What Car did you Pass up and Always Regret

[Martin Evans]

I wouldn't say always regretted but in 1983, I looked at a Mini Cooper 998. It was a bit rough (It had been converted to drums at the front but the rest was Cooper, including the interior, which was always a bit better on Coopers. I think they wanted £300 for it but O stuck with my Mini 1000 (Which a year later made way for the Midget....but was indirectly replaced in 1985, when I became a two car person). That Cooper would be worth a tidy sum now.

I also looked at a Bewley in 1994, which on reflection would have been a good buy but I ended up with the Jedi and more work than if I had gone for the Bewley (It was the proprietor's old car). I don't know if Geroge Bewley is still about; he was a good engineer

I wish my father had bought a pre war MG Midget/Magnette or Magna for peanuts in the 1950s

[1900sr]

Two stick in my mind, predictably both Mantas. I'd always promised myself a Manta A, and finally bought one 11 years ago. Just after I bought it I got my first club mag, and for sale in that was a Broadspeed Turbo. I was seriously tempted but had just bought mine. If memory serves the guy struggled to sell it, and I think it finally went for about £2000. It was the press car, a pre-production one and ended up in Europe. Now if I wanted one (which I do) I'd be looking at around £10k for one in the same condition, if I could find one,as nearly all the survivors have been exported out of the UK. At around the same time the only factory RHD Manta 400 was also available for about £4000. I hate to think what that car is worth now.

[Diesel Fionn]

A couple of years ago I was carless, well I owned my Rover 2200 SC but it was under restoration and not driveable. I asked my usual garage man but he had nothing cheap, by cheap I mean €300-400 as that was the cash i had at hand. (had sold my modern to pay for welding on the Rover.... yes and it's still in the shed and I'm still having to weld little holes that were missed... grrrrr) Anyhow I went on the interweb and found a 2000 Nissan Primera saloon. Clean but the engine management light was on. But it was bought for €400 and then I discovered the ECU was shot. Bought a spares car for €100 and replaced the ECU and drove it for four months till it was written off after a rear end that was not my fault. However about a week or so after I bought it my guy in the garage tells me the 2001 rover 414 i had seen there a month or so earlier wasn't sold. I could have bought a functioning car that was cheaper to tax and I like modern and classic rovers. in the end the Primera netted me a €1000 insurance payout so that paid off the credit card and I bought a 1997 Corsa 1.4 which I never loved but drove for a year. That car liked going fast.

[Toledo Man]

In 1993 I came across a clean low mileage (48k I think) Mk1 Astra. At the time I was after a MK2 Cavalier in GL trim (velour upholstery and a full set of instruments) so I gave it a miss. Maybe I should've got the Astra instead. My current modern is a MK4 Astra so I ended up getting an Astra 20 years on.

[kstrutt1]

Back in the 80s when I was a student I used to run an anglia with 1600 kent engine bullet box cortina gt brakes etc, I was offered a running lotus twin cam engine with carbs for £150, I couldnt afford it so turned it down, always regretted making that decision, should have blown my grant on it!

[JPB]

...should have blown my grant on it!

No way! An engine won't get you pished, grant sexual favours in exchange for a bite of a kebab that you found in a toilet and cook you breakfast the morning after. I found it easy enough to get through uni in the '80s with slow, uncool cars. Sadly, I didn't eat meat then either.

[Paul240480]

Well, having been at sea for 2 years in the RN I came home in 82' with a pocket of dosh ( well enough for an 20yr old single lad anyhow).
I narrowed my choice of 1st car down to .

Mk1 Cavalier 1.6gl. white, black vinyl roof, rostyle wheels and boudoir red velour 1978 'S' reg.

Or

Triumph Dolomite 1300HL , bright red, black vinyl roof and black velour interior . 1979 'T' reg.

I went for the Cav' and whilst it was nice... I always wondered wether I should have gone for the Dolly....

[tractorman]

While I'm not a big Vauxhall fan Paul, I think you probably got the right car - though the Dolly looked nice enough, I didn't really rate the 1300 version - if it had been a "proper" dolly (1850 or Sprint), then you may have made a mistake!

[1900sr]

Well, having been at sea for 2 years in the RN I came home in 82' with a pocket of dosh ( well enough for an 20yr old single lad anyhow).
I narrowed my choice of 1st car down to .

Mk1 Cavalier 1.6gl. white, black vinyl roof, rostyle wheels and boudoir red velour 1978 'S' reg.

Or

Triumph Dolomite 1300HL , bright red, black vinyl roof and black velour interior . 1979 'T' reg.

I went for the Cav' and whilst it was nice... I always wondered wether I should have gone for the Dolly....

I did the opposite. I was looking at a 1.6GL Mk1 Cav in metallic blue at a dealers, but it had been keyed down the side. the dealer took so long sorting it out that I ended up buying Dolomite 1500SE off him, which looked great in black but had had a cheap respray which hid a multitude of sins. It also had a lovely oil leak.

[Paul240480]

Yes, I probably did do the right thing..... I was shore based in Portsmouth at the time, and had every weekend off. So the Cav was running up to Derby to see the folks on a Friday and back Sunday night . So the 1600cc was probably the better cruiser... Both 4 speed don't forget .

Mind you my boy racer (then) driving style managed to crack the block, requiring a re-con engine, which was an Opel block..... Sadly about 4 months later it went up in flames in Portsmouth one morning in quite q spectacular fashion