4x4 regrets, oh so deep regrets. A story of massive value increases.

[dbhost]

So in my 20s, which was a LONG time ago now, I owned a lifted International Harvester Scout 2, 345 4bbl automatic. It has PS, PB, AC, and cruise. It was fitted with limited slips on both ends, I do not remember if the original owner had them done, or if it was factory. It was lifted on 33x12.50/15s.

I sold it when I moved to Texas after my ex graduated from college. I needed a cheaper to operate car as she began her career, and I continued on in school in TX...

I bought that truck for $500.00 in Arizona in the early 90s, and it was a fairly rust free rig. It needed tires, a battery, and had some nasty oil leaks from the valve covers. Whoop dee doo.

I fixed it up, had a buddy weld up a winch mount bumper, added a used 9K warn winch, and then swapped in a REALLY nice Sony CD deck and speakers.

I probably had $2500.00 into the truck.

I out of curiosity yesterday looked at what these are going for now. HOLY SMOKE. I actually saw a completed auction for a 76 that went for $115,000.00

I remember that Lamborghinis used to cost less than that! Heck, my house cost less than that!

 

[Long Rifle]

15 years ago I gave my oldest son my restored 1970 Scout 800 SR2 with factory winch bumper and warn winch. Four years ago he needed money to pay IRS and sold it for $6000. Wish I had it back and also the 1965 80 my Dad had with front and back limited slip and factory Garret turbocharger.

 

[ttengineer]

I honestly tell people now, that when they get their hands on rare rigs like that or older LCs, jeeps, or even the odd import or muscle car AND they are clean and rust free to just keep them clean and working and NEVER sell them.

I had a ‘99 2 door Tahoe when I was 16 that I sold in 2009 so my wife and I could redo a kitchen. It was Cherry. Perfect. 98k miles worked fine.

I always regretted selling it. My wife said that if I ever found it I should buy it back, knowing I’d never see it again.

Well jokes on her, a HS friend saw it for sale in Alabama 10 years later. I went the next day, her birthday, and bought it back for $3200. It was in shambles, but drive-able. So I’m now saving to completely restore it for my son. I’ve got 12yrs to get it done. But it will be done right and never sold again.


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[BritKLR]

I've had several Toyota mini trucks (before they became Tacomas) and never lost money on them when sold....but, boy do I miss them now. Now I hang onto the junk I have for all the above reasons and will someday hand-off to my son when he has his mid-life crisis! lol.

Bought the TR when he was two.


Bought the 60 when he was 10.........he's 27 now and still 13 years away from mid-life!


Bought the 94 Sami when he was 7.........still getting used as an adventure rig.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

I've owned quite a few I wish I could go back and not have sold.......

1. 1964 Pontiac Parisienne Custom Sport
2. 1964 Buick Wildcat Conv.
3. 1962 Chev Impala 2 dr. hdtp
4. 1970 Olds Cutlass S
5. 1960 Cadillac Coupe DeVille
6. 1971 Buick Riviera GS 455
7. 1958 Plymouth Savoy 2 dr hdtp.
8. 1960 Chev Brookwood Wagon 2 dr.
9. 1979 Camaro Z/28
10. 1980 Turbo Trans Am
11. 1995 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham - triple black

It's shocking when I look at the values of some of these cars now and think about how much I sold them for way back when....

 

[dbhost]

Yeah, I am thinking there are probably 3 over all the years I wish I hadn't sold.

The 78 Scout 2.
76 Toyota Celica GT Liftback
65 VW Westfalia pop top camper with 71 1600 dual port, converted to 12v.

 

[deserteagle56]

I had a 1973 Bronco, 302 V8 & C4 automatic, with factory power steering. When I was building my house some years ago I wasn't using the Bronco that much but needed some cash so I advertised it -without checking to see what they were selling for - for $3500. Got a call next day from some guy in Reno (175 miles away) for directions to my house; he was sending up a rollback with driver and $3500 cash in $100 dollar bills. Regretted selling that thing many times since then.

 

[Tex68w]

I sold my totally restored 1972 Bronco that had a built 351W, 5-linked rear, 4-linked front, 35's, bumpers, winch, completely restored interior and new paint for $32K back in 2011 and I thought I killed it. If I still had that truck today it would be worth $60-90K in this current market. I had a 1982 Toyota truck long bed somewhat restored and on 33's with a lift and winch bumper. I let that thing go for $4000 back in 2010, easily a $15K truck today in the same condition I sold it in. My father's 1972 FJ40 was a complete frame-off with a more modern 2F motor, 33's, winch, etc. and it sold in 2012 for $27K, easily a $60K truck today. Don't even get me started on the T-Bird, Coupe DeVille, and Continental all of which I sold for far lower than they are bringing today. I restored a few older motorcycles as well that I let go for less than I should have but at the time the prices were fair, we are just in weird times at the moment where supply is short, demand is up and inflation is at an all-time high. Sadly, those that are buying these items in this current market are likely to lose their ****** when it all comes crashing down and it looks like we are headed that way quick, fast and in a hurry.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

it looks like we are headed that way quick, fast and in a hurry.

What makes you say that?

 

[Tex68w]

What makes you say that?

I don't want to discuss the economy and politics in a vehicle forum but lets be honest, it isn't looking good for the long haul at the moment.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

I don't want to discuss the economy and politics in a vehicle forum but lets be honest, it isn't looking good for the long haul at the moment.

Fair enough.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Eh, woulda, shoulda, coulda. Had a '71 Blazer (First generation) from 83 to 85. Would probably be worth big bucks now.

But that's not really the way to think of it.

At the time you got rid of that old rig it was the best decision for you then. If you had kept it you would have had to maintain it ($$) and drive it ($$$$ as those old vehicles were gas pigs - 10 MPG if you were lucky.)

You can only have so much "stuff" before it starts to impact your quality of life. After all, there are still only 24 hours in a day. You REALLY want to spend your evenings and weekends trying to keep an old rust bucket running?

You also would have had to put up with the day-to-day annoyances that are so easy to forget when we look back with the rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia. The broken heater, the fan that makes a clicking noise, the squeaks and rattles you can never quite figure out, the draft coming in through the worn out weather stripping, the window crank that broke when the window was in the down position, etc.

Anyone who's ever owned an old car knows that there's ALWAYS something that needs to be fixed.

And rust, OMG, Rust. Those old Scouts were HORRIBLE for rust. My brother had one and the rust in the rear body was so bad that you could look through holes in the floor and see the road beneath you.

For some reason our minds are always quick to forget those times when you said a silent prayer every time you turned the key, hoping it would actually start. Those long walks in the cold (or the heat) when it left you stranded by the side of the road. All the times you sat in your friend's nice, new vehicle and thought "wow it sure is nice to be in a truck with a working heater or a radio I can actually hear over the road noise."

And of course, let's not forget all those trips you DIDN'T take because you weren't sure your old hoopty was going to make it back.

I get it, it's fun to reminisce and say "I had one of those back in the day, wouldn't it be great if I'd kept it?" But that fantasy is not the reality of owning an old vehicle.

 

[phsycle]

I’ve had my fair share of regrettable sales. But Cmon guys. Vehicles aren’t investments, for the most of us. They’re tools, used for transportation and utilitarian purposes.

And even if you’re kicking yourself for the $10k, $50k or whatever you could’ve made 20 years after the fact….you could’ve just stuffed the sale proceeds into your 401k or mutual fund then, and now would be waaaay ahead.

 

[Martinjmpr]

BTW to echo Tex68w somewhat, I also think a lot of these things are massively overvalued. It's a classic "bubble" but the thing is, bubbles eventually burst. Always.

I also have to wonder who it is that's buying these $115,000 Scout II's? I mean, no bank is going to give anybody a loan on something like that, so someone is pulling 6 figures out of their bank account to pay for a toy, a novelty - who has money for that?

My point being, the number of BUYERS for these hideously overpriced old relics cannot be that large, and it's only going to get smaller because once somebody buys something like that, what are the chances that they'll want to buy another one? And given that these buyers are probably not young (my guess would be almost none of them are under 50 and I'd bet many of them are over 70), what happens when they die? Someone's going to liquidate that old vehicle (if it's even been maintained) for pennies on the dollar.

I sure hope that folks aren't out there buying old 4x4's and then draining their retirement accounts to "restore" them with the hope that they'll be able to take advantage of some wealthy sucker's nostalgia for the old truck he had in high school because that doesn't seem like something a person should bank on.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

And even if you’re kicking yourself for the $10k, $50k or whatever you could’ve made 20 years after the fact….you could’ve just stuffed the sale proceeds into your 401k or mutual fund then, and now would be waaaay ahead.

Please stop trying to apply rational thought and logic here. Jeez...