The One Item You Wish You Didn't Pass Up

[olredalert]

----Back in 1976 when I started work at Classic Motors in Hinsdale I missed a big one . The 1st day at work I was shown the work area and immediatly saw a yong guy working on a GT 40 Ford. Later when I was talking about it with my new boss, Richard B, he offered it to me for $30,000. Since I only had about 3 grand to my name I had to pass. Should have tried harder, but I comfort myself by saying that I wouldn't have kept it long because as usual I had bills to pay.....Bill S

[427.060]

In around 1977-78 a local used car dealership that I had bought a couple cars from had a 1964 Corvette convertible. It was white with tan interior. It had the removable hard top and knock off wheels. The dealer offered it to me for $6800. Being a 20 year old with very little money I had to pass.

[GMC_Typhoon]

1989. Had a 6 foot tall slim athletic blonde wrapped around my finger.Had the face of an angel,but she probably would have caused me more problems than it was worth so I passed.

[Crush]

I think about 7 years ago I looked at a special order paint 70 Chevelle LS6 car. It was painted Hugger Orange at the time. It was part of a collection. I didn’t pull the trigger and a guy came in and bought it along with several of the other vehicles.

[L_e_e]

Back in 1992, 1970 RA IV 4-spd Trans Am, Lucerne Blue/black interior for $13,000, after looking at it I dragged my feet for 1 day because that was a large sum to me back in the day, finally decided to go for it, called the guy and he had already taken a deposit on it. Still haunts me to this day.

[markinnaples]

Since we're in the, "anything" realm, there were 3 that I messed up big-time passing:

1. A house on a double lot on the Imperial River in Bonita Springs, FL. They wanted $300K, and I was waiting for my investment spec house to sell and I was gonna pull the trigger, but it sold before mine sold by days. I should have put in the offer contingent on mine selling. Someone bought it, subdivided it and sold each side for $700K, ugh.

2. A lot on the south end of Ft Myers Beach, right on San Carlos Blvd, across from the beach. There were two houses across the street directly on the beach that were new, and the lot I was looking at was spaced directly between them so you had a clear view of the Gulf of Mexico. I had a deal with the owner as I was going to buy directly from her as her contract was up with her realtor at the end of December, but on December 27 she got a full price offer. I was, again, waiting on my spec house to sell and had to get a little financing, so I told her to just accept the offer. She was actually on the verge of tears when we were talking because we had struck up a friendship as she was from PA, not too far from where I went to college, but I felt guilty trying to use that new friendship to buy the lot. That lot was ~$375, and I was planning on putting about a $200K house on it, and today that would probably worth about $1.5-ish.

3. When I finally sold my spec house, I was looking through the newspaper and a FSBO came up in the Park Shore neighborhood of Naples, FL, for an older home for $395. I went and looked at it and it was an elderly gentleman whose wife had passed and he was moving. The house was older, but neat as a pin. For some reason, I just didn't pull the trigger. Still not sure what was holding me back, but that house is worth $2.5 to $3.5MM.

Sigh.

[dustinm]

Originally Posted by markinnaples

Since we're in the, "anything" realm, there were 3 that I messed up big-time passing:

1. A house on a double lot on the Imperial River in Bonita Springs, FL. They wanted $300K, and I was waiting for my investment spec house to sell and I was gonna pull the trigger, but it sold before mine sold by days. I should have put in the offer contingent on mine selling. Someone bought it, subdivided it and sold each side for $700K, ugh.

2. A lot on the south end of Ft Myers Beach, right on San Carlos Blvd, across from the beach. There were two houses across the street directly on the beach that were new, and the lot I was looking at was spaced directly between them so you had a clear view of the Gulf of Mexico. I had a deal with the owner as I was going to buy directly from her as her contract was up with her realtor at the end of December, but on December 27 she got a full price offer. I was, again, waiting on my spec house to sell and had to get a little financing, so I told her to just accept the offer. She was actually on the verge of tears when we were talking because we had struck up a friendship as she was from PA, not too far from where I went to college, but I felt guilty trying to use that new friendship to buy the lot. That lot was ~$375, and I was planning on putting about a $200K house on it, and today that would probably worth about $1.5-ish.

3. When I finally sold my spec house, I was looking through the newspaper and a FSBO came up in the Park Shore neighborhood of Naples, FL, for an older home for $395. I went and looked at it and it was an elderly gentleman whose wife had passed and he was moving. The house was older, but neat as a pin. For some reason, I just didn't pull the trigger. Still not sure what was holding me back, but that house is worth $2.5 to $3.5MM.

Sigh.

Mines not as bad, but only buying 2 lots to build our house on and letting the 3rd lot go. I knew by the time we got done building we would be pretty leveraged and I thought a 5 car would be big enough. Now that my wife has a boat and I have 3 Chevelles Id like to keep that lot was very very cheap. For reference any gargage/building in our small city is now 175k plus

[Teddy]

In the summer of 1982 I bought a '70 Chevelle Super Sport from the second owner who only owned it for about six weeks. It was all original except it had a two-barrel small block in it. But I liked it and I could afford it. I found the build sheet and discovered I owned an L78 Chevelle. Through a stroke of luck I found the OO a few weeks later. I drove to his house and we talked about the car. I learned he pulled the original engine in 1978 because he didn't want it in the car anymore. He told me he gave the engine away. When I asked who he gave it to for whatever reason he didn't want to say. A few years later he left LI for Florida. In 2016 I mailed him pictures of the car. He was so happy to see it he called me up. We talked about the car and the engine. He told me he gave the engine to his neighbor Ray who still lives in the same house. Fifteen minutes later I was knocking on Ray's door. I said I know this is crazy but I'm looking for a 396 engine his old neighbor gave him in 1978. He said 'sure, I remember that engine, I sold it a few years ago'! That L78 engine, carb to pan, sat untouched in a backyard five miles from my house from 1978 to 2013. In 1982 I was standing 100 feet from it. Even after offering a finders' fee to him, Ray has no idea who he sold it to. That memory has haunted me for 41 years. I sold the car in 2019.

[Ramair4]

I know you said 1 thing but I have 3 I can't believe I passed on.
1967 GTO Gold with gold interior and black vinyl top HO 4 speed car factory a/c. Car was from South Carolina only rust was a 2 inch hole in the 1 quarter panel. Car was stripped to a roller with all the parts going with the car. $8000 about 5 years ago, what I fool I was.
Back in 1992 by friends bother in law had a 1967 Shelby GT500 he was selling. He pulled the engine and transmission and never went any further. Wanted $7500. Car was in Texas and I had just bought my 1st house so zero money and had to pass.
Last Car about 18 years ago 1965 Catalina 389 tri power white with red bench seat interior. Car was from Nevada zero rust , faded paint but mint interior for $1,500. Waited to long to decide and was gone in a day.

[WILMASBOYL78]

Originally Posted by GMC_Typhoon

1989. Had a 6 foot tall slim athletic blonde wrapped around my finger.Had the face of an angel,but she probably would have caused me more problems than it was worth so I passed.

I enjoy all these stories of what might have been.

My father had a lot of these...one of his favorites was about a rabbit

He used to say: "if the rabbit had made it over the fence, he wouldn't have ended up in the stew pot"

I guess we all have a few like these...just be glad for what you got


-wilma