1965 I was 17 and already owned 2, '50 fords, a cherry pie 41 2 door and my driver 56 Olds convertible. I was cruising town one Sunday afternoon in the Olds when my classmate "George" comes stumbling out of a bar [he passed for 21] and waved me over...needed 10 bucks to drink on and said he's sell me his 40 tudor parked at the curb for $10. I only had $8 and he grabbed it and said "Title is above the visor" and went back in the bar. I fired up the 40 and immediately broke the '39 transmission doing a burn-out...limped it home and washed it all up before my dad got home. The 40 was metallic blue with a blue and white candy stripe interior...had the stock 85 HP motor and full moons with whitewalls. When the ol man got home [drunk] he was pissed I brought home another car and said when he got home from work the next day I'd "better have only ONE car of mine on his property" or he'd have 'em all towed to the junkyard.. I kept the 56 Olds because I was still making payments on it but my buddy Rick and I hauled cars to the junk yard and George came to my house to get the 40...gave me my $8 back and it clanked down the driveway with it's busted trans.
I was 16 years old in 1968. I had a chance to buy a 1928 Model A Ford sedan delivery. Original right down to the red steering wheel. It was only $300.00. May as well have been 3 million. Could not raise the money. A week later, it was sold for half price ($150.00). Still didn't have the money.
In the mid 80's I wanted a 56 Chevy. I found one exactly like I wanted. A turquoise and White Belair 2 door hardtop in mint condition. When I got there the owner had the valve covers off and the battery out. He said he would put it together in a few days, so I waited 3 days and called. He sold it the day before for $1700. Even in 1980 dollars that was a steal. If I could turn the clock back, I would have bought it and towed it home on the spot.
I believe it was a Supercharged Stude Golden Hawk, four speed. $300 on the lot at the local Ford dealer. This was in 67, the car was black and super shape. My dad said you'll never get parts. 61 black vette a year later, $800, both tops. Nope. In 1971, 69 Dodge Charger, 5,000 miles, $1500. Nope. Oh well.
Mike51, when I lived in N.J. many moons ago. lol. We had a unclaimed freight too, I guess that what it was called till Big Lots stores came to be. .There was a chevy dealer right next store and they had a huge pile of bad engines from the Chey Vegas there..Bruce.
rc57, a rich kid I went to high school with had one and drove it to school every day.Me I had my 55 chevy. Bruce.
Johnny99 A guy down the road from me has 2 mercury cyclones and they are just rusting away in his yard. Bruce.
back about 69, I had a pretty clean 55 belair 2 dr hardtop that my future wife and I would take out to Roeding park to polish on...it wasnt much but it was mine. Every weekend over that summer a guy would stop by in a Jag XKE convert. and try to trade me for the 55. Man I wanted that Jag badly but was afraid my old man would whoop my ass if I traded. Problem was, I had three 55s at the time including a mint Nomad, so trading wouldnt have been that bid a deal in my mind. Yeah, thats right, I pussed out.
Back in about 1969 while in the service, I stopped at a car lot in Fairfield, California to look a a Porsche 356 for $3500 which was a lot of money at the time and next to it on the lot was a red gull wing Mercedes for $12,500
I wonder what will be considered cheap in the future that's available now. In '99 I was 18 and had the money to buy a freshly restored '63 Impala SS 409 4 speed with dual quads on it for $16,500 but I held onto the money to buy a house which I figured was a much better investment. Doubt I'd do it differently if I could live it again, but I'd love to have that car for that price now.
There are no hot rods or street machines that "got away". I do however, wish I had been able to nab my uncle and aunt's 1956 Continental MK II. But I was a dumb "just getting by" at the time fella, and didn't stand a chance. It's chassis number 2905 and a fella out in Oakland California owns it. Wanna see a pic of what he bought?
A couple guy mentioned Mercury Cyclones, I was painting cars at a Mercury dealer in 1979. I took a car back to our used car lot and the manager told me about this "wierd" Torino he just took in on trade, said "it must be Canadian or something". I looked, sure enough it was a Talladaga. Said he'd take the $400 he had in it since he didn't think he could sell something with a 428/ 4 speed (gas crunch days). By the time I got back from going to the bank on my lunch hour the owner of the dealership had spotted it and took it for his own collection. The one I will never forget is a guy selling 3 34 Ford 5 windows, all or none for $1500. One a clean, really nice bone stocker, second a fenderless hot rod with a J2 Olds tri power and third, a roundy round car. All I had was $1000. A buddy was looking for a hot rod project, I knew he had $500 so I offered him the hot rod, I'd keep the other 2 but he said he really wanted this 41 Willys coupe he found so he passed. By the time I scrapped up the extra 5 they were gone.
Spring of 1967 I went to meet a husband and his wife at a lot that they had bought to give a price on doing the excavating work for their house. Next door there is two guys pulling a metallic green coupe out of the garage. Watching them it is a 36 ford and it looks good. The guy that sold them the lot came over from across the street. When I was finished talking to the couple I said I was going to walk over to see what they were doing with the coupe. The guy that had sold the lot said he is not a very nice guy but if you are going I will walk over with you. As soon as we get close to the coupe the guy asked what do I want? I ask if he is selling the car? He says no he is going to cut it up. I said why its a nice car. If you don't want it sell it to me. The guy said that it was his sons car and that he was in the army. While he was home on leave he told him to sell the car and get it out of the garage or he would cut it up. The guy that went over with me offered to let him put it in his barn until the guys son got home. No I am cutting it up. This was a nice 36 coupe with a Cadillac engine. When I went to do the excavating work he had cut it up and the pieces were laying there. I would go by to see if it was still there and it was like he was just waiting for his son to get home.
Early 1971, my uncle had a mint, '56 Chevy 2 dr. Belair 283 glide, that he bought new. He put up for sale, $275. I was working at Blair's Speed shop, along with Eric Vaughn. I took the car by Blair's to see what Eric thought about it. He was & is a diehard '55 fan. This thing was mint, Eric takes a look at it and says "it's a 56 they're no good" I agreed, I passed on it. 1969, I was in high school, our neighbor across the street had a '59 El Camino, two tone blue, 348, 3 speed OD, that he bought new. Again, it was a mint piece. My dad suggested I should buy it, that it was good car, and it would serve me well. I thought it was ugly, no way I would buy something that ugly !! Both of these cars were perfect Southern California cars !!! In '75 I did buy my Aunt's, one owner, all original powder blue & white '55, 210, Del Ray, powerpac 265, 3speed OD, for $250.
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