We have all owned cars we still wish we had. The ’75 Thunderbird I had is definitely one I wish I had kept, but at the time it only made sense to sell it.
I had purchased it from the original owners in 1993 for the princely sum of $600. It was a Copper Luxury Group car, identical to the one above, except mine had leather seats! I’m not a Brougham fanatic, however I do see the appeal from the comfort angle. This car was as quiet as a church mouse, a real isolation chamber, and was like driving a 5,000 pound La-Z-Boy recliner. It’s 460 had been lovingly massaged and ran fabulous. I loved that car.
So much, in fact, I still have the paperwork from when it was purchased new.
Thinking back, which car do you still wish you had?
Very easy and appropriate question for me today. 1962 Buick Skylark.
For the overall quality and character…my 1972 Super Beetle.
It was not to be, though…it had tinworm cancer.
For the rarity factor…Blazing Saddles, my 1973 Pinto Squire. No rust on that bad-boy; paint was horrifically faded, but not – as later models would – peeling. Woodgrain faded to gray. But it’s the kind of car that’s just not made these days…and as drivers go, there were and are worse.
1990 ASC/Mclaren Pontiac Grand Prix Turbo coupe. Extremely comfortable seats (11 way power), heads up display, plenty of power, flashy looks, good handling, lousy brakes, so-so ride. A great highway cruiser.
1964 Cadillac Coupe de Ville I had in the late 80s. .things changed and I had to let it go.
$2,820 on a 6 year old Cougar was incredible residual when they only sold for $3-3.5K new. Now maybe they “inflated” the trade to made the sale who knows…
That; and there was some incredible inflation going on in those years. It wasn’t unusual in the late 1970s for some cars off-lease, two or three years old, to sell for as much as they had been stickered new, At least that was my family’s experience…with a four-door 1978 Chevette.
From what I can remember being told, the ’69 Cougar was powered by a 390; I simply do not know how many were equipped as such, so that could partially explain the trade-in. I also remember the first owner (the father of a then friend of mine) telling me there were some other details involved in this transaction, but I no longer know what.
I’d wish for my 72 Matador, 62 TR4 or even the 85 RX7 but they were all in terrible shape when I disposed of them, so as much as I might want a nice TR4 I certainly don’t want my old one back.
About the only vehicle I wish I still had the actual vehicle is my 88 Ford Ranger. Other than the fact that it ran poorly it was in fine shape when I sold it, and would be nice for parts chasing and commuting now that I don’t go everywhere with two baby car seats.
Asking me what kind of car I would have kept is like asking a retired doctor which patient he liked best…
Well of the cars that I had owned personally and kept for any length of time, that would probably be my 1991 Fleetwood Brougham d’Elegence. Triple white with red trim, the last evolution of the classic Cadillac design, 5.7 V8 TBI, 700R4, 3.08 with coach builder equipment. Looked everything like a stereotypical Cadillac, drove like a modern car, easy as eating cake to fix (mechanically), holds a good value.
My 1989 trofeo, I only had it 2 months.
At least you got the chance to own one…
they are close to extinct now i reckon.
had my ’90 Trofeo for about two years, but put 60k miles on it
My 70 VW Bus with the camping interior. Didn’t have the pop-up top but did have the fridge, sink, pump water, closet, bed and curtains.
Rust eventually did it in.
Second choice, my 78 Seville. Absolutely loved that car, except for the damn sensor issues.
Learned by lesson though. When my 53 Caddy blew a head gasket in 1985,I kept it and it still sits in the backyard to this day waiting to be brought back to life. Now that my 77 Olds is back on the road, time to get back to the 53.
I had a ’51 60 Special that I never finished restoring. I wish I had completed it. Looking back, I wish I had kept my ’88 Pontiac Fiero. They’re still plenty out there. Just need to cull the herd to have a place to park it.
I also had an ’81 Mercury Capri Black Magic with a 255 V8. Found out during the internet age that it’s now quite collectable. But, I wore that car out before selling to my brother (who also had and traded off his Black Magic). Now, you can’t find them in any decent condition.
I can’t decide between my 1963 Corvair Monza four-speed; 1970 Peugeot 404 wagon, and 1986 MBZ 300E. All three, please?
It would be a toss-up between my ’71 Vega (post V6-ectomy), The Mayfield Belle (’71 VW bus, which had terminal tin worm when it finally died) or Eeyore, my ’64 Beetle. Oh, my ’69 F100, too, but only if someone else has already restored it… And also my ’66 Tempest (post SBC transplant). I better stop now…
I miss Herbie already, too… : (
I would want my ’66 Bonneville convertible, in Martinique Bronze with matching leather-and-vinyl bench seat interior, power windows/doors/locks, and factory air – but in exactly its condition when purchased in December 1974 (with <40K miles), not the poor thing I sold along with pieces of a parts car in 1991. The other contingency, of course, is that it needs a 20-foot-long garage and we don't even have space to erect a carport.
I’m surprised the Ford dealer that sold that T-Bird was still using the term “Tudor” to describe a two-door body style as late as 1975.
As for my personal favorite ride, I hope I won’t be disqualified for choosing something too modern: I’d take my ’98 SVT Contour back in a minute. I might have found a way to keep it if a now-former-friend hadn’t totaled when it was only three years old.
I also have many fond memories of piloting a ’63 Skylark convertible during my teen years, but it was a rust bucket before it fell into my hands, so there are many things I do not miss about it.
Never lend your Car, your Bicycle or your wife/G/F.
You never get them back the same way
I didn’t notice the use of Tudor, but the price freaked me out. That’s about $43,000 in today’s money for a Thunderbird. The 6 year old Cougar was traded for almost the equivalent of $14K. Could it have cost more than $5K in 1969?
’67 Deluxe Sunroof VW Beetle. Gray market car that I bought from a military guy who imported it. Extra features like front disc brakes made it special. But, over in Hawaii it started to rust, so we didnt ship it back to California when we moved.
The one I wish I still had was in my fingertips ,yet slipped away.
1961 Imperial Lebaron sitting on the local Ford dealers lot in 1972-73.
Gorgeous 95,000 mile car with silvercrest roof inserts .
Green in color with like new leather interior. Could have been mine for the sum of roughly $400 dollars or so IIRC.
A Dads firm “No”! still rings in my ears….
If we’re also including cars that we almost bought, I would have to add a certain 1966 Chrysler New Yorker 4-door hardtop in maroon. I spotted it at the roadside with a for sale sign when my GF (now wife) and I were vacationing out in BC. It had every available option except for A/C. The body was pristine. The owner stored it indoors and only took it out once a week to attend his car club meetings. He was selling it to finance the restoration of a T-bird.
After we got back from vacation, I gave-in and called to make an offer and figure out how to get it home, but it had been sold. Spotted it on ebay a few years later, but I wasn’t in a position to buy another car, and it hadn’t been looked after very well by the next owner so now it needed some attention.
In 1982 I saw a black 64 Galaxy convertible for £450 or nearest offer in the Marton area of Blackpool.I had the money but not the space for a full size car and I knew I’d soon get tired of keeping a big V8 in the hard stuff.Oh well I’m lucky there’s only one car I regret not buying
Thanks enough to make me cry.
My blue 1970 Vauxhall PA Cresta despite it’s manual steering.
1984 GMC fullsize van, 6.2L diesel, full windows and interior with buckets up front and 2 rows of benches in the back. This was not a conversion van but a factory-equipped family hauler. It was fairly gutless, but got great fuel economy for its size, had no problems towing my parents’ boat and occasionally another vehicle with the car dolly. Must have had pretty good weight distribution because it was also very good in snow, unlike my pickup truck which replaced it.
My dad gave the van to me after he bought his Suburban in 1998. I did a bunch of work on it, including replacing all the doors and welding in a new floor, but ultimately gave up after about 3 years. It was generating problems faster than I could fix them and thus becoming unreliable. We parked it and it became a parts vehicle for the Suburban for awhile before being scrapped.
That was a very good set up. Think of it, a full size van was a brick, the axles in vans were usually a bit lower like 3.08 since they usually weren’t used for pulling like the trucks. Such a set up is what I have in mind to put in a Brougham I don’t know if I will go 6.5 w or wo turbo. With 700R4 from later years an a 3.08 with turbo very versatile with very good economy. Plus with the old style DB2 pumps you can tune them to make less noise and smoke and be very reliable.
Any of the minivans I previously owned… Then I’d have something paid for that could pull my little camper.
And the 86 Century GS, because I could afford the time and money to fix it up now.
Oh, damn my impatience for getting rid of any of the decent rides I’ve owned.
There are two former cars that I would like to have back; one was a 1973 Nova coupe with the 350/350 V8 from a late sixties Corvette. It had a four speed and a 3.73 Posi rear end; as you might guess it was a very entertaining (if thirsty) car to drive. About once a month I get the urge to drive a manual transmission and make some passes up thru the gears, the Nova would be perfect for that.
The other car was a 1988 Mustang GT convertible; it was my daily driver for seven years and I still regret trading it away. I wouldn’t want to drive it every day now, for one thing it was extremely difficult to drive in snow, but there isn’t much better than cruising with the top down on a fine day. This is the car from the past that I miss the most.
Like many of us I have a mental wish list of cars to acquire after I win the lottery. The list changes frequently but a late 80’s Mustang is constantly at the top of the list.
Aside from great AC and a MUCH quieter sealed tight ride, I regret Trading a 1989 GT CONV MUSTANG for good AC , The Quiet Cool on a hot travelled day Beats the VROOM VROOM every 15 feet in traffic.
Being only on my 2nd car, I don’t really have an answer. If I could name a car that a close family member owned and that I wish I owned now, it would be my grandfather’s 1992 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency. Blueish-gray with red velour seats. There was a special feel (and definitely a special look) to that Oldsmobile!
1. My dark blue 300L hardtop.
2. My desert tan 1962 Lincoln convertible
3. My blue 1957 3-speed Fury
4. My 1964 230SL
5. Big Red, my 1960 New Yorker 2-door hardtop
I know I’ll think of more….
I want the cars on your list. 🙂
+1 on the 300L only ever seen a red one at a show in the UK in 2000.Have it on good authority there is a gold 300L manual on the south coast
My 2005 Ford Focus. I bought the car used for $8000(plus taxes and all that other happy horse crap) while waiting for Maryland to process my request for forcing GM to buy back a POS vehicle I had bought new in mid 2009. I refused to get back in and drive that POS so I needed something to drive. The Focus was sold by a rental company and had 36,000 miles on it when I bought it. I put another 40,000 miles on the car before trading it in on another car in 2011.
I loved that car and even know GM bought the car back 2 months later and I had cash to buy a newer car, the little Focus was reliable and drove well without needing anything except oil changes and the trans fluid drain and replenish at 60,000 miles(like it said in the manual) in short routine maintaining. It rolled through the snow storm of 12/18/2009 and Snowmageddon of Feb 2010 like a champ.
I foolishly traded it in for a bigger car with a hatch with a nameplate that I expected quality and reliability on: Toyota and bought a 2012 Scion XB. Big Big mistake. Toyota is becoming GM with the arrogant dealer behavior. The XB was not a bad car and I did love the way it drove and the versatility of the thing BUT the few faults the car had(coolant smell, body panel fitment etc) were not covered under warranty, in fact the warranty was pretty worthless. The final straw was the shifter knob was stripped out(had a brittle plastic insert) and Toyota said it was cosmetic so it was not covered. Cosmetic issues would be scratches not a shifter knob for a auto trans stripping out.
I just traded it in for a 2013 Kia Forte with a stick and have not regretted it at all. I think I took a $1000 hit at trade in but The XB was paid off and $1000 loss was not worth the hassle dealing with Toyota. In short it was worth losing $1000 to get rid of the dang thing
Toyota has indeed slipped quite a bit in the last few years. Like you said, they are the next GM. They recently refused to cover a failed engine oil cooler line on my Sienna under the powertrain warranty, the oil line was a rubber hose and when it fail, the engine ran dry with the first warning being a loud knocking sound from the bottom end. They have known about this common problem with the 3.5 L v6 since 2011 but will not advise owners or cover the cost of a replacment (updated, all stainless steel) part, let alone a damaged engine from no oil. The whole episode has left a sour taste in my mouth and I have sworn off ever buying another Toyota.
Back to topic… I would really like to have a truck like the one my father had when I was a kid, 1977 F-150 with the funky f”reewheeling” decal package, 302, factory alloys, push bar and big rig style mirrors very similar to this:
#1. 1970 BMW 2002.
#2. 1965 Mustang Convertible.
#3. 1994 Jeep Cherokee…. would not die, same clutch and lost only 1/3 quart of oil every 3,000 miles at 265,000 miles….. rust did it in.
Easily my ’71 Type 3 Squareback. Had it in high school, so I didn’t have the money or knowledge to do what needed to be done to make it a good daily driver. I ended up selling it for the same $250 I had in it, and bought the other car I still wish I had – my 1985 Subaru GL-10 wagon.
My parents yellow 1969 Country Squire.
91 Sentra Se-R. A blast on a backroad. Who knew FWD could be so much fun?
my 79 fiat spider
The one I miss most would be my 82 Capri RS 5.0. Black T-top with red vinyl, houndstooth inset interior. Bought it well used when it was about ten years old and rebuilt the drivetrain to then-modern specs. Ran mid twelves at about 109. Over the next decade I put multiple hundred thousands of miles on it and it was very tired again. I had neither the funds nor the space for the total restoration it desperately needed so I sold it knowing that I would want it again one day. Now here it is ten years later and I want it back but that is impossible.
Second choice would be the 74 Cougar that mother had when I was a teen. Silver with a silver full vinyl top snd red leather interior. Floor shifted C6 and the 400 it was a muscle car in its time.
’67 VW Beetle bought for $1 in ’86 to save it from the crusher and a father-son resto project that never materialized (I was the son, 12 at the time), stored for three years for free and sold for $25 to someone who planned to make a Baja Bug from it. I still haven’t driven one and it’s still the only car I ever made money on.
A low mileage, completely original 1976 Cadillac Formal Limousine of which I was the third owner. The car had never been in the livery business and I owned it for 11 years. I still cannot figure out what I sold it.
1977 Dodge Royal Monaco Brogham
White ’95 Toyota Corolla wagon. A sensible sized semi-utilty vehicle.
My 1978 Alfa Romeo Spyder. I was a bit worried going from a fwd VW GTI 16v to a rear wheel drive car but that Alfa had the slowest, laziest oversteer. It was a blast to drive. For me, it really is more fun to drive fast in a slow car.
My choice would be one of the first “classics” I bought, although at the time it wasn’t quite old enough and I got some strange reactions: my 1979 Cutlass Supreme Brougham. I got in the late ’90s from an old couple who bought it new, with nearly every available option — including a power metal sliding sunroof, cornering lights, fiber optic lamp monitors, and of course that Brougham-tastic pinstriped loose-pillow interior. I sold it for about what I paid for it about 5 years later to a guy who was going to use it as a daily driver. How could I? As a consolation, I saw the car around town a couple of times over the next couple of years, and it looked well maintained. Although not the most exciting color combo (white with black interior), that car was in beautiful shape and was so smooth, quiet, and maneuverable (if slooowwww)…a real sweetheart. Now I have its big brother, a 1979 Toronado. I love it, but it’s not as well preserved as that Cutlass!
my first car… a powder blue 1976 Chevrolet Malibu Classic sedan, 305/TH350, 3.08 axle ratio, AC, cloth seats, base model Classic trim. I came home from the hospital in it when it was 3 months old. I gave it to the wrecking yard in 2000, being in college, with no place to store a project car that was needy in many ways and needed parts that were at the time unobtainium in materials and talent to me.
It was rather difficult to let that car go, since it had been with me my entire life up to that point.
It would have to be a 3 way tie between My ’72 Buick Skylark Coupe, ’86 Mercury Cougar XR7, and ’88 Volvo 240dl wagon. Each car was awesome to me in its own special way.
Toss up between my 1992 Honda Accord LX 2-door – traded in solely because I grew tired of it after two years – and the near-pristine, 245,000 mile 1985 Mercedes 300D I only had for three months, and sold so I could move into a new apartment. Both represent the kind of quiet competence and high build quality that’s hard to find in today’s vehicles.
Wish I kept my 64 corvair. It was a real pain in the ass most of the time, but on the right day with that top down, it was priceless! Someday when I have more time, money, and patience I guess…
+1, except that mine was a ’63.
However, I can rest peacefully in the fact that I made money on the deal.
1996 Subaru SVX. Probably the closest I’ll ever come to owning a Citroen.
Sigh.
Easy, my “57 Chevy Bel Air 2 door hardtop. I owned it while in college and without enough money to maintain it like I should have. I knew I would regret selling it (everyone warned me). Another one was my ’67 Ford Fairlane XL. A sweet ride.
My second car: Golden Olive 1973 Bonneville 2-door hardtop purchased with 29K and sold years later with 85K. Its unique color and option content made it the most attractive ’73 Pontiac I’ve seen to this day with its optional white vinyl top, white Morrokide interior with black accents and white paint stripes.
Exterior options included the deluxe bumper group, front bumper guards, rear bumper guards, door edge guards, body side moldings, sport mirrors (LH remote, RH manual), whitewall tires, and those elegant Custom finned wheel covers.
Inside it was ordered with front & rear mats, tinted glass, deluxe seat belts, power windows, power door locks, map/dome light, door courtesy lamps, manual A/C, RH visor mirror, LH visor mirror (very uncommon), AM/8-track stereo, and rally gauge cluster. The car did not have tilt or cruise and it had the base 400-2bbl engine with single exhaust. The Doraville, GA plant that built it painted its stripes on and installed stainless steel body side moldings: far better than the stupid tape stripes and stick-on rubber moldings applied at the Pontiac plant.
So I tried to fill the void and now have two more oddly-optioned ’73 Bonneville coupes in the collection…but neither of them is as special as “the one” I miss so much. My car looked a lot like this Catalina (minus the wheels & incorrect fender skirts).
My second lost love 🙁 was a triple white 1973 Delta 88 convertible, purchased at a car lot in Forestdale, AL a long time ago with about 130K on it. The car was gorgeous and mechanically worn out. Its single exhaust 455 was weak but super quiet and smooth running.
I drove it for several years when I was in my mid twenties and have many pleasant memories associated with it, most of which involved the female persuasion. Its only options I knew of were the 455, manual A/C, AM/FM 8-track, accessory group (visor mirror, underhood/trunk lights), and remote mirror. No power windows and not even a clock.
I was young and dumb and had no place to put the car so it sat outside where I worked….right next to the above Pontiac. Both got vandalized so I regrettably sold the car for peanuts to some idiot that pestered me about it endlessly. The said idiot broke the top & left it down permanently. A year later, I saw it sitting the weeds on property they owned with the top down and got all emotional — it was heartbreaking to see the car like that…a car that had taken such good care of me.
I could never get ahold of the owners to try & buy it back. I assume it’s been destroyed or scrapped by now. It looked a lot like this car:
Beautiful car, I’m a sucker for white on white, sorry to hear the story of it’s fate. I usually assume with cars that age when I sell that the next owner will have to take care of it just because, but I guess that’s not always the case.
1967 Fleetwood Brougham, triple black. The only two options missing were heated seats and AM/FM Stereo. Wonderful car.
My 1991 Isuzu Impulse XS. Great handling and 8000 RPM little screamer, with the tall gearing I fitted to get it running it only needed a turbo to have some more oomph below 4K.
Maybe dad’s 81 305 Caprice and 75 Range Rover
This one.
I had a ’70!
This was a ’73 with overdrive. Ironically, about 15 years ago the guy who I sold it to (in ’81) called me and asked if I wanted to buy it back. He had just had a cosmetic restoration done on it, and it looked like a new car. Unfortunately he wanted big money for it, and the thought of paying about 3 times what I paid for it the first time just didn’t seem like a good idea at the time.
Sometimes the memories are better than the object of them.
My 1959 Plymouth Fury sedan. The car fit me like a glove. Also the 29 Model A rumble seat coupe. A growing family forced that sale.
In truth, if I had the room and the money, I think I would have every single one back.
Easy! My first car, a 1991 Volvo 940SE turbo, in black with saddle tan leather. Never should have sold it, but I bought a ’99 S70AWD as the new daily driver in Jan. 2004 and had only a one-car garage (and still do).
Here it is, parked at my dad’s office (where I worked from 1995-2004), circa 2000:
I don’t miss any of my prior cars all that much; the one I’d like back the most would have to be my 1980 Volvo 242DL 2-door sedan. I had it for 21 years, 1982-2003, and by the end, the tinworm and electrical issues were taking their toll.
Now going farther back in time to cars owned by family members, these are the ones I’d like, in order:
1955 Chevy 210 Delray club coupe
1961 Olds Dynamic 88 2-door hardtop
1961 Chevy Bel Air 2-door sedan
1967 Chevy Bel Air 2-door sedan
1973 Chevy Monte Carlo S
I’d love to have a ’67 Bel Air & ’73 Monte Carlo.
1. My 1962 Porsche 356B, in black. Paid $2000 for it in early 1968, sold it six months later (moving) for $2000. (You know what they go for today!) It was wrecked about 3 months later . . . . .
2. My Ford Econoline Pickup which I bought new in 1961. Made two transcontinental trips with it. A tad slow (144 ci six) but that huge windshield provided panoramic views of the Rockies. With an early camper top installed on the back, I had a rolling motel room to boot.
3. My 1964 Valiant that I bought for $200 while hitching through Mississippi in 1975. I followed the tracks of that car for years after. It would NOT DIE. I would not be surprised if it was still ticking over today. Although that car slipped through my fingers, there is another ’64 (same color even) currently parked in my driveway.
(There is a moral to this story: If you want to remember a car fondly, Keep It Simple Stupid. Even the Porsche was dead simple).
This morning, while getting my ’86 Nissan Pickup inspected. I noticed a ’41 Chevy 2 door sedan in the shop for steering box repair. Original owner, 53,000 miles. Never restored or even repainted. All original. That guy must have bought into the KISS ethic as well!
I miss my 1996 Chevrolet Impala SS the most.
My long gone 1979 Datsun 280ZX I miss second most.