A recent occurence has promted me to post this current post. I was searching craigslist one day and found a sweeeet (running with original 322 flathead) 1956 four door Buick Special for only 500 clams. I had my heart set on this thing, I really did. I looked up how much it would cost for many of the parts and had my heart set. I was contacted earlier today and was informed that it had been sold. The person I gues cleaned it up a lil and wanted to sell it back to me for 1500, her claim was that "Most nowa days are going for twice that amount". All in all it was a "Almost had". I was curious if there was anyone else out there with a "Almost had" story? A time perhaps when you were really close to getting a good deal and things didn't quite work out for one reason or another......
In Michigan, a halfway solid '50s anything that runs and drives for $500 is pretty much a no brainer to buy, as long as you look at it and there's nothing wrong with it you can't handle either fixing, or learning to fix. I mean worst case it blows up or something you can make $500 parting out chrome and pieces off it and still get $150-$250 for the rest depending on just where scrap is on a given day.
1964 Opel Rekord 2-door saloon, looks a bit like a miniature early Chevelle, but big enough to be a serious car and not a cartoon: Four-doors weren't all that rare at the time, but I'd only seen two 2-doors in my area. I actually had possession of one of them for a day, but the deal fell through. A SBC would have fit quite comfortably. It was going to be black with bigs & littles and a pugnacious stance. Moto Morini 3½. I kept walking past an obscure second-hand motorbike dealership while I was a student and eying the red Morini, until one day it was gone. Same goes, much more recently, for a VW Beetle-based MG TD replica that might have been worth buying only for the fact that it was registered as a MG and not a VW, but not at the price they wanted. My '31 project did go through a phase of being an MG K2 replica/special with a front-mounted Audi five as a result, until the pseudo-TD disappeared off the lot. Someone actually paid that ...
</p>Man i love that car! Actually they quite rare here, just like every other opel of that or early vintage, still Opel made some beautiful cars and trucks in the old dayz, of which almost everyone is a good candidate for a stylish "custom" or whatever, of course,if good taste's on top ov it.I think almost everyone has a almost had story, a lot would probably be sad to remember. PS Ned, what about that 64 anyway? Do you have it, or is it your almost had story, if so, i feel for ya!
68 Barracuda Hemi/TorqueFlite car in pieces (likely not a Hurst Factory car)... $10,000 Guy was a friend of a friend dying of cancer. Also had a SuperBird for sale for relatively cheap.
Back in 83 when I was not working I finally checked on a 66 comet that had been sitting behind this house for years,390 4 speed and 9 inch and the guy only wanted 75 dollars and would not take the 60 dollars I could ony scrounge up. I came back with the money the next week and it was gone,I could not ask dad or mom for the money as they had no clue on what it was plus if they had seen the floor was cut out and missing all the trim they would of said hell no you are not dragging that piece home so someone got it for a steal.
Total scam from birth, the old "bait and switch", one ad for luring them in, should someone answer, the deal is suddenly triple price and not exactly what was advertized, but still a "winner". I bet if you showed with cash you would have been held up next ......
In around 1983 in the old Pennysaver weekly newspaper, I saw an add for a V-16 Cadilllac for $1500. I called the guy and it was for real. He was about 15 miles from me. I hooked up the trailer stopped at the bank and sped off to his house. I arived JUST in time to see it being loaded onto another trailer. It was a '34 and was all there and pretty decent. I was PISSED.
Not for sale, or not as far as I know because I never actually laid eyes on the guy, were two Rolls-Royce Silver Shadows and two '55/'56 Packards that the neighbourhood recluse had standing in the open in his back yard. They looked as if they might run, too, or be made to do so without much trouble. The old man bred Siamese cats and lived alone in an old Victorian house full of books in untidy stacks. Again it was during my student days, so I never had any cash to offer for the cars.
right there witcha brudda.... never could pass up a so-called "deal".... so i'm perpetually broke and working on three projects at a time. but in the spirit of things; here's my personal top three. and i HAD these cars in my possession... 1963 1/2 Galaxie 500 fastback, 390 automatic, black on black. took two years to build..... 1951 Ford Business Coupe. ya know, they ain't making those anymore. 1953 Ford Customline Coupe. ditto the above..... when we got more time i'll do the LIST..... 150+ since 1981.
I almost had the "hot babe" named Cindy back in HS but that may be straying off topic As far as on topic stories go,there was the worst almost had would be the '63 'vette convert(yes,it was fuel injected) for $4000. The year was 1974,I was 16 and didnt have the cash.
Back in 1969, I was shall we say in the bathroom. My buddy was outside reading the paper, maybe I should have had the paper. That is my all time I want one someday vehicle. Anway, I said through the door if there is a '29 Model A pickup for sale let's go look at it. SURPRISE there was one. We went ot look at it. Pretty good shape woman said he was running a year before. Her husband wanted $800. She said there is someone coming with a trailor. She also mentioned they were going through a divorce and that the truck was in her name. She'd take $300 on the spot. Couldn't come up with the money. This was in Miami, FL.
my coulda woulda shoulda was when i was working at a junk yard guy came to me from the local community collage had some lein sale cars that were left by students one of the cars an ot car a 96 turbo supra (ricers dream ) with the top end of the motor off told me $300 he hadnt a clue what it was half way across town blew a steer tire by the time i got back on the road to get it, i watched it go by me on someone elses trailer wouldnt of kept the jap peice of shit but for the $50,000 they sell for i shure could of had one bad ass sled
1985-1965 GTO needed work but a real solid car.I worked with the guy and he wanted $1800.Told him to wait 'til payday(3 days),he agreed then sold it the next day for $1500 1983-1956 Bel Air,$1500 because the 283 smoked a little. told the guy I'd be back in an hour,came back and it was gone. 1981-1970 Dodge SuperBee at a Used Car lot.Red/Black floor Auto and having the engine re-built at the time. I needed something "right now" and passed on it for a Vega. You read that right,a Vega. I am the "Sofa King".....as in Sofaking Stupid!
Currently going on right now! The car I've been looking for, is on Ebay, in a neighboring state, and I can't get a trailer lined up to get it.
56 Ford F1-100 in 75. Black, 50,000 mile one owner, really,really nice. $500. Couldn't raise the bucks, my old man wouldn't loan me the $200 I needed cause he thought it was "too old", man I wanted it. Worst one was in 77, working in the paint shop at the Lincold/Mercury dealer. Used car manager asked if I'd be interested in a 69 Torino they took in trade, said he'd sell it for the $400 they had in it because it had a 429, no one wants them. Proceeded to say he thought it must be Candian cause it "looked funny". I went out back to look, curious what a Candian Torino looked like, it wasn't from Canada, it was a TALLADEGA! The one with flush grill and rear window, nice shape, 4 speed. Really collectable even back then. By the time I got back from the bank he had figured out what it was and sold it to a Ford collector for $4000, was pissy about me trying to rip him off since I knew what it was.
In the next block north of my parents hosue was a Modeal A two door sedan, flanked by a Packard on each side. The Packards were late '30, maybe 1940's. My brother and I would walk over there quite often to stand on the running boards and look inside. After about a year my brother, who was three years older than me and had gotten his liscense that year, got up the courage to go knock on the back door of the house and inquire about the cars....the nice lady said all three had been sold...THAT DAY!!!
I am a student, 18 in fact and am trying to get a car. I find it funny everyone thinks i have at least 10,000 to spend....hahaha, I wish I would have 13 1956 Buicks.
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