One evening whilst driving back from the Ware unit I was listening to Absolute 80s, and ‘If I could turn back time’ came on. I’m not usually one for looking back on my past ruefully remembering all of my cock ups and mistakes – but on this occasion I was doing just that. I’ll keep it automotive for the sake of the newsletter; but if you ply enough intoxicating liquor my way at one of our socials I might just tearfully share some more!
The car we should have bought, the modification we shouldn’t have made, the car we shouldn’t have sold. Whether it’s a financial misjudgement, circumstance, or just plain poor decision making. We all share these experiences in our automotive pasts they shape our passion for the hobby and help us learn from our mistakes.
We all have that one car we look back on wishing we’d never sold. They just suited your life perfectly at the time you had them, and for whatever reason we had to part ways – in my case it was a Honda Accord Type R. I was in my early 20s and it was just perfect for me, fast enough without being lethal, reliable enough – hey it was a Honda, affordable enough to run on my wages at the time, and different enough to stand out. I then met my now wife, relocated to London and the painful decision was made that I had to sell the car. It was the right decision at the time, but it was by no means an easy one to make. The money from the sale then furnished out first place together and the rest is now history. But what if I’d not sold, what if I’d kept it somehow – these are the questions we ask ourselves but will never be able to answer, it really was a fantastic car.
Modification wise, there is one that stands out. I’m normally one for keeping things quite OE. But shortly after the purchase of my M5 (there is a lot of embarrassment in even typing this one) I decided it might be a good idea to put a Pistonheads “V8” slogan on the rear screen. In my defence it was on there just about long enough to realise what a pillock it made me look – fortunately I didn’t even leave the driveway. But it was on there, I spent money on buying it. If I could wind the clocks back and set that one straight I would. I mean with the Honda sale, there is an upside to that story.
The cars we should have bought, well where do we start. About the time I bought the Honda, there was a moment I considered a Sapphire Cosworth, or an ST205 Celica GT-Four (in yellow with black wheels – I came very close to this one). Being from the Sega Rally era (or in my case Didier Auriol/ Juha Kankkunen era) the Celica was a strong candidate. Now whether the market would have favoured my choices we’ll never know. But there are always those cars that were about when we started to earn a bit more money, we’d got a few years no claims under our tyres and suddenly the ‘hot’ cars are within reach. We can’t buy them all, but if you buy at the right time then you’re laughing. Now does anyone know where I can find a crystal ball to help in trying to buy the right car at the right time?
We all have them, none of us are perfect, what would you do differently, any questionable modifications you’ve made that you’d like to share – think of us as a therapist. I certainly hope to sleep better at night now I’ve shared my awful sticker story.