What cars did you pass on buying in the 60s/70s because they cost too much

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1997 i heard of a guy w a 1971 RR w a 340 and a spare 340 to go with it. 2100 bucks. I call him he says deal. I show up hes not there and car is gone. I ask his roommate oh he sold it this morning for 1500. I said what. His roommate then tells me the guy is an alcoholic and needed beer money. Smh. 6 months later i find a lady selling a 69 roadrunner if i remember correctly. 383 4 speed. 68k miles she wants 3500. My dad talked me out of it. Something about likely killing myself trying to be cool lol
 
One non-mopar i just remembered was a car i kinda bought. My Dad's supervisor at NIH had retired around 1979, but he kept in touch with her. She told him she was finally selling her work car as it was no longer needed for the retired couple. She was trying to get $200. He told her i might be interested so he took me over to visit with her. It was a 63 Chevy II 2 dr mdl. 100. 194-6 3 on the tree and green and green with 60k mi. It was the most spartan car i had ever seen. The paint had about 40% gloss but the body/int was flawless. She brought out all the original paperwork & protectoplate and to my amazement the only option was a posi 3.08 rear. No radio, no trim, no carpet, no nothin! When i said i wanted it, she said she couldn't take money from me for such a old car. so i left with the car. Just a sweet grandmother type woman who loved my Dad & i felt horrible. Went back the next day with a thank you note & $50 bucks and put it in her mailbox.

Not knowing what i would end up doing with it, i sold it to a stoner living next door 4 mos. later for $500 bucks. Sadly, he proceeded to total it within a month.
 
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There's been quite a few I passed on unfortunately. Mostly like everyone one else, not enough funds.
'71 Charger R/T 440 B5 blue black stripes black buckets. Really good shape. $750.

'73 Challenger Rallyee
Gunmetal Grey black top and interior
340 car. Really nice. $1500

An AAR Cuda it was just a roller, $2500.....

Hughhh
 
S*** I got out of high school in 1978 so I pretty much have one every other week LOL I'll give you my top three though. At number one graveyard cars phantom cuda I was about 17 it was sitting at a car lot Eugene Oregon 440+6 car the 440 pack was gone and was sporting a 340 at the time still a gorgeous 71 CudaI think they wanted around $3,000 2800 something like that. the rest is history. Number two 1968 GTS converted to 440 dual fours in line ramrod 4 speed Dana 60 410 gears triple black with a black vinyl top gorgeous the year was 1979. Number three is hard because there was so many but I'm going to go with 1970 43000 miles superbird one owner original paint number two condition the year was 1985 and he wanted 10,000 for it but what a ridiculous price lol the car is set for 2 or 3 months in front of the tire dealership I think they finally sold it for around $7,500
 
'70 Hemi charger for $3500 - no drivetrain but pretty clean. (1988)
'70 AAR cuda, red with a 4-speed (no console) and the standard gauges, not rally gauges. Mint, for $5500. Pomona Swapmeet 1988
'69 Hemi roadrunner for $3500, column automatic, burgundy with dog dishes and mint 1979 (somewhere around San Gabriel or Azusa, CA)
 
When I was in high school the mid 80's, I noticed a clean dark green on green '69 GTX sitting out in front of a house for months. Knocked on the door to see if the car could be for sale. The lady said it had a blown engine and she would sell it for $500. I remember she said her kids called her GTX "The Tank". I didn't buy it because it didn't seem like that good of a deal at the time...
 
OOOO the pain this thread has caused me. 65 Chevelle Z11 $1,200.00. 69 Hemi Charger $1,200.00 because why did I need 2 Hemi cars?!!!. O so many many more. Pain pain. ug.
 
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All the nice cars were $1,200.00 bucks at the time (my time). 71 Hemi RR bracket type car $1,200 bucks. O I need some Tylenol. How about a 66 Mustang Conv. GT 289/271 some rust $450.00. I bought a 69 SS 396 Chevelle convertible full power even A.C. for $1200.00. Someone please call 911.
 
In 1974 there were 3 cars, all at the same time, at the same dealership. A 60 Corvette, brown & tan, a 64 Avanti & a 60 T-Bird Hardtop black on black. All three were 3000.00. I ended up buying a 68 LTD fastback from another dealer across the road for 1800.00.
 
My first car in when I turned 16 in 1971 was a 68 Dodge Charger R/T for $1700. Two weeks later I regretted just getting it because on a local used car lot was a white 69 Mustang Boss 429 with 4 speed for $2100.
A couple of years later, a friend had a 69 Z28 RS, black with white stripes, cowl induction, 8k tach, black & white cloth seat inserts. He dogged it until the clutch give up. He was too lazy to get it fixed so his dad sold it for about $3500. That was a lot to me then. I loved that car though.
Fall of 73, Dodge dealer had a Dart 340 Sport, 3 by the knee, sunroof, folding rear seat, $3591.00. I wanted it but my dad didn't like it because no a/c. He talked me into a 74 360 fully equipped Challenger. Challenger was a rattle trap.
today.jpg

After Don passed away in July, 1977, his widow sold this never raced ProStock Duster roller. A good friend knew her and told me she was going to sell it but didn't know how much. I told him to find out. Before he found out for me, she sold it for $4200. Noooooo!
In 1978, I worked at at Dodge dealership. The owner bought a ragged orange Superbird to fix up. He also bought an orange 69 Coronet with 440-6pack, lift off hood, 4-speed, and Dana 60. He took the 440-6 to put in the Superbird. Someone else got the trans and Dana. They stuck an 8.75 in it and sold it as a roller. What a shame.
In 1981, I remember a Superbird sitting in weeds behind a friends girlfriend's house. It was in gray primer. I didn't like NASCAR, and I didn't care for the Superbird's looks. Probably could have got it cheap.
 
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512Stroker said:
In 1976 I passed on a a Hemi Roadrunner because of the Arab gas embargo. $2500 it was **** box brown with a white interior, 4 speed car. Rear main seal was leaking and the kids oldman wanted off his concrete driveway.
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yeah V8s were cheap then. i was a kid but mom was car shopping and she had mentioned a charger, I was like "get the Charger" its funny how when you were a kid in the 70s you knew what a cool car was. Anyway she ended up with a 66 Chevelle with a 283 Power glide. She said the 440 Charger was a gas hog.
 
Back in 1992 I found an original purple 70' HEMI Roadrunner (1 of 7 built) for $20,000.
Couldn't swing the payments. :-(
 
In 1975 my stupid sister was losing her lime green 71 gran coupe barracuda convertible to the bank. she owed $563.00 I didn't have the money of course.

Then, while in Houston in 1987 a guy was selling his black 69 superbee Hemi, 40k actual miles bought new by him, $6500.00 I had just sold my 440 R/T for 1500, so I thought he was crazy to ask that much.HAHAHA ARGH!!!!!
To keep perspective, I had just bought my 68 Charger in Phoenix for $500.00,,,
That is the car in the picture to this day.


Being old I had numerous others, and forgot to mention, while working at the phillips 66 station in 1969 a very attractive army Nurse showed up on a sunday Morning with a 58 Corvette convertible, white and red. she said she had to report for transfer to Vietnam, and needed to sell the Vette, $900 was the price. I made $1.35 an Hour, That car just as well been $9000 dollars to me!
 
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In the late 80’s while working at a gas station in high school, a customer, who was two years older than me had a 69 Camaro RS/SS convertible L78 396/375, 4 speed, 4.10 12 bolt. Hugger orange with white stripes, white convertible top and orange houndstooth interior. His part time job after school was a Domino’s pizza delivery driver. Without mentioning anything to me about getting rid of it, he comes in one day and had traded that car straight up for a 94 Mustang GT convertible and was thrilled with the gas mileage improvement.

Around 1989-1990, the local Ford dealer had a 1969 burgundy Boss 429 Mustang on the showroom floor for sale. They wanted $28,000 for it, which could have bought you two new 5.0 Mustangs at the time.

In the mid 1990’s, there was a 72 Bronco half cab on a farm that you could see from a distance. One day we decide to see if the folks are home and inquire about the Bronco. We get up there and there were two older guys on the porch drinking beer. The entire bed of the half cab was full of empty beer cans. The truck had the engine pulled but was in a nearby shed. One guy said it was his sons and it was for sale, $1500. It looked like a $500 truck at the time so we passed. Those things go for huge money now and the 72 half cab is unique as it was the last year of the factory half cab and first year of the Dana 44 front axle.
 
1978 or so I passed up a 1966 Shelby GT350 Mustang for $3000, still kicking myself. But at the time I was making around $3.00 an hour so it seemed out of reach.
 
The last year for a bad-assed small block car….. 72’ 4speed H code Demon “driver “ $1800 - 1989 the reason, it leaked like crazy it was fall and the car was in primer in Michigan the salt capital.
:BangHead::BangHead::BangHead::BangHead::BangHead::BangHead::BangHead::BangHead::BangHead::BangHead::BangHead::BangHead::BangHead:
 
1981- '64 Dodge max wedge car with a crazy 70's paint job $3000
1981- '70 Super Bee 383 4 speed $500 - the owner had missed a shift and bent a bunch of pushrods, I was concerned about what else was damaged.
1982 - '70 white Challenger R/T 440 4 speed $1500
1982 - '71 Road Runner 383 sunroof In Voilet $1800
1984 - Yellow Superbird $6000 - I had the money saved up but my ex wife threw a fit about what a f'ing ugly car it was.
1998 - Beat to hell '70 Duster 340 4 speed car $1300

Those are the ones that I can remember, I have drug a lot more home than I have passed on!
 
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B5 blue 1969 GTX - 440 4 speed with 35,000 miles in 1976. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn''t raise the $1500 needed (((sigh)))
 
Differnt kinda hemi. Boss 429 Mustang $1500. Had the money. :BangHead: Before the banks were open on Saturdays so it was not available for a couple days.
 
str12-340 said:
B5 blue 1969 GTX - 440 4 speed with 35,000 miles in 1976. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn''t raise the $1500 needed (((sigh)))
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Late 1980 I spotted a B5 '69 GTX convertible 440/4sp/air grabber on a used car lot (where a McDonald's sits today). I stopped to look at it. $3,200 was more than I could think about scraping up. I was going to school and working part time at a local burger joint. A couple of months later I saw the car again with a stranger driving, but a friend of mine (since passed away) in the passenger seat. Became friends with the driver and a little more than a year later he drove us away from our wedding in that car. It has changed hands since then (1987 or so), but I am also friends with the current owner.
 
In 1979 I passed on a mint conditon 70 Chevelle SS 396 with cowl induction 4 speed, the guy wanted $1800
 
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