buddy got drunk and sunk in the Ohio River.

 

Then I needed a car. So I bought a '67 Pontiac Tempest with the 326. (Think it was a 326). Two door. Sharp looking car. Original paint and not a tear in the interior. Broke a timing chain. Didnt feel like messing with it so sold it to my room mate, still remember the guy Spc. Jones, sold it for $300. He put on a timing chain and the next day drove it from Fort Knox to Peeksgill, NY and back that Monday. Drove it for another year and was still driving it when I left in 85.

 

Only other vehicles I sorta kinda wished I still had are my first car, a Dodge Coronet 440 RT, this was the 440 Six Pack but not the Super Bee (One of the reasons 5 years later I bought the Super Bee) and my first truck which my father gave me which as I recall was a 67 GMC sidestep with 3 on the tree.

 

Bikes.

Been riding since I was four. Have owned too many bikes to count and mostly some of the bikes I would like to own again (Or wish I had not got rid of, sold etc.) are more for nostalgia reasons.

 

Honda QA50 (First "bike" ever).

Honda CR 125 (First REAL race MX bike)

68 Yamaha 90 (First street bike)

68 Bennelli Single four stroke.

Kawasaki 900Z1 (My first NEW bike)

750 Norton Commando (Given to me by my dad, was one of his bikes, he thought I would hang onto it and keep it forever, instead I sold it) to buy a damn Yamaha 650 Special.

 

Lots of bikes really, but the more modern ones I didnt really care a whole lot about. By the time I hit my mid 30's I was looking for comfort and options. 3 of my last 4 were Gold Wing Aspencades and one Yamaha Venture. (Last one). Havent rode in 8 or 9 years, but last few months have been looking for another Gold Wing. For Touring there isnt a bike on the road that can touch a Gold Wing. Dont care what anyone says, I have ridden all of them, and the Gold Wing is the best Touring bike ever built and built today. (Plus if you have never been to a Wing Ding, lot of fun) New ones way out of my price range for a bike though, wife would kill me if I bought a new one but did say I could get a used one. But some of those old bikes, even the hard tails I owned, would like to own today.

 

So whats your story(s)? I know lots of good car, truck, bike, boat stories here.

 

Just startin a thread cause I like those stories.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest RedLights&Sirens]

1989 Mercury Grand Marquis

Bought it for $1500 in 2006, one previous owner under 100k miles on the 5.0 engine. No problems and looked like it rolled off the assembly line. Fully loaded with power everything, 12v cig lighter for every seat, white walls. Box shapped metal body, remember when stuff was still made from metal? Oh and it had real bumpers too, not thoes plastic humps on modern cars. She was slow off the line but that 5.0 got her going and she was a beauty.

Anyways long story short I was going to visit my best freind and a plastic POS Honda side swiped me. Insurance company allowed me to keep it but the only way I could get money is if they put a salvage on the title. The Merc suffered a dent in the driver side near the gas cap, nothing a ballpeen and some bondo couldnt fix. No damage to the frame or gas tank. The Honda was torn to s#!t. Remember what I said about metal and plastic?

So she sat in storage and then I got married and the wife hated it. I had her garaged at my MILs house and when she passed away the boyfreind who was in no way legally entitled to the family owned property (long story) forced my hand to get it out. At the time selling was my only option.

[daddyo]

Navy blue 1968 Ford Fairlane Coupe. It was only a six, but I loved that car. Nice lip under the metal dash for hiding stuff.

[10-Ring]

I haven't made too many regrettable auto sales.  I had a 1991 F-150 4x4, straight 6, 4 speed, bought in 2001 with 80,000 miles on it and it was cherry.  I loved that truck but flipped it and totaled it.  Out of the literally dozens of vehicles I've owned I miss it the most.  I've had a lot of bikes over the years as well, all most all had their own qualities and did something in particular that I liked, but I only miss one.  It was a 1995 Honda VFR750.  I redid all of the body work on it and it was absolutely sharp.  Only reason I sold it was that I moved to the mountains and 9 months later it had not left my garage, I had a 2009 CBR600RR and a DRZ400SM at the time as well, so the VFR felt like a fat pig in the twisties.  Still the bike was sharp and had an awesome exhaust note, it just wasn't practical to keep.  I "replaced" it last summer with a 1991 ST1100, which I'm actually liking a lot more than the VFR.  I still have the DRZ as well.  It's kind of funny to own those two bikes as they are at opposite ends of the riding spectrum, but it allows me to go shred it on the mountain on one bike and hit the road in comfort on another.  I always thought the more bikes the better, but I sold my GSXR1000 this winter because it wasn't getting ridden, I'm happy with the two street bikes I have, it's all that I feel I need right now.

[10-Ring]

Navy blue 1968 Ford Fairlane Coupe. It was only a six, but I loved that car. Nice lip under the metal dash for hiding stuff.

Haha, "stuff."

[Spots]

2005 GMC 2500 Duramax. Bought it for $18k. Tun3d it with with efi live, added air filter, full exhaust and nitrous. It was the fastest stock transmissioned Duramax in Socal, running 7.9 at 87 mph in the 1/8th. Guy offered me $25k cash for it which was way more than I had in it. Wish I had kept the truck

Sent from the backwoods of Nowhere

[peejman]

Dad's 1972 Chevy Pick-up.  Step-side, wood bed, 3-on-the-tree, no power steering, no power brakes, no AC.  It was it good shape but certainly not a beauty queen.  It would've been great fun to fix it up.  Dad sold it when I was about 12.  Its on my "if I win the jackpot" list.  I want to find that truck or at least one like it. 

 

This sounds really lame, but my 1998 Saturn SL2.  Loved that little car.  180k trouble free miles, 37 mpg.  Never should've sold it.

[UncleJak]

1978 Ford Mustang. I paid $800 for it. It seemed I was always fixing something on it and decided to sell it for something newer that required less care.  I wish I still had it, it was so fast!

[MphsTiger1981]

First car was a 1967 Camaro. Sold it while I was in college to buy a rice burner that got better gas mileage. The Camaro had a 327 v-8 engine with Holley Double Pump carb. I think on a good day it got about 8 miles a gallon. Be nice to have that one back.

[LagerHead]

Luckily I am just now getting to the point where I can afford decent vehicles so I don't have those regrets. I had a car I wish I had never bought though: 2001 Pontiac Bonneville.

 

My dad however, has a few.

 

'66 Pontiac GTO bored to 400ci. My uncle David made him some custom exhaust pipes out of the drive shafts from a '55 Chevy. It sounded so good people wouldn't race him based purely on the noise it made.

 

'57 Chevy 4 door Coupe (no B pillar) with a blueprinted 327. He paid a grand total of $135 for the car; $25 for the car, in perfect condition except for a blown engine and $110 for the blueprinted (yes, blueprinted) 327. He lost his license in that car when he went to traffic court with three tickets on the same day. Only race he ever lost was to a '69 GTO Judge. 

 

'66 Ford Fairlane GT. Broadsided on Christmas day, 1980 by a lady who ran a red light. 

[Guest Ceolas]

First car was a 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme for $600 in 1988. Came with a Rocket 350, but I pulled it in the first year and dropped in a 455 out of a Toronado.

 

Really miss the smooth ride and torque. Sold it to a UPS driver for a little gain and bought a bike (Stupid kid move).

 

Next one I wish I had back was my Dad's 1967 Ford Bronco V8. He picked it up for $1000 in the late 80s with 30k miles from a local farmer. I drove it for a year during college and then he sold it.

 

8 Track, original 289 and could go anywhere.

Edited May 22, 2013 by Ceolas

[RichardR]

First car was a 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme for $600 in 1988. Came with a Rocket 350, but I pulled it in the first year and dropped in a 455 out of a Toronado.

Really miss the smooth ride and torque. Sold it to a UPS driver for a little gain and bought a bike (Stupid kid move).

Next one I wish I had back was my Dad's 1967 Ford Bronco V8. He picked it up for $1000 in the late 80s with 30k miles from a local farmer. I drove it for a year during college and then he sold it.

8 Track, original 289 and could go anywhere.

I also owned a 1970 Cutlass 442, it had the 455cid bolted to a 400 hydrostatic turbo trans w/Hurst dual gate console shifter, dual exhaust with Cherry bomb mufflers, street slicks, paint was white with dual blue racing stripes on the hood, had airshocks so I could raise/lower the back end for either the track or street, came from the factory fully loaded option package, man that was a sweet ride especially for a highschool age kid.

I unfortunately only had it a couple of years, an 18 wheeler merged into my lane while I was still in it, bumped me hard enough to spin me, ran the back end of his trailer up over the hood of my 442, spun me around some more, and finally skittited rearend first into a ditch along side of the interstate, the truck never stopped.

Loved that car though.

[jtmaze]

This is a little off topic, but I have had some nice ones, but really no regrets. My dads first new car was a limited edition 68 Cuda with 2 bucket seats, a 4 speed, and a 383. He special ordered it while in Vietnam and picked it put on returning. We found the body and tried to buy it in the late 80s due to somecustom woodwork dad had done on the dash but the guy wouldn't sell. My ultimate would be to restore a 68 Cuda to those specs just to give to Dad for him to drive in retirement. It would be worth every cent and hour spent restoring.

[peejman]

Oh yeah... there's the '57 Chevy Bel Air that Dad sold when he got transferred from SC to CA because he didn't think it would make the trip.  Then there's the '68 GTO that got t-boned and totaled ...

[Worriedman]

1983 Toyota 4-wheel drive pick up, 5 speed, no air. Sold it to the guy who ran the service department of the Toyota House on the West Side of Ft. Worth when I got my '95 Extra Cab.  His son drove it to Austin for college, then brought it back to his Dad, he is still driving the thing.  I tried to buy it back and he will not turn loose of it. Would love to have it to run to the farm to deer hunt on the cheap.

[KaNuckles]

My first truck. 1970 Shortbed Ford "Custom"

[Monkeyman2500]

Dang Tanker, you had some badass rides. Only thing I've sold I really regret was a 72 Camero. Had it half restored and ran low on funds. Really should have kept that one.

[Wiljo05]

First truck was a 91 GMC sanoma, firewall beat out to fit the crate 350. Welded motorcycle shock onto the diff to keep wheel hop down. Almost pull the nose off the ground if you had hot asphalt to take off from.

Bike was the infamous 01 CBR600 F4i with Devil exhaust. Could hear it over a mile away when you were in the pipe...prob should be in jail, and when I realized that I sold it

[dlm37015]

my first car a 59 vette

[Guest PapaB]

I've owned a lot of fun cars but don't regret selling any. I've had a 56 Olds w/401cu eng (my first car - paid $165), 61 belair ragtop, 63 impala ragtop, 66 impala 2 door, 69 chevelle ragtop, 69 triumph spitfire, 70 1/2 Camaro, 73 dodge demon and many many more. Currently have a 2006 Wrangler Golden Eagle.

[Guest TankerHC]

Dang Tanker, you had some badass rides. Only thing I've sold I really regret was a 72 Camero. Had it half restored and ran low on funds. Really should have kept that one.

 

Owned a lot of nice rides and muscle cars. But to be perfectly honest, the Coronet was another car given to me by my father, so that one was free. The GTO was a pure luck find, the friend of mine who found it, his dad owned Corbin Speedway in Corbin Kentucky and thats why he was down in Jellico (He was buying beer to take back up to the hidden bar on the mountain, another story altogether), and anyone who has ever served in the military can tell you what kind of deals you can get from a broke Private (I was a broke Spc4 when I bought the Super Bee off the broke PFC, but had just re-enlisted and got my bonus, that car was worth at least twice as much as I gave for it then, even with the trade and cash). And the Tempest was also another luck barn find, the guy I sold it to (Jones) is the one who found it for me. That one wasnt literally sitting next to a barn, it was sitting out in a field south of Louisville.

 

A perfect example of this is when I got stationed in 3rd AD in 81. Right after I got there a Spc4 Williamson arrived and had brought a car with him and paid for the shipping on his own dime, single Spc4's and below were not authorized to ship a vehicle. And if you were single and lived in the barracks, you could not even own a vehicle or get a USAEUR drivers license. Only if you were SSG and above and lived in the barracks, or you were married Spc4 and above and lived off post. So he brought this car, couldnt drive it and had three choises. Sell it, ship it back to the states or store it somewhere on the German Economy at his own expense. So he sold it to a buck Sergeant buddy of mine. The car was a '70 Plymouth Superbird in showroom condition, the guy had shipped it because he didnt want it out of his sight and I cannot remember exactly what it was but there was something special about that particular car. And I didnt know how much he sold it for either. Couple of years later I was going through Disney Barracks at Knox, the SGT was a SSG and was on Drill Sergeant status and we sat at the Disney PX and were drinking a pitcher of beer and I asked him if he still had the car, said he was not ever getting rid of it. He told me, that that car was worth nearly $100,000 (I dont know how true that was and this was in 84), and he also told me he knew it was valuable, but he had given $1500 for it.

 

Used to see deals like that all the time. As I got up in the ranks a little bit and had those guys under me I dont know how many times I had to tell those guys how stupid it was to make deals like that (Same exact deals I made as a Private, so I was speaking from experience) and buy $700 cars off Tote your Note lots around post and end up paying $7000 over the course of the loan instead of $700.

Edited May 24, 2013 by TankerHC

[RichardR]

I was into muscle cars & hot rods when I was a lot younger, my father owned a 68' Plymouth RoadRunner (440 6-pack), 70' Plymouth Duster (340-HO) & a couple others, so he was sort of my high-HP guru ...

On top of that 70' Cutlass 442 I mentioned earlier, I've also owned a 65' Pontiac Tempest, 65' Chevy II, 68' Chevy II, a couple of Camaros (80'-85') & a few others.

I switched over to trucks sometime in the early 90's with a Dodge, after the transmission went out in the Dodge in 95' I bought a fully-loaded 95' Chevy Silverado "cowboy Cadillac" 5.7 vortec & I've been happily driving it trouble-free ever since.

It doesn't look as purty as it used to, but it still purrs like a kitten at idle & sounds awful angry when my big booted foot slips down on the throttle, I haven't hopped the bed up & down in years but I'm guessing it'd still easily do so if it's ever asked too.

Everytime I think about replacing it, I just can't seem to bring myself to do it, I know that'd I would regret it afterwards.

[blizzard]

I have owned too many cars and trucks in my life to even try to remember them all. Some old some new some used. The only one that I can truly say that i regret selling was my 1964 SS Impala. Sold it about 15 years ago to one of my dads friends. It was a fairly nice car when I owned it but my dads friend had it completely restored. I kick myself all the time for selling that one. To be honest, I wouldn't mind having my old '66 VW bug back to.