I sort of miss my '94 Miata and '99 M Coupe.
But I think I've done better with my S2000. The Miata was more pure fun, but the S2000 is a much better car. The BMW... I kind of do miss having a shooting brake. I wouldn't mind more luggage space and a better GT car. That's really it though. Build quality is much better on the S2000. It's now older and higher mileage than my M Coupe was when I sold it, and in much better shape. Let alone what kind of shape the BMW would be in today if I'd kept it.
That track rat Miata had my best driving memories. I was both sad and happy when I sold it. I'm glad I sold it for less than I could have to a young kid who was going to appreciate it.
Really what I need is to replace the minivan with something better.
I have had a lot of cars but this is the one I miss the most.
Bought it off the showroom floor new. 1991 Si Drove it nearly 200,000 effortless miles. An incredible machine. It needed an engine refresh/replacement and a collector in Atlanta saw its value. It was still driving fine with a touch of smoke and a tiny bit of clutch slip. I sold it to finance the Outlaw Bug.
If I had it now it would probably be mid-engine rear wheel drive...
Powar
UltraDork
9/6/22 11:41 a.m.
Three cars stand out in my head when I think about ones that I miss.
1994 Protege. Ground Control coilovers. Decent wheels and tires. My wife and I put many thousands of miles on the Lotegé, and I'd absolutely have another if the right one came along. This one ended up in the junkyard with trans issues after a friend put many thousands more miles on it. It was over a quarter million when it finally died.
1991 Cadillac Brougham. I sold it because I was out of indoor parking and it killed me watching the white vinyl top deteriorate in the driveway, and some rust was popping up under the trim from daily year round use. I've owned a few more Cadillacs since that one, but it was the best. Last time I saw this car, it was full of cigarettes and had no reverse. The rust and top were significantly worse.
2012 Fiat 500 Pop. The only car we've bought new. I sold it after 80k+ miles of trouble-free, economical, and amusing use. It just didn't fit our needs any longer. I wouldn't mind an Abarth 500C at some point in the future. Maybe a yellow '15+ or a GQ Edition. A friend still drives this one daily.
In reply to The_Jed :
It's a really long, not great family drama story about why it's gone, but I've really been wanting another mk1 Capri lately and replacing that car with another seems like it will be needle-in-haystack + money to fix. Quite frustrating. I think about this probably once a day on the average.
EricM
SuperDork
9/6/22 2:11 p.m.
I don't want to cry again.
A few...
I regret letting my mom's old 1971 Dodge Demon get towed to the junk yard back when I was in high school. Unfortunately, saving it was simply beyond our means at the time.
Trading in my 1991 Integra on a 1998 Audi A4 Avant. I should have tried to keep that car as a project/track rat. Especially since I ended up selling the Audi in about 6 months for about what I owed on it, essentially losing the Acura.
Biggest regret was selling my 1990 E150 conversion van to make room for my 1995 Cummins 4x4. As soon as I installed the fresh battery the buyer had brought with him and it fired up without hesitation after sitting untouched for well over a year - I knew I'd made a massive mistake. A mistake I was reminded of every time the Cummins broke down - which was often.
My very first car, a 1973 Mazda RX-2. Purchased used for $500. Drove it for five years. Graduated college, got a real job, and sold it for $425. A week later, the new owner gets T-boned in it. He was fine, but the car basically totaled. I saw it once after the wreck. Sad.
No chance that I would have kept the car, but I sometimes wish I still had it. Not easy to find in any condition today.
I miss my L322 Range Rover every single time I see another one. Mine was a 2010 Supercharged that I bought to replace a 2011 F-150. The thought was that as I moved into "the city" and a high-rise apartment, a large SUV that could still tow my trailer would be better than a half-ton truck. Bought this from a Maserati dealership with 94k miles - Buckingham Blue on cream leather, with navy blue piping and cherry wood trim.
I put 10k miles on it in six months, including a trip to Sebring, FL for NASA Nationals that fall and a few off-road days. It towed my open trailer very well but the suspension was way too soft to really handle an enclosed safely, so once I got the bigger trailer it had to go. Traded it on a 2018 F-150 (brand new), odometer read 105k miles at trade-in and nothing had gone wrong with it.
This RR had the most sense of occasion of anything I've owned, was the quietest thing I've owned in the cabin, and was allegedly limited to 136 mph by Land Rover. It was hilariously fast. Un-fun above 90. There was a huge amount of "wow, I've made it" every time I drove it, despite being a mid-20s kid who had only made it so much at the time.
IMO these are peak Range Rover and nothing since has been better. If I had more parking space, I would 1,000% have another one today.
Miss my 2002 Suburban 2500 8.1 4x4. Sold it to buy a truck to pull a 5th wheel camper. Still miss it and regret selling it.
2003 Mazdaspeed Protege. Bought it not running as a project and sold it probably 6 months later without doing anything to it. Doubt I'll be able to find another rust free, 95% stock example for the $750 I paid for this one.
1999 Jeep Cherokee 2 door super clean inside, zero rust and again I'll never be able to replace it for the $700 I bought it for. I've owned close to 30 XJ's over the years and this was by far my favorite and the nicest.