Missed chance or lucky break?

Hi, I rented a Vintage Speedster from a local exotic car rental service over the summer. It performed perfectly the entire time I had it. On subsequent weekends when I called about its avail. I was told it was in the shop and candidly "it's a mess" I mentioned that if it was a problem for them I might be interested in taking it off their hands. It had 21K on it. The owner called me and we were negotiating in the $11K range. I thought that was a great price but let it slide for a few weeks while I considered the "mess" statements ramifications. As you can guess they sold it. I have been told it went for quite a bit less than the $11K I was talking. So, basically.. Someone tell me I'm better off,, so I can sleep at night... please. Silver, black interior... Ran great for the two days I had it. How bad could it have been? ...... Agghhhh..!!

TIM...TIM....TIM.... you had something that slipped from your grasp. They are so easy to work on that it would have probably been a pleasure to find where the mess was and fix it. But you need to get rest and sleep well at night, but not because of this opportunity. :(

Happy holidays.....drinkin helps you sleep, just ask RonO

Mike, it ain't necessarily so, to coin a phrase. I had a few sips....ah, I mean glasses of a nice Australian grenache/shiraz after coming home from the arena and woke up with a headache. Very unusual. I agree that it sounds like the car in question must have been a great buy. If it had good cosmetics, the engine and drivetrain could have been replaced and still you would have probably been money ahead. In all liklihood, it probably didn't need anything nearly that extreme. Who is to know for certain. It could have been a real pile of crap under the surface. Keep on looking, there is one out there with your name on it.
John H.

Tim, there is always another good deal around the next corner. You'll find another one.
Ron

Be patient ...I have been building kit cars and speedsters as a hobby for 15 plus years, I am amazed as to what is sitting incomplete / unbuilt in garages with 2 feet of lawn furniture aon top of it....you end up hearing about a car from one source or another so....keep talking it up to friends and co-workers ..has worked for me on many occassions....
One example is I got an email 2 years ago from a friend in NJ that, saw a "just posted" ad to a web site that was offering a Speedster for $5000..for that I didn't care what shape it was in....called the seller and said I would be there asap,.... hooked the trailer to my pick up and ran from Pa to N.C. overnight arriving at the guys home at 6:30 am only to find a absolute perfect Speedster that had never had the top installed ...negotiated the $5k to $4.5 loaded the car and drove away as fast as I could ...without looking back!

BTW reason for sale the seller had a new Boxter in the garage

Good Luck! Alan

Alan: How can you sleep at nights, stealing a car like that!

I once bought a Jaguar VDP in a similar way....I went to look at the car and it wasn't the right color.....the lady insisted I make an offer anyway...so I said fine I will give you 4500.....the car was worth about 18000 but I didn't really want this color and I don't like repainting cars.....she sold the car to me on the spot....I became paranoid that maybe something was wrong with the car.....then two weeks later her EX-husband bought the car from me for 12,000...I gave him a break because I felt sorry for him, and yes I sleep very good at night

Tim,

Your rental might have been given a really rough ride and put away wet after you had rented it. Something like getting airborne and coming down on a fire hydrant. Rentals usually are driven hard, especialy something like a Speedster. As the others have mentioned, there are other deals out there that may require some research. Others come up out of a bitter divorce, as mentioned above, or a death in the family. Those type of cars can go real cheap at times. Keep your eyes and ears open. If you are in proximity to either Knotts or Carlisle this coming Spring, come visit, either with or without a Speedster.

Bruce

Bob... Suffered a depressing quilt complex all the way home trailering that car! Couldn't eat or drink......was too busy looking at a beautiful red speedster in the rearview mirror :)
....I am now at a point when after I complete the three ongoing replicar projects hopefully, in the spring, I'll start looking for a project speedster for myself.....Alan