These Are The Cars You All Regret Selling

Just about every damn Alfa Romeo I’ve ever owned (7 total) but its a draw between my GTV6 and my Giulia Super. I actually sold the GTV6 to get the Super..... Between 1992 and 1999 I had a 3 GTV’s, the GTV6, the Super and 2 Milanos (platinum & Verde). Anyone of them in today’s market even in their DD condition would fetch 4-6 times what I sold them for. Moreover I really loved driving my GTV6 and my Super. The GTV’s were great too and the Milanos were fun DD’rs. My GTV6 at a Alfa Owners club track event at Pocono.

I bet there were times when you cursed those cars, but what would you give to have them back?

Submitted by: Monsterajr

My 1993 MR2T, hands down. This car was pinnacle 90's Japanese engineering with an absolutely bullet proof motor. I ran 26psi of boost on a stock bottom end with a modified CT-26 utilizing the factory ECU, larger fuel pump, and an FCD (fuel cut defender) and got away with it for 30K miles. This included Angeles Crest runs, laps at Willow Springs, and general 20 something Y.O abuse. I had a short block in reserve for that inevitable day when I’d smoke the motor, which eventually arrived whilst pulling away from a friends Viper on the grade out of Lancaster, on the way to Willow (sigh...). That car was also the mule for George Spears’s MR2 big intercooler which netted me a free IC :) Despite all the mods, it remained intact down to the steering wheel airbag, and stereo. If I wanted to go faster, I’d turn up the boost rather than removing creature comforts.

I ended up doing a forged piston motor, etc... dialed it end, and then sold it like I was Peak GM doing GM things. Marriage and life had caught up to me. That car lives on with someone whom I am FB friends with, and he has reinvigorated it from the interior to a replacement JDM 95 motor. It now sits prettily in his garage where, alas, it will never see the track again. To be fair, it has near 235K miles, so there is that. He has promised to reach out to me if he decides to sell it, allowing me first right-of-refusal. Having 2 Miatas in the stable would make that car a stretch...but you never know

Buddy, if you have the chance to buy this car again, you gotta do it. Nobody needs two Miatas, and an MR2 would be a perfect replacement for either of them. Think, man!

Submitted by: Insert Clever Name Here

I was 24 and working seasonally so money was tight most of the time. I had a 1992 Buick Roadmaster, that I purchased from a friend, whose grandfather had passed and they just wanted the car gone. So, I got it for a steal.

Driving it into the shop where I worked, my boss constantly complimented it and talked about how much he missed having a nice luxury car. He had the 68 Toro, which was all original and very well kept. He was constantly bragging about it, and loved to take us for drives on nice days, when there wasn’t much to do in the shop.

One day, while we were on a job site working, he just randomly suggests, “Want to trade your Buick for my Toro?”

I thought he was joking. He wasn’t. So a week later we did. Straight, just signing the titles over to each other.

It was a fun car to own and drive, but expensive as all get out. It had the 455 “400-HP Force-Air” HO engine, which would ping on anything that wasn’t super and got about 9 miles to the gallon. So, being a poor youngster, the thing lived on fumes in the tank, as I only put gas in when I had no choice, and even then it was only a couple bucks I could spare. And, even though I had the coolest car in my group of friends, I rarely volunteered to drive anywhere.

About a year later, my long time girlfriend and I called it quits, and decided to move out of our shared apartment. I didn’t have any savings of course, and knew I was going to have issues affording First, Last, and Deposit on a new place.

So, up for sale the Toro went.

Made a VERY nice profit over what I paid originally for the Buick, so it was a win. But, 20+ years later, I still think about that car. The looks I would get at lights, as they weren’t well known. People knew it was a muscle car, but no idea what it was. The cool features like the hidden lights behind the grill, and the roller style speedometer. It even had the factory 8-Track and a case of 8-Track tapes in the trunk with everything from Beach Boys to Gordan Lightfoot in it.

One side note that was humorous. While I had it up for sale, (Local Nickle Ads, Newspaper, etc. Yes, this was a long time ago,) I called a few specialty dealers to see if any was interested in it.

There was a place a few miles away, that seemed to only specialize in older muscle cars. They had tons of nice Mopars, Ford Mustangs and Torino’s, Chevy Chevelle’s, Nova’s, etc.

I called them up and said I had a 68 Old Toro with the 455 Force Air big block, all original, and if they were interested in looking at it. The guy on the phone said, “Nope, we only buy high performance classic cars. Sorry, not interested.”

I guess, 400HP and 500 lb-ft from the factory, weren’t high enough performance numbers for them?

I honestly think the Toronado is one of the best-looking vehicles of all time. I suppose it’s nice that you made a profit, but damn man. I’d hate to see this one go.

Submitted by: Knyte

A 1981 Chevrolet Chevette Diesel with a manual transmission. No lie, I regret selling it. But not for the reasons you would think. I purchased it as a poor college student in 1988. I sold it in 1990 after replacing more parts that I can remember. When the fuel pump began giving me trouble, I let it go and bought a rusted out 1964 Ford pickup truck that gave me another world of hard-to-fix problems. But, in those two years that I had the Chevette, I got over 40mpg, I learned a lot about keeping a car running, could haul friends and gear to underground thrash shows out of town, put the seats down and sleep in it, it didn’t slow me down from getting the attention of the ladies (I was pretty boy, they could overlook my awful car), etc. It was ugly, kind of rusty, the exhaust stank (that was in the day of heavily sulfured Diesel fuel), and it wasn’t cool looking at all. Perhaps it was just the chapter of my life that I was in, but really it was the fact that if I would have just done the fuel pump it would have given me a few more years of relatively trouble free operation, who knows what might have been, the ‘64 truck, ‘79 Oldsmobile (also diesel, dafuq was I thinking?), VW Bug (rust rust rust rust rust), and ‘71 Caprice that followed were all just as bad and worse. I truly wish I would have hung on to this one for a few more years.

This story just shows that love is blind. An ‘81 Chevette diesel is a terrible car, but you loved it regardless. I can’t judge yo for that.

Submitted by: ceragan42

My 1992 Tempo GLS with the 3.0L Vulcan V6/5-spd manual transmission.

I loved that little car, it was such a fun drive for the era. I had mine as a used car in the early 2000s. After living in San Diego for a few years, I decided to spoil myself with a convertible and got a Mustang GT convertible. I fell into the trap of “now i’m a real car enthusiast now that I have a V8 and RWD”, and ended up selling off the Tempo. Soon after, the wave of Radwood nostalgia swept over and I wish I would have kept it. You never see these anymore.

I had no idea they made a sporty Ford Tempo. It’s actually a really slick little car from the looks of it. That being said, I’d much rather have a Mustang than this, but I’m not here to yuck on anyone’s yum.

Submitted by: Sucker for a ‘23 300C (formerly Magnum_SRT8)

My first 4xe. It was a Rubicon in High Velocity Yellow, when they first came out we were all in the middle of the Carvana buying craze.

I was leasing a $63,000 loaded Hybrid Jeep and with all my discounts and the Federal rebate, my lease payment was 500 a month without a nickel down.

About 3 months into driving it, out of sheer curiosity, I plugged it into Carvana and found that they were willing to pay me about $4000 over my payoff for the Jeep. I started the selling process, and ordered another 4xe replacement.

Basically getting paid $3500 to drive a brand new Jeep was great, but 2 months later when my custom ordered Jeep came in, Chrysler had fiddled with the lease rates, and the payment jumped from 498 to nearly 800.

2 years later I finally was able to get another one, but the payment is still 550 a month on a base willys 4xe. But hey, its still a Jeep that runs on my solar power, and it’s still that lovely shade ‘o Yellow! So still a happy ending I guess, just sucked to go 2 years without one. (new one in the picture)

Congratulations. You played yourself.

Submitted by: H4lelujah

I dont have any serious regrets myself, but one of my dad’s swaps pains me to this day. When the gas crisit hit in the early 70's - he went from a 1969 Chevelle SS to a Vega wagon.

I remember carrying a case of oil in the back and having to add some at practically every fuel stop. It was practically a 2 stroke.

Boomers have always had it made, haven’t they? Imagine being in the position to squander a Chevelle SS for a station wagon and not letting it destroy your life.

Submitted by: dustynnguyendood

I’ve had a number of pretty cool cars including a VW Type3 fastback, a 69 Mach 1, and an Audi Coupe, but I think the one I regret most is my old 78 VW Scirocco with the Sidewinder package. White with a black stripe down the hood, gold BBS wheels, Hurst shifter, and a heckblende. Not sure if the package came with the vapor-lock option but somehow this Scirocco suffered from it, which is mostly why I got rid of it. I think I got maybe $500 trading it in a Dodge Ram 50 :-(

Every time I see the Scirocco mentioned, I get mad that Volkswagen never offered the last-gen car in the U.S. If it did, I’d probably own one right now, because I think it looks just fabulous.

Submitted by: dug deep

This... Today prices of a decent E36 specimen are stupid

Oof, you missed the boat on this one.

Submitted by: Shiryu3

A bunch! The big four though:

My mint condition ‘79 Peugeot 504D. I will NEVER find another one this nice. Sold due to losing my job - everything had to go. I had seven cars at the time, kept my daily driver Volvo and my Spitfire, sold the rest. Also sold the first car I ever bought new, my ‘01 Golf TDI GLS in that and learned a valuable lesson on why leases are a bad idea.

My 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth. Sold due to having the itch to do European Delivery for another BMW. Loved the month in Europe with my Mom, didn’t love the M235i that much, wish I still had the Fiat tucked away in the garage. More fun than a barrel of hyperactive Italian monkeys.

My ‘86 Alfa GTV6. Sold it for what I paid for it, but it would be worth a lot more now. Just had too many cars, something had to go.

And most recently, my 2017 GTI Sport. Another car I will never find another good example of for a reasonable price. Fell for the siren song of Carvana offering me nearly what I paid for it new four years prior, but I should have kept it. A very special car, in the perfect spec.

Buddy, you gotta learn to let go! Enjoy what’s ahead of you, and stop looking back at the past. You’ll only bum yourself out!

Submitted by: krhodes1

I’ve told this story here before:

I had been unemployed for eight months after recovering from major surgery and I made the decision to sell my 1970 Buick Wildcat convertible.

i bought the car off the second owner who owned it 40 years; i owned it for nearly 10 years and had rebuilt the engine, transmission, carb and front end. All that remained to do was aesthetics and maybe fix the fuel gauge.

I hadn’t driven it in almost a year and i was staring down the barrel of foreclosure on my house, so it seemed like the logical decision at the time. Despite sitting for so long, the car started up on the first crank, and my soul died a little bit at that moment.

Even worse, two months after I sold it, the car was stolen from its new owner.

To my knowledge, the car has never been recovered. I get teary-eyes everytime i think about the time, sweat and money i invested in that car, and how it is now either chopped apart or in the hands of someone who doesn’t appreciate the car for what it is.

Dammit, now I want a big brown convertible too. I just hope whoever stole it is having a good time. Fingers crossed.

Submitted by: Earthbound Misfit I

In 2010 I had a Jeep/AMC Wagoneer. (if you come here a lot, yes this is the one i bought from the guy living in it). My wife was pregnant and with our first child and this thing was just too unreliable. No airbags, AC was a light breeze at best.. pretty much would not have worked out as a family car.

So I sold it.

It seems like not a year later the prices on these and land cruisers all those vintage SUV’s went through the roof. I sold mine for 6,000 USD, but i am sure had i held it for a year or more i could have gotten double that much. But more importantly I miss it. I loved the comfy red leather interior, i loved driving with my arm out the window. As a big guy this thing fit me perfect. And mine was in good shape all the electricals worked and the 4x4 was a force of nature.

no way on earth i could afford a good condition 88 again.

You messed up, my dude. Sure your kid would have been very hot and unsafe, but they woulda looked so cool pulling up to the school dropoff line in a Wagoneer.

I remember begging my mom to buy one of these when I was younger.

Submitted by: the_AUGHT

I have three:

A 1972 Datsun 240z that I had when I lived on the Big Island of Hawaii in the early 1990s. It was pretty ratted out already, but it’d have been a fun car to have and restore over my adult life.

The second was the 1985 MR2 that I had in collage (91-93). Drive that thing coast to coast and loved every minute of it. All the first gens available today are beat to death.

Third was another MR2, a 1992 that I had around 2000. It was a beautiful blue/green, t-top, small, stick, fun to drive and modern enough to hold its own on today’s highways.

The sad reality is you just can’t easily keep all those early loves while living a real life of responsibility with limited garage space, career moves, kids, divorces, and all the other things that write the story of your life.

Look at you, living your life with such regret. I will pray for you.

Submitted by: ReluctantFloridaMan

1974 Porsche 914 2.0

I had it from 1998 until early 2000. I traded my 1994 Dodge Dakota for it (probably the last time that phase will ever be uttered). I loved that little Porsche so much. It was a great SoCal car. Unfortunately, I was still in college and keeping up with all the little things that needed fixed from time to time were becoming both a time and money suck that I couldn’t afford. Of the many cars that I miss, I hope to someday buy another. They’re certainly more than $4000 now.

Fun fact: a Honda CBR600F2 FASE engine fits in the front trunk!

I don’t know. The 914 has never really done it for me. It’s a bummer you missed out on a bunch of Porsche nerd money though.

Submitted by: soloyosh

1988 Mercedes 300E, not E300.

Bought this for my wife as a wedding gift. It was roomy, fast and built like a tank. Running over railroad tracks in NW Indiana like they weren’t there.

Sold it after our 2nd child and thrust the wife, and by extension, me into minivans as our primary car for the next 15 years.

W124 E-Classes still look so good. Also, look at you, Mr. Husband of the Year, buying your wife a 300E brand new in the late ‘80s.

Submitted by: 900turbo

I fully restored this 1964 1/2 Mustang in my college years and had it for about 5 years before selling it for more important things like a house and marriage. It was far from a performance machine with its stock 289 engine and manual brakes/steering, but I still miss it.

It was actually the first car I ever owned and wasn’t even meant to be a full restoration. It was rusty, but the engine was solid. But one day I came home and the old man had half the front end ripped off it, and then it was all down hill from there. Didn’t drive until I had gone through a couple of junkers as daily drivers, and this was never driven other than on nice weekends.

You really biffed this one, my friend. Nobody actually needs a house, but everyone needs a beautifully restored Mustang. I don’t make the rules.

Submitted by: Thomas Hajicek