As someone who has owned dozens of cars, I’ve had to make some really tough choices. You see, I don’t just buy cars for the content, I buy cars because I think they’re awesome. I never buy a car solely with the plan to sell it; every car gets a fair shake, and many cars end up causing me to fall in love. The problem is: I can’t own every car. There are practical considerations that force me to part ways with vehicles that have left lasting impressions on my soul, and this thread article here is the place for you to tell us about the automotive loves you’ve had to let go of. It’s a therapy session, and there’s no judgement.
My biggest automotive love that I ever had to let go of was my Postal Jeep. It wasn’t because the vehicle met an untimely demise only hours after I sold it (in many ways that just made the tale of the DJ even more legendary), it was that the Postal Jeep represented me in the most authentic, unfiltered way.
It was the very pinnacle of my time at my old work, Jalopnik — an insanely challenging project requiring to weld, do engine work, rig up a distributor, install new floors, fix a steering box, replace a bunch of suspension bits, and on and on and on.
It was a ridiculous project — madness on full display. A rusted-out $500 POStal Jeep has no business going on a 4,000 mile road trip from Michigan to Utah and back, and it has no business off-roading. But I didn’t give a damn. It sounded fun, it sounded difficult, and I was the singlest man on the face of the planet and just wanted to live the dream. And so I did:
I miss Project POStal. It captured my spirit better than any car I’ve ever owned, and it’s a vehicle that I’ll remember for as long as I live.
In truth, holding onto that POStal Jeep — and thus holding onto the past — is maybe not the right move if progress is the goal. I knew that, which is why I let go. I couldn’t use it as a daily-driver, I couldn’t really off-road it (since it was two-wheel drive), and I couldn’t use it as a truck (though it does fit more than you’d think behind the front seat). Keeping the DJ didn’t make sense, and I’m not upset that I let go of it, I’m just feeling a bit nostalgic that I had to part ways with my automotive best friend.
Let me know if you can relate.
Topshot: Alex Neville
My ’91 Sentra SE-R. I was single, and had the Sentra and a ’90 2wd Chevy Cheyenne (base V6). Stored the Sentra one winter, then traded both on a ’97 Silverado K1500. Loved the K1500, but I still miss the Sentra.
My second car’s (my first one was involved in an altercation almost immediately after getting my license) clutch went – it wasn’t worth the cost of repair – I didn’t have access to a garage or tools and I kinda wanted an excuse for a new car. But I miss it. I sold nearly 20 years ago, I had it all through high school and University, amazing memories. Unfortuantely the registration is dead, so its probably been scrapped. I’d try and track it down otherwise.
The other one was my first truly cool car. An ’09 BMW 135i in red, with a manual gearbox. We had to sell it, I owed too much money on it, we had a baby on the way, we decided to move back to New Zealand from Australia, so it had to be done. I miss that thing. Its nearly 10 years to the day since I sold it.
I can think of 2. First was a ’90 CRX Si in y49, it was a *great* car for a broke AF enthusiast back then and I really enjoyed the hell out of it. My wife at the time hated it though and pushed to ditch it in favor of an ’00 Miata that I loved but couldn’t afford. That contributed to the financial strain that, at least in part, lead to the divorce that kinda forced me into purchasing the best car I ever had and the 2nd car that was hard to let go, a $700 ’90 Miata. It was an absolute heap, but I liked working on it and it was a blast to drive. The top was shot so I ripped it out and got a hard top for the winter. The paint was shot so I did the rustoleum with a roller thing and it turned out *really* badly, but it had some cheap Tein coilovers and a set of 15×7 Panasports so from 15′ away it looked good. A car that good to drive, with that little value is an amazing combo. That said, it never ran really well and was always a bear to smog. At some point I just got sick of dealing with it and sold it. Best day ever, no regrets at all. I had 3 other cars at that point and almost immediately dumped another, it was a revelation to not be owned my stuff anymore.
I had to get rid of my 71 Mach 1 mustang as a kid because My mom bought a boat and made me get something to haul it. The K5 Blazer I traded for it was fine, but I still just wanted to keep that First Car forever, or at least until I could have done all the things I wanted to it.
I shed a tear when my ’71 Peugeot 504 was towed after being totaled by the insurance company after being folded up to the rear axle by a Plymouth station wagon.
I lost an ’86 Accord in a divorce. I loved that car too.
My ’01 Jetta was so fun to drive up and down the West Coast and around Seattle. After 16 years of ownership and a move to Texas, I was ready to move on. But it pissed me off when they guy I sold it to (a friend’s brother) went all whack-a-doodle and drove it around with paper “plates” saying he was a sovereign citizen and not bothering to license or insure it. He got pulled over by the local constabulary and they broke several windows pulling him out of the car and into custody. It was still a beautiful car and drove well until he pulled that stunt.
2 spring to mind.
First was my 1984 Fiero 2m4. I bought it from a neighbor that lived next door at my Dad’s house. It was my first manual transmission car, the guy selling it to me was a young kid who bought it from someone on Craigslist and it was a peach. Cherry red, less than 80k miles on it, had won a few awards at the Dells Run a few years prior. He showed me the quirks of the transmission and I drove it, falling in love. That little Iron Duke just screamed to me and with popup headlights and an 80’s interior, it was perfect. However, it started to have problems after my first winter. Belts wouldn’t stay on, had to replace an injector twice, had all sorts of leaks starting. It was a beautiful base that needed someone with more time, money, and experience. I traded it for a 1970 Impala Wagon, which was a whole other story. I still think about and miss that car.
The second was most recent, I have had a 2014 Mini Paceman S for almost 7 years now. It was my first big used car purchase, intended to be a fun to drive car that would save me money on gas (compared to my ’02 Lincoln Town Car). It was the best of both worlds. A fun interior that my big 6’7″ frame could fit in while having all the classic Mini switches and dials and gauges. I loved driving it, that 6 speed slotting into gear and the exhaust popping and banging in sport mode. Nothing better on earth.
Then the repairs started. A battery here, a brake job there, no big deal. Then the thermostat died (a real bitch of a job to do), in February. No garage, so I did it outside and it was hell. It then failed 4 months later. The hood cable snapped, so I had to figure out how to pop BOTH hood latches, which I never understood why they needed 2… Then the coolant overflow valve assembly failed, had to rig my own with parts from O’Reily’s. All was good, until a year later I was driving down the road and the passenger CV axle failed. Fun fact, if you order a CV axle from RockAuto or any parts store, it’s not long enough. Something about shared PN#’s with the N/A motor and transmission, took me 2 months to get the right one and it still needed some modification.
After doing all THAT, then it started giving me cut power codes for the turbocharger. I replaced everything associated with the turbo, except for the turbo it’s self and it still gave codes. I had plans to swap a new turbo, and then the oil cooler below the turbo started leaking. I swapped the turbo and it worked OK, but something on the cooler job got messed up as I had a very tiny amount of oil in the garage after it.
Ultimately, I loved the car, I put over 120k miles in 6 years. However, the latest straw was the battery dying as it sat for too long. Went to pop the hood and the cable snapped. I just gave up, called a local charity, and donated it. When they came to pick the car up, the gentleman’s winch broke and I had to wait another week. Needless to say, she’s a pain in the ass to everyone who touches her, but I still love her.
I bought a ’66 Mustang convertible as a single guy living in LA and wound up needing to trade it to a contractor for a kitchen remodel as a young married. I loved the car, but I don’t regret what I did.
Twice: 1st time – purchased a honda s2000 when I got my first “real job” after college. Bought an 02 in 06 for around 25k. Loved the car. Being 6’2 though it was kinda cramped. I then started having to drive a lot more for work. It just wasn’t practical for what I needed at the time.
2nd time: Bought an 01 e55 amg. The car was awesome. Would do 150 and be completely stable. Had it for about a year. My wife then lost her job. We didn’t owe anything on it but it LOVED the premium gas. Sold it for a profit and purchased something for considerably less that got better mpg and ran on regular.
My 2003 Mini Cooper S was a great car for about 12 years. It survived through my roughest financial times and was a bit neglected. At that time, I just couldn’t justify a part time car when I had no garage space for it.
When I was in grad school in the mid-aughts, I very inconveniently found myself in need of a cheap new (to me) car. I got lucky and found a ’92 Buick Park Avenue that was borderline pristine, with under 50k on the odo. It had been some oldhead’s grocery store and church car, well cared for. It was appropriately gunmetal gray inside and out, reflecting the fact that it felt like an aircraft carrier. But oh, what a smooth aircraft carrier. By far the bulk of my driving miles in those days were on the interstate, and that thing just ate them up and treated me smooth as butter along the way. It had a GM 3800 engine, so it was reliable, reasonably powerful, and also quite efficient.
Just shy of 100k miles, it developed an electrical gremlin that wouldn’t respond to my mechanic’s chasing through multiple systems numerous times. Eventually he threw his hands up and said he didn’t know what more to try, and that I’d have to ask someone else. Nobody else wanted to touch “mysterious early ’90s GM electrical problem,” so I had basically no choice but to junk a car that, by and large, still had a lot of life left in it. I “upgraded” to an ostensibly more predictable and reliable 1st-gen Honda CR-V, only to learn that, at least in my estimation, the ownership experience of that vehicle was underwhelming and disappointing.
I’m now a lot less poor and desperate than when I hit on that diamond in the rough, but I still miss that Buick sometimes.
1989 Suzuki Sidekick soft-top my wife bought new, one of the 1st in town. Several engine mods. At 20yrs and 230k mi later, it had developed a miss above 50mph that could never resolve and the rear seat belt mounts had rusted out. Had 3 young kids, so that would no longer fly. Between kids and demanding job, just didnt have time to mess with it anymore. Sold it, and the spare drivetrain, to an old guy couple miles away who was going to use it to pull a small trailer for riding mower to mow yards. Never saw it again.
Kids are grown now, and wife is disappointed that no one sells a similar vehicle in US now. Doesn’t want a Jeep or big ass Bronco.
Regrets – SBC swapped 72 240z and 71 TR-6, 70 W30 442 Olds, 58 VW Bus, 64 Old F-85, 87 Merkur Scorpio, 67 440 Charger
Bikes: 70 Triumph Trident, 82 Suzuki Katana gsx 1100
Twice I did. My then 13 year old ’88 Nissan SE-V6 Kingcab with 240k miles; we had a kid and I needed 4 doors and airbags, and recently my ’01 Trooper that replaced it (260k miles)…it became our twice-a-year vacation car but ultimately developed a roof leak and mold finally did the electronics in. Loved them both….
1989 Mercury Tracer ( a Mazda 323 under the skin ) . I got a great deal on a slightly used one. It ran great and had some great “high-end” features for the time. but … the 3rd year of ownership the heat stopped working. the heat ??? I live in Wisconsin. this is a big problem. I took it to two mechanics, including a dealership who couldn’t find the problem!! Mystified, I had to sell it. : (
I had a 2002 Silverado. I purchased it when my car was going to be in the shop and it was good for hauling stuff and river trips, so I kept it a while. But I just couldn’t justify two vehicles with my little house on a half lot. So I put it up for sale this summer, sort of hoping no one would buy it.
Just after I paid to renew the registration (and was ready to take down the listing), a buyer reached out. I rode along while he had his buddy check it out. I was glad they were both excited about it, but I also really started to wish I weren’t selling it. Hearing this guy talking about how the little quirks were indeed as minor as I thought (gas gauge would go to zero at idle sometimes was the main one) reminded me how reliable it had been and how well it would keep going.
I would also regret getting rid of it when I needed to replace the fridge. Would have been nice to not rent a UHaul to haul one fridge to the house and another to the dump.
I’m glad it went to a kid who was excited about it and that his buddy knew all about it and would ensure he took good care of it. But I still miss that one and feel pangs of regret whenever it would come in handy.
2000 to 2006 is the sweet spot for the GMT800. Decently new enough to have some sort of current options. That year span of LS engines was/is nearly indestructible with care and maintenance. The main killers were cab corners, Brake lines and some would say the front axle system on the 4wd models. but I have one now with 279K miles that was the father in-laws and was handed down. It leaks a little, and I feel like 20PSI of oil pressure when warm is low, but it never seems to not do the job asked of it.
Yeah, mine was great. It was an extended cab 4WD, with power seats and mirrors, auto-dimming rearview, CD/cassette player, and no real issues. The automatic headlight sensor stopped working, so the auto headlights were always on (fine by me). The ABS light started coming on, but that was fixed by knocking a little corrosion off the ground for it. It had the GM flaking white paint, but it didn’t bother me. And the gas gauge would go to empty at idle sometimes, but that wasn’t a big deal (and would have been relatively easy to fix if I’d been bothered).
It never broke down, it had more than enough power for anything I did with it, and it was pretty comfortable. I miss that pickup.
1999 10th anniversary edition NB Miata.
Loved that car, as did my daughter. My wife was largely ambivalent on it as we very rarely got to be in it together since that required someone else watching the kid. My wife can’t drive stick, so she’d never take it on her own.
I took my kid on a roadtrip in it, and in her car seat (with the passenger airbag disabled of course), she could reach the stick shift and upshift while I worked the clutch. It always amazed me she could fall asleep with the top down on the highway, hair blowing around like crazy.
It never had any issues and was a blast to drive, but not being able to carry the family eventually became a problem and I sold it to buy an E36 M3 coupe. The M3 easily carried the whole family as well as all our stuff (and came with a roof rack so it also rather comically carried our kayaks).
Despite having nearly double the power, and also having a great stick shift, the M3 lacked the chipper puppy-dog nature of the Miata, and I’ve sorely missed it ever since. Someday I’ll get a Miata again, but I don’t like the ND generation, so it will be an older one.
I had an 89 Full Size Bronco. It needed work but still ran and drove. It was rusty and had cracked exhaust manifolds and maybe more undiagnosed problems.
I saw a want ad on facebook looking for a 4×4. I commented about the Bronco being available as I was starting to hate seeing it rusting away into my front yard.
No response for a while. Then a few months later I get a message asking if the bronco was available. Someone saw my comment on the original post. By this time it was mid winter and the truck was 3 feet under snow. I really wasn’t interested in the truck much at that point so I said yes come by on the weekend and I’ll dig it out and you can have a look.
Well the buyer was too excited. it was the beginning of the new Bronco announcements so folks were getting bronco fever. and the buyer HAD to come by Thursday night to have a look. The buyer showed up, handed me the money, I gave him the paper work and then we dug it out and he started it up and drove off a happy customer.
The next day the buyer asks me if I want to buy it back for 200 less than he paid.
I would get my truck back and 200 for my trouble.
I said no dice.
I regret that.
Actually, my first car was a rusted out DJ! And though I briefly got it running well enough to take my high school girlfriend out in it (ONCE!), it was just beyond my 16-year-old skills or funds to make it reliable. Had to say goodbye and get a normal car.
Both of my previous cars, but my most recent particularly. 2007 Saturn ION Quad Coupe, “Faith”.
2005 volvo v70r 6 speed passion red over nordkap blue. stunner lookback car. modern classic for sure. Had to sell to pay for a couple family vacations. What a fun/versatile/safe/economical/fast/good handling wagon
1967 Alfa Giulia Super.
For years it was my dd in SoCal, including the grinding freeway commutes you’d expect. Properly tended “by the manual!” by the legendary Stewart Sandeman at Alfa Performance Connection in Laguna Niguel, I let it go when we decided to move our young family to Iowa.
Broke my heart, but the kids, now adults, thrived.
Both my 1985 Toyota Tercel SR5 wagon, and 2001 Honda Civic HX.
The former just needed more regular maintenance than I could deal with for a daily driver, and I only had room for one car.
The Civic was awesome too, but it didn’t make sense to keep it after replacing.
I miss them both.
Around late 2016 I was finally in a spot where I could afford a new vehicle. My current daily was paid off and reliable, so my eyes turned towards something fun. I’d never owned a proper V8 and decided that it was time, and started seriously looking in late 2017. I couldn’t ignore reviews coming out for the Camaro SS 1LE, and if I was going to own an American V8 it was going to have pushrods like god intended!
Found a dealer that had a base 1SS with the only option being the 1LE package in transit, exactly the one I was looking for. Put some money down, and early April 2018 it arrived. Great car. Did some track days, put an exhaust on that was way too loud. Went through a few sets of tires.. but with Covid shutting down track days, and making the used market crazy, it became tough to watch it taking up my garage space all winter while making payments on it. 2021 I started getting quotes from the online dealers and Vroom offered a few grand over what I’d originally paid. Took the offer, they sent a truck and a few days later had a check.
Kept an eye on it, they trucked it down to Colorado for the auction. In the process they managed to curb rash at least two of the wheels (pristine before) and dent the top of the trunk somehow. Doubt they made any money on it..
My 98 Contour SVT. Loved that car. I had bought a 97 540i6, and the CSVT was sitting. When the car was being taken away, I thought “my God, I’ve sold the wrong one.” History proved that pang of regret to be 100 percent correct.
I’ve got two. The first was when we traded in my pre-nuptuals electric blue Z-24 convertible, post-baby for a minivan. This event was henceforth known as “the emasculation”.
The second I’ve described here before. It involved my at this point 17 year old CR-V. Basic transportation, but all in all it was the best car I’ve ever owned.
After years of faithful service, it started stalling out in traffic. It would restart, usually very easily, so I didn’t think it was anything too serious. Took it to a shop, and they quoted me over $1,500 to get it running again.
That was about what it was worth (this was way before COVID), so I had to decide whether to have it fixed or junk it. I was discussing the situation with a coworker and said I was sad about it but I’d settled on selling it to the junk yard for $175.
At this point my boss (who I didn’t even know was listening to the conversation) cut in and said he’d buy it for the $175. I asked him why he’d want to buy a car that needed repairs equal to the book value of the vehicle. He hemmed and hawed about having a relative that did small engine repair, how it shouldn’t matter who I sell it to since it’s junk, and various other crap that sent my BS meter off the chart.
He was pissed when I wouldn’t sell it to him right then and there.
I ended up collecting it from the shop without having any work done on it, did some research, and came to the conclusion he’d figured out exactly what was wrong with it just by overhearing the conversation. And that he was basically trying to con me out of it so he’d have a cheap car for his kids to use.
One $35 distributor cap later, and I got another three years out of it before the brake lines rusted out.
At that point I was ready to let it go, as I’d already gone through the grieving process three years earlier (with an unholy amount of time in the anger phase, between the shop wanting to screw me out of all that money and the boss trying to screw me out of the car).
Post script – yes, I never went to that shop ever again, and yes things ended very badly with that job – but that’s a nightmare for a different forum.