Cars you liked & could afford but didn't buy and regret

Cars you liked & could afford but didn't buy and regret

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lowdrag

12,868 posts

212 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
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I think I must be one of the lucky ones since I really can't think of a car I wanted - not just a passing fancy - that I haven't had. I have owned, amongst others:-
BSA Gold Star
Velocette Venom Thruxton
Bonneville T120
Mini Cooper S 1964
Jetta (not Golf) GTi Mk 1 (family commitments, but it was a superb Q car in its day)
Merc SL coupé and saloons.
Four BMW E30's and one E36
M6
M1
Golf 16 valve Mk 2

It was after that I lost interest in moderns and got into classics. Still have the flat floor E-type and Lynx XKSS but have owned a good few over the years, including a Lynx long nose D-type. I now drive a boring Merc W204 diseasel estate.

555 Paul

Original Poster:

782 posts

148 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
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craig_m67 said:
What about cars you liked and could afford to buy, did and regret smile
That'll be the Integrale that I bought instead of the E30 M3, the M3 would have been much cheaper to have run & maintained because the Integrale was a money pit and I lost loads of money on it.

Robertos88

155 posts

131 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
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Honda NSX in 2006. For sale for 12k. Decided I didn't need a car in London and they would just get cheaper... I was wrong.

jmcc500

644 posts

217 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
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964RS in 2001, for sale at £22k.

E30 M3 in 2002, £10k with 100k miles, but straight and solid. Oh well...

hidetheelephants

23,731 posts

192 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
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I regret not biting the hand off a chap who offered me a scruffy and rather leggy Lotus Carlton for £5k, 8 years ago.

therealpigdog

2,592 posts

196 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
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Datsun 240z for £3k.

dai1983

2,902 posts

148 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
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Jonnas said:
I'd love one too!

I was offered a Mk2 RS2000 in about 1995 for £500. It was in mint condition but had sat in the blokes garage for about 5 years as he'd lost interest in it and it was covered in a thick layer of dust. I was a student at the time and just couldn't afford it. I still wince when I think about it.....
2004: saw a mint condition and standard white rs2000 for sale. I didn't have a garage either and thought £4k was too much. Did my bike test instead....

2009: I had £25k in my pocket so was shopping and wanted an Elise 111s. Realised I could afford a NA Mk2 Exige or scrape an Exige s with the money. Colleagues persuaded all were a bad idea so I bought an Octavia Vrs at £10k and a new Ducati 848 on 0% finance with a £5k deposit keeping money in the bank. Both lost money with the 848 getting sold after 18 months and 6k miles for a 4 grand loss. I sold the Octavia to fund my wedding after a house purchase and have been skint (ish) since.

I notice that I'd have not lost money and maybe gained some if I'd picked the Lotus car (or an NSX, e30 M3, RC30 (:-(), Integrale, Cosworth of any type)

23rdian

387 posts

162 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
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Lightly panel damaged NSX for £9k a few years ago.

Levin

2,019 posts

123 months

Monday 27th October 2014
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B'stard Child said:
Back in 1985 I wanted a Monza GSE, couldn't find one for what I had to spend but I did find a Manta (White GT/E coupe with sensible miles and in excellent order and foolishly I decided that it wouldn't be a substitute for what I really wanted) so bought a 205 instead (err there were some good reasons for that purchase and I have no regrets as it was a great car) Since that day I've had 5 Monzas and a dozen or more other Opel/Vauxhall Straight six engined cars - I often wonder if my car history would have been different if I'd purchased that Manta......
The Manta in that picture is on eBay right now, looking a little worse for wear. Still, it's a Manta. biggrin

Veeayt

3,139 posts

204 months

Monday 27th October 2014
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A few years ago I could have bought a zero-mileage Mercedes CLK Black for about half its original price, but withdrawn at the last moment. Still full of regrets.

E24man

6,654 posts

178 months

Monday 27th October 2014
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Did regret not buying;

E28 Alpina B7S, ex Winston Churchill (the Grandson) and beautiful in Alpina Blue with stripey Scheel seats - it would have stretched me financially at the time but I should have done it.

Did not regret not buying;

E34 Alpina B10 BiTurbo times four, a pale blue one and a red one that I passed over and bought the E34 B10 4.6 instead, and a black one and a green one that I've been offered as a straight swap for the 4.6 since - I just read loads of borked threads about BiTurbo's and although they're probably in the minority of the cars it's still been enough to put me off.

Did regret buying;

E34 M5 Touring - ultimately it was a rusty, welded old nail well past it's best and when the fragile S38B38 went the way of so many others it became a rusty garden ornament until it went off to become bean cans.

Never, ever regret buying;

M635CSi - a stunning looking car then and now and the M88/3 engine makes it come alive compared to the M30 lump.

SLCZ3

1,204 posts

204 months

Monday 27th October 2014
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Ah yes the old I should have, well I did not buy a DB 6 and I did not buy a Jaguar Lynx, the reason? I was working overseas on long tours and had nowhere to garage them and no one who was interested enough to keep an eye on them while I was away.
What I should have done was buy the house, which I did not,(4 bedroom double garage and large parking area-15000 pounds) the folly of prevarication.
cry

MajorProblem

4,700 posts

163 months

Monday 27th October 2014
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Peugeot 205 T16 for £25k.

dino_jr

347 posts

175 months

Monday 27th October 2014
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This yellow 964 at PCT, a few months back.

http://www.pctcars.co.uk/carsforsale/porsche-964-c...



Since "not" phoning for it quick enough, every 964 for sale has been red red red. I DON'T LIKE RED.

Edited by dino_jr on Monday 27th October 11:30

Neil_M

694 posts

183 months

Friday 31st October 2014
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Two for me...

Firstly a TVR Cerbera of the 4.2 V8 variety. It was a good solid car, just needed a bit of tidying up and was well priced. The guy couldn't get the thing to start. I took it as a sign. Which I regret now (sort of).

Secondly a Mk4 Twin Turbo Supra. It was a UK model, low miles, and auto. It needed a good service and a few maintenance items, brakes, a radiator and removal of an HKS SSQV dump valve... It was however a very clean, tidy example. Drove it on the Saturday wanted the weekend to think about it... I called at 9:30 on the Monday morning to buy it, it was sold over the phone.

Both cars were red, must have been a sign. I'd probably still have both now frown.

They say never drive your heroes, both of them are mine and I loved them (rose tinted glasses probably).

nitrodave

1,262 posts

137 months

Friday 31st October 2014
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all when i was a poor student -

mercedes g wagon with a blown head gasket for £1k

was offered a mk2 lotus cortina for £2k

also turned down a clean mk1 gold gti campaign for £500

and a renault 5 turbo 2 for £1400


mizx

1,569 posts

184 months

Friday 31st October 2014
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An MkIII Supra comes to mind, I'd less rather have one the NC MX5 I own now, but I've always liked those for some reason.

I expect someone on this website knows of it; there was '90-92'ish Supra for sale, iirc in the Exeter area and this must have been 4-5 years ago or so? I think it was going for £2.5k, a metalic grey auto (medical for me) Targa model with the JDM 2.5 which I understand is the one to have, very low mileage for the age, and had just had a full bare metal respray. I know I would have enjoyed owning that .

Edited by mizx on Friday 31st October 20:19

seb13

22 posts

113 months

Friday 31st October 2014
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Perfect condition Escort XR3i 4 years old at the time from my brother for £3500... I thought it wouldn't be sensible.

Daston

6,074 posts

202 months

Friday 31st October 2014
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My biggest 2:

Dodge Viper RT/10
Honda NSX

dele

1,270 posts

193 months

Friday 31st October 2014
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Nissan GTR, chose an M3 instead and as good as a car as it was I always wished I had chosen the GTR

Was the last spurge of money on a car before a house purchase so cant see myself owning one any time soon