Cars you (only just) missed the boat on
Discussion
I suspect a great deal of us, when we were younger, had a realistic 'dream car' just about in our sights. Not an outlandish supercar (though this may have been the case for some) but something whose gruntiness and character you admired so much you aspired to save up the four- or five-figure sum required to turn the dream into reality.
Trouble is, just as your savings pot was reaching the required level, other priorities took hold. Saving for a deposit on a house. Having children. An unexpectedly ruinous bill or an ill-considered spending choice.
What were you going to buy and how much would it cost you today? What was it that scuppered your plans?
For me, it was the DC2 Integra Type-R. A car to this day I have still only sat in and never experienced in motion. Aged 22 I was running a lovely revvy mk1 MR2 worth £900 and the 'tegs were in decent supply with good ones quite easily acquired for £4k. I was a lodger with a low income but low outgoings, too, and it was vaguely possible to save up the money after a couple of years of diligent saving.
I subsequently met the lady who would become my wife, and as things got more serious the £4k I'd scraped together went into the house deposit fund and we spent several years living quite a simple life to get our deposit together.
In the ensuing years DC2s rapidly climbed and a half-decent one was £8k or more and I had no hope of getting one, especially with the house requiring a lot of work. Not sure what they're worth now; rarity has probably pushed them to something daft. Still love the DC2, though, and remain hopeful for a ride in one, one day.
Trouble is, just as your savings pot was reaching the required level, other priorities took hold. Saving for a deposit on a house. Having children. An unexpectedly ruinous bill or an ill-considered spending choice.
What were you going to buy and how much would it cost you today? What was it that scuppered your plans?
For me, it was the DC2 Integra Type-R. A car to this day I have still only sat in and never experienced in motion. Aged 22 I was running a lovely revvy mk1 MR2 worth £900 and the 'tegs were in decent supply with good ones quite easily acquired for £4k. I was a lodger with a low income but low outgoings, too, and it was vaguely possible to save up the money after a couple of years of diligent saving.
I subsequently met the lady who would become my wife, and as things got more serious the £4k I'd scraped together went into the house deposit fund and we spent several years living quite a simple life to get our deposit together.
In the ensuing years DC2s rapidly climbed and a half-decent one was £8k or more and I had no hope of getting one, especially with the house requiring a lot of work. Not sure what they're worth now; rarity has probably pushed them to something daft. Still love the DC2, though, and remain hopeful for a ride in one, one day.
Ferrari F355 for me.
They came down to just under £40k, I could have done it but a house upgrade was more sensible and we did end up moving. The new house needed gutting and the associated costs meant the F355 was pushed back a few years in the future....by which time values had climbed out of my reach
I definitely look back on it with a tinge of regret, but I'm not too bitter about it, we have our forever house and I love my current Caterham and Cayman so much that they're going nowhere.
They came down to just under £40k, I could have done it but a house upgrade was more sensible and we did end up moving. The new house needed gutting and the associated costs meant the F355 was pushed back a few years in the future....by which time values had climbed out of my reach
I definitely look back on it with a tinge of regret, but I'm not too bitter about it, we have our forever house and I love my current Caterham and Cayman so much that they're going nowhere.
Pretty much everything.
Renault 5 GT Turbos, Escort RS Turbos, Nissan 200SXs and (imported) Silvias, Celica GT4s, 10k R32 GTRs… when they were affordable, I was too young to be able to insure one, now I can insure anything but can’t afford them.
When I passed my test in 2004, a nice mk2 Escort Mexico was about £5k but insurance was half that.
It’s always been the same for me.
Renault 5 GT Turbos, Escort RS Turbos, Nissan 200SXs and (imported) Silvias, Celica GT4s, 10k R32 GTRs… when they were affordable, I was too young to be able to insure one, now I can insure anything but can’t afford them.
When I passed my test in 2004, a nice mk2 Escort Mexico was about £5k but insurance was half that.
It’s always been the same for me.
Tons, but most didn't make sense at the time.
I turned down a E30 Sport Evo for 6 grand because it was a quasi wreck. 190 Evo 2 for 15 grand because it felt too slow and boring.
I just missed an Audi Sport Quattro for 30 grand, but it did have an iron block so maybe it was cut and shut.
I turned down a E30 Sport Evo for 6 grand because it was a quasi wreck. 190 Evo 2 for 15 grand because it felt too slow and boring.
I just missed an Audi Sport Quattro for 30 grand, but it did have an iron block so maybe it was cut and shut.
AndrewGP said:
Ferrari F355 for me.
They came down to just under £40k, I could have done it but a house upgrade was more sensible and we did end up moving. The new house needed gutting and the associated costs meant the F355 was pushed back a few years in the future....by which time values had climbed out of my reach
I definitely look back on it with a tinge of regret, but I'm not too bitter about it, we have our forever house and I love my current Caterham and Cayman so much that they're going nowhere.
Very similar to me. I had the cash to spend and looked at F355, looking at garage renting (to park as I only had street parking), even my mother had secure parking at her apartments, and only a couple of miles from me. All very doable… chickened out.. bought a three year old High spec Cayman S and kept the difference in the bank. was around 2009… aaah.. oh well.. the Cayman was marvellous… but could have had a Ferrari..and no doubt a large profit later.They came down to just under £40k, I could have done it but a house upgrade was more sensible and we did end up moving. The new house needed gutting and the associated costs meant the F355 was pushed back a few years in the future....by which time values had climbed out of my reach
I definitely look back on it with a tinge of regret, but I'm not too bitter about it, we have our forever house and I love my current Caterham and Cayman so much that they're going nowhere.
Clio V6. I had a young son at the time, so it wasn't practical, but I really wanted it. I went to look at it, talked about a deal and went home to think on it. My brother did that chin stroke thing and reminded me about the cost of bodywork repairs and the unreliability of French cars, yada yada.
At the same time, I saw a Honda Accord 2.4 Exec for exactly the same money as the Clio and I ended up getting that instead. Head over heart and all that. The Honda was a great car and served me well over the years, but I always looked back and wished I'd been a bit more reckless and took the plunge. Their values soared over the years too.
At the same time, I saw a Honda Accord 2.4 Exec for exactly the same money as the Clio and I ended up getting that instead. Head over heart and all that. The Honda was a great car and served me well over the years, but I always looked back and wished I'd been a bit more reckless and took the plunge. Their values soared over the years too.
languagetimothy said:
but could have had a Ferrari..and no doubt a large profit later.
Even the most boring car adds up in running costs. It would likely have paid for those running costs and given a dollop extra when the time came to move on, but unless someone inherits their uncle's old 300 SLR after he switched to a Micra not many will be rolling in it from the sale of their wheels if they actually add things up. I expect the 60 grand Cosworth has zero profit if you've owned it for decades. However it's very nice to get a lot of that money back eventually.
E30 325i. Graduated from uni in 2004 and decided I needed to swap my Max Power Corsa for something more grown up. I went to see an E30 325i and then on to an E36 325i. Decided on the latter as it was more modern and would be less problematic as a daily.
Always regretted that decision, now they're going for stupid money that I just couldn't justify spending on one.
Always regretted that decision, now they're going for stupid money that I just couldn't justify spending on one.
Wow... I've had a LOT of these..... to name a few:-
Around 1998 I was at a classic auction and an Aston Martin DBS fitted with a Jaguar V12 came up.... I bid to £3k and chickened out, the next bid won it...
Mid 2000s I went and viewed a Porsche 912 project - was missing engine and box but was otherwise mainly complete - asking was just over £1000 from memory, I wasn't prepared to spend more than £1000 and seller wouldn't budge so I walked. Should have just stumped the extra and bought it on the spot.
Again mid 2000s, decided I wanted to buy a Ferrari 308 and started looking - found one for £11k that was unsurprisingly tired, but viable. Decided it was too much work as it had undergone a colour change paint job, so left it...
I've done it the other way too. Mid '90s I bought a Fiat Dino Coupe - dropped a fair chunk of cash on it in comparison to my other cars at the time. Ran it as a fun car for a few years then sold it in, I think, 2005. Sold for £5½k.... felt I'd done pretty well to get out of it without it costing me too much money....
Every now and again I got it right though.
Absolute depths of financial crisis in 2008 when it looked like the world was really going to end I bought a Ferrari 348.... It was a brave decision and used pretty much all my car capital at the time. It proved to be not only huge fun, but financially sound too.
Then in 2010 as I started to see the value of the 348 increasing I decided I probably shouldn't be using it as much as I was and it became more of a high days and events car instead... I still wanted something 'fun' to drive regularly, so bought an air cooled 911 and drove it daily. The 911 cost substantially less than 5 figures.
Not wanting to drive the 911 in the winter I went looking for an 'interesting'' winter classic and bought a 924 in 2017 for £200. That turned out to be an excellent winter classic and a great fun car all round. It was a bit shabby, but impressively usable for a '70s design.
I've still got all three of those and plenty of other stuff has come and gone inbetween. The uplift in value on the 924 meant I could justify spending money on it, so it's been tidied up and resprayed and has also become tax exempt, which is a bonus!
Around 1998 I was at a classic auction and an Aston Martin DBS fitted with a Jaguar V12 came up.... I bid to £3k and chickened out, the next bid won it...
Mid 2000s I went and viewed a Porsche 912 project - was missing engine and box but was otherwise mainly complete - asking was just over £1000 from memory, I wasn't prepared to spend more than £1000 and seller wouldn't budge so I walked. Should have just stumped the extra and bought it on the spot.
Again mid 2000s, decided I wanted to buy a Ferrari 308 and started looking - found one for £11k that was unsurprisingly tired, but viable. Decided it was too much work as it had undergone a colour change paint job, so left it...
I've done it the other way too. Mid '90s I bought a Fiat Dino Coupe - dropped a fair chunk of cash on it in comparison to my other cars at the time. Ran it as a fun car for a few years then sold it in, I think, 2005. Sold for £5½k.... felt I'd done pretty well to get out of it without it costing me too much money....
Every now and again I got it right though.
Absolute depths of financial crisis in 2008 when it looked like the world was really going to end I bought a Ferrari 348.... It was a brave decision and used pretty much all my car capital at the time. It proved to be not only huge fun, but financially sound too.
Then in 2010 as I started to see the value of the 348 increasing I decided I probably shouldn't be using it as much as I was and it became more of a high days and events car instead... I still wanted something 'fun' to drive regularly, so bought an air cooled 911 and drove it daily. The 911 cost substantially less than 5 figures.
Not wanting to drive the 911 in the winter I went looking for an 'interesting'' winter classic and bought a 924 in 2017 for £200. That turned out to be an excellent winter classic and a great fun car all round. It was a bit shabby, but impressively usable for a '70s design.
I've still got all three of those and plenty of other stuff has come and gone inbetween. The uplift in value on the 924 meant I could justify spending money on it, so it's been tidied up and resprayed and has also become tax exempt, which is a bonus!
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff