Many years ago I had the chance to swap one of these…

for one of these…

Like a fool I didn’t. The VW expired shortly after as a result of a wiring loom fire.

What are your automotive regrets?

and you think the Alfa would have lasted any longer?

robin reliant lets just say three wheeled vehicles dont corner well at speed

Missed out on a Mini and never owned one or driven one.

and you think the Alfa would have lasted any longer?

It couldn’t have been any worse. 😐

that is exactly the alfa after which I am named 🙂

Nothing spectacular…….but always played it too safe.

First car was a MkIII Fiesta Si. Really wanted the 1.6, but went for the 1.4 instead as it was a bit cheaper to buy & insure. Not long after I got it, I realised I should have bought the pokier one.

Then did the same thing with my current car. Was tempted to get the Ibiza TDi Cupra – 160BHP, 0-60 in about 7.5secs, big brakes, fancy wheels etc. but went for the more sensible option of the 130bhp Sport version. It was at least £1k cheaper to buy, insurance grp 7 instead of 14 & is more fuel efficient. Should have gone for the fancier one really.
One was for sale a while back just down the road from where I work. I was very tempted to go & have a test drive, but didn’t.

EDIT – also considered a Racing Puma when looking at the Ibiza. But, petrol & a 100 mile/day commute at the time wasn’t going to be nice to my wallet!

Yeah, my mum’s hubby offered me his Mk1 Capri…

(from http://www.classiccar.4mg.com/FordCapriMk1.htm in case they object to linking -they did!)

I persuaded my boss to give me a company car instead and got a Pug 205 1.1 which was utter shit.

One of these. Would no doubt have been a world of woe but worth it.

I always wanted, and never owned, a Capri. Probably never will now.

Citreon CX Turbo

Blimey, this could be a list but ones to make one cry inc:
Lancia Stratos, an original, an immaculate £6400 no one wanted them then! Have seen the same one at 25K, 44K and told it went for 70k plus – supposed to be worth 140K plus now
Lancia Fulvia Zagato under £2K at the time, bought a Fulvia HF instead – loved it
Dino 246 £5500 same time as above, but was a touch tatty so walked away.
Couple of Bristols 404 and 405 around 2K
Alvis TD21 Coupe £1200
Bentley SI Continental Fastback Coupe Mulliner (manual, told one of 5) in Gun metal gray so one of one £5000 !! Just can not imagine what one would be now

Others I wished I had inc the Elan Sprint hard top and Citroen SM and BMW CSL and so may more………

Just small diesel hatchbacks and a van now 🙄 Though they never stop, go pretty quick, do lots of miles to the gallon and carry lots of gear. What more could one want? A touch of ‘Soul’ perhaps?

The first Alfa Junior I found when looking for one to buy, rather than baulking at the price and buying the ‘restoration project’ which then ended up being sold as scrap.

My father’s BMW 3.0CSL which my mother sold when he died.

My second car, a VW Derby (1977 S reg) was sat in the dealers next to a VW Sirocco Scala. The Sirocco was an auto, so I didn’t. But I should have…..

Not keeping my rather brilliant liquid yellow Clio 182.

Yes, the colour is important. Worth an extra 0.09867 bhp.

Gutted I bottled one of these at the last minute…

Yep,

Aged 19 1/2 I was in the market to trade in my slightly knackered 205 GL 1.1 Almost bought a 309 SRi but did buy a 405GL!!!!
But more importantly I passed up on buying a Toyota Corolla. The 1.6 litre twin cam rear drive coupe. Ace little cars and I bought a family saloon. Doh!

I could have, should have, wished I had, sold my old MR2 Turbo and got a perfect RX7 that interestingly enough has recently come up for sale again:

Bloody wedding.

I still might…

(Ford Capri 280 limited edition at end of Capri production in 1986)

I did own a capri tbh it was not a great car to drive so you did not miss much.

I was offered one of these a number of years back for a silly cheap price.

I ‘missed out’/escaped from owning an alfa 33 because i couldn’t get out of work early enough: bloke had sold it by the time i finished. I suppose it could have ruined me too!

My next door neighbour had a Mini Cooper 970S in the garage for most of my childhood. It was Tartan red and it was never driven in the 22 years I lived in the house.
I Moved and a few years ago herd from another neighbour, apparently someone saw it in the garage and offered the woman owner £300. It was her husbands but he died before I lived there.

She took the £300.

I remember looking at it, well sitting in it and going vroom vroom when I was a kid, The registration number was SPY 110 or something like that, it was as new condition and according to my dad was only ever driven from the showroom to home before the old boy died.
Would be worth a hell of a lot of money now.

One of the directors at work had a BMW B3.3 Alpina Estate she was selling. Thought very seriously about it but got a newer 320D instead…

Probably should’ve got the sensible diesel Focus instead of my fun Fiesta Zetec S. The Fiesta is so much fun to drive (my car before it was an old 1l micra) but burns through petrol quite quickly and I could do with a bit more boot space for the bike.

Not keeping my rather brilliant liquid yellow Clio 182.

I bought one and utterly hated it. Nasty little thing….I’d had a series of 205 GTIs and was stupidly trying to recapture my youth. Great for 10 minutes, awful if you’re trying to get anywhere and arrive without a headache. Rabidly fast, but appalling as an ownership experience. I sold it within 6 weeks.

Replaced it with a massive Merc E300 estate. Waftomatic fun, objectively worse in many ways than the Clio (rolled like a drunken sailor, drank like one too, brakes were average at best, cost lots to service), but I loved it to bits.

I was going to buy an Impreza P1, my gf at the time vetoed it on the grounds of ugliness. I ended up getting a 1.4 diesel 106 which admittedly was a bit cheaper to run.

Regret not buying a Ford Sierra 4×4 2.9 V6 Estate, lovely cars, but this one has too may question marks. Plus I probably would have been typing this from beyond the grave had I gone ahead and got it!

Suppose I did the right thing, but I think I finally grew up (sort of), got (a bit) responsible, and turned into a DAD the day I turned my back on a lovely Jaguar Sovereign, and bought an Opel Kadett (ie a Cavalier) instead.

The Sovereign was a beautiful, stylish car, just (just!) about affordable and undeniably big enough for a family. Best of all, this one had a bullet hole in it.

Saw an immaculate one of these, tuned, very nice nick for sale at a garage on the A1 near Seahouses a few years ago for £900.00.

Should have bitten his hand off…

😥

Europa… I think that’s an anagram for TROUBLE!

And surprisingly enough the one I looked at had a knackered engine and if I’d had the means to maintain it I’d probably have bought it. You don’t see any on the roads these days… 🙁

and lotus is an acronym for Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious

I had a proper mini for a short while and it was entertaining but I wouldn’t want another one

cousin Richard had all manner of stupid cars so I could enjoy and snigger from a safe distance, the citroen visa GT was one of the best

My brother’s mate was leaving for Australia in 1991 and offered me one of these at a really good price. I know it would probably have been unreliable but could have been fun for a while.

derek_starship I love those Capri’s but have you seen the price of good ones!!!

http://www.brooklands280.com/forsale.html

saw one of these for sale once. really should have bought it there and then. perfect bike car….

Another MR2 here but this one was in White and silver flavour.

Long story short, around 1990 me and the first Mrs B were saving for a house. Had a huge row and went our separate ways for a few weeks. Yours truly suddenly had about £8k In my pocket.
Should have bought it, god I wish I’d bought it….

Instead we got back together, bought the house, got divorced, got took to the cleaners…. 🙁

When looking for my first car twenty years ago I sensibly opted for a mini, rather than one of these, advertised as “project for optimistic enthusiasts good with a welder”. Still only seen one other in the rust flesh.

Alfa Romeo Zagato Junior