Saw an XK 150 Jag on the road today and it made me think back to 1986 when I bought my frst proper car. I paid £4500 for a Golf GTI Mk1 Campaign 1.8 in black..... but that same weekend I went to a Jag show and saw a grey Jag XK150 DHC for sale for £4500. It had had a body restoration but the engine and interior were in need of a bit of TLC although it was running well enough.

For a few hours I thought about it and then decided the Golf was a better bet..... LOL! Oh how wrong was I, the XK would have been worth between £50K and £150K today

So what is the one car you saw and wish you had bought?

 

Well for me it was a Reliant Scimitar GTC. I kind of wished i had got the rag top bug earlier, and it would have lasted the years, and as it turns out would have kept its market value.




I was looking back in 1985 when you could get a good one for about 4500 quid and i didnt have a lot of cash, paying first mortgage etc.

What did i buy? i bought a Vauxhall cavalier sports hatch for 3500 out of a dodgy Glasgow dealer. It impressed me no end when it ran out of petrol on the test drive and he cranked it up on the pavement using the starter motor.



Anyway lasted me well and used to see it in Glasgow many years after i got rid of it. (I had her for 4 years RUS 900W) The wife nearly had our kid in it, which she has never forgotten or forgiven me for - ran short of petrol in Inveraray and had to wait all night for the petrol station to open.

 

Always lusted after one of these.



http://www.cars365.biz/pages/classicrover.shtml

 

I was looking at a fully restored TR6 about 20 years ago for £5k but I was too young to get classic car insurance so didn't buy it - how I wish I'd had a garage back then.

I have always fancied one of these though

 

I missed a Jensen interceptor at a local garage when I had just bought my new XR3i 25 years ago and it was only £7500 lot of money then when I was skint

The other car I wanted was a Renault 15 (look it up interesting car in the 70s ) for £250 but I was only 16 at the time and we had nowhere to store it untill I passed my test

 

Nearly bought a tatty (but origional and easily tidyable) chevette HS in 2002 for £1500.

came with a spare short engine that on its own today is worth nearly that!

Instead did the sensible thing and bought a 94 saab 900 turbo ..... wasnt sucha sensible choice now though.

 

Talking about the one that got away. I never let my mum forget about her selling her Mk2 Escort to get a scooter.

I keep reminder her of how expensive they are these days.

 

1987 and just about to take my test. Phoned a guy selling a 1275gt mini( the car i really wanted)...He said he had people veiwing the car there and then so i left a tel number to call me back if they didnt buy it. No call came so i left a deposit on a MK1 Golf. The day i picked the Golf up the guy with the Mini calls to say the people had pulled out the deal....I was gutted! Even more so because a mate ended up buying it.!

 

That looks so wrong, but so right too

 

Ultima GTR. Built to a really high/impressive no expense spared spec.

Decided it was too impractical...and ended up with a equally impractical NSX :

 

Neighbour offered my his Lotus sunbeam for a grand about 20 years ago. I was mint, but at the time it looked dated so I passed - went and got a MK1 Golf gti campaign instead, which was a minter also. No regrets though really, I loved that golf!

 

Could have had one of these: http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?um=1&...,r:0,s:0,i:100
and yes, it's the RS1800, the one for sale already had the twin 45DCOE Webbers on, but I bottled it as I heard they were prone to fail, and expensive to repair.

I almost bought this too: http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?num=1...,r:0,s:0,i:136

Admittedly, it was a replica, and only 2-wd, but had a 500 bhp Cossie lump in it........

 

I have 2.....

Late eighties I decided against a Toyota Corolla GT AE86 from a Main dealer because the rear diff had a whine - later to discover 'they all did that' and it was perfect.

In 2003 I test drove an E30 M3 in black. Had a little bit of lacquer peeling on one door but otherwise looked fine. Was put off by that paint defect! Cost at the time......£4500! Cost now....may be add £10k to that On the upside, I did buy a last of the line Integrale Evo instead

Rgds, Ade

 

Delta integrale evo1 or 3 for me.

 

Sierra Sapphire Cosworth. Had a lowly 1.8GL Sapphire and always wanted the Cossie. Never did.

 

Awesome!

 

i was looking at a garage and there was a series 1 RST in mint condition, or a saphire 2.0 glsi,

i had to borrow some money off my mum and she wouldn't give it me for the RST, so i got the saphire instead

 

The year is 1982/3, local garage had a tired looking 3.0l CSL on the forecourt for 1500.00. couldn't get the money together in time...

 

I was like 12 then!

Stunning looking car that Paul....

This was pulled out of my mates dad's garage a few months ago, its been in there 20+years! A '73 3.0 CSL schnitzer.

 

one of these for me back in 85

Bought an Audi 100 instead for practicality, ****

 

Love it, great car

 

Back in 2000 I had just bought an M3 Evo cab for £24k, a few months later my mate was selling his 993 Turbo 4WD for approx £35k. He would probably have sold it to me for less, but I could'nt be arsed to sell the M3 and find the difference.

Now the M3 is probably worth £5k and the 993 Turbo 4 over £50k!!!!!!

Please excuse my nobber cousin in the middle of the pic, being a ***!!

 

That was back in 2005, I wouldn't have one now though

 

Yeah, but you'd only have dismantled it Just kidding Rob

 

There was also a cheap VX220 on a forecout that was looking forlorn for quite some time, right price and at the time when they were still pretty new and nobody except true petrolheads was interested in them because of the badge.

At the time I was happy with having four doors and a boot, so just passed it by everyday on my way to work until it eventually went.

I also let a Lotus Elan +2 130/5 slip pass me before I had the chance to put an offer in...not as desirable as a Elan FHC/DHC, but a hell of alot more sensibly prices and alot useable (i.e there is legroom in it). Now they typically fetch double what that one sold for.

 

Love this



Having owned this



Sold the GTA and now have this garaged . It's beyond economical repair, so it a project for the distant future

 

I always wanted a escort cosworth I had a sapphire cosworth and that was fun and twice as much to run that my classic I got now .also wanted a Astra gte 16v and a manta gte as well

 

Would have to be an Integrale Evolution. Went across to Walkers years ago and you could pick up a decent Evo for £12k.
Then in 2003 a mate in works son-in-law was selling his 16 valver, it was mint (was kept in a dehumidifier garage) and he was more of a polisher than a driver! He was after £4.5k with an EVO number plate, apparently it sold for £3.5k in the end. Still regret not going for it!

 

2 cars really

1 valley commando RA-R @ £14k

And

A Metro 6R4 at £26K

 

how wierd, i had a 2.0 saph but always wanted a cossie. also would have loved an escort cosworth.