Deal that got away

[1 Wild R/T]

Back in 1989 i had a 1984 Dodge Daytona Turbo Z Five speed manual in silver and black.  Very cool car.  However, the car was not reliable and wife was always after me to sell it.   With only 2.2 liters off the line it was kinda slow until about 2300 rpm and the turbo would kick in..whoosh and extra 50% horsepower and in first gear floored, it would exhibit a good deal of torque steer.  I knew about the torque steer and was always ready to back off in first to control it...  it was especially bad if the front wheels were turned when the turbo kicked in.   

Well the wife drove it one day to the local grocery store, which had a parking lot on a fairly steep hill, and to go home you had to pull out of the steep parking lot with a right hand turn onto the road..with heavy traffic.  She had never experienced the torque steer, and with the wheels turned to the right gave it plenty of gas, slipping the clutch to get that relatively heavy car to pull out quickly into traffic.   Half way out the magic 2300 rpm occurred and with the pedal floored, the torque steer ripped the steering wheel out of her hands, car shot across the road and she barely got it stopped before hitting a telephone pole.   LOL...  Well when she got home, i got my ear chewed out but good, and i made the decision to sell it.   DAMN...loved that little 4cyl turbo hot rod...  but...  Wish i still had it to this day.   You cant even find them now !

I was working at the local Dodge dealer when those came out.... The first weekend after I PDI'd them two different salesmen stuffed two turbo Daytona's into curbs taking customers for test drives....

[RUNCHARGER]

Torque steer can be fun though.

[three two barrels]

Mid 80's local autotrader had a 1970 Challenger R/T 440 sixpack four speed 4.10 dana Shaker, rear spoiler, lime green, white interior for $1800.
Around the same time a used car lot had a 1970 Cuda 440 Sixpack Four speed also lime green but had a supercharged 383. Car was purchased by a racer and he promptly started chopping it up to make it lighter. Saw it at the track once and it was totally unrecognizable, what a waste. 

[71vert340]

While working in the shipyard in Bremerton in 1981, I ran into a guy I had served on a ship with in 1973-75. A friend and I had gone over about 1973 to work on his 70 T/A. It needed one of the carbs rebuilt. It was a yellow , auto trans car without the side stripes but with the 340 fender decals. I asked him if he still had the T/A. He said he had just sold it for $500 the week before I ran into him but the guy was calling and wanted his money back because the car ran poorly. I told him to give the guy back his money and I'd pay him $1500 for it (California car all it's life). When he called the guy back , the guy had found out how rare the car was and wouldn't sell it back. Missed it by a week.
Terry

[bennydodge]

Back in 1989 I missed out on a package deal for 2 Challenger T/A's. Both cars were in north Denver, one was a Go Mango column shift auto and the other was a Sublime 4 spd. The 4 spd car didn't run but the Go Mango car was running and doing driver duty at the time. Both cars were VERY nice and all there-no junk. Although neither car was actually for sale, the owner told me $6500 for both cars and he would only sell as a pair(I only wanted the 4 spd car). Of course being a fresh graduate of high school I had no real money so I asked my dad for a loan and his response was laughter. He said don't waste your money on old junk, buy a nice new car-I was told to "think of your future" lol...I still think about those cars to this day.

[JS29]

@bennydodge If he only knew!

[Ed]

426 Hemi Charger for 2500.00  outside the gate at Ft Rucker i south Alabama.  I was in college  to become aircraft mechanic didnt have extra 10.00 to my name.  Told my brother, he told a friend that  bought it the next day.   Still had Sonic 60 tires and  moony wheels .  Around 1986.   
One thing I thought funny  guys son didnt want it and drove a mercury bobcat.   I was driving 1964 1/2 mustang   but that was a cheap car then too.  Real 64 1/2  generator  vent in front of battery ect.

[bennydodge]

@bennydodge If he only knew!

HaHa..yes, the topic came up a few years ago and all my father said was "don't tell me what those cars are worth now". I told him anyway, lol. In his defense it probably wasn't smart to give a loan to someone who had no collateral or a decent paying job.