Help me assemble my shopping list! FOUND IT!

[ZfrkS62]

So after taking the mazda on a proper test drive, and taking a much closer look at the body, I canceled the inspection. The car just wasn't speaking to me the way I thought it would. So the hunt continues.

Today though I was punched in the gut. Driving home, I passed a shop that I've dealt with before and saw something that made me turn around and head back. (read: jammed on brakes, dove into the suicide lane and used a drive way to turn the fuck around). Pulling into the shop's drive way I got out and ran up to an orange, 72 240Z. After checking the VIN, I confirmed it was Jezebel. My old car. The current owner has let her deteriorate and waste away. After sitting for a year, she finally took the car to the shop to get the lights working again. I've been kicking myself for about 5 hours now because while I could probably buy her back, I don't have the time or money to invest in restoring her, let alone storage space. Plus, it would mean putting my racing plans on hold which I feel have been on the back burner long enough. Despite all my friends telling me I should buy her back, I know I can't. And that makes me feel like I've not only failed the car, but the Z community and car guys everywhere.

[Stanae86]

No, sometimes you have to let go.

When I sold my Corolla, I felt like I let the car down.  I had owned that thing before imports were popular, back when all I could get for it was a K&N universal filter.  I cringed when the buyer drifted it into a wall and wrecked it.  It was salvageable, but not by me.  I had enjoyed the car, and I left it in another's hands, even though it came to an unfortunate end.

You've had you time with the car, you have to let it go and move on.  Sure, I still wish I had it once in a while.  Just to blow the doors off other people's cars that don't expect a 240rwhp Corolla from the 80s.  But selling it allowed me to try a 240SX, 1991 M5, 2001 S4, 2002 S6, 1993 911 RS America, and now the 2002 M3.  Sure you might miss car like I miss my Corolla, but if you step back and think rationally, it's likely you don't regret it.  It's an evolution most car people experience.  If some day, after we're done doing most of what we want to accomplish, and we look back and truly "regret" having sold something, we can always go back and get it and do it all over again.

I disagree with your friends.  I would continue to move forward rather than backwards.

[ZfrkS62]

Finally, a varying opinion.

I think my friends want me to get her back because they kinda lived vicariously through me and loved that car almost as much as I did.

The girlfriend is supportive either way. She recognizes what the car means to me (after having to explain to her a couple of years ago why I didn't want her to buy me a restored one) and knows that whatever decision I make is not going to be on a whim. If I had a 3 car garage, this would be a different conversation, but I know I can't swing it right now. I almost want to take it as a sign that she's still around, and I could probably get her back (hopefully the retard kept the teak steering wheel when she put the Auto Zone GT wheel on it).

Z cars are what really got me going. There's a reason it's in my name  . I tried texting my body shop guy to ask how much and how long a frame pull takes, but he says it would have to measured first. So yeah, the needle is leaning towards PASS 

[Stanae86]

Yeah.  Unfortunately, for most of us, financial limitations come into play.  If I have more money, I'd have a bigger house with more garage space or a separate off-site place to keep and work on stuff.  If that was an option, I'd still have that Corolla today.  But, like most people, I had to sell it to move forward.  That Corolla is what got me into cars.  It was the first car I actually worked on.  I was well known within the Corolla community and soon it was more than just a local car when homepages came into existence with the internet.  It was one of the first and few turbo Corollas back then.

And you're right, friends tend to live vicariously through one another.  In this case, it might be wanting to do something they know is irrational.

[ZfrkS62]

One of them I can sort of understand, since he's in a wheelchair and helped me out with it quite a bit when I first got it. He was the first one I called when the engine first fired up. But the thought that anyone else would want to live through me is kind of sad

[TopGearNL]

The way I see it life is all about priorities. Sure you had a great time with your old car but you were focussing on racing activities for the future so I would stay with that, even though its so tempting..

But its YOUR choice in the end and it doesn´t matter what any other person thinks or would do since its YOUR money.  I can only tell you what I would do in your situation, and thats to stick with the original plan 

[ZfrkS62]

 

Just when I think my patience is running out, I get a small ray of hope, only to have it smashed out for some stupid ass reason.

Today I drove damn near 100 miles south to check out a 1996 328is. From the ad on autotrader.com, it looked great. Bright Red (hellrot), 1 owner, $5,000 at a 2nd hand car lot. (the kind that gets cars at wholesale auctions)

I picked up my buddy on the way down and we headed out there together after leaving my car at his house. I never told them what I did for a living and just played dumb. Sunday night I had run the VIN through BMW and discovered that yes, it was a one owner car, it had 100% options and had had the hood and passenger side repainted at the port when it arrived here in '96. What I didn't know was that the car had 210,745 miles on it and that it looked as if the front end had been sprayed by pea gravel. 

Took the car the 50 miles back to work and did the buyer's inspection. The car drove beautifully with a slight pull to the left and some jolting in the wheel when braking.  On the way there, the "check engine" light popped on. Turns out, that the catalytic converters were dying. The fault that was thrown was for efficiency too low.  retail cost? $3,060 I found several other issues that maybe weren't a huge deal, but should have affected the price.

I stopped at the bank before leaving work and pulled out the money before heading back. on the way, I called them to let them know what had triggered the light. While I was driving back, they were making phone calls. By the time I got back they had called a shop they send their cars to and found out they could get the cats for $360 installed.

I made my offer of $3500 considering the respray (keep in mind, they still don't know what I do), cats, bushings and Inspection 2 that were needed. He didn't waste much time in saying that they paid way more than that for the car in first place and the owner turned down an offer for $4500 2 weeks ago. Then tried talking me into their in-house financing, despite that fact that I had said it would be a cash deal and that's it (not to mention the fact that I heard him talking about their interest rate while I was picking up the car. 25%. get fucked. ) Then proceeded to try and tell me he didn't think it needed cats (the faults occurred 18 times. It needs cats.) I explained that I was simply not comfortable paying much more than $3500, let alone more than 4k, and that was that. We left the dealership and headed home, empty handed, disappointed and tired as hell. And both rather shocked at their unwillingness to deal, and obvious stupidity at paying more than $4,500 for a 210k mile, 14 year old car; then expect to get full asking price. The sad part is, some idiot will end up paying for it. I just refuse to be that idiot.

the car fund has gotten up to $5,100 and the search ceiling is now 5.5k but dammit, there doesn't seem to be an increase in available cars. I missed the boat on the MR2s. There was at one point 8 of them, 3 of which were turbos. Now the only ones listed are from the 80's.

I don't understand how some people can just go out and buy a car without really shopping. But I kind of envy them. I'm glad I don't do this often and after I find something; it damn well better last me 7+ years.

[Skaala]

what about.........http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsche-944-951-turbo-1986-porsche-951-turbo-stage-2-chip-bbs-fast-nr-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem3f0443d4a5QQitemZ270654493861QQptZUSQ5fCarsQ5fTrucks

[ZfrkS62]

1997 328i picked up today for $3,500. Pics will be up in the parking lot in a day or so!

[DMF]

Nice! That's the aluminum block right? Congrats!

[ZfrkS62]

no, it's still iron. It would be nice if it was aluminum, but i don't think the extra weight really makes THAT big of a difference.