What car do you wish you could own again?

[rustyroger]

cars I wish istill owned.

A bit off gbody topic here, But years ago I had a Wolesley 18/85 (a British make) & loved every minute of it. I sold it when I went back to college then a few years ago I saw it at a classic car show here in England. I was amazed it was still on the road - fortunes must have been spent on it as it was in great shape. I introduced myself to the owner who was interested to hear a little of the cars history & he let me take it for a spin. What a let down!; I remembered it as quite swift & very comfortable & smooth, it was slow ,rough & noisy;I hadn't taken into account how cars have improved over the last 30 years. Sometimes memories should be kept as memories.

 

[Phoenyx]

Well I had a few I wish I still Had.

My first car was a 1979 monze Spyder. It was pretty nice when I first got it. Was pretty much all original when I got it. It was silver with red interior. It had a 305 and a TH350. The transmission had an RV shift kit. And the 305 I put new oil pump, new cam (GM replacement from a 350HP 350), lifters, and double roller timing set. I also replaced the 2 bbl carb with a Quadrajet from a 350 and a stock GM aluminum intake. i backed it off with duals (off the stock manifolds) that had small (like 8"-10") blue bottle glass packs, that angled down right before the rear end. As for the rear end, that was the one weak point on the car. Open ended 2:29s, but the cars light weight made up for the bad gears. It had a few changes over the years. different wheels, 350, B&M shifter, sprayed the hood flat black, and evantuall ran the exhaust out the back.

Another nice vehicle I had was my old truck. It was a red and white 1964 GMC long box fleetside, with a 283, 4-speed, and open ended 4:11s. It was unrestored and almost all stock. The only things done to it was power steering that a previous owner added, a smaller steering wheel, seat cover, and I put the carb and intake from my monza along with the HEI. It even had the stock rims with bias ply tires.

My next car was my first G body. A 1980 Grand Prix SJ. It was 2 toned off white a burgandy. And this thing was fully loaded, the only things it didn't have was leather, buckets, or a console. It was like driving a Caddy lol. I gave it a new cam, lifters, timing set, oil pump, and water pump. Then I replace the TH350 with a M22 Muncie and replaced the 3:08s limited slip with 3:73 and a ne limited slip. Since it had the factory wire wheels (not hub caps) I lowers it a bit and put some 195/60s and a chain steering wheel to give it a kinda lowrider look. I also got duals with glass packs out to the back. This car was a blast to drive. And even though it was only a 301, the cam (268H Comp) 4-speed and gears really helped this car move. I suprised alot of people light to light with the car. I have to say that was probably my favorite car.

A few years later I got the car I'm driving now. Its a blue 1985 Pontiac Bonnyville 4 door. It came with a 305 and a TH350 with a shift kit ( the original owner blew the original transmission pulling a trailer). It had highway gears, and I still had the 3:73 rear from my GP, so I put that into it. And aside from a steering wheel and a full guage cluster i put in, thats about all I've done to the car. It still has stock wheels and hubcaps. And since the exhaust (single) was new when I got the car I left that too. Now this car isn't super fast, but it still suprises alot of people. They are real suprised when the rear tires chirp and the *ss end slied over a bit on the 1-2 shift. So far I have beat a bunch of the new HEMI truck and quite a few 5.0 and 4.6 stangs. Next year I'm hoping to put a 383 into it and a new TH350. And it really needs some suspension upgrades, I can't do a good burnout (well I can, just don't want to) because of wheel hop.

And the last car on my list is a 1948 Chevy Aerosedan. I had just bought it, and it wasnt running. But the body was in exellent shape, and all the parts were there. I had bought a newer 6 for it, but then decided I was gonna use my 350 and M22 I had from my past cars. But before I could start on it, the car went missing. I was storing it in a shop, and one day I went down there and the guy that was renting had moved. So I have no idea where the car is right now. If I don't get it back I will try to find another one, some day.

 

[srercrcr]

There's pics of those wheels on the Yahoo gbody site...my 78 GP.
I found a set of four....NOS....still in the GM boxes....made a deal for $600, seller changed his mind on me. It's just as well, I'd have a tough time driving with those on the car! Mine are used, not perfect. The little caps are real rare as well.

 

[85t5mcss]

Only one I wish I still had was my first car. 78 monte 305, buckets with console. Carmine on White/Maroon Interior. Met the wife in it, too. Lots of memories.

 

[8GPLE7]

A 1986 Chevy IROC was my first car. TPI 305 w/auto. I don't know what the color was called but was maroonish. Gold accent stripes and lettering. I was 18 and the coolest kid on my block. 8) To me that was the strongest, fastest car ever made 😛 I loved that car. It was all stock. I had plans for a stereo system, since thats about all knew about back then in 1991. The girls liked going for rides too :wink:

But, as all 18yo kids are, I was stupid. Thought I knew more than I did. I thought I knew how to drive with the skill of a veteran Nascar driver. One night coming out of a corner, speeding like a demon, the back end broke loose. Shot across the road, I tried to correct but the back end whipped the other way and the back tires went off the pavement, dug into the dirt and flipped the car. I don't remember exactly what happened next. But someone was looking out for me that night. I wasn't even wearing my seatbelt. I walked away with a scratch on my arm.

I still have the top end of that motor (intake, plenum, injectors) and other stuff. I'm thinking about putting it to use on my spare block I have. It would make for a good daily driver setup.

I still miss that car. But if I had to do it again, I wouldn't change a thing. That car taught me a valuable lesson in life. Don't take it for granted.

Cj

 

[clean8485]

At one point, I had a '73 Nova hatchback. It was a really neat car because of the hatchback feature. It was almost as good as a station wagon. It had a 307 small block Chev (the last year for that engine), auto on the floor & buckets & console. That's one car I wish I had back.

 

[Uncletruck]

Here is my list since my driving career began in 1986:

1. 1977 Ford LTD Sedan: 302 2 barrel. $600 beater, served me well through High School. Floor pans rotted out and it blew a head gasket, but hey, it sure beat riding the school bus! Was taking auto shop classes and replaced the head gaskets and sold it when I graduated.

2. 1982 Honda Accord: 1.8L 4 cyl. High school graduation gift from my dad. Had 120k miles on it when I got it, and 240k when I traded it. An excellent little box mechanically, but very rust prone. Body looked like swiss cheese after 7 years in the northeast.

3. 1989 Hyundai Excel: 1.5L 4 cyl. My first brand new car. It was reliable, but a little putzo-terd. It couldn't go faster than 45 up a long hill, but I was generally happy with it as it got good MPG. Traded at 130k on another Hyundai.

4. 1992 Hyundai Elantra: 1.6L 4 cyl. Bought brand new, total POS lemon from day 1. In dealer over 20 times in 2.5 years for various major and minor problems. This is where I learned a warranty doesn't do much good when you are without the car. It finally threw me over the edge when it blew its timing belt at 45k miles, and at that point I had enough of it, got it fixed and sold it. A big disappointment, as it was a nice looking car. That was the end of foreign cars for me.

5. 1984 Pontiac Parisenne wagon: 305 4 Barrel. Bought off lady at work, in near mint condition with 95k miles. I loved this car. Swapped out the original 305/200R4 with a 350/700R4. A 12-13 MPG tank, but it was a rolling living room. I sold it to a neighbor, should have kept it.

6. 1990 Mercury Grand Marquis: 5.0L FI. Bought used with 80k miles, traded on 2002 Ranger 4x4 at 150k. An excellent big boat, very comfortable, good MPG. Really should have kept it, but got a great trade allowance on it.

7. 1985 Pontiac Grand Prix. 231 2 barrel. Bought this as a winter car when I had the Mercury, it had 110k miles on it. Replaced the 231 V6's long block with a new one shortly after buying, used it during the winters for a few years. Sold it to a neighbor.

8. 1978 Cutlass Supreme: 305 4 barrel. Bought of E-Bay for $2000 in 1999, supposedly in cherry condition. Was not all it was cracked up to be, with extensive frame rot. Sold six months later for $1200, so I didn't lose much, sort of a buyer beware lesson learned.

9. 1978 Pontiac LeMans sedan: 231 2 barrel. Bought off original owner in 2000. In minty condition 50k miles at time of purchase. I still own this and drive it daily in the summer, it looks and drives like a new car. I had it professionally repainted, and have refreshed the engine and transmission with new gaskets and seals. Will probably keep this forever, it's been my all time favorite car. Pix link in my signature

10. 2002 Ford Ranger 4x4 stepside: 4.0L FI. Bought brand new, traded the Mercury for it. Nice little truck, but really had no need for it, it basically sat for 5 years collecting dust. Put it up for sale in the front yard a few months ago with only 18k miles on it, and it sold in 4 hours for every penny I asked for it.

11. 1981 Chevrolet Malibu wagon: 229 2 barrel. Bought off original owner last year. In good condition with 55k miles, some light frame rust and paint fade/dings. It is all original. This is my backup/daily winter car. Pix in my signature.

So for now, my exclusive transportation is all A/G! :lol:

-Mark-

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Well, I am 33 and still have my first car, a 1979 AMC Spirit with a 360/727 swap that I have owned since I was 15. I also still own my 2nd car, the 1985 Olds Cutlass Brougham 2 door with a 355 Chevy swap that I talk about on this forum. Then there's my daily driver, a 1998 Nissan Frontier 4 cyl 5 speed pickup with 261k miles that I bought new and still drive every day, 9 years later. However, if I had to choose from my cars that I have gotten rid of ( 1989 Olds Calais Quad 4, 1973 AMC Javelin AMX, 1995 Nissan Sentra, 1998 Nissan Sentra, 1/2 ownership in a 1968 289 2 bbl Ford Mustang), my Current choice would be the 1998 Sentra 5 speed. It got 32 city and 50 plus highway and had A/C. I would rather have my dad's 1994 2 door/5spd Sentra because they are better cars. I am going back to college in August for mechanical engineering and could use the savings to pay my tuition.Not to mention I drive 30-50k a year between all the parts hauling, 200 miles a week of junkyarding, swap meets, 40 miles of commuting a day, and occasional pizza delivery so I kinda need it.

 

[illregal82]

when i was 15 i am now 24 i was to be given a 79 monte carlo . it was my grandfathers it was never driven in the winter or rain im pretty sure it had every option besides sunroof and vinal top it was black with maroon vinal interior , buckets , center console and i distinctivley remember my uncle doing a brakestand and it left 2 marks . my garandfather rearended a surburban 2 months before i turned 16 instead he gave me the car he drove in the winter a wretched 88 2 door rusty grand am that died 4 months later i was upset i really wanted that monte and then to top it off i saw training day for the first time . i really wanted that car .

 

[83cut350chev]

i had an 84 caprice before i got my cutlass, 2 door,stock fuel injected 454 BBC,3 speed auto, limited slip rear with 4.10s, big cushy seats, blue, with dark blue vinyl
thing hauled some serious *ss for its size
spun a bearing in it and got rid of it