Biggest Automotive Regrets
Discussion
The I'll never have one of those now threads got me thinking about biggest car related regrets whether it's cars we did or didn't buy or silly modifications.
Hopefully it will help us all feel better
Mine was a 2009 Mini Cooper JCW, I bought it on credit card without telling my fiancee as we were saving for our wedding. As you can guess she was fuming at that.
It came with 3 months warranty, 2 weeks after the warranty ran out it wouldn't start.
After £500 and 3 months in the garage inc a mini specialist I got it back.
It worked perfectly for 3 days and wouldn't start again. The mini specialist had it back and said there was nothing wrong with it.
After an auto electrician also confirmed there was nothing wrong with it, I left it whilst I saved some cash to take it to a good local garage that deals with my other car.
Whilst it was parked up I sorned it and cancelled the insurance to save more cash.
Then one night whilst I was in living room, the interior caught fire, leaving me with a set of alloy wheels, a credit card bill to pay and a fuming new wife.
Hopefully it will help us all feel better
Mine was a 2009 Mini Cooper JCW, I bought it on credit card without telling my fiancee as we were saving for our wedding. As you can guess she was fuming at that.
It came with 3 months warranty, 2 weeks after the warranty ran out it wouldn't start.
After £500 and 3 months in the garage inc a mini specialist I got it back.
It worked perfectly for 3 days and wouldn't start again. The mini specialist had it back and said there was nothing wrong with it.
After an auto electrician also confirmed there was nothing wrong with it, I left it whilst I saved some cash to take it to a good local garage that deals with my other car.
Whilst it was parked up I sorned it and cancelled the insurance to save more cash.
Then one night whilst I was in living room, the interior caught fire, leaving me with a set of alloy wheels, a credit card bill to pay and a fuming new wife.
I needed a car back in my teens and my dad asked the dealer who supplied his Renault 20TS whether he had anything suitable. I was offered a Renault 12 which I road tested and quite liked. I turned it down for no reason other than I couldn't believe I wasn't being ripped off, having previously I have been offered cars by a Fiat dealer that my dad had bought multiple cars from - all of those were expensive and s
t.
Instead I bought a Triumph Dolomite 1850HL which I thought had far more credibility. It roasted head gaskets for fun and needed the carbs balancing at least once per week. After many replacement head gaskets and lots of bills I had to get shot of it.
The Renault 12 would have been perfect for what I needed at the time - maybe boring but perfect, and very comfortable.
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Fast forward many years and I bought a Mazda MX5 (G162PHD) to replace my wife's 205 GTi. Then we couldn't sell the 205 because it was the time when insurance for hot hatches got very expensive. So we sold the Mazda - should have kept it.
The 205 got written off in a head-on with a BMW after my father-in-law, who had been put in charge of getting the car an MOT when we went on holiday, refused to authorise the correct Michelin tyres on the front because "they were so expensive".
t. Instead I bought a Triumph Dolomite 1850HL which I thought had far more credibility. It roasted head gaskets for fun and needed the carbs balancing at least once per week. After many replacement head gaskets and lots of bills I had to get shot of it.
The Renault 12 would have been perfect for what I needed at the time - maybe boring but perfect, and very comfortable.
_______________________________________
Fast forward many years and I bought a Mazda MX5 (G162PHD) to replace my wife's 205 GTi. Then we couldn't sell the 205 because it was the time when insurance for hot hatches got very expensive. So we sold the Mazda - should have kept it.
The 205 got written off in a head-on with a BMW after my father-in-law, who had been put in charge of getting the car an MOT when we went on holiday, refused to authorise the correct Michelin tyres on the front because "they were so expensive".
Just two:
-I sold my 997.2 GT3RS due to lack of garage space. Still miss that car
- I had an opportunity to buy a lovely 1955 300SL Gullwing in original excellent condition in the early 90's. The owner wanted $220k for it. I had just gotten divorced and while I could have liquidated some investments I was feeling very cautious about doing extravagant things.
-I sold my 997.2 GT3RS due to lack of garage space. Still miss that car
- I had an opportunity to buy a lovely 1955 300SL Gullwing in original excellent condition in the early 90's. The owner wanted $220k for it. I had just gotten divorced and while I could have liquidated some investments I was feeling very cautious about doing extravagant things.
rlg43p said:
I needed a car back in my teens and my dad asked the dealer who supplied his Renault 20TS whether he had anything suitable. I was offered a Renault 12 which I road tested and quite liked. I turned it down for no reason other than I couldn't believe I wasn't being ripped off, having previously I have been offered cars by a Fiat dealer that my dad had bought multiple cars from - all of those were expensive and st.
Instead I bought a Triumph Dolomite 1850HL which I thought had far more credibility. It roasted head gaskets for fun and needed the carbs balancing at least once per week. After many replacement head gaskets and lots of bills I had to get shot of it.
The Renault 12 would have been perfect for what I needed at the time - maybe boring but perfect, and very comfortable.
_______________________________________
Fast forward many years and I bought a Mazda MX5 (G162PHD) to replace my wife's 205 GTi. Then we couldn't sell the 205 because it was the time when insurance for hot hatches got very expensive. So we sold the Mazda - should have kept it.
The 205 got written off in a head-on with a BMW after my father-in-law, who had been put in charge of getting the car an MOT when we went on holiday, refused to authorise the correct Michelin tyres on the front because "they were so expensive".
I hope you got a good payout from the insurance and an excess payment from your father in law. t. Instead I bought a Triumph Dolomite 1850HL which I thought had far more credibility. It roasted head gaskets for fun and needed the carbs balancing at least once per week. After many replacement head gaskets and lots of bills I had to get shot of it.
The Renault 12 would have been perfect for what I needed at the time - maybe boring but perfect, and very comfortable.
_______________________________________
Fast forward many years and I bought a Mazda MX5 (G162PHD) to replace my wife's 205 GTi. Then we couldn't sell the 205 because it was the time when insurance for hot hatches got very expensive. So we sold the Mazda - should have kept it.
The 205 got written off in a head-on with a BMW after my father-in-law, who had been put in charge of getting the car an MOT when we went on holiday, refused to authorise the correct Michelin tyres on the front because "they were so expensive".
Buying a Peugeot 206 CC back in 2002 for £12,995 when the Renault dealer next door was doing a Clio Cup 172 for £12,995. Hated that car and sold it 18 months later.
Going out to "look" at a Renault 19 16V at a main dealer when I started my first job and instead buying a Rover 220 Coupe they had on their dealership instead. It was the first car I drove, I took out their stupidly high APR finance and a few weeks later whilst washing it I found out it had been in an accident. Absolutely hated that car after that. I regretted that I hadn't looked at more cars instead of buying the first thing I sat in an should have got the E36 Coupe instead.
Going out to "look" at a Renault 19 16V at a main dealer when I started my first job and instead buying a Rover 220 Coupe they had on their dealership instead. It was the first car I drove, I took out their stupidly high APR finance and a few weeks later whilst washing it I found out it had been in an accident. Absolutely hated that car after that. I regretted that I hadn't looked at more cars instead of buying the first thing I sat in an should have got the E36 Coupe instead.
I bought a 58 reg Alfa 147 Q2 sport (the one with the LSD) about 10 years ago, so it wasn’t massively old.
I very proudly negotiated the seller down from 7500 to 4750.
On getting home I realised that the full service history was a handful of oil changes at a tyre place so had to shell out for a full service including the cam belt at an Alfa specialist.
I unsuccessfully tried to resolve suspension noise by replacing most of the suspension.
Then the clutch went, stranding my wife on her way to work and forcing us to take her freelander 1 all the way to Oktoberfest in Germany (I got 92 on the autobahn before I bottled it!).
After a new clutch and DMF (I think it only had 85k miles on at this point) it was ok for a few weeks.
Then the gear linkage froze and when looking underneath I noticed that the intercooler was totally rotted off.
Then the seat mechanism broke, meaning no one could get into the back via the passenger door.
Then the turbo went, plus a stuck calliper.
I chucked it into an auction and got £1750 back for it.
This was all within a couple of months…
The worst thing is my wife won’t ever let me entertain the idea of another Alfa, and I quite fancy a 159 estate!
I very proudly negotiated the seller down from 7500 to 4750.
On getting home I realised that the full service history was a handful of oil changes at a tyre place so had to shell out for a full service including the cam belt at an Alfa specialist.
I unsuccessfully tried to resolve suspension noise by replacing most of the suspension.
Then the clutch went, stranding my wife on her way to work and forcing us to take her freelander 1 all the way to Oktoberfest in Germany (I got 92 on the autobahn before I bottled it!).
After a new clutch and DMF (I think it only had 85k miles on at this point) it was ok for a few weeks.
Then the gear linkage froze and when looking underneath I noticed that the intercooler was totally rotted off.
Then the seat mechanism broke, meaning no one could get into the back via the passenger door.
Then the turbo went, plus a stuck calliper.
I chucked it into an auction and got £1750 back for it.
This was all within a couple of months…
The worst thing is my wife won’t ever let me entertain the idea of another Alfa, and I quite fancy a 159 estate!
Single biggest automative regret...
I want an F32 BMW 440i Coupé.
I really want one in Snapper Rocks Blue with Ivory White leather and Piano Black interior trim.
This exact car appeared for sale, simultaneously at Marshall Hampshire BMW and on Cinch, in the summer of 2022. 22k miles and immaculate. It was too expensive and my ducks weren't in a row finanaically so I expected to miss out, but it was still hanging around at the end of the year. Price was reduced but it was still a little too much. Then it disappeared. I figured it had sold.
A couple of weeks later it popped up again at an independent car dealership near Watford. I asked a relation who worked at a BMW dealership at the time why that may be and he said, "not an issue, just the BMW dealer not wanting to pay for the finance policy beyond a certain point so shuffled it on to an independent".
Ducks are in a row now, price is right and I have the reassurance that the car ticked all the boxes to be an Approved Used BMW.
Massive round trip needed so started to look at rail fares as my car was dropping to bits and the OH needed her car, so I'd have to go by train. The bulk of the journey was between Leeds and London Kings Cross and that's where it all started to unravel. Plenty of tickets coming up in the search but all said "not available to buy", so I physically couldn't get train tickets. This went on for weeks.
Finally a weekend arrived when tickets were available but the OH had Covid so I had to stay at home in case I also had it. Next weekend the trains were on strike. During the week before the weekend after that when, finally, nothing would have stopped me getting there (by now it was late February 2023) the car sold!
I try not to have regrets but, with hindsight, I should have moved hell and earth to get there and buy this one as I doubt I'll find another that's the same, and as clean and low mileage as this one was.
Original Cinch listing for posterity:
https://www.cinch.co.uk/used-cars/bmw/4-series/det...
BimmerWerk info:
https://bimmer.work/vin/a3ebd6fbd17ef3328ad0819b6d...
Now wearing the plate "WOT73R" and 35k miles at its last MOT last September, but if it's still as clean and been serviced properly I'd still buy it if it reappears.
I want an F32 BMW 440i Coupé.
I really want one in Snapper Rocks Blue with Ivory White leather and Piano Black interior trim.
This exact car appeared for sale, simultaneously at Marshall Hampshire BMW and on Cinch, in the summer of 2022. 22k miles and immaculate. It was too expensive and my ducks weren't in a row finanaically so I expected to miss out, but it was still hanging around at the end of the year. Price was reduced but it was still a little too much. Then it disappeared. I figured it had sold.
A couple of weeks later it popped up again at an independent car dealership near Watford. I asked a relation who worked at a BMW dealership at the time why that may be and he said, "not an issue, just the BMW dealer not wanting to pay for the finance policy beyond a certain point so shuffled it on to an independent".
Ducks are in a row now, price is right and I have the reassurance that the car ticked all the boxes to be an Approved Used BMW.
Massive round trip needed so started to look at rail fares as my car was dropping to bits and the OH needed her car, so I'd have to go by train. The bulk of the journey was between Leeds and London Kings Cross and that's where it all started to unravel. Plenty of tickets coming up in the search but all said "not available to buy", so I physically couldn't get train tickets. This went on for weeks.
Finally a weekend arrived when tickets were available but the OH had Covid so I had to stay at home in case I also had it. Next weekend the trains were on strike. During the week before the weekend after that when, finally, nothing would have stopped me getting there (by now it was late February 2023) the car sold!
I try not to have regrets but, with hindsight, I should have moved hell and earth to get there and buy this one as I doubt I'll find another that's the same, and as clean and low mileage as this one was.
Original Cinch listing for posterity:
https://www.cinch.co.uk/used-cars/bmw/4-series/det...
BimmerWerk info:
https://bimmer.work/vin/a3ebd6fbd17ef3328ad0819b6d...
Now wearing the plate "WOT73R" and 35k miles at its last MOT last September, but if it's still as clean and been serviced properly I'd still buy it if it reappears.
buying a BMW X5 4.8is - think it was a 2004/2005 version, had 100k KM on the clock, when I moved to Dubai in 2011ish
Every single thing that could go wrong with that car went wrong. Every 3-6 months a monumental bill would appear and I literally made my BMW specialist over there rich.
From engine mounts, to gaskets (literally 12+ replaced at once), suspension (twice) - had air bag suspension, even the replacements failed within a couple of years, AC condenser, AC pipes, wheel hubs, interior electrics, the list goes on and on. I only owned it 3 years, spent more on it than the damn thing cost me!
What a pile of crap. Made a good noise tho and went well enough for it's size. Proper tank. Just built like crap.
Every single thing that could go wrong with that car went wrong. Every 3-6 months a monumental bill would appear and I literally made my BMW specialist over there rich.
From engine mounts, to gaskets (literally 12+ replaced at once), suspension (twice) - had air bag suspension, even the replacements failed within a couple of years, AC condenser, AC pipes, wheel hubs, interior electrics, the list goes on and on. I only owned it 3 years, spent more on it than the damn thing cost me!
What a pile of crap. Made a good noise tho and went well enough for it's size. Proper tank. Just built like crap.
Two annoy to this day. My first car after passing my test was going to be a Consul Capri, the shape of which I loved and would have been perfect for the hot rod and customising scene I was right into at the time. It sold just before I could turn up with the cash.
Second was a Series 3 XJ12 in cranberry with magnolia interior.
Loved it. Two years later the rust bubbles appeared. Rotten as a pear.
Second was a Series 3 XJ12 in cranberry with magnolia interior.
Loved it. Two years later the rust bubbles appeared. Rotten as a pear.
Being forced to abandon my SV650 mid corner, it ending up in a recovery place (after finding out off a random off the street as the police didn't tell me), being charged £150 plus £30 a day for storage and because I only had third part insurance, I scrapped it. When really I should've got it home in a van and sold the parts. But in my head at the time it was the cost of the lesson to lose the bike and was only worth £3k at most.
Buying an Mk2 FL Octavia vRS on a whim after seeing it on a forum and after selling my Z4 M I needed a car. Drove up North to get it. It was mostly fine apart from some interesting mods which I removed and spent a few k rectifying bodges and things. Then every year it took £1-2k out of me outside of normal servicing to keep it going. When it run well it was fast but was hard work to keep right.
Buying a Mk2 Fabia vRS estate when I could've bought a S2 Exige for the same money. Liked oil but did what I needed to. Soon after I ended up doing over 100 miles a day commuting. Very early morning and late nights on quiet Mid Wales roads. Made me a far better driver but if I had the Exige I'd have either got even better or killed myself as those were some wild drives.
Bought a Polo off a friend as my first car would've needed quite a bit for MOT. Got it home to find the tensioners had shattered and had to spend a few hundred doing a timing belt and water pump. Was lucky not to lose the engine. Then spent the year chasing ghost EML's. I suspected in the end throttle body which at the time was £500 so got rid.
Buying an Mk2 FL Octavia vRS on a whim after seeing it on a forum and after selling my Z4 M I needed a car. Drove up North to get it. It was mostly fine apart from some interesting mods which I removed and spent a few k rectifying bodges and things. Then every year it took £1-2k out of me outside of normal servicing to keep it going. When it run well it was fast but was hard work to keep right.
Buying a Mk2 Fabia vRS estate when I could've bought a S2 Exige for the same money. Liked oil but did what I needed to. Soon after I ended up doing over 100 miles a day commuting. Very early morning and late nights on quiet Mid Wales roads. Made me a far better driver but if I had the Exige I'd have either got even better or killed myself as those were some wild drives.
Bought a Polo off a friend as my first car would've needed quite a bit for MOT. Got it home to find the tensioners had shattered and had to spend a few hundred doing a timing belt and water pump. Was lucky not to lose the engine. Then spent the year chasing ghost EML's. I suspected in the end throttle body which at the time was £500 so got rid.
Selling my 71 Mustang, simple basic fun, with side pipes it sounded wonderful.
Having my 70 series Landcruiser written off and not buying the not badly damaged vehicle back, worth serious money now.
Selling our then 3 year old top of range Hilux when no longer needed for wifeys small business.
Vehicles we should have bought, an unusual spec E39 BMW M5 many years ago, in Oxford green with tan leather - approved used too, similarly not jumping on a completely rust free facelift E500 W124 being grey imported from Japan for sale at the time for £13k, local 66 plate 60k mile Landcruiser 150 series for £25k in 2020, worth the same money now.
Most regretted purchases, as mentioned by another victim above an 1850 Dolomite, other rubbish being Morris 1100, Rover 2300SD1, Austin 2200landcrab, Cavalier 1600 Diesel Slug, Outlander 1, Merc W124 E320 estate, unreliable money pits, there will have been many more regrets.
Having my 70 series Landcruiser written off and not buying the not badly damaged vehicle back, worth serious money now.
Selling our then 3 year old top of range Hilux when no longer needed for wifeys small business.
Vehicles we should have bought, an unusual spec E39 BMW M5 many years ago, in Oxford green with tan leather - approved used too, similarly not jumping on a completely rust free facelift E500 W124 being grey imported from Japan for sale at the time for £13k, local 66 plate 60k mile Landcruiser 150 series for £25k in 2020, worth the same money now.
Most regretted purchases, as mentioned by another victim above an 1850 Dolomite, other rubbish being Morris 1100, Rover 2300SD1, Austin 2200landcrab, Cavalier 1600 Diesel Slug, Outlander 1, Merc W124 E320 estate, unreliable money pits, there will have been many more regrets.
Had recently got married and had the big honeymoon etc. Wanted to continue the fun into the new year so bought a Maserati GranTurismo at the start of 2020 for doing lots of road trips abroad in.
Then covid hit…
Owned for a year, it somehow generated £8000 in bills (!) during which time I’d never got to drive it further than 3 hours from our home!
Then 2021 came round and found out we were having a baby so the Maser got sold for a new and sensible Volvo.
I originally got it as it was between that or a 997 and it seemed the 997 was generally reliable but the engine might bore score itself to death which frightened me off, whereas the GranTurismo turned out to be the opposite - incredibly stout engine and gearbox but everything else went wrong.
If I’d got the 911 it probably would have been fine and I’d likely still have it.
Sigh.
Then covid hit…
Owned for a year, it somehow generated £8000 in bills (!) during which time I’d never got to drive it further than 3 hours from our home!
Then 2021 came round and found out we were having a baby so the Maser got sold for a new and sensible Volvo.
I originally got it as it was between that or a 997 and it seemed the 997 was generally reliable but the engine might bore score itself to death which frightened me off, whereas the GranTurismo turned out to be the opposite - incredibly stout engine and gearbox but everything else went wrong.
If I’d got the 911 it probably would have been fine and I’d likely still have it.
Sigh.
Not buying a Ferrari 360cs for £50k
Not buying a 996 turbo for £19k
Not buying an E46 M3 CSL for £30k
Buying an E92 M3 for £40k…… very nice car but not any of the above and indeed it depreciated much more! Had couple of reliability issues too! Still had some great times in it….. appreciating now I’ve got rid of it years ago of course.
Not buying a 996 turbo for £19k
Not buying an E46 M3 CSL for £30k
Buying an E92 M3 for £40k…… very nice car but not any of the above and indeed it depreciated much more! Had couple of reliability issues too! Still had some great times in it….. appreciating now I’ve got rid of it years ago of course.
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