It’s a common cliche to reminisce on cars that simply got away from you. The $500 RX-7 that went to scrap, the reasonably priced E30 3 Series that sold before you could get there, the squarebody truck you just didn’t have space for. However, it’s about time we put a spin on it: Not the cars that got away, but the ones you walked away from. Today, I want to know about cars that you almost bought before deciding to spend your hard-earned cash on something different.
Weirdly, both cars in my current stable have been my top picks. However, that doesn’t mean I wasn’t close to buying something else before. See, about three months before I bought my Infiniti G35, there was a trade-in at work that I was trying to justify selling my Crown Vic for. That car? A blue Buick Estate, complete with woodgrain and aluminum wheels.
It was in much better shape than my Crown Victoria, felt more lavishly appointed than my Crown Vic, had the cargo space for carting a lifetime of detritus across the continent for college, and was just an absolutely magnificent beast. However, for whatever reason, I just decided to instead fix a few little things on the Crown Vic and aim it east. It made for an entertaining road trip, and just barely got the job done before suffering a series of dramatic and entertaining failures that led to me moving on into the world of sports sedans.
Do I still love these B-body wagons? Absolutely, but I don’t regret passing one up. In a way, I’m happy that the big Buick didn’t work out, as the opportunity that opened up a few months after that led to me learning how to heel-toe, learning how to enjoy a somewhat powerful car without getting into trouble, meeting a whole bunch of people, and in a way, becoming who I am today.
So, what’s a car that you almost ended up with, and what stopped you from making the move? As ever, I’d love to hear your answers in the comments below.
(Photo credits: Buick)
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Test-drove and loved an 07 Accord V6 with a 6-speed manual and 110k miles back in 2018. Loved that combination, but it was black with lots of little paint defects, and worse, head gasket pudding under the oil fill cap.
So I went with the 07 Elantra I drive today, Lola. Only had 58k, one owner, 5-speed manual, and was very clean inside and out. The manual makes it a completely different car than it would have been with an auto, and her meager 2800lbs make the 137hp enough to have fun but stay out of trouble.
(pls pardon me posting a reply I made at Jalopnik this morning, but it fits this comment thread, so I mostly copy/pasted)
A few years ago (just before the pandemic), I happened to notice an old, sun-baked Honda Prelude parked forever near a friend’s house. Eventually, I pulled over and knocked on the door and yes, the lady inside WOULD like to sell it (hadn’t been used in years). I gave it a jump and it started right up, and I took it around the block, and damn, now I know why people lust for old Hondas. It shifted fine, pulled strong, and didn’t need an alignment. The paint and rubber weatherstripping were ratty, and the AC didn’t work but hey, beggars can’t be choosers. We agreed on a price of $400 and made our way over to AAA to deal with the paperwork. Sadly, it was there that she discovered there was some sort of lien on the car and that put the kibosh on the sale. A few months later she got in touch to tell me the paperwork had been straightened out and if I still wanted it, she’d take $250, which was the scrap price.
Like an idiot, I declined, because my sister (who I was going to buy and fix the car for) had just purchased a new Hyundai. I STILL kick myself for not buying the Prelude anyway… even if I’d never registered it, I’d probably be a bit happier (than I am) to have it sitting behind my house as a ‘someday project.’ Really, it drove NICE!
(Had I bought this after my sister got her Hyundai, there’s a decent chance that I’d have just kept it and drove it myself, hence my reply here). ;-
Two years ago I bought a fantastic 2019 Cadillac CT6 w/the twin turbo 3 litre engine. Wonderful car with fantastic acceleration. No regrets whatsoever! I was also considering a Mercedes Benz C300. Talked myself based on potential repair costs, I think I made the right decision.
Back in the spring of 2005 when I moved to L.A. I figured it would be helpful to have a car, and I wanted something a little more fun than an Civic or Accord, so I looked at options. I narrowed it down to a 1994 Miata and a 1979 Corvette. Initially I was most interested in the Corvette but in the days before going to see it, the more I thought about being responsible for a 1970s GM, the less convinced I became. On the day I was going to look at the Corvette in-person for the first time and hand over the cash ($5500), I call the guy to make sure it was still available and he says “Its still here waiting on you, but the speedometer just broke”. Thats when I decided to go with the Miata, and put my money on Japanese 90s-era manufacturing. Never regretted that
Back at the end of 2020, I almost bought a 2013 Acura ILX Technology package instead of my 2016 Honda HR-V EX-L AWD. I found both cars online and scheduled appointments to look at them on the same day.
The ILX was first and I was pretty sold on it. The ILX was significantly lower mileage, slightly lighter, slightly more powerful, lower, not a crossover. It had it all… except it didn’t have a hatch. I was replacing my 2007 Honda Fit Sport and my other car is a 96 Civic CX Hatchback (with a B16 swap). I like hatches.
When I was looking at the HR-V at first, I wasn’t feeling it. The ILX was at a Lincoln dealer but the HR-V was at a Honda dealer and the salesman sold the crap outta that car. Then during the test drive, the HR-V just felt right. My dad was with me and he said the same thing. I genuinely thought I was going to end the day in an ILX, but that HR-V somehow left a better impression. Never would have thought I would pick a crossover but here we are.
The biggest one was in late 2016, deciding between a new Mustang GT and a new Harley Street Glide Special. The Harley was more than $12k cheaper, and would get much better MPG that the Mustang on my one hour round-trip to work 6X week. Plus, I was already riding my current bike to work, so no massive lifestyle change. I ended up going with the 5.0, which I still have, and is now my paid off forever car. The Harley would have been fun, but I haven’t ridden in a couple years due to health, and it would have been long sold at a significant loss.
My most recent decision was to buy a 92 Volvo 740 turbo wagon instead of a minivan (older Odyssey, or Previa). The van would have been marginally better for practicality, but I’m very glad the Vo popped up when it did. And you have to love the cult following of RWD Volvos. I get more attention in that old beast than in my Vanilla 5.0 lol.
Almosts as I got my G70 manual then Mazda3 AWD:
used 2016 ATS manual, new 2022 CT4, CPO 2020 330i.