What are the cars you almost bought instead?

"Jim Spanfeller" (awesomeaustinv) 09/30/2020 at 18:15 • Filed to: None

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A couple years ago before I bought my first car, and I was considering my options, I had narrowed down my choices to either the 1966 Ford Thunderbird that looked pristine on Craigslist, or a 1962 Buick Electra 225 kinda like this one:

I of course ended up buying the Thunderbird and I’ve been very happy with that car, but sometimes I wonder... What if I’d bought the Buick instead? I think those were the ones you could get with the hilariously inefficient one-speed automatic transmission that’s basically just a huge torque converter so your speed is determined by how much the transmission is slipping. Very smooth acceleration, sure, but you’ll get maybe 8 mpg under the best of circumstances if you’re lucky :) I still probably would’ve grown fond of it and I imagine it would’ve also been an excellent cruiser, perhaps with even more passenger and luggage space than my T-bird. But I was bit by the Thunderbird bug, so that’s what I went with.

So what are the cars you almost bought instead?

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Jim Spanfeller 09/30/2020 at 18:22

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I had a 1968 electrea, 430 CI v8, 3 speed auto and boat ride suspension. I think it got 12 mpg. But the 30 gallon tank made it tolerable .

Car  I almost bought was a 2005 Mazda RX-8. It was really nice and drove well but it was HARD to start so I figured even with 30k miles it was already on it’s way out. Glad I didn’t buy it, bought a 2006 Mazda3 and am still driving it 11 years later.

sony1492 > Jim Spanfeller 09/30/2020 at 18:22

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Paid too much for my first car, a 95 C ivic auto with tons of miles. The day after picking it up a seller got back to me about a clean maxima 150 miles closer for not much more money. It was exactly like the one pictured

CB > Jim Spanfeller 09/30/2020 at 18:23

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When I was shopping for my first car, the Jolly Rancher, there was a dealer down the street with a 2013 WRX STi. It was in white, a hatchback, but had nearly 40k more kilometres and was $8k CAD more. I bought my Fiesta, but part of me still regrets not buying the Subaru.

Jim Spanfeller > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 09/30/2020 at 18:25

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Nice!

Yeah, RX- 8s seem like the kinds of cars that are really tempting but can also result in horror stories. You probably made the right decision.

benjrblant > Jim Spanfeller 09/30/2020 at 18:26

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I’ve got a 1997 LX450 (Land Cruiser.)
I also strongly considered: a Jeep XJ, Range Rover Classic, Discovery2, Tacoma, and a 3rd Gen 4Runner. I’m really happy that I ended up with the vehicle I did.

Jim Spanfeller > CB 09/30/2020 at 18:28

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Yeah, the problem with used WRXs is that if you can afford it, it’s probably already had the crap beat out of it by the previous owner. They’re still tempting though.

ranwhenparked > Jim Spanfeller 09/30/2020 at 18:29

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When I bought my 1991 Volvo 940 Turbo back in high school, it was between that and a 1985 Cadillac Seville - the last year of the bustle back. Fred. Beans Cadillac in Doylestown PA had just taken one in on trade, ice blue metallic with blue velour interior, something like 70,000 miles, 1 owner, obviously pampered. It drove really nice, but the fear of that HT4100 V8 being a possible ticking time bomb and what I’d do as a high school kid with a dead Cadillac in my parents’ driveway that I had just spent most of my cash on, with not enough left to pay for a new engine, is what scared me away from it.

Also, before buying my current Camaro, I did look at the BRZ, there's things about it I like - smaller size, nimble handling, modern (non retro) styling, but just couldn't shake the nagging feeling that it just wasn't as much car for the money, eg, it felt like a compromise. Didn't like the interior as much, and just thought it seemed all around a bit bland. Still sometimes see one on the road and wonder if it would have grown on my if I lived with it for awhile.

Chariotoflove > Jim Spanfeller 09/30/2020 at 18:29

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I almost bought two different 2007 Jaguar XK convertibles. I had even started to sign the papers for one before I thought better of it and backed out. The first one had too many issues upon PPI.  Instead, I bought Genie, and three years later, I am sure that I made the right choice.

I still want a convertible though.

CB > Jim Spanfeller 09/30/2020 at 18:32

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Well, I’ve got bad news for the next owner of my Fiesta!

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Jim Spanfeller 09/30/2020 at 18:47

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Mustang Ecoboost (2015) instead of my Fiesta ST.

I can’t think of any other “close calls”

Future next gen S2000 owner > Jim Spanfeller 09/30/2020 at 18:49

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I almost bought an early 4th gen Trans Am(the ones with the big beak)  back in the early 00's . Was about to sign the paperwork and dealer told me I was qualified for like 24% interest. Walked right out and picked up a 1965 Galaxie a few weeks later.

MUSASHI66 > Jim Spanfeller 09/30/2020 at 18:52

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I was on my way to sign paperwork for a 2008 MazdaSpeed 6. It was a dealer trade, as my dealer only had a loaded model which I didn’t want. On the way to the dealership, I got a call from the salesperson to let me know the other dealership sold it.

I bought a 2008 Subaru Outback. Very different car, but it ended up being a good thing as I got a German Shepherd right around that time.

My second car in USA - I really wanted a Ford Explorer SportTruck. Ford wouldn’t finance me, but Toyota down the street would, and I got a 2000 Tundra V8 SR5. Still have the Tundra and I’m fairly sure I wouldn’t still have the Ford. That was a lucky turn of events. 

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > CB 09/30/2020 at 18:54

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That poor little car

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Jim Spanfeller 09/30/2020 at 18:54

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I was considering an MGB GT and an Opel GT when I found my 240Z. I have thought about an LMTV since I started the M37 Dodge project. We will see how life is with it and if we ever go back to work. 

Jim Spanfeller > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 09/30/2020 at 18:56

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240Z was probably a wise decision, the others are cool but the 240Z is cool and reliable.

Jay, the practical enthusiast > Jim Spanfeller 09/30/2020 at 19:02

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I was cross shopping Subaru Outbacks with Mustang GTs. 1999 - 2004 Mustangs were about double the price of Outbacks of the same year, but much harder to find in good condition. Everytime a nice one popped up it sold before I could check it out. I eventually got tired of looking and settled on my current car. 

SmugAardvark > Jim Spanfeller 09/30/2020 at 19:08

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Thinking back to some of the bigger purchases I made, there were a few close calls. Here are a few of them. The one in bold for each year is the one I bought, whereas the others were just test drives .

2000: Chevrolet Cavalier , Chevrolet Camaro (V6), Toyota Supra (Mk3 non-turbo). I was in high school, and only the Cavalier still had a factory warranty. It was also the only manual transmission of the bunch.

2003: Mazdaspeed Protege , Dodg e Neon SRT-4, Mini Cooper S, Ford Focus SVT. The SRT was definitely the fastest of the bunch, but the Protege had the best combination of quickness , handling, and looks.

2006: Honda S2000 , Mazda Miata (NB), BMW Z3 . I feel like I certainly made the right call on this one.

2008: Land Rover Freelander , BMW X3, Subaru Forester, Audi A4 Avant. T he Freelander  was the cheapest of the bunch, and never gave me a bit of trouble. But it was also the first time I bought an SUV for daily duties. Not really my style, but it honestly was a decent purchase.

2020: Jaguar XE R-Sport , and a bunch of other cars . Six months later, still very happy with my choice.

Most of the other 20-something cars/trucks/bikes I’ve bought have generally either been on a whim, or a pre-determined choice of what I wanted.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Jim Spanfeller 09/30/2020 at 19:16

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Yeah, I do like an MGB GT Sebring clone with an aluminum Buick/Rover V8. That engine would be fine with the right set up. I do like the Z though. 

Cash Rewards > Jim Spanfeller 09/30/2020 at 19:39

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When I got my Cooper S (2005) and gti (2011), the Subaru arc was runner up each time. I always wanted one, and it was always my “next car”. When i got my civic (2017) a Mazda 3 was a coin flip away, and I thought long and hard about a Prius Prime before the leaf.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Jim Spanfeller 09/30/2020 at 19:53

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Years ago, I had the opportunity to buy a Canadian-made Pontiac Parisienne convertible from the 1960s. This thing was basically a Pontiac Bonneville grill and other Pontiac bits stuck on a Chevy chassis and powertrain. I recall that it had some flavour of SBC and 2 speed powerglide.

I turned it down as I knew it had been sitting for many years and would need $$$$ to make it road-worthy... and $$$$$ to make it nice.

And even if I did that, I had no use for a big, gas-guzzling convertible with all-around performance that was worse than the Honda Civic I was driving at the time.

Had I bought it and hung onto it until now, I would have a car that might be worth US$20,000. But I’m pretty sure I would have spent at least that much restoring, fixing and maintaining it over the past 20 years.

The car looked something like this (but in much worse condition)

I also had the opportunity to buy an old Fiat Spyder for only $500 from a former employer. Apparently it “only needed a new connecting rod”.

It looked approximately like this (including its condition):

I was pretty sure it needed a hell of a lot more than ‘just a connecting rod’... so I passed on it.

interstate366, now In The Industry > Jim Spanfeller 09/30/2020 at 20:01

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I tried to trade in my TL on a TSX wagon a couple weeks ago. My bank balked on the value of it.

LastFirstMI is my name > Jim Spanfeller 09/30/2020 at 20:20

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Had a GTI with the plaid seats and manual transmission waiting for me at the dealership when I bought my IS 350 instead. I always watch when a particularly nice GTI goes by , but for the daily commute I made the right choice.

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > Jim Spanfeller 09/30/2020 at 20:20

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So many before I got the Ferrari. Mustangs/brz/Morgan 3 wheeler/M5/etc. all over the place. I think this post  has most of them in there lol

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/life-liberty-and-the-pursuit-of-a-prancing-horse-1819859678

Beefchips > Jim Spanfeller 09/30/2020 at 21:04

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Can confirm. Source: thinking of selling my beat up WRX

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Jim Spanfeller 09/30/2020 at 21:04

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I came really close to buying one of these older Nissan Pathfinders in this wonderful shade of green. Clearly I had a thing for car color even back then.

I love how the roof bar looked on these. It was a 2WD auto V6, circa 2000,  in pretty great condition but a rear end vibration caused us to take a look at one more car even though we felt very good about it. That one more car was Geoff and I don’t regret a thing. Still, makes you wonder what could have been. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > MUSASHI66 09/30/2020 at 21:13

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What was your first car in the US? You really dodged a bullet with the Sportrac

whatisthatsound > Jim Spanfeller 09/30/2020 at 21:13

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R8, Atom, AMG GT, Ram, GT4, another stupid viper

MUSASHI66 > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 09/30/2020 at 22:28

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1991 Ford Taurus SHO. I traded it at 90k miles for the Tundra, after driving it for 10k miles or so. Awesome car, but expensive repairs. 

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Jim Spanfeller 09/30/2020 at 22:39

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I ended up passing on the chance to buy an Alfa GTV with a fairly hot motor from a mechanic friend when I was 18.  It would've been seriously cool, but my 18 year old self was just self aware enough to know I wasn't ready for the Italian ownership experience yet.

Bylan - Hoarder of LS400's > Jim Spanfeller 09/30/2020 at 22:39

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When i was looking for my first car at 18, I foolishly looked at 5 Series’ BMW’s. Some 540i’ s were very en ticing, and E34's.

I ended up with a 97 LS400 and I have since bought 3 of them. And spent a loooot on maintenance and repairs. I am too unlucky for that B avarian-engineered magic.

flatisflat > Jim Spanfeller 09/30/2020 at 23:43

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It was 2011 and I had come into a very well-paying job and had little to no financial commitments otherwise. There was an auction on BAT for a light matte blue ‘streetmod’ longhood 911 with plexi vented quarter windows, hood tiedowns, and some track friendly mods: modded but looked to be very wellkempt and presented very nicely. I think the bidding peaked at around $38k. It would have been the most expensive car I ever invested in, and for that and other reasons I chickened out.  That was kinda right before 911 prices went all stooopid, so it really would have likely been an investment instead of just an emotional buy.  But I still to this day have true regret for not pulling the trigger on that one.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > MUSASHI66 10/01/2020 at 00:06

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Yeah that had the finicky "bundle of snakes" Yamaha engine didn't it? It's hard to get notre dead reliable than a 2000s Tundra. 

Mark Tucker > Jim Spanfeller 10/01/2020 at 00:53

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I was all set to buy a ‘77 Porsche 924 before I bought my MGB GT. Still think I made the right call.

Ages ago, I looked at a ‘72 Mustang convertible and didn’t buy it because of the gas mileage. Took my dad up on his offer of a hand-me-down Golf instead. It was the right call, but a hard one to make.

And I was thiiiiis close to buying a Geo Storm, but instead ended up with a 4-door Escort. That one was... not a mistake, but the boring choice.

MUSASHI66 > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 10/01/2020 at 01:11

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Yup, amazing looking intake, but typical 90’s Ford everything else.

Tundra is going strong, at 145k miles it’s barely broken in :)

Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen > Jim Spanfeller 10/01/2020 at 04:30

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I bought my S13 Nissan on the rebound after a deal on a 944S2 fell through. Didn’t keep it all that long - it was a decent enough car but  it always felt second best.

My Jag XJR was an accidental purchase while I was shopping for a Miata (practically the same, right? Easy mistake to make).

I was 50/50 on a Mk5 GTI vs a Spec B Legacy wagon - I’d probably have wound up with the Legacy if the dealer hadn’t been a dick. Golf was the right call in the end though. 

mjswee > Jim Spanfeller 10/01/2020 at 09:07

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I tried to buy 3 different Jaguar XJRs, but could never come to terms with the sellers, then ended up buying a R53 MINI Cooper S. I still browse for an XJR.

I was really wanting an Isuzu Vehicross, but got a steal of a deal on my first FZJ80 Land Cruiser and went with it . I still browse for a Vehicross and should have held onto that Land Cruiser .

And when I was shopping for my first Porsche, a 996, Ferrari 308s and 328s were not too far off price was. I’m now on my third Porsche, but those Ferrari s doubled in price in that time, though the market seems to be cooling now .

Earlier this year, I came really close on pulling the trigger on a 1983 Mercedes 300GD cabrio. But I really needed a new daily driver, not another 5 cylinder NA diesel (same engine as my 1975 300D), so I went with a cheap lease on a 3-series. Six months later and I sold the BMW to Carvana and bought a Gladiator. Should have bought the GWagen.  

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Jim Spanfeller 10/01/2020 at 09:45

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When I was first hunting for a car, I was in my last year of university. I knew I was going to need something after I finished. A local dealership had a 1997 Nissan Sentra on for something like $3k (keep in mind this was back in 2007!) . I took it for a test drive, and it seemed alright, but wanted a little time to think about it. I did a little reading about the car, and they seemed decently reliable. I went back to the dealership to make them an offer, and while I was there, another couple had beat me there and bought it. I’m glad that happened. Instead, I caught a ride home for Christmas break, and did more car hunting while at my parents. We made a list of half a dozen different vehicles, and drove to Edmonton (2 hour drive). First one on the list to check out was the Civic that I still own. 200,000 km later, I’m glad it’s the one I went with.

When I was single, I told myself that if I was still single by a certain date, I was going to buy myself a fun car. Specifically a 2007 Ford Mustang. Thankfully by the time that date rolled around I was unemployed, and thought it unwise to buy a new vehicle at the time.

I’ve still got the Civic.

dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford > Jim Spanfeller 10/01/2020 at 12:40

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When I was shopping for my first car, I ended up with a 1998 Lexus GS300, but I was very close to getting a 2003 Jaguar XJ8 in sky blue. It was a gorgeous car and ran great, but eventual repairs scared me off.

Mark - Sixpots None The Richer > Jim Spanfeller 10/01/2020 at 12:56

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E34 Touring. Probably 525i, maybe 540...

I still think it would be the better car to own on most days compared to my Chevy.

But on the days the Chevy is better it’s a much more emotional and raw experience.

In the end I’m happy with my choice - and secretly hope that the prices on E34s won’t go through the (long)roof in the future . 

Taylor Martin > Jim Spanfeller 10/01/2020 at 16:30

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Technically not me buying it, but I would’ve driven these :

2016 Subaru Impreza: The dealership was rude to my mother, and they didn’t let me drive the car because I wasn’t old enough, and I didn’t want to buy a car without driving it myself (I wasn’t super into cars at the time, but I wanted to be the one to experience it).

2011 Chevy Impala: I got to drive the car (same complex as the Subaru dealer), it was a hoot, peppy, and cheap. Mom did a bit more research and found that the rear seats fold down on hard acceleration if not fastened correctly and the engine would stall... no go...

2 014 Honda Crosstour: The dealership wouldn’t give us enough for our old car to trade in (the Subaru dealer would’ve given my dad the most money for his old Volvo, but again, they were rude, and I couldn’t drive it ).

Then we found the TSX, which will likely be my car for a long long long time, hopefully by the time I have a family. The idea of a “family wagon” has always appealed to me!