Cars you owned that you wish you had kept...

"BadMotorScooter" (badmotorscooter) 02/08/2014 at 22:49 • Filed to: None

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It seems like every time I get an interesting car I rationalize how it will someday be a collectible and I should keep it. And then, sometime later, life happens, or I get bored, or some new shiny object gets my attention and I move on. Some of those cars though, I was actually right, and I think they are collectible.

What have you owned personally or in your family, that you regret selling now?

My list includes:

87 Fiero GT, manual

93 Supra MKIV twin turbo

03 C5 Z06 electron blue, bone stock, ultra low miles

daender > BadMotorScooter 02/08/2014 at 22:56

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1983 El Camino, technically it was my dad's but we sold it instead of fixing it and spent 14k$ more on a used Murrano. For 14k$, we could have made an awesome V8-swapped Elky with a modern drivetrain.

CPT Speedbump > BadMotorScooter 02/08/2014 at 22:58

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..I have no regrets car wise :D

Luke's Dad Sold His 2000TL To Get a Sienna > BadMotorScooter 02/08/2014 at 22:59

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Bought one exactly like that from a friend leaving the country. He had an accident but it didn't occur to him to tell it to us and we didn't think of getting the car checked, coolant and problems and service made us end up trading it to Lexus for our lease on the GX after Carmax refused to take it in because of the shady replacement windshield. I sure as heck don't want to deal with it now, but I wish I had an opportunity to drive it because BMW has such a tainted name in our household now we'll never own another one again.

2000 Civic LX, our first car when we moved to the United States. Another car I wish we never sold because I wanted to drive it as my first car more than I wanted our 3.2TL with twice as much horsepower. It just had so much memories and sentimental value. My dad sold it to his coworker who had just totaled his car (foreshadowing) for a low price (made me cry and I was 17) and the coworker went on to pervert it by grounding it all the way into the ground and part way through the lithosphere, added some random wheels, tried to put a CRV engine into it (I couldn't make this up if I tried) and then totaled it. ASSHAT.

BadMotorScooter > daender 02/08/2014 at 23:01

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Ouch I feel your pain. I've always wanted one but never owned one. I see some for sale now and then and am very tempted....

daender > BadMotorScooter 02/08/2014 at 23:04

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TBH, the quality and finish sucks and the V6 is a time bomb, but hot damn it looked good in black with chrome dog dish rims!

desertdog5051 > BadMotorScooter 02/08/2014 at 23:05

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This.

promoted by the color red > Luke's Dad Sold His 2000TL To Get a Sienna 02/08/2014 at 23:07

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Crazy as it sounds, the CRV engine is actually a popular swap with the Honda community as it's dirt cheap and makes decent torque.

BadMotorScooter > desertdog5051 02/08/2014 at 23:07

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Wow, yeah I'd be shitty about letting that one go...

Frosted > BadMotorScooter 02/08/2014 at 23:08

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2007 Chevy Colorado Z71. Had an I5 engine that made 242 horses and, despite being automatic, did some pretty awesome peel outs with its no rear weight. I only got rid of it because it wasn't 4x4 and I'd get stuck in the snow during winter.

lone_liberal > BadMotorScooter 02/08/2014 at 23:09

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My first car, a 72 Gran Torino. When I got rid of it I had just joined the Navy and it was just another old Ford. Now it's still just an old Ford but one that is something different than you see around.

BadMotorScooter > lone_liberal 02/08/2014 at 23:10

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Awesome car, any pics?

lone_liberal > BadMotorScooter 02/08/2014 at 23:12

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Unfortunately not, those pictures were obviously on film and the prints were lost long ago.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > BadMotorScooter 02/08/2014 at 23:12

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I've never sold a car and regretted it. If i like a car enough I keep it till I kill it or some one else does.

the only car I loved that I've ever sold was my 99 Civic EX sedan. it was my first manual trans car, and the first car i did over 100 in.

but I sold that b/c I bought my one true love my 91 Cvic hatchback.

aslo while typing this I remembered the one vehicle I do regret selling, my 97 Tacoma. I had to sell it cuz I lost my job and could make the payments, or justify having two cars.

BadMotorScooter > CPT Speedbump 02/08/2014 at 23:16

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Not even something you passed up but wish you had bought now?

BadMotorScooter > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 02/08/2014 at 23:17

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It seems like a lot of Tacoma owners either wish they had kept it or won't sell it...

CPT Speedbump > BadMotorScooter 02/08/2014 at 23:27

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Well, I don't regret geetting read of any of mine, I do regret passing up a F20 powered Datsun 510 on Ebay though.

jariten1781 > BadMotorScooter 02/08/2014 at 23:29

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My poor old 91 Prelude 4ws. When I got rid of it in 04 it was in pristine stock condition with around 80k on the clock. Sold it to a guy who seemed pretty legit when I was moving half way across the country.

Came back to town and I had the misfortune of seeing it. The poor car was slammed, with a coffee can muffler, horrible wheels, green neon underneath, a giant Jesus mural sticker on the back window, a terrible body kit that was falling off, and damage to the front right corner. I knew it was mine too because it still had my old expired parking tags from my old apartment complex on the bumper.

If I had never seen it again I don't know that I'd regret getting rid of it, but after seeing the abuse it suffered I have nothing but regret.

Manuél Ferrari > BadMotorScooter 02/08/2014 at 23:29

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This topic is too depressing

If I list the cars I should have kept but didn't I will be yelled at by many. And I'll need to see a therapist to deal with the sadness that thinking of the long lost cars brought on

But I can't imagine how you feel. What you lost is worse than me

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > BadMotorScooter 02/08/2014 at 23:32

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Thats cuz they are great. mine was a 4x4 w the 3.4 v6 and a 5 speed manual. I had lots of fun in that truck.

Manuél Ferrari > Luke's Dad Sold His 2000TL To Get a Sienna 02/08/2014 at 23:32

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I got rid of the pics of my former Bimmers

It was too hard to look at them. It was like looking at pics of ex gfs

Howdy Harrell > BadMotorScooter 02/08/2014 at 23:35

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My 2008 CLK 350. The first car I bought on my own.... Sadly was totaled 2 weeks ago. :(

Thisnewformatisrubbish > BadMotorScooter 02/08/2014 at 23:42

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67 malibu 327 4 speed
84 200sx turbo
91 240sx coupe
53 chevy coupe...

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > lone_liberal 02/08/2014 at 23:42

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now that is depressing I have tons of pics of all my cars. I love looking back at my old cars even the one awful car that I hated.

BadMotorScooter > Manuél Ferrari 02/08/2014 at 23:44

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Consider it therapy... what did you let go that you shouldn't have??

BadMotorScooter > Howdy Harrell 02/08/2014 at 23:45

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Beautiful car. Ouch that makes me sad.... :(

PushToStart > BadMotorScooter 02/08/2014 at 23:56

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Well, I remember my high school physics teacher telling me how he regrets selling his 1963 Corvette split-window coupe for ridiculously cheap before they shot up in value. Also my dad sold his 1982 Scirocco and I really wish he saved it, it was such a cool/fun car...

CiiNubbin > BadMotorScooter 02/09/2014 at 00:01

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76 Ford Courier, my first hand me down car, in that wonderful yellow. My dad sold it out from under me.

86 Honda Prelude. All I can say about this one is NEVER EVER listen to your girlfriend. Why did I ever sell it.....sigh....

Lemonhead > BadMotorScooter 02/09/2014 at 00:01

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I had a 1st gen Mitsubishi Eclipse, VIN ended in 0004456. It was so early in the build that when I had to change a headlight, Autozone always tried to sell me the wrong one because they changed it during the model year.

Joe_Limon > BadMotorScooter 02/09/2014 at 00:14

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At times I wish I still had my 86 tbird. Then I remember it had the v6 with about 100hp and 7mpg.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > BadMotorScooter 02/09/2014 at 00:33

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The only car that I have deep sellers remorse is the 1990 Nissan Fairlady Z Twin Turbo 5sp Manual.

this thing was MINT 76000km's(47500 miles) perfect leather interior, t-tops, Tein Coilovers, Blitz turbo timer, Tanaka Exhaust.

I practically gave it away. I have owned cars that cost 3-4 times as much that I don't even think about anymore. but this one held a special place in my heart.

NotUnlessRoundIsFunny > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 02/09/2014 at 00:37

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The car I really missed when I parted with it was my '99 Honda Civic EX with five-speed manual. There was nothing exciting about it, but I reveled in how perfect it was for the job it did. And that little fella never let me down.

YesILoveCars > BadMotorScooter 02/09/2014 at 00:39

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1965 Chevrolet Chevelle

2001 Nissan Pathfinder LE

2006 Infiniti FX35

***sigh** Now I'm sad. A drink will fix that right up.

Manuél Ferrari > BadMotorScooter 02/09/2014 at 00:49

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I was on mobile earlier. I'm home now and cracked open an IPA and got on the desktop to type out the stories. I'll go in chronological order:

1984 BMW 318i 5MT - my old man had purchased it brand new and handed it down to me in the mid 90s. It was the first car he ever purchased new and my first car at 16 years old. It had a ton of miles on the clock but was bulletproof after some issues he had during the first year of ownership that BMW finally fixed after keeping the car for long periods of time (I think 84 was the first year of the E30 318i and it had some gremlins). I loved the car as it handled like it was on rails. But of course like any teenager I lusted for moar power. I worked odd jobs and saved up some money to get another car. We gave the E30 to my uncle. I never would have guessed that the E30 was going to become a very desirable car to keep as a classic. I never knew how hard it would be to find an unmolested one in the future, even the 4 cylinder model. I should have kept my first car for life.

1981 633 CSI 5MT - I got the 6er because I wanted the big straight 6. I could have got an E30 325is instead but I was obsessed with the idea of the larger I6 and I loved how the shark nose looked. The car was even the same color as a shark as it was light blue. I could only afford to spend about $2500 so the car wasn't in the greatest of shape. I drove it for a couple of years and then freaked out when it had its first engine problem that left me stranded on the side of the road until a tow came. I can't remember exactly what went wrong as it was so long ago but I think it was just a belt that snapped that didn't cause major issues. My dad and I fixed it and I should have just kept it but I wanted something newer and more reliable because my college was 140 miles from home and I made that trip at night a fair bit. I also didn't anticipate that it would have been a good idea to keep this car. When I sold it in the late 90s nobody seemed to give a shit about the 6 Series. Most people in So Cal were into lowered trucks at the time. I didn't know the E24 would become a future jalop fav and actually go up in value a bit.

1994 BMW 325is 5MT - I bought it used for about $14K. Can't remember how many miles it had on it but it was in really good shape. Over the next couple years I spent a fair amount of money upgrading a lot of the suspension, the wheels, the stereo, getting an ECU tune and cold air box. It was blue on gray leather and a damn sexy coupe. It was probably 20 HP down on a stock US spec E36 M3, though there was a lot less torque. The peak HP came higher at higher revs due to the tune so you had to rev the piss out of it to go fast. But damn was it fun to do so when traffic eased up a bit. I loved it but was short on cash when buying my first condo so I sold it to some teenage girl for the same price I paid for it (minus the mods). She and her Dad looked at the car and fell in love at first site. I always wonder how long she kept it and if it ever got her into trouble as it was way faster than would have been healthy for me when I was a teenager.

Late 80s Black on Black Alfa Spider - while I never owned this car I should have owned it. It was my father's car and he was going to hand it down to me instead of the E30 but he ran into some cash flow problems and had to sell it to a different uncle. Later my uncle decided to retire to Argentina and gave me first dibs on buying it. I wanted to but only had one garage spot at the time and didn't have a ton of extra cash laying around. I should have just done it though. The car wasn't was really clean and it's not easy to find a clean spider for a good price, let alone one with family history. There is a picture somewhere of me as a child in the car with our first puppy on the rear section behind the seats. My uncle wasn't looking to get max value and probably would have sold it to me for well under the then market value. The value has probably gone up a lot since then.

2007 Mercedes E350 Special Edition - it was a special edition that cost a bit more and some of the purchase price went to a fund for cancer research. It was black with a special interior that mixed black with some lighter leather sections. It had the AMG bodykit and the sports suspension. It was a real peach of a car. It had a decent amount of power and got good gas mileage for being a N/A mid size car. It handled pretty damn good for a non-AMG mid size Merc. When the lease was up I should have bought the car as it had been reliable and was a great commuter that mixed comfort and luxury with decent handling and RWD fun. But I got over excited about the new 2010 E Class coupe and leased it without doing a proper test drive. I never drove the new car on the freeway and therefore never noticed how poorly it handled. The pillar-less design of the new car made it handle like a late 70s Caddy. It could barely handle certain freeway interchanges without getting a bit out of sorts. The NAV unit was a bit step down as it forced you to use the voice controls while in motion. Which was actually WAY less safe than letting you enter the address like the old car did because the voice recognition was poor and made you spend extra time fiddling with it to get the right address (if you could get it right at all). The seats were terrible and caused me pain after 45 minutes of driving. And the bluetooth picked up a ton of road noise whereas the former E350 didn't. The drivetrain was fine but the same as the former car so it would have been much better to have kept the old car.

So those are my stories. I never gave up a Super twin turbo though so you probably feel worse. I know how impossible it is to find an unmolested Supra at a good price nowadays. Was your car a manual?

The Z06 sounds awesome too.

Blake Noble > BadMotorScooter 02/09/2014 at 01:10

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1.) 1984 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS: This old guy needed a new rear diff (someone welded the original one), paint, and something besides a smogged-out 305 with a barely functioning Computer Command Control (was that the name?) carburetor. It had potential. I didn't have enough money.

2.) 1984 Buick Regal Grand National Clone: Swapped out the Monte above for this. I had it for about two weeks when the Rocket 350 the previous owner swapped in threw a rod. The only engine available to me to replace it with at the time was a cheap-o Olds 307. Yeah. I just want to reassert the fact the 307 sucks, especially when you have 3.73 gears out back. Top speed on the interstate? Sixty miles per hour. Still wish I had it for an LS1 swap, though.

3.) 2010 Dodge Challenger SE: This is the only new car I've ever owned. Why? It was stupid cheap. The dealer had it sitting in inventory with a blemished front bumper for well over a year. I threw my shitty old '98 Camaro at 'em for a downpayment and put it on the road for $17,000 and some pocket change. If I didn't find myself out of work six months later, I would probably still have it today.

I would include my '98 and '00 Jeep Cherokees in this list, but nah. I'm starting to feel bad about myself.

Old-Busted-Hotness > BadMotorScooter 02/09/2014 at 06:09

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The ones I miss the most:

MkI Morris Mini

'78 Lincoln Town Coupe

'70 Cad-Superior hearse

BadMotorScooter > Manuél Ferrari 02/09/2014 at 09:07

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Wow, the Alfa sounds great, I'd miss that one. And a series of great BMWs too. It seems strange that we don't recognize the value of what we have, or maybe our perception changes over time.

My Supra was kind of the same story. I got it from a friend of mine who needed something more practical. It was an auto (not my choice) and did not have the wing. It was a fun car, but for from perfect. At the time I didn't realize the cult status that it would earn. I had people leave notes on the car and follow me around to look at it. It was strangely like driving an exotic. I eventually needed something more practical myself and traded it in the late 90s. It was all stock and unmolested.

BadMotorScooter > Blake Noble 02/09/2014 at 09:10

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So much potential....

BadMotorScooter > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 02/09/2014 at 09:12

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Very nice car. That reminds me of my Supra. I don't think anybody knew that the 90s Japanese sports cars were going to represent a sort of peak.

BadMotorScooter > Joe_Limon 02/09/2014 at 09:31

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I had a buddy who had an 80 something Tbird turbo coupe, with a manual. Fun car and you never see them anymore!

BadMotorScooter > Lemonhead 02/09/2014 at 09:32

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Turbo? AWD?

Slave2anMG > BadMotorScooter 02/09/2014 at 09:49

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This. An '83 240D. Slow as hell, reliable as hell, comfortable as hell. I loved everything about it except for the glacial acceleration...and that's why I got rid of it. Dumbass.

BadMotorScooter > Slave2anMG 02/09/2014 at 09:58

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I love that body style. Classic and beautiful.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > BadMotorScooter 02/09/2014 at 10:36

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could agree with you more. I would take this before a 370Z any day.

Joe_Limon > BadMotorScooter 02/09/2014 at 11:44

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If I had the time/money, and eco boosted v6 tbird would be a hellofa sweet daily driver.

PyramidHat > BadMotorScooter 02/09/2014 at 13:59

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1980 280ZX w/5spd and T-tops. The T's were a pain in the ass to get on and off, but when the weather was nice, they were awesome. The PO put Michelin MXV's on it and it cornered like a slot car. Got spooked when I started having some FI issues (electronics, IIRC) and a couple of other things (paint on the hood was fading, needed rear springs/shocks) and I was itching for something new. I saw it a few years later and whoever owned it wrecked it twice (there were new, different colored body panels on it, and even the new panels were dented). About 7 years later I bought the first gen 300ZX Turbo and it wasn't the same...

PyramidHat > BadMotorScooter 02/09/2014 at 14:06

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I’m going to pass along a story of my fathers remorse, now. The year was 1977. My parents had been driving their 1968 Firebird (350 w/2BBL – gas for the 4BBL was eating them alive) for 8 years. Dad was happy. Mom was watching TV and saw an ad featuring Ricardo Montalban waxing poetic about the Chrysler Cordoba, with Fine Corinthian Leather. So, on Mother’s Day of that horrible year, he traded his car, with 50,000 miles on the clock, for a silver Cordoba, with a landau top and vinyl seats (didn’t want to spring for the leather, I reckon). Over the following 80,000 miles, the seats tore, went through 3 ignition modules, 4 transmissions, 3 landau tops and a paint job. This in addition to being left stranded on the side of the road on a holiday weekend. My father hated Ricardo Montalban until the day he died.

Theguywholikesbadmovies > BadMotorScooter 02/09/2014 at 14:13

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The first car I wished I had kept was my 1991 Toyota Pickup 22RE 2wd on 31 inch all-terrains which I sold to buy my 1991 Ford Mustang 5.0 with a t-5, a beat up saleen/GT/i have no idea body kit, cobra heads and intake, an intake system I made , "off-road" x-pipe, and SLP loudmouth "mufflers"

Neither of these being particularly worth anything but the vehicles I had the most fun in.

Manuél Ferrari > BadMotorScooter 02/09/2014 at 16:00

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On top of not fully recognizing what we or how our perceptions would change over time we also didn't realize how hard it would be to buy the same cars later. Nobody cared much about the bimmers I had when I had them. People liked the E36 but it wasn't a hard car to find in good shape. There were so many of them back then. Now you can find them, but finding a relatively low mileage example in good shape is not easy.

And I NEVER would have guessed that people would get into E24s and E30s. The E24 was pretty obscure outside BMW circles and the E30 was just a common and kind of underpowered car in the mid 90s. I never would have guessed that the E30 would achieve cult status in the future. Everyone is looking for E30s that aren't beat to shit nowadays.

One thing I've learned since then is this - BMWs get driven daily more than any other luxury German brand. People like how they drive so they drive them a lot. So it's never easy to find a low mileage bimmer once it gets past a certain age. Bimmers aren't garage queens.

The Alfa would have been a great car to buy and hold. They used to be pretty common but not so much anymore. It would be a fun Sunday car.

I wonder how much a manual conversion would cost you today if you still had that Supra? Unmolested MT Supras are going for a LOT these days.

Lemonhead > BadMotorScooter 02/09/2014 at 17:21

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At the time, I couldn't afford the insurance for the turbo (I had a lead foot in those days). However, it was a great car. Solid engine and never once gave me a problem.

BadMotorScooter > Manuél Ferrari 02/09/2014 at 19:28

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Well said, and that's the thing, the cars didn't seem all that special at the time. Do people like the BMWs because they had one and appreciated how good it was, or do they remember how they perceived the car owned by others at that time in their lives?

My Supra was great fun, and I have some really good memories with that car, but when I decided to let it go I didn't look back. But since I owned one, I think the idea of a $50k+ stock 90s Supra is absolutely nuts. I'd never pay that much for that car. It wasn't THAT good. Maybe if I never had the experience of driving one I might think it could be worth that.

Don't drive your heroes they say, as they will rarely live up to your expectations.

BadMotorScooter > Lemonhead 02/09/2014 at 19:30

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I had a Talon non-turbo in the family, and I agree that car was bulletproof. Beat the hell out of it and it just kept going...

BadMotorScooter > jariten1781 02/09/2014 at 19:36

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That would break my heart. I'd be tempted to say something to the owner, but I'm sure it would do no good...

BadMotorScooter > PyramidHat 02/09/2014 at 19:38

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That just hurts, my friend...

BadMotorScooter > PyramidHat 02/09/2014 at 19:41

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I have a special place in my heart for a 280Z. A high school friend's older brother had one, so we all looked up to him and the car. And they are a really good sports car, pure in form and function.

PyramidHat > BadMotorScooter 02/09/2014 at 20:51

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Yep - ours looked like that, only blue. Dad told me that when they first bought it, he was driving to work on the freeway and at 55 mph he could spin the tires.

Funny story about how times have changed: I remember as a kid (5? 6?) I'd be riding on the front seat and mom would have me hold on to the handrail thing mounted to the dash...just in case we got into an accident.

PyramidHat > BadMotorScooter 02/09/2014 at 20:54

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Yep....and they still look good, to this day

Manuél Ferrari > BadMotorScooter 02/09/2014 at 21:22

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How funny I just saw a red Supra. And I rarely ever see them. Yeah all the clean MT versions are well over $50K. I've seen them for $65K or even more if really low miles. That car has definitely held its value well. It's like the E30 M3. Both are cars that fall into the "never drive your heroes" category as they are great cars but there are so many other cars you can buy for the same money today that will be a lot quicker.

I think there are a few reasons that people like bimmers from the 70s, 80s and 90s so much. There are definitely some people who had one or who got to drive a family member's car a lot so they remember how good it was. A big thing that is making people in this group appreciate the cars is the simplicity of those cars. Cars have become a lot bigger, heavier and more complex so people realize how good the BMWs of yesteryear were.

The second reason is older bimmers have become very popular on car blogs. So even people who never had one or drove one before learn about them and want them. BMW's pre-2000 formula was very simple and successful. They made a limited number of cars which were all RWD. They had some luxury and most models could be had with a stick. Their engine options ranged from anemic to moderately powerful, with some cars occasionally having a high power output. Generally there was more chassis than engine. While true 50/50 weight distribution was a myth as not all cars were exactly 50/50 BMW's cars generally had better weight distribution than the competition from Mercedes and Audi. And BMW made sure that no car handled poorly. Their standard suspension setups were about as good as the rare sport suspension package in the Mercs, and the BMW sport suspension options made the cars handle nearly as good as some bespoke sports cars.

This formula wasn't rocket science. RWD + good handling + stick shift + some luxury was something that any other car company could accomplish too, if they wanted to. But for whatever reason other companies didn't consistently offer sedans that had these characteristics.

IMO the real issue BMW faces now isn't model bloat. While they do have too many cars that's not a huge problem as long as they keep making cars like the new 2 Series that bring back a better price point and slightly smaller and lighter setup than the larger than ever 3/4 series. The biggest problem BMW faces is that their formula wasn't impossible to emulate and other car companies have employed it. The Caddy ATS has good balance and can be had with a stick. The new Merc C Class doesn't come with a stick in the US but it has better weight distribution than ever before. It was only a matter of time until other car companies made good competitors. BMW needs to push vehicle dynamics further to give people a reason to pick them.

They could start by developing a 7 speed stick as GM and Porsche have done. That way people who don't live in areas with heavy traffic can pick the stick for the feels and not make a huge fuel efficiency sacrifice. The tallest gear on a 6MT is nowhere near as tall as the 8th or 9th gear in these new AT boxes. A 7MT can be setup to have a super tall 7th gear that you only use on the highway, which would be helpful because there is no need to rev your engine at 3300 RPM at 80 MPH when cruising on the freeway.

Sese > BadMotorScooter 02/14/2014 at 08:51

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1991 4runner, v6, with 5speed tranny. Never, ever, ever listen to your wife.......