Whats the stupidest thing you let pass through your hands

About twenty years ago, most all companies in the US knew they were going to have a problem. Because of the baby boomers retiring soon, there was not going to be enough money to go around. And so the 401(k) came along as a means of passing ownership of your retirement from the businesses to the employees.

Nearly everyone of these businesses had information to pass along that basically said, "For X amount of contribution on your part, and a company match, you can expect to see a POSSIBLE 10% or more return and at the end of 20 years you will a filthy rich millionaire."

We were all stupid in buying into that. Not everyone is going to have a million dollars to retire on. In hindsight, it was a pipe dream. The 401(k)'s i've seen are in sad shape. And the money is not coming back. Someone else has our money. It was all on paper. And now what is left is under pressure from a falling dollar.

So the stupidest thing I EVER did was not cashing out when I had the chance. Makes me want to kick my mother-in-law in the ass.

Fuck Wall Street and fuck those motherfuckers at Goldman-Sachs and the rest of 'em in the banking industry. Money isn't everything and at least I not one of them.

Sorry for the cuss words, but fuck 'em.

 

i found a knife made by von duch at a swap meet at kansas $1500 did not buy it kicked my ass ever sence

 

Back about 1972 I bought a 69 Road Runner 383 auto from a car dealer we did work for. He couldnt sell it because it had a backfire under accel. I offered to fix it but he didnt believe i knew how as I hadnt written my Mech license yet. I bought it from him for $1350 . It had fresh paint and was RR green. It was an auto and had PS. That bugged me. I had the backfire fixed that night before I ever dorve it home. That week end I drove it to Ottawa (about 2 1/2 hours each way) and had a duel on the way down with a GTO judge which I am sure he still remembers.
That week I drove it but it bugged me to have PS on a perfomance car. it is just not my style and in fact my 63 Dodge Max Wedge (avatar ) is manual brakes manual steering. The following week I was washing the car at the shop where i worked after hours and a fellow came in and said he heard I would sell the car. He offered 1750 cash and had it with him. (i assume a froend had told him about the car) so i sold it laughing all the way to the bank. Man how I wish I had that car now!
Don

 

'50 something Chevy 5W(?) pickup. All there, only a little rust in the floor pans, coulda had it for $500. I was 13... young and dumb.

And there was the '34 Ford pickup with a two speed rear and a few old hemis sitting in the barn at the family ranch. Grandparents sold the place when I was 12 and they (I) let the junk man haul everything off for scrap

 

not my story to tell, its my dads, but in 1981 dad looked at a REAL 65-66 shelby cobra at the tulsa swap meet. the car had road rally race history. it was a 427 side oiler car, and at the time he didnt know the significance of the car. it was a running car, had a bottom end knock...which is very typical of the side oilers, but he didnt know that! guy wanted 6,000 for it, and dad walked away, telling the guy why would i pay 6k for a car with a bad engine... YUP, he still kicks himself for that one!

 

Gosh, I've posted stuff on this thread sveral times and, sure, I wish I had them ALL back and in a HUGE pole barn. But, for one reason or another, we ALL have had to let things slide by.

BUT, I am at least glad to have two projects ('55 Fireflite & '38 Plym Road King), and that keeps me busy enough! I hope I can get them the way I'd like to see them IN MY LIFETIME, since I just turned 59!!!

 

1934 Ford 3 window sold for $300.00 --Didn't have storage
1963 Impala SS 409 340hp--traded in on 1967 Olds 442
1968 Camaro Z28--sold then bought VW for job comute
1970 GS 455 Stage 1 Convert --traded for a 1972 GMC pick up -Ouch!!!

 

Sold a 67 GTO 400 HO 4 speed for $700, a 68 Camaro Z/28 for $2000 with a teak steering wheel thats worth that now, an R code raaam air 69 428 Mustang fastback cheap body, one of 600 made for $2000. Biggest loss was a cherry original 40 Ford 2 dr sedan with a rebuilt Sears motor I paid $50 for in 65 & stored in a buddys back yard only to return from the service to find them & the car gone forever. Wait, just remembered the ratty real 67 427 Cobra with a smoking engine that I didnt buy for .......................$2000 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

If the thread is about stuff we owned and let get away then it's this one for sure. OT but original 69 Z/28 I spent 20 years restoring. DZ 302 engine, M22 Muncie, speed warning speedo, houndstooth interior, 8k tach, all factory stuff with 52k miles on it. Swapped it even for a Harley... WTF was I thinking.. The pic was taken in the showroom at the musclecar store that sold it for 38k about 4 years ago.... It's alive & well and living in Washington state in the garage of a collector so at least it went to a good home.

 

In 1978, I bought a 1970 Roadrunner...383, dual quads, 4-speed, dana truck axle, aluminum slotted mags, orange/black. Paid $900. Lived with bikers at the time. It ran good, but burned oil, and the clutch was slipping. Pulled the motor to rebuild and replace the clutch. Was told I had to move the car. "Friends of theirs would keep it at their place". Within days, it was gone.

Around the same time, had a 1970 Javelin SST. 390 four-brrl, automatic, posi, etc. Moved to an apartment complex. Parked the car non registered in the parking-lot. Manager said move it. Was towed within days. I think the manager wanted it.

1970 Chevy pickup. Short-bed step-side. I had lowered it, installed a good small-block w/headers, 4 brrl, four-speed, etc. Put it up for sale on the street. Stolen within days.

1964 Mercury Comet Cyclone. Sweet running 289 w/bad auto trans. Tried to replace trans. Had problems. Lost job 'cause no transportation. Sold it for $80, and joined the army.

When I was 17 in 1975, there was a guy down the street who had a 1937 Ford 2-door humpback sedan for sale for $1200. It had a 392 Chrysler Hemi in it. Asked my dad if I could buy it. He said, "No". Asked him, "Why not?" He said, "'Cause I said so".

O.K., excuse me now...........WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! sob, sniff.......WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

 

Molly Dixon.
What a face!! What a body!! What a rack!!

 

This '32 Ford being sold by Johnny Deluxe...

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=410953





I wish I could buy this thing. I hope it ends up with a good owner seeing how it's just not in the cards to get it.

 

1972, sold my 69 vette, so I could handle a bigger house payment.
1978, getting a divorce, so I sold my "toys", a 1960 XK150 drophead Jag, and 63 stingray. In 50 years of poor car decisions, those 3 hurt the most.

 

a 401 nailhead for free...but i had to take the whole car it was a 4 door....my dad would have killed me if i brought another car to his house...

 

That shit went down in Capac????

 

this

 

Not as good as some of the others......I was 17 and had a nice solid '64 Fairlane Sport Coupe w/ V8 3sp manual. Wrecked it one night drinking. It needed a bumper, grill, and radiator. I sent it to the junk yard for $0.

Also had a '49 chevy coupe that I sold for like $120 because I couldn't store another car at my parents house...

 

A super HOT RED HEAD who though Y2K was perfume!

 

A guy had a nice stock 65 vette fuelie coupe and a nice 427 cobra replica for sale for identical prices at the Charltte auto fair....like an idiot I bought the cobra replica. DOH!

 

Belchfire8.........That shit went down in Capac???

Well, Hello Belchfire8. No. When have you ever known groups of bikers to hang around Capac? HA! Groups of farmers, yes...bikers, no. The Roadrunner and the Javelin thing was back in the late '70s in the Utica area. There were quite a few bikers around back then, and I was renting a room from a family that associated with a lot of them. The Chevy pickup was stolen about ten years later on the outskirts of Detroit. Mostly my own fault I guess. I was too young and stupid and trusting. Hang with big bad dogs, you're gonna get bit. And I protect my "shit" a little better these days.

 

a real 65 cobra for $125....it was wrecked but very fixable but i passed

 

Two so far...

37 Willys PU-$400

My 31 A coupe That i sold for $950

 

Back in 1982-83 I looked at an mint original low mile 69 Camaro Pace car, had the 396 with power everything. My dad said to buy that car but with the black and orange interior......... I could not stand that color.

Bought a 69 Corvette convertible instead. It was an original 427 car had an automatic and the L88 option, engine was long gone.

Bought a rolled 69 Z/28 Camaro, junked it out. Engine and trans went to Dale Wilch in KC MO.

Let a wrecked Dick Harrell race car go to the crusher...........had set there for years then the owner decided to clean it up.

I wonder why I am depressed.............

 

A 63 split window Vette, all original, NOM. 5K

 

Running 1958ish 392 Hemi with 40k original miles. 10.5 to 1 with original crossram and 2- 4's. $1500. Didn't have the money, but should've borrowed it.

 

69 Chevy RS/SS Camaro Convertible loaded!
New Paint, and Top , 29K miles.
Purchased in 1974 for $900.00 , was offered $7500.00 in July 1978.
Car stolen/stripped/torched in Aug 1978 , recovered 2 months later , No comp insurance.
Lost everything...

 

1963: I passed up a '41 Ford coupe with an early '50's Cadillac engine and Cad/LaSalle tranny, running and in patina w/ an interior in shreds. Lord, I wanted that car but being 15 my father had input because of the Hwy. Dept. rules. Daddy said no. Crap! But I know if I had been able to get that car ($400.00!!!!), I would still have it today.

 

My first car!! I bought a '46 Ford coupe for $600 from my mom's cousin 15 years ago. The thing had been in a barn since the late 60's and was VERY solid. When I pulled the floor covering up, the actual floors were still gloss black underneath. I was just in high school so I didn't have much for funds to work on the car, and my dad wasn't into cars. I ended up being forced to sell the car because my parents didn't want it in the garage and I couldn't put it on the side of the house I sold it for $750. My parents now wish they'd never made me sell that car, but it's too late now! I'd like to find another '46 coupe someday and do what I had planned with it, but I doubt I'll find one as nice/cheap as that!

 

i bought a complete set of rally wheels (15x10 and 15x4) with tires, center caps and trim rings for $50 and sold them for $100.....now i wish i at least had the front ones for another project

im pretty much a pack rat when it comes to car parts......

 

i came across a early sunbeam tiger with a 260 in it, all original sitting on a used car lot in san diego in the early 90s, asking price $3,500 - I passed on it like a dumbass