What did you miss out on?

In 1990 I was living in California, Long Beach. I was driving a 78 LeBaron 2 dr, not a bad car, 318 in it. I stopped at a light, looked over to the left at a car dealer lot.

There was a 73 340 Duster sitting up on one of those car stands. Went to look at it, Lemon Twist 4 speed, black interior, 72,000 miles on it. $1500, stupid me.

Around high school time, 83 or so, a Kmart down the street from me had a side area where people put used cars. A 69 Charger showed up one day $1000, didnt have that much money then.

My Parents bought a brand new Dodge Custom 880 in 64, gave it to me when i started driving. 383, 300hp road cruiser C body. loved that car.

it had 133,000 when i started driving it, in 89, it had 189,000, I was going to school for Aviation Mechanics, and got hired by McDonnell Douglas. My parents still owned the car, so my dad decided to sell it, it may have had a burned valve, had a miss that didnt wouldnt go away. I loved that car.

So we found the previously mentioned 78 Chrysler for $1800, and sold the 880 to a junkyard, for $100, just about cried that day. When we were still there, a collector saw it and bought it right there.

Flash forward 5 years. I was laid off and moved back to seattle. I was working at a Chevron station while looking for a computer job.

I see a custom 880 go down the road early on a sunday morning, i run around the corner to see f i can get a good look at it, too late, it was gone.

A few weeks later, i was busy working on a car, and hear the ding ding of the pumps.

I look up and there sits the Custom 880. I look at the license plate, and its the same.

i look under the bumper and the 280Z dent is still there. I ask the guy if i can look inside, the holes under the dash for a tape deck i had was still there. MY CAR HAS RETURNED TO ME.

It looked brand new, totally restored.

Jeff, the owner said he would sell it back for $3000, i didnt have that much, so i asked if he could meet me there after work and see if i could take it by my parents house.

We go over there that night, told my dad to go look out in the driveway, you should have seen the look on his face.

Well he wouldnt buy it back. But i convinced a buddy of mine to buy the car, and now it sits nice and safe in his heated garage in tacoma. YAY, moral of the story, rebuild your engine>