Ever buy back your old car?

I have a cool story to share. You may have also read this in the letters section of the magazine.

I sold my 1980 TR8 in 1995 after owning it from 1987. At the time it was a distress sale since I was go through a divorce and starting a new business. It broke my heart but I needed the money. I had always owned classic cars but then went the next 15 yrs, yep count 'em - 15 yrs without a classic. It was killing me. Finally this summer I decided enough is enough and its time to get back into a classic. I went on autotrader online and typed in "Triumph" and guess what pops up - a TR8 that looks just like my old car. I emailed the seller and sure enough, he emails back saying it is my old car and he's the third owner since I sold it. I emailed back that I was on my way over; he lived three only hours away.

Always was my car. It was only on loan to three other owners in those fifteen years.

I almost forgot. You can't have a story without a picture or it didn't happen.

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If I could find it, I'd buy my '67 Spitfire back in a heartbeat! Paid $200 for it, and towed it home without my parents knowing, and then kept it in the neighbors garage.

I rebuilt almost every system on that car, and finally drove it to high school on my last day as a senior. I sold it for a GT6+, another basket case, but much faster. Then sold that for a Toyota Corolla for a practical, reliable car for the daily 70-mile commute to college.

But, that '67 Spitfire, I learned so much because of it. And how to keep a potbelly stove stoked in my Grandmother's garage-- where I rebuilt it over the winter.

The '79 Spitfire I have now is fun, but it's not quite the same.

I tried to buy my old 1972 BMW R75/5 from the owner two downstream from me. It had been parked in the garage for 15 years but the moment someone (me) invested time to track it and him down, it must have been worth a jillion dollars. I knew what he bought it for from the guy I sold it to, and offered it a bit more, but this guy wanted to make a home run on it. Wonder what it's worth now?

I wish I had the '71 Demon we let get towed away back in 1987. There's a was nothing really special about it (/6 auto), but it was way less rusty than similar cars I've seen sell for stupid $ in recent years.

I have purchased or been given 6 Datsun 1200's; 2 were parts cars, 1 was for my brother and the other 3 were the same car.

I bought the 1200 (1984) and sold it an hour later to a friend who had no car (plus I needed a truck to get my road race bike to the track) We then turned it into a race car (1989) , I put up half and my friend basically gave it to me later on. I then sold it (1997) because I had a Showroom Stock Miata AND was given a D-Sports Racer project. I offed the DSR and got it the 1200 back in 2003. My wife has basically forbidden it's sale.

I do miss my Volvo 144 Rally car, I was out of work and wasn't sure I'd find work quickly so I sold it and kept the DSR.........started a new job the week after I sold the Volvo....oops.

Tom

I had to think about the question for a sec. I did re-buy a 1980 Audi 4000 that I bought from the first owner in 1994, then sold it to a buddy a year or so later. I bought it back in 1998 after I finished flight school.

Leo

I just got offered "Garfield" back---the orange Saab 99 that was never really an official project. Despite the fact that I've got a hole in my garage that could be filled, I declined. Oh-so-tempting though.

Very nice TR-8. The other owners kept it well and away from salt. I never sold a car that was going to either last much longer or ever be restored. I did buy a second newer Jawa 350 Californian and a second first generation Honda Civic. Cheers Ron

Edit: My first car in 1972 was a Fiat 850 Sedan and I wanted a Spider. So I bought the I wanted back then.

TR8owner wrote: I almost forgot. You can't have a story without a picture or it didn't happen.

74 Camaro Type LT. Street/bracket race car. Bought it from a bud moving out of state as part of an "everything in the garage" deal. Sold it to one of my kids friends, bought it back a few years later, sold it again a few years later. Current owner scared himself with it and stuck it in a barn where it has remained the past couple years.

My first car out of university was a bright orange Datsun 510. I'd love to have one like it,but the one I had was in Quebec in the late 70's, so there'll nothing left of it today. I do have an A2 VW GTI 16V in the garage that's identical to one I had 17 years ago though.

I bought back my '64 Fairlane 500 2dr a couple years ago. Sold it this March to buy the 635CSi. Cheers, Scott

I almost bough back my Bentley this year. Still consider doing it. Stay tuned.

I just found my first car also, a 1966 Mercury Parklane convertible I owned 40 years ago. I ran across it on eBay after thinking about it while riding through my home town.

It was from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and wound up in Orlando FL in great condition. I paid $480 for it in 1972 and it just sold for $14,500 to a buyer in Saudi Arabia. It hasn't shipped yet because the buyer only put $1,000 down as a deposit and is dragging his feet. The seller told me I could have it for $13,500 because the deadline was Sept 30th on the deposit.

I wish I could afford it, I just got laid off from a job I was at for 22 years, anybody out there have $13,500 burning a hole in your pocket?

I have owned enough TR8s over the years that its inevitable some of them have made their way thru here more than once. Law of averages starts to take over. Recently picked up a TR7 from an estate sale and after getting the car home, I realized I sold the engine to the now deceased PO 15 years ago. Kinda creepped me out a little. Was your TR8 always white, or is that a repaint over the original color? Looks very much like the TR8 I helped my buddy restore twice over the last 15 years. His was originally gold. Then it was wrecked and repaired with a white repaint. Then it rusted badly so it was rebodied onto a white TR7 shell from down south. Now the car is a gorgeous, money no object, 330 HP beast.

The car was originally that factory aqua blue color but the 2nd owner repainted it white. (I was the third owner in 1987) I repainted it white again and the owner before I bought it back also did the same.

I bought back my DB7 coupe abut a month ago.

I tried to buy back my old TR3. I ran into the buyer's wife on a job site a few years later and asked if he was interested in selling. I think I talked to him and he was mad at me for "lying" to him about the car. I distinctly remember telling him all sorts of problems with it when he was loading it onto the trailer because I really didn't want to sell it. But, I had given my word.

I bought a 1970 Spitfire with a Datsun A12 swapped into it, fixed and drove it, sold it, bought it back, fixed and sold it again, then bought it once more (well, my now ex bought it) and we fixed it up really nice. She then sold it and not six months later was whining about buying it back.

I bought back my X1/9 last year. The guy I sold/bought it from never had it titled in his name, so I wonder if I ever officially sold it?

Done it a couple times. First was the '83 Mirada. Shouldn't have bought that one back. But sold it back to the guy I sold it to previously, then he sold it back to the guy he sold it to previously (the guy I bought it back from). I didn't answer the phone after the second go around.

The '67 Barracuda convertible. Sold it as a basket case to a buddy. He got a deal on a Formula S a couple years later so I bought the convertible back. It included all the parts I collected for it the first time, plus more he collected. Paint and body work are done. Someday the rest will get assembled.

'72 Duster. Got it for free originally. Got it running, traded it for some parts to a buddy. Several years later bought it back. Raced it for a bit, but it needed more attention than I could give it. Sold it to a guy, then several months later he got in a jam and needed to sell it. Bought it back again. Sold it to another buddy last year. He still has it and its getting the proper attention now.

Lastly the '87 Comanche I just sold. Had that one twice as well. My wife reinstated the "no buying back cars we already owned" policy after that one. Policy was first created after the 2nd go round with the Mirada. Yea, policy didn't hold up too well.

There's a '68 Dart that might get a second chance here later this year too...

I bought back an 87 mr2 from the same junkyard I traded it to. Years before I drove it to the junkyard and traded it for a 65 Riviera with a tree growing through the engine compartment. For awhile I'd see my mr2 zipping around town, then it was absent for awhile. A few years later I'm back in that yard and the mr2 is there...yard owner said the trans went out, so I bought it for $300....he had never even had the title transferred.

I owned my Lancia Scorpion from 1981 to 1986 while I lived in Phoenix. I had just moved to AL and was starting a business and really had no time or money to keep up the car so I sold it. I had taken it with me to AL and just a few weeks after I got there a neighbor of mine called wanting it. So, back to AZ it went.

In about 2000 I came across another Scorpion and picked it up. It was a "ran when parked" story and needed quite a bit of work. It was nothing like the first one.

Then in 2002 or so someone on the Yahoo Group for the Scorpion had a joined saying he just bought the car. This new owner lived pretty close to my parents still in Phoenix so a few months later I met the guy and saw the car. He had just sold it. Dang. I met the new owner gave him my contact information but I never heard from him.

In 2004 someone else posted on the Yahoo Group a link to an Ebay ad with the same car listed. I contacted the seller but he was not interested in selling it outside of the auction. I was the highest bidder but it didn't meet the reserve. I had bid more but the bid increment process of Ebay did not show the max bid amount. I called the seller and we worked out a price.

I shipped it to Chicago where it is still driven in the summers. It is still rust free but is far from stock.

The Ebay ad from 2004. It has 13" Panasports on it.

A couple years ago at the Dragon. Now with 16" wheel and quad headlights. It is pretty close to the way I wanted it back in the early 80s.

It now sports a 3.5L 2GR-FE Toyota with the E153 MR2 transaxle.

Boring story in comparison, but it is a strange feeling to drive past a used car lot and see one of your old cars. Odd color combos and unique wheels make them easy to spot. I had to stop and apologize for the lack love that it apparently received after I let it go.

i bought back my '61 corvair station wagon once, then sold it again about a year later.

i want to buy back my '66 corvair ragtop with the crown kit and vortec-headed 327, but i can't get in touch with the guy i sold it to. anyone in rochester NY know a guy named Casey who used to run a restaurant called "Mex"?