Neighbor gave away his old car...

[HaveGun]

I was talking to my neighbor a couple of years ago about cars and he mentioned he had an old car he had fixed up years ago sitting in the tiny garage under his house. I'd been living next door for a couple of years and had no idea. We went and looked at it and it was a pretty nice `68 Cougar XR-7. It needed some trim pieces installed or replaced but looked like a pretty nice old Cougar. He offered to sell it to me for $4500. I immediately said yes. Then reconsidered and said it was worth more than that. I went back to my place and did some research and told him it was likely worth around $8k to $12k and I couldn't afford that much.

He thanked me for my honesty and said he needed to do some more work before he would try to sell it.

Over the next couple of years, I would occasionally hear it start up and he would take short trips around the block. I eventually had enough money in the bank to buy it at the low end of it's value, but opted to get other toys/guns instead, realizing that I didn't have room to store it and that it would be a money pit since I could never leave a muscle car alone, lol.

Came home from work the other day and it was sitting on a trailer in front of his house. I went over to take a picture of it and his 20-something daughter came out and told me that her dad had given her the car. She was up from Boise and was going to trailer it back down there and drive it on weekends.

Sad to see a good deal go, but happy he's keeping it in the family. Once it was out in the sunlight and I got to really inspect it, it needed a lot more work than I initially thought. The paint job was done poorly and it would probably be at least a few thousand to correct it. It needed all new wheels and tires, and the interior was the ugliest color available in 1968. Plus, it was a 302-2V motor that had been rebuilt and sounded like it was missing badly. Definite money pit.

Read More

 

[HighlandLofts]

Atleast you didn't fall into the money pit.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Old cars....and old firearms...
Both can be fun and rewarding to own , use and maintain.

With that said...
It is wise to not have what you own , "own" you.
Andy

 

[TorchRedTulsan]

I went over to take a picture of it and his 20-something daughter

I'm only seeing a picture of the car.

"Good deals" on old cars are seldom as good as they seem. I still love them, but there are often thousands of dollars in body work and/or paint just waiting to be discovered

 

[Member 45541]

I was talking to my neighbor a couple of years ago about cars and he mentioned he had an old car he had fixed up years ago sitting in the tiny garage under his house. I'd been living next door for a couple of years and had no idea. We went and looked at it and it was a pretty nice `68 Cougar XR-7. It needed some trim pieces installed or replaced but looked like a pretty nice old Cougar. He offered to sell it to me for $4500. I immediately said yes. Then reconsidered and said it was worth more than that. I went back to my place and did some research and told him it was likely worth around $8k to $12k and I couldn't afford that much.

He thanked me for my honesty and said he needed to do some more work before he would try to sell it.

Over the next couple of years, I would occasionally hear it start up and he would take short trips around the block. I eventually had enough money in the bank to buy it at the low end of it's value, but opted to get other toys/guns instead, realizing that I didn't have room to store it and that it would be a money pit since I could never leave a muscle car alone, lol.

Came home from work the other day and it was sitting on a trailer in front of his house. I went over to take a picture of it and his 20-something daughter came out and told me that her dad had given her the car. She was up from Boise and was going to trailer it back down there and drive it on weekends.

Sad to see a good deal go, but happy he's keeping it in the family. Once it was out in the sunlight and I got to really inspect it, it needed a lot more work than I initially thought. The paint job was done poorly and it would probably be at least a few thousand to correct it. It needed all new wheels and tires, and the interior was the ugliest color available in 1968. Plus, it was a 302-2V motor that had been rebuilt and sounded like it was missing badly. Definite money pit.

View attachment 736291

Oh good grief! That's my all time dream and birth year car!! I have dreamed of owning one of those since I was a little boy!

 

[HaveGun]

Oh good grief! That's my all time dream and birth year car!! I have dreamed of owning one of those since I was a little boy!

I owned and sold my dream car when I got married decades ago. I paid $1200 for it to the original owner.

Have been looking for another one for years that I could afford and so far have been out of luck...

 

[Member 45541]

Well, for me, that's why it's called my dream car. I'll just keep on dream'n!

 

[Helocat]

If that new owner is not married, she might be soon. A lethal combo is an attractive young lady in possession of a cool classic car.

In college one Summer I drove my sisters Honda 50 moped to work to save fuel costs of my FJ40 Landcruiser with its 350 V8. One day going home from work, I saw a FJ40 with the top off packed with 4 hot girls in bikinis cross-traffic about 4 blocks down the road. I pinned that little scooter to try to catch up. About 4 cars of guys were in hot pursuit as the girls knew they were pulling a train of guys. I got about 2 blocks away when I realized it was MY FJ40 and my girlfriend driving it, had stolen it for a joy ride with her GFs. Man I thought I hit the jackpot of a hot chick with a cool car! Instead, I found the source of my "fuel leak" and why my truck even sitting seamed to go through the gas.

 

[Ruger Rich]

I had a Dan Gurney model of this with a factory modified 390CI engine, and a 4 speed. Like a lot of things I've had, I let it go for something else that caught my eye. It's happened with guns as well. Anybody got a cure?

 

[Ura-Ki]

I got lucky enough to have scored my dream car when I was still in high school back in 86, and I still have it to this day! It's been a long and winding road and I have been close to having to sell it a few times, but the Muscle car gods have been kind to me, and let me keep it! For those here not in the know, ( I have shared in other threads) it's a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 440 4 Speed Track/Drag Pak car, with the R/T trim delete option! Originally Forest Green with Black R/T SE interior package, and the stripes and badge delete. Basically, a sleeper ( as much as a Challenger could be back then) and bloody fast! I spent all my lawn mowing and news paper money on that car, but I finally got to drive it the last couple of months of my senior year in school! The car had only 3300 miles on the clock when I got it, it got wrecked by it's original owner and then parked, after I got it put back together and drivable, it sat a bunch more while I was serving, it wasn't until I retired in 2008 that I was able to go through the entire car and fix it back up to better then new and really start enjoying it! AND NO, it's not for sale!

 

[sobo]

Instead, I found the source of my "fuel leak" and why my truck even sitting seamed to go through the gas.

I'd be mildly interested to hear how the next conversation you had with your GF went...

 

[HaveGun]

About fifteen years ago, I was dropping off my son at a new friends house. My commuter car at the time was a `65 Barracuda with a 4spd and slant six. It was lowered with aftermarket rims and fun to drive. The kid's dad came out and we started talking cars.

He revealed that he had a `70 'Cuda Hemi, all original, with 20k miles on it stashed in a shop. He bought it in high school and was very particular with it. He said it was his retirement account and didn't dare drive it.

Back then, the muscle car market was near it's peak and the car was probably worth around $500k.

The smart move would have been to sell it and invest in the stock market. He would have been a multi-millionaire about now. Instead, the market has softened a bit on the car and it's probably worth around $200k. More than the $3k he paid for it, but still not the wisest decision, financially.